Who to Support after Rossi Retires.

This is so easy for me that the opinion is almost redundant.





Stoner



and Jorge and Dani and Nicky and Ben and Marco and so on and so forth.



But now we have an Aussie in Repsol livery I am reliving a part of my Doohan worshiping formative years.



But I think the battles to arrive between Dani, Jorge, Ben (he will get there) and Casey will be grand!



Put Nicky on the Yamaha

Of that lot, some who've probably caught my eye include:



MotoGP: Spies, deffo. Guy's a natural, he should go far in this category. Maybe Simoncelli, provided he rekindles the talent he had in the next category down when he won it (and finds the good bike). Would like to see Dovizioso do well, he surprised me when he first stepped up and raced well above my initial expectations. Whether R Cal will cut the mustard remains to be seen.



Moto2: This is quite the selection, though the names that stand out to me as future MotoGp riders include Mike di Meglio, Pol Espargaro, Andrea Iannone and Stefan Bradl. All of whom have worked their way through the field and regularly crop up as main contenders. di Meglio would be my prime pick of that bunch in terms of consticency, though it is very close between them all. As for the rest of them, I see a few who've had their chance, like Nieto for instance, most of whom have been in the top category and not been able to cut it. Only de Angelis, as far as I can see, may be able to bounce back. Randy Krummenacher and Valentin Debise strike me as being possible surprise packages for the future, maybe Cluzel and Redding will do well and get there in time, though I think they need to mature a bit first. Max Neukirchner was quite the contender over in Superbikes, though given the recent record of those who have made the switch I can only, at best, be cautiously optimistic about his chances.



125cc: I'm surprised Cortese isn't in a higher category this year, so I'd be expecting to see him go up. Same with Terol. Given time I think they should be the ones to watch in the near future. As for the rest of them: bit difficult to judge really. Kornfeil stands out, for some reason, wasn't a particularly strong runner last year but a consistent finisher. With the right machine under him he may well be a dark horse I think. Gadea's got the experience, though not as consistent in reccent times. He may struggle to get back up to the next category. Not all that acquainted with most of the rest of them, so I may well be surprised by one or two of the newer names in the category. Spare a thought, however, for poor Louis Rossi. The name of a legend, the talent of a parsnip! I'll be rooting for him anyway, though, see what becomes of him this season, if only for the fact that his birthdate's very near to my own (two days out, to be precise).

Psychic Potato said:

Maybe Simoncelli, provided he rekindles the talent he had in the next category down when he won it (and finds the good bike).



As for the rest of them, I see a few who've had their chance, like Nieto for instance,

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Have you kept up with testing? Marco has a good bike, and that is an understatement.



In moto2 its odd you would pick Di Meglio, as he hasn't done very much since moving up from the 125 class. I would like to see him find his winning form again but i wont be holding my breath, just like i wont for Tom Luthi. Also, Nieto has retired this winter and replaced in his team by a Polish guy with a funny name.

Tom said:

Have you kept up with testing? Marco has a good bike, and that is an understatement.



In moto2 its odd you would pick Di Meglio, as he hasn't done very much since moving up from the 125 class. I would like to see him find his winning form again but i wont be holding my breath, just like i wont for Tom Luthi. Also, Nieto has retired this winter and replaced in his team by a Polish guy with a funny name.

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Bit of a lack of news sources over the winter, so haven't been able to keep track all that well. But it's sounding increasingly promising for Marco this year.



As for selecting di Meglio, I'm aware he's been a little out of form since his 2008 victory. Last season especially wasn't a particularly good year, but I think he's proved himself as more than capable in the past to bounce back. I'm hoping he'll be able to get his act together and get back on form this year, if he doesn't this time round then I'll accept he's probably not gonna make it. But I know he's capable, so i would be surprised at him if his droop continued. Failing that, though, there's a number of other on-form riders in Moto2 like I mentioned before, Iannone's a good bet, Espargaro's cut his teeth and gradually improved after a few seasons in 125s, though it'll be interesting to see how he copes with the step up. Bradl's a tricky one, I'd like to see him do well. He's certainly capable of being a frontrunner I believe, he's shown consistency in points scoring but needs to push a bit more for better results.

For me ben is the man who will be the next guy to win the championship that has not won it already it breaks me that hes a yank but first saw him in the ama a few years ago when it was the only racing that saw due to work and have followed hiim ever since .



but in my eyes the greatest raw talent out there at the mo is marc merquez hes got world champion written all over him and after seeing him hold on to the bike at estirol on the warm up lap for the restart theres no doubting his bravery and will to win and thats what i like to see a bit oif guts and for those of yoiu who has called him a pedrosa clone . tell me when you ever saw dani step up to the mark when its balls out racing i just don't ever see him wining as he does not have the mean streak like VR, lorenzo and stoner.



Al

Psychic Potato said:

Bit of a lack of news sources over the winter, so haven't been able to keep track all that well. But it's sounding increasingly promising for Marco this year.



As for selecting di Meglio, I'm aware he's been a little out of form since his 2008 victory. Last season especially wasn't a particularly good year, but I think he's proved himself as more than capable in the past to bounce back. I'm hoping he'll be able to get his act together and get back on form this year, if he doesn't this time round then I'll accept he's probably not gonna make it. But I know he's capable, so i would be surprised at him if his droop continued.

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Yes i think if DiMeglio does find his feet pace wise then he will be a solid contender, his 2008 title was textbook. For me there is a still a big question mark over the tech3 moto2 bike, i'm certainly hoping it's up to the task. Smith and DiMeglio are both riders i like and they both strike me as guys who will be front runners on a capable machine but not the type to drag and override a lesser bike to any huge degree.

2 wheeled panzer commander said:

For me ben is the man who will be the next guy to win the championship that has not won it already



but in my eyes the greatest raw talent out there at the mo is marc merquez hes got world champion written all over him and after seeing him hold on to the bike at estirol on the warm up lap for the restart theres no doubting his bravery and will to win and thats what i like to see a bit oif guts and for those of yoiu who has called him a pedrosa clone . tell me when you ever saw dani step up to the mark when its balls out racing i just don't ever see him wining as he does not have the mean steak like VR, lorenzo and stoner.



Al

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The next motogp champion to not have already won a title: That is a good point to think about, I think for this year Dani is more likely to win it than any other. But Spies and Simoncelli seem to be the next inline. Trouble is they might end up getting Doviziozo'd if the next generation of graduates from other series has someone special in them. As for Marquez, i think we all agree that he is the next big thing, but i can think of many occasions Dani has stepped up to the mark with hard and ballsy racing. He has grit.... Or had it in the lower classes. the point being, don't pencil Marquez in for motogp success yet.

2 wheeled panzer commander said:

For me ben is the man who will be the next guy to win the championship that has not won it already it breaks me that hes a yank but first saw him in the ama a few years ago when it was the only racing that saw due to work and have followed hiim ever since .



but in my eyes the greatest raw talent out there at the mo is marc merquez hes got world champion written all over him and after seeing him hold on to the bike at estirol on the warm up lap for the restart theres no doubting his bravery and will to win and thats what i like to see a bit oif guts and for those of yoiu who has called him a pedrosa clone . tell me when you ever saw dani step up to the mark when its balls out racing i just don't ever see him wining as he does not have the mean streak like VR, lorenzo and stoner.



Al

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I wouldn't underestimate Dovi or Simoncelli after seeing how fast those honda are Al

However I do agree about Pedrobot & Marquez.

lil red rocket pilot said:

I wouldn't underestimate Dovi or Simoncelli after seeing how fast those honda are Al

However I do agree about Pedrobot & Marquez.

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I agree phil , as i mentioned in another post what does dovi have to do to be mentioined in the same sentance as the aliens very underated in my eyes. and marco simonchelli had a great finish to the season and looks certain to get a few podiums this season .



its great for the sport that there is so many talented riders at the upper tear now . looking forward to next year as it looks like the competition for factory rides in 2012 is going to be brutal.



I'm also looking forward to see how the suzuki comes on looks like its going to be more competative this year weather thats because they have more cash with one bike or only having to focus on one riding style who knows.

L8Braker said:

I think Talps makes a good point

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There's your problem right there.

2 wheeled panzer commander said:

I'm also looking forward to see how the suzuki comes on looks like its going to be more competative this year weather thats because they have more cash with one bike or only having to focus on one riding style who knows.

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The zook always goes well at Sepang. Other tracks, less so. Time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath for the Zook - bad enough doing it for the Duke getting sorted and I reckon I may be pretty wheezy by the time that happens

Retires from what? Motorcycle racing? No doubt he can still be followed when he does anything - takes a ...., scratches his nuts, goes to mommas for pizza!



Seriously wtf is this question? You'd think it's the end of the world! How about, hmmmmmmm, someone else!



Or, can't you pick who the next winner is, and need some guidance? Here's a tip - go for the one who is the most charismatic after Rossi.



It won't be Stoner - he's a ......' whinger and not nice. Not Italian.



Jorge? - well he's ok, sort of Rossi light (only 1 top flight championship and his antics are rather lame), and besides that he's a .... because he asked for more money than #46 and got it. Not Italian.



Pedders? hmmmmm..... Spanish, too small and no charisma. Not Italian.



Spies? Not Italian and well, let's face it, he was taking Vale's seat!



No choice then - Simo is it. Italian, on a factory honda ( still presumably when vale retires).





Alternately, you can kill yourself because Vale isn't riding bikes anymore. Or go follow rallying, F1, tiddlywinks or navel gazing or whatever the doctor is up to. It's bound to be more interesting than watching some other .........s riding bikes around a track.

Son of Doohan said:

Retires from what? Motorcycle racing? No doubt he can still be followed when he does anything - takes a ...., scratches his nuts, goes to mommas for pizza!



Seriously wtf is this question? You'd think it's the end of the world! How about, hmmmmmmm, someone else!



Or, can't you pick who the next winner is, and need some guidance? Here's a tip - go for the one who is the most charismatic after Rossi.



It won't be Stoner - he's a ......' whinger and not nice. Not Italian.



Jorge? - well he's ok, sort of Rossi light (only 1 top flight championship and his antics are rather lame), and besides that he's a .... because he asked for more money than #46 and got it. Not Italian.



Pedders? hmmmmm..... Spanish, too small and no charisma. Not Italian.



Spies? Not Italian and well, let's face it, he was taking Vale's seat!



No choice then - Simo is it. Italian, on a factory honda ( still presumably when vale retires).





Alternately, you can kill yourself because Vale isn't riding bikes anymore. Or go follow rallying, F1, tiddlywinks or navel gazing or whatever the doctor is up to. It's bound to be more interesting than watching some other .........s riding bikes around a track.

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Or learn how to read a book.