Team Mate battles

Okay, I've been thinking this one over (it was Thursday night and maybe it should have gone on the pissed thread)



BUT



The cardinal rule of racing is always beat your team mate first, then worry about the other mundane stuff like winning and Points.



Now Jumkie started this by giving a great Link of the Double Ducati Podium and Phillip Island from 2010, Hayden was riding the wheels off it and made the bike look damn good, Casey won the race and Rossi 2nd but Nicky could obviously handle the Poocati.



The first thing that came to mind was the Hayden may be able to beat Rossi this year.



Then I looked at Ben, whose average times on extended runs at Sepang were better than Jorge's, and in fact better than many of the vaunted Honda's.



And then there is the desperate and dateless Dani, whom an amount of money equivalent to the Australian GDP has been spent upon since Hayden left to buy him a title, and now Casey is there.



So this is not Rossi -v- Stoner as many of the threads are but the team placings. I have mentioned three as a warm up, but this does not set the paramters or terms, all the teams are worthy of a mention.



For me the three teams mentioned I am going to vote Stoner Spies and Hayden (not that there is a pole, I'm not technical enough).



I think Stoner is a world champion and has done it before, Dani is the perennial lady in waiting.



I think Spies on his extended runs showed he could settle into a better race rhythm



I think Hayden can ride that Ducati and his style is better suited to the turning difficulties the bike has (as opposed to the more in line style of Rossi)









Let the fight begin!

Continuing on with my own thread...



Session 2 as of 23:04 - 14/03/11

Pos Rider Team Fastest lap Prev. Gap Lead. Gap Laps

1 Casey Stoner Repsol Honda Team 1:55.681 - - 46

2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1:55.745 +0.064 +0.064 39

3 Ben Spies Yamaha Factory Racing 1:56.294 +0.549 +0.613 45

4 Marco Simoncelli San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:56.433 +0.139 +0.752 70

5 Andrea Dovizioso Repsol Honda Team 1:56.439 +0.006 +0.758 58

6 Randy De Puniet Pramac Racing Team 1:56.445 +0.006 +0.764 67

7 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 1:56.707 +0.262 +1.026 48

8 Colin Edwards Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:56.716 +0.009 +1.035 57

9 Nicky Hayden Ducati Marlboro Team 1:56.726 +0.010 +1.045 68

10 Hiroshi Aoyama San Carlo Honda Gresini 1:56.740 +0.014 +1.059 73

11 Hector Barbera Mapfre Aspar Team 1:56.798 +0.058 +1.117 62

12 Alvaro Bautista Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1:56.931 +0.133 +1.250 63

13 Valentino Rossi Ducati Marlboro Team 1:56.988 +0.057 +1.307 50

14 Loris Capirossi Pramac Racing Team 1:57.345 +0.357 +1.664 62

15 Cal Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1:57.730 +0.385 +2.049 28

16 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 1:57.846 +0.116 +2.165 49

17 Toni Elias LCR Honda MotoGP 1:58.536 +0.690 +2.855 57







Firstly - I have never underestimated RDP - at 6th fastest on the Ducati and not the rider that Rossi or Hayden is it would demonstrate that the GP11 is not the equal of the satellite bikes.



Stoner - Fastest Honda (well they got him for that reason)



Ben Spies - Fastest Yamaha - this is an omen for Lorenzo - it happened last test and average speeds for Spies are right up there.



Nicky - wait for the wall if you keep doing that. Valentino will get the chance to alienate much of his USA fan base by doing some bitching soon enough.



Toni Elias - built for a smaller bike - somebody has to come last though