posted Jul 23, 2008

About bloddy time there was some mental games on the track and not off it. Rossi for me wanted to shake Stoner up into a race knowing if he could keep CS behind him he could keep him in check.THIS IS RACING! Bring it on!!
Best race no way.
WSB - Edwards vs Bayliss (2000?)
Rossi @ Philip Is. on both NSR vs Biaggi(2000) and RCV vs 10 second race penalty!
Doohan in Brazil, leading, Barros nerfs him off into dirt and hunted him down and still won.
Rainey,Swantz @ Hockenheim, getting all kind of squirelly! Class

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posted Jul 23, 2008

DFL - Not the control tyre argument again. It can only doom the less skilled or slower riders even more. They will still be less skilled, just they won't have the opportunity for the occasional good showing due to better tyre options or choice. This is a prototype series after all.

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Fair point, it is a prototype series but if Michelin keep screwing up like they did at Laguna then it will only be a matter of time before Dorna insist on it...

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posted Jul 23, 2008

Mitchelin have only really screwqed up at 1 race, why would Dorna insist, you know at Brno they're going come back stronger!

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posted Jul 23, 2008

DFL - Not the control tyre argument again. It can only doom the less skilled or slower riders even more. They will still be less skilled, just they won't have the opportunity for the occasional good showing due to better tyre options or choice. This is a prototype series after all.

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Fair point, it is a prototype series but if Michelin keep screwing up like they did at Laguna then it will only be a matter of time before Dorna insist on it...


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Hang on a sec, A 'less skilled rider' shouldn't be anywhere near Moto GP in the first place! And I for one definately do not want a situation whereby this 'less skilled rider' can actually beat anyone else purely based on the tyres they use.

Moto GP is the pinnacle, its no place for false results 'created' by the tyre companies...

Its worked pretty well in WSBK and WSS hasn't it?

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posted Jul 24, 2008

So then the bridgestone riders will have no chance?

And this is good for racing........errrmmmm how?

Control tyres are absolutely the way to go. Take the onus off the tyres put it back on the bikes and riders...because the bikes and riders should be the ONLY variables...

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posted Jul 24, 2008

Do we watch MotoGP for the "prototype" bikes, tyres or the riders. Probably 20%:0.5%:79.5%. So control tyres, maybe no, but perhaps a rider should be able to choose any tyre from any manufacturer. Otherwise, a single tyre manufacturer. I don't want to see another 2007 season where an OK rider can trounce a great one simply because he has better tyres.

And yes, Stoner (IMO) is not a great racer. Would Stoner have been able to do the same had Rossi been on a (much) faster bike? I doubt it. Career-wise, Stoner was nowhere before he hopped onto the Duck (on superior Bridgestones and power with electro-aids that suit his style). Note that most of his passes have been on the straight using pure power.

Don't get me wrong, Stoner is a very good and fast rider, probably one of the fastest along with Pedrosa, but neither are great riders nor more importantly great racers. If he was to switch to a Honda or Yamaha, it would take a long while for him to win a race (if he could at all), let alone a championship.

No, I can't think of any of the other current MotoGP riders who could have pulled this US victory off. The speed and race-craft was a testament of how great it used to be, and to do that on modern machinery shows why VR is the greatest of the current era (and maybe past eras).

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posted Jul 25, 2008

I agree. He may be a funny looking geezer but Rossi is incredible, it's almost as if he and his bike (whatever the bike) are as one. In fact, I reckon that if I was on a Yamaha R6 and he was riding a Yamaha FS1E he'd still beat me!!

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posted Jul 25, 2008

Liam - No this result does not mean that it is Rossi's championship this year. One DNF and he is back to square one again and I don’t think Stoner will simply fold because he didn’t win and got a bit of scrap with Rossi. There have been some articles on who has the advantage after Laguna and at the moment I would favour Rossi both psychologically and of course from a points perspective.

If Rossi had not won in such dramatic fashion then we would not be so excited about the result and the 25 gap he now has. If Pedrosa can come back fit for Brno then we could and hopefully will be in for a title fight right to the end of the season

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posted Jul 25, 2008

If he stays crash free. He won a great pshycological battle @ Laguna and Stoner could well be rattled and Rossi loves nothing better than to have that edge, he loves it and feeds of it. He is hungry to win an 800cc title yet another different class to his belt!

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