MOTO GP 2011

FeFiDoh · 3 Apr 2011 at 15:43

There's no MotoGP thread for the season?

Shame on you all!

So the Honda's are dominant so far in free practice/quals and it appears races.
Lorenzo has the ability to ride clever and not rely on all the speed and has the edge in the slower more corner based tracks.
Rossi is still not 100% fit on a bike that isn't complete.

And some of the satellite bikes aren't that far off the pace.

Stoner wins Qatar quite comfortably, Lorenzo celebrates second like a win.
Jerez is full of spins and tumbles and a completely unpredictable set of results and podiums.

Stoner gets taken out by a charging Rossi who over cooks it, he can carry on forcing Stoner to retire from the race and Lorenzo grabs the win.

Season is going to be damn tight and could be an absolute corker.

Did anyone catch it today?
Rossi went to say sorry to Stoner at the end of the race
Rossi : Sorry
Stoner : Obviously your ambition outweighs your talent

Love it!

FeFiDoh · 3 Apr 2011 at 18:15

How do people view his chances on that bike? They reckon he won't be 100% fit until May/June time which by then he could be quite a way behind.

He has shown today he has it still but the bike is lacking, its only a 2 year deal at Ducati, is that enough time to sort it out and really compete for the top? Got to think testing for this season was really hampered by his shoulder.

FeFiDoh · 9 Apr 2011 at 20:53

Sagalout said:
I like Stoner - I cant understand really why he gets the moaner tag. He doesn't moan anymore than any other rider. I like Rossi ,but look at how he started throwing his toys out of the pram as he gets challenged by Lorenzo in the garage.

Wasn't this down to Lorenzo' side of the garage wanting Rossi' data? And for them to share it? Didn't Rossi build that bike to what it is now? I can see why he would want a wall up and not to share stuff with his #1 challenge.

If you put that much effort and skill in to development why give it away?

FeFiDoh · 15 May 2011 at 15:26

Weekend was quite mad!

Simoncelli is crazy fast at times so near Stoner in the ual came out of no where that one.
Lorenzo in a strop after qual and is no where near the pace of the Honda's.
Rossi qualified in 9th looking right off the pace.
Crutchlow in 7th I think it was?

Race day...

Stoner runs away with it may as well have been his own race.
Simoncelli setting fastest laps quite early on gets past Lorenzo and Pedrosa and then a really strange accident that is very hard to judge who is at fault!
Simoncelli given a ride through penalty?!?!? Very harsh! Goes from 2nd to 6th. Feel quite gutted for him there, should have been penalised at the end of the race if anything once a review has been made, Rossi and Stoner same thing no ride through for Rossi.
Pedrosa with a broken right collar bone.
Rossi mugging Lorenzo and almost Dovi, ends up 3rd, first podium on the Ducati.
Both the TECH 3 and Pramac bikes have issues
And Elias doesn't finish last

Great day of racing, the Honda's basically look untouchable already so so fast and they say the Yamaha is the better handling bike? Not seeing to much of that at the minute they can't even get close to the pace of those Honda's.
Battle is going to be between Stoner and Lorenzo with a tough battle for 3rd to 6th with Pedrosa, Rossi, Dovi and Sic all fighting it out.

FeFiDoh · 15 May 2011 at 18:51

Its very tough to call, Simoncelli could have given the spot up but then Pedrosa was late on the brakes trying to jam it in the inside.
At the actual corner I think Simoncelli was actually a little bit in front but on the outside trying to cut it in.

FeFiDoh · 15 May 2011 at 19:45

lol yeah wasn't much of a punch though, Stoner got fined £5k for it o_0

FeFiDoh · 16 May 2011 at 15:43

I do feel sorry for Simoncelli seems like one hell of a talent just a little unfortunate and bit mental at times

Funny about Lorenzo having a go though when you look 2-3 seasons back he was coming off quite often as well trying to keep up with the others.

Is anyone going to Silverstone btw?

FeFiDoh · 17 May 2011 at 18:36

lol yeah heard that a while back the Side show bob thing brilliant!

I just happened to be flicking through the channels last night and caught the replay on Eurosport this time so thought I would listen to what those guys said.

They reckon although it was a bit aggressive from Simoncelli he had actually out braked Pedrosa and Pedrosa didn't appear to be getting the bike stopped in time and looked like he would have ran on, certainly did not have the best line.
Simoncelli was ahead by the corner and the corner afterwards was a right hander leaving him in a prime position to take and hold the lead as he would have been first into that next corner.

Seems a very harsh decision that they concluded very quickly! It all has to do with some of the press he has been getting, riders complaining about how aggressive he is, must have made their minds up.
Funny how Lorenzo who barged Dovi out the way in a pretty aggressive move gets no punishment yet criticises Simoncelli for riding like a loon.

*edit*

jaybee interesting point about staying out.
After only getting into Motogp about 3 seasons ago I am a complete noob but I believe they changed some rules some where as Rossi was punished for an incident and never came in to receive it, just stayed out and ignored em.
Not sure what this was or what happened but they mentioned it on tv.

FeFiDoh · 18 May 2011 at 22:13

I don't watch BSB very often always forget tbh.

Is Alex Lowes one of the twins? I know one of them was riding like a stock bike in the series and was caining some of the more supported bikes

FeFiDoh · 19 May 2011 at 15:47

Not to play devils advocate but you are saying Rossi is an idiot for joining the track without looking when coming off on the downward spiral of the Seca track? I am sorry but watch that video again, that corner is very tight and he has like a nano second to react.

The logical step would to be get back on track, and considering he hadn't ran that ride off the corner and only clipped part of the gravel it is far easier then running well off and just cutting across someone.

You can't slam the brakes on when going off on the gravel can you? He was already around the corner pretty much.
I don't see that as being very reckless or dangerous :s

FeFiDoh · 19 May 2011 at 19:35

Your point of entering the track without looking, it happened so quick I am not sure what you expect?

You can not brake heavily on the sand/gravel, he literally cut a corner and ended up back on track, there was no time to look back and check at that speed.

If he had ran off far greater and re entered doing the same, yes reckless but to go off and back on so quickly I am not sure you can do much different.

What if he had braked to stop going any further, front end goes, takes out Stoner. Far far worse outcome. You really haven't picked a great example,
To say people are blind to allow Rossi to do is it not strictly true, you have just picked a bad video and clip to try and emphasise your point.

FeFiDoh · 26 May 2011 at 22:04

Is anyone here going to Silverstone next month? If so are you camping?

FeFiDoh · 11 Jun 2011 at 18:08

Was there today to see this, was great to see it live but it is a bit harder to keep track of all the timings as you can't quite see everything.

See the TV screen with Cal came off collar bone and possible concussion I think they said.

Have to say that until you see the bikes in the flesh you don't get a sense of how fast they! Really is something else and the Honda's sound incredible you can tell just by watching them leave the corner and the sound they are quicker than anything else out there.

What I did find amusing is all around the track are little stalls from the different teams/rider selling merchandise and most of them were quite empty not many people buying anything.... except the Rossi ones! Swear everyone you go past people are waiting to buy stuff and it aint cheap either

FeFiDoh · 12 Jun 2011 at 21:08

Where were you sat Teledude? We watched it on the Copse end (E) could see a lot of the track from there.

It was a bit of a dull race once Lorenzo and Sic came off though as Stoner was just so far ahead he had no competition.

Rossi starting from 13th, incredible got to be one of his worst ever poles surely?

FeFiDoh · 13 Jun 2011 at 15:23

Yeah the race was really close for first few laps Dovi/Lorenzo/Sic holding each other up if they didn't hurry up and get pass Dovi who I think was really holding them 2 back Stoner would have just broke away.

In the end both come off basically trying to get past Dovi and Stoner has it easy anyway.

I have no idea how Rossi will fare on that bike throughout this season last wet race he was ok buuut this was the first time he had been to Silverstone (managed 3-4 laps a few weeks back when opening new building). No dry testing or very little was it this weekend for that team there? So that probably had a bit of an impact on it.

Going to be strange I can't see it improving massively between now and the end but Lorenzo and Sic constantly pushing to keep up with stoner would not be surprised if there are a few more DNF's from either of them and Rossi climbing his way up to probably finish 3rd/4th maybe?

Even if he sorts the bike out next season it all changes again doesn't it with the introduction of the 1000s, does that mean teams will ditch the 800s and all go on 1000s or will these guys stick with those bikes?

FeFiDoh · 15 Jun 2011 at 16:50

I really do hope Rossi gets the bike sorted, its a 2 year contract we are in to year 1 now year 2 be a new class if it doesn't happen then what?

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/MotoGO+class+entires+in+2012

Is this new teams to be in the 2012 season then? Hopefully a more packed grid will do the sport some good. Although attendance figures don't appear to be as high in WSBK they have a lot more bikes.

FeFiDoh · 25 Jun 2011 at 16:20

Great race from him just when I thought Stoner would close that gap Spies put in some blistering lap times to make the gap bigger, goes to show the Hondas are at least beatable.

Bloody Simoncelli in another incident, Lorenzo interview will be intersting :s

FeFiDoh · 3 Jul 2011 at 18:51

Brilliant race from Lorenzo, Stoner saying he had front tyre issues but lorenzo banged in some consistent lap times to close that gap quite quickly once he was past Dovi.

Was wondering of Dovi would let Stoner stay second or not tbh

FeFiDoh · 16 Jul 2011 at 13:58

Stoner,Ped,Lor,Sic,Spies........ Rossi 16th rofl O man that is bad.

Why was Stoner able to push so much harder on that bike than Rossi? Is Rossi merely unwillingly to do it?

FeFiDoh · 17 Jul 2011 at 11:29

Was just bout to post this, I don't always watch the 125s but flicked over with 18 laps left and there was 9 battling it out.

Incredible finish can not believe there was .000 between them! What a race.

Moto2 has had some victims today :s 5 on the first lap was it?