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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Apr 17 2009, 04:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'> I just see 5 points

I'd be a pretty sad individual if I looked at Ross's poor performances during 08 and said the same ..... .......What do you make Rossi's off at Assen 08? ......... or any of the other non-firsts he got in 08? ........

Laguna was just 5 points I still don't get it Stoner had worse runs at several other races in 08. Matter of fact I'd say he was doing better before he got to Laguna, than he had been, an Laguna was a pretty good result


You're something else Barry!

Stoner went into that race after winning 3 races back to back did he not? He was fastest in every free practise, qualifying, the lot. Everyone....yourself included no doubt thought he was gonna run away with it but no, Rossi took the fight to Stoner who must of thought 'wtf, how did he find the speed?'(something that Rossi probably thinks everytime Casey gets on the Duc). Casey's cage was well and truely rattled after that....hence it was slightly more than just '5 points'.

About the race-Stoner was flying and is gonna make Rossi work for it even harder this year. The next few races are gonna be very important for both of them...

stoner (duc) = no excited at all runing away lonely rider just wacthing a boring gp no wonder everybody move to superbike and what a champion needed for, when every world know you just alone and no fight at all BORINGGGGG even you have a fastest bike it's meaningless and stoner can fight (...../ chicken )

but when looking at rossi (1-3lap) vs lorenzo(all lap) vs dovizioso & edwards cool (cut the line, find aempty space to pass other bike )

when you saw rossi vs biaggi or rossi vs gebernau WOW that one it's a great era 500cc 990cc

bring back the 990s

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>I have never understood where this Stoner faulted at Laguna comes from. Every time Rossi passed Stoner, Stoner fought back hard. He was never more than a bike length away and was constantly trying to get back in front. Each time he did Rossi did an unbelieveably aggressive move to get back in front. They went at it hard for many laps with NEITHER backing off. Then Stoner ran a metre or so too deep from very high speed and had to avoid running into Rossi ending up just off the track. Unfortunately the gravel went from firm to deep and soft right on the line Stoner was trying to take to get back on and he dropped it.

Show me a racer who hasn't made the slightest of error in the heat of such an intense battle and I will call you a ....... lier. Rossi made a big ....... error in the same battle and through luck and quick reflexes from Stoner to avoid his re-entry, stayed upright. Any other rider in that field on that day who could have been at that pace (which was none of them) would of folded under pressure from Rossi, a type of pressure that has not been seen in the modern era, long before Stoner made a slight error.


Very good points. In that battle, Rossi and Stoner actually made the same amount of mistakes, but Stoner had less luck.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xx CURVE xx @ Apr 17 2009, 12:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>bring back the 990s

Absolutely,that Qatar race was tame.

Motegi is a lot better track than Qatar though (atleast in my opinion). Hopefully we can get better racing there.


Note that I still enjoyed the Qatar race. I'd give it a solid 3/5 when I discount the .... with weather.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BarryMachine @ Apr 17 2009, 02:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>They have got pretty "special" haven't they

If I was a young on and suddenly became supertalented and good looking, like Stoner, and could get a girl who looked like Adrianna ............ and she was leaning toward me in a car like that ....... I'd be mildly happy
I think that there would be a permagrin on my face with that scenario!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nuts @ Apr 17 2009, 02:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>We all need something to agree on.....
Agree on, ontop of, in etc!!!! YEah baby!!!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Wander @ Apr 17 2009, 02:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Motegi is a lot better track than Qatar though (atleast in my opinion). Hopefully we can get better racing there.


Note that I still enjoyed the Qatar race. I'd give it a solid 3/5 when I discount the .... with weather.

Really? Motegi is just straights and 90 degree corners. Some good elevation and the chicane at the Start/Finish is good, but the track is pretty unexicting. IMO, any track built around an oval circuit is not as good as it could be.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hayden Fan @ Apr 17 2009, 08:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Really? Motegi is just straights and 90 degree corners. Some good elevation and the chicane at the Start/Finish is good, but the track is pretty unexicting. IMO, any track built around an oval circuit is not as good as it could be.

I can still like the track.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Wander @ Apr 17 2009, 02:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Very good points. In that battle, Rossi and Stoner actually made the same amount of mistakes, but Stoner had less luck.

Laguna Seca is one of my favorite case studies, a great battle between the two greatest riders in acitivity

In that battle Stoner made 2 errors, both times missing his braking point: once he went wide, losing 2 seconds (which he recovered quickly) then he went into the gravel and lost 16 seconds, and that was the end of the duel.

Rossi made one mistake, also caused by excessively delayed braking in an attempt to overtake Stoner on the inside of the corkscrew--the famous episode on the 3rd lap, in which he too went briefly into the gravel; however, since it was the gravel on the inside, he soon found the tarmac again.

Stoner was actually leaning on Rossi with a clear intention to stick to the inside and prevent him from sneaking in there; then when he realized that Rossi had gone ballistic, instinctively he took to the outside allowing Rossi to complete his pass while both of them went wide.

Schwantz later commented rightly that Stoner should have stuck to the inside line, letting Rossi pass and then inevitably go wider than him; he could then have overtaken him easily on corner exit, gaining maybe 2 seconds (and probably the race).

Luck exists, but by definition it cannot be measured

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (J4rn0 @ Apr 17 2009, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Laguna Seca is one of my favorite case studies, a great battle between the two greatest riders in acitivity

In that battle Stoner made 2 errors, both times missing his braking point: once he went wide, losing 2 seconds (which he recovered quickly) then he went into the gravel and lost 16 seconds, and that was the end of the duel.

Rossi made one mistake, also caused by excessively delayed braking in an attempt to overtake Stoner on the inside of the corkscrew--the famous episode on the 3rd lap, in which he too went briefly into the gravel; however, since it was the gravel on the inside, he soon found the tarmac again.

Stoner was actually leaning on Rossi with a clear intention to stick to the inside and prevent him from sneaking in there; then when he realized that Rossi had gone ballistic, instinctively he took to the outside allowing Rossi to complete his pass while both of them went wide.

Schwantz later commented rightly that Stoner should have stuck to the inside line, letting Rossi pass and then inevitably go wider than him; he could then have overtaken him easily on corner exit, gaining maybe 2 seconds (and probably the race).

Luck exists, but by definition it cannot be measured

You know...in all honesty it's the fans who are causing all this drama and riff between Stoner and Rossi, which in a fan's perspective is great. But it's the riders who have to deal with it, and knowing that every word out of your mouth is going to be scrutinized, some believe Casey should of accepted defeat graciously and just accept that what Rossi did on track was fair racing. But I think Casey was a little too passive about the incident, if he felt it was wrong on Rossi's part.... he should of gone up to Rossi and confront him first and let him know what he thinks. Well...we shall see how this year will go, but It would be great if Casey can give Rossi a taste of his own medicine.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SuperShinya56 @ Apr 17 2009, 10:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You know...in all honesty it's the fans who are causing all this drama and riff between Stoner and Rossi, which in a fan's perspective is great. But it's the riders who have to deal with it, and knowing that every word out of your mouth is going to be scrutinized, some believe Casey should of accepted defeat graciously and just accept that what Rossi did on track was fair racing. But I think Casey was a little too passive about the incident, if he felt it was wrong on Rossi's part.... he should of gone up to Rossi and confront him first and let him know what he thinks. Well...we shall see how this year will go, but It would be great if Casey can give Rossi a taste of his own medicine.

There was nothing intentional in what Rossi did--nobody puts himself intentionally in such danger. From recent interviews, it seems that Stoner also has come to accept that defeat (which was a really honorable one). He now says it took some time to 'digest' it...

Now, with a better handling Ducati and more experience, I think Casey can take the fight back to Rossi. For us lovers of the sport, it is going to be a great duel to watch and enjoy without prejudices. For the captive fans of one side or the other, it is going to be a season of deep anxiety and, for half of them, of final relief perhaps

Guess we could call this season the decisive battle between Stoner and Rossi.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (J4rn0 @ Apr 18 2009, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>For the captive fans of one side or the other, it is going to be a season of deep anxiety and, for half of them, of final relief perhaps

Firstly, i too look forward to Casey and Rossi dueling for the title, but i'm not really expecting much of that duel to be at close quarters on the track. If it does come to that Rossi has a reputation for being willing to go further than most to win, Casey does not. Things may change, but history favours Rossi in that scenrario.

As for half of the fans finally feeling relief, i don't think Stoner and Rossi divide the fans 50:50 But i know what you mean.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 18 2009, 02:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Firstly, i too look forward to Casey and Rossi dueling for the title, but i'm not really expecting much of that duel to be at close quarters on the track. If it does come to that Rossi has a reputation for being willing to go further than most to win, Casey does not. Things may change, but history favours Rossi in that scenrario.

As for half of the fans finally feeling relief, i don't think Stoner and Rossi divide the fans 50:50 But i know what you mean.
I would say more like 95:5 .

I don't think stoner had any aversion to pushing things in the 250s, admittedly not against valentino rossi. I think in general that at least the bikes if not the riding styles of stoner and rossi were so different in character that they did not really compete on the same parts of the track in 2007 and 2008, requiring a particular situation like laguna, where overtaking is difficult in the first place and where each being faster on a different part of the track to some degree cancelled out, for close racing. If the ducati is more manoeuvrable this year and the yamaha is closer to the ducati in a straight line there is perhaps a chance of close racing, but like you I wouldn't be holding my breath.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Apr 18 2009, 03:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't think stoner had any aversion to pushing things in the 250s,

Stoner has voiced complaints numerous times in his 125 and 250cc career, particularly about the the antics of Lorenzo and DeAngelis. In fairness those guys are nutters, but they made him uncomfortable enough to say something. Having said that though, Rossi has done the same about other riders despite dishing it out as badly or worse himself, so Stoner probably fits in that bracket too, he is a racer afterall.

The lack of battles is Rossi's fault. He needs to learn how to start.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clarkjw @ Apr 18 2009, 10:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The lack of battles is Rossi's fault. He needs to learn how to start.

Rossi has been .... off the line all his life

I guess there could be some truth in that. Rossi has never needed to be a good starter so I guess it could be argued that he's not one of the best getting off the line.