MotoGP Round 9: TT-Assen [Archive]

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Corny

23rd June 2008, 19:45

After having a one year off I'll be back in Assen again, both friday and saturday (in Assen the race is on saturday, as you all know).. I just hope to see an interesting race finally this year. The last years (2004 Rossi vs Gibernau, 2005 Rossi vs Melandri, 2006 Hayden vs Edwards, 2007 Stoner vs Rossi) gave us masterstuff of racing in Assen.

I think Stoner will be hard to beat now that he's got his bike running in his way again. He's my favourite
You can never rule out Vale, especially after last year.
The michelins always work well at Assen, so Pedrosa has also got a good chance. It won't surprise me if Hayden steps up the podium, he's always riding so well in Assen.

I will be in the flying stand above the GT (last chicane) on friday, and on Ramshoek on saturday. Hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I will!

Roll on Assen! :D

maxu05

24th June 2008, 00:10

[quote="Corny"]

Now we know were to place the snipers :laugh:

Corny

26th June 2008, 10:08

Stoner 6 tenths faster than Nicky on second place..

Sure Hayden will get a good result on saturday

Corny

26th June 2008, 13:52

you can shoot me if Stoner is not going to win this GP

fatman

26th June 2008, 13:56

If stoner wins that will be a big Michelin upset. Michelin has won this race for the last 6 or 7 years.

I would like to see Casey win it and start to really claw back some championship points.

maxu05

26th June 2008, 14:14

I would like to see a wet race, and watch Ant show his wet racing magic :)

neninja

26th June 2008, 14:20

I think we can safely say that Marco won't be winning it. He doesn't seem to be even trying now.

Over 3s slower than Stoner and 1.5 sec slower than Guintoli on the Alice bike.

He's being paid to give 100% regardless of what he thinks about the team or the bike.

maxu05

26th June 2008, 15:07

I think it's time for Marco to clean out his desk IMO

jonny hurlock

26th June 2008, 22:28

shame about caprirex

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/motogp/news/165441-0/capirossi_out_of_assen,_no_spies.html

were on earth is Nobuatsu Aoki/Ben Spies for a replacement?

patnicholls

26th June 2008, 23:11

jonny hurlock

27th June 2008, 00:42

Julian Ryder reports on Superbike Planet (written after the sessions we saw on Eurosport today) that Ben Spies doesn't fancy it after missing Friday practice (he is in Assen):

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Jun/080626f.htm

imo just lazyness, if he hasn't get into the points, he has more experience on the rizla suzuki before leguna sega were he can take alot of advantages into that race

27th June 2008, 05:00

I think we will see Marco Melandri back on the podium in the future. It hasn't worked out for him at Ducati up to now for all sorts of reasons but he is a very talented rider, far better than his performance with Ducati is showing.

The Phantom

27th June 2008, 05:52

imo just lazyness, if he hasn't get into the points, he has more experience on the rizla suzuki before leguna sega were he can take alot of advantages into that race

I believe he is scheduled to test the Suzuki at Indy in the next week - if he injured himself at Assen then that would be out of the question. Better to develop his experience in controlled conditions rather than in the craziness of what will be a tough race (if the weather is foul).

T-D

27th June 2008, 14:45

cracking qualifying session with some surprises--depunter, guintoli--at the sharp end.

hopper: 2 crashes including one big off near the end of the session. hope he's ok.

kwack have better race pace than the quals indicate. if they can get a decent start, i would expect that they should claw back a few places in the race.

tha_jackal

27th June 2008, 14:49

Kawasaki are letting both of their riders down terribly.. Really is a disgrace for such a big money firm..

NinjaMaster

27th June 2008, 15:41

Not sure what happened to Westy, he put in a good lap and jumped to 7th then spent the rest of the session going backwards. Kwak do indeed seem to have stood still since the start of the year.
Stoner looked supreme early on but it appears that Rossi and Pedrosa may have pegged him back. Will be interesting to see if their quali pace translates into race pace.
Stoked to see Guintoli have a good qualifying. Hope a bit of luck goes his way and his race result is just as strong. Same for Nicky, I'd love to see him on the box (behind Casey :) ).

osg

27th June 2008, 20:15

Cracking quali session from the big three.

Nice to see Nicky doing well, Marco was his usual disgrace, and Hopper gone for 3-4 weeks with an ankle fracture.

ozrevhead

27th June 2008, 23:53

Great ride by Casey - hopefully he can stay infront and have the others take off points from each other

Julian Ryder reports on Superbike Planet (written after the sessions we saw on Eurosport today) that Ben Spies doesn't fancy it after missing Friday practice (he is in Assen):

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Jun/080626f.htm
Are you serious????????

If you want motogp badly enough youd take any chance to get on a motogp bike - sure he didnt get practice but if he got on that bike and produced a good to great result he is in the spotlight... why do you think Suzuki came back to him after last race? For a Laugh????

THAT is why british riders arent making it it to the top sucessfully....... Alot of British riders have talent but their work ethic and willingness to take any chance of showing yourself has a lot to be desired
**hides under table**

**hides under table** :p

jonny hurlock

28th June 2008, 01:05

looks like at this rate (hopper and capirex out) everyone will be getting points today

Mach24

28th June 2008, 01:51

Kawasaki are letting both of their riders down terribly.. Really is a disgrace for such a big money firm..

Did you ever rate Kawasaki above Ducati, Honda, Yamaha or Suzuki?

NinjaMaster

28th June 2008, 07:10

Mach24

28th June 2008, 09:31

I know this isn't directed to me but I rated the Kwak above the Zook and I still reckon it ain't that far behind them. The problem for them is that Ducati have improved as the season wears on and the Honda and Yamaha were already superior so team green are falling further behind. To compound the matter, they only have 2 riders, one of which can't fully get to an understanding with the bike and the other is in a constant state of injury. That hill keeps getting steeper and steeper...

Ninj, your right Team Green is not that far behind. With the right team, including riders they will grow again. But I think it will take a major overhaul to become a regular podium placer.

Suzuki are equally under performing, yet I believe the GSVR is a better package out of the box.

There was a a mass debate some time ago about the might of the Company that is Kawasaki, however if you take apples for apples, the motorcycle arm of Kawasaki is not that overwhelming.

maxu05

28th June 2008, 10:31

Melandri 7th in Morning warm up :s hock:

T-D

28th June 2008, 13:27

kwack haven't done squat in anymajor series.

motogp: NO

wsbk: nyet

bsb: nunca

ama: not so much...

the latter three are production based series, so one would expect more competitiveness there, at least. but, no.

until proven otherwise, i will continue to expect them to be last among factory teams.

osg

28th June 2008, 13:35

WOW. That was utterly ridiculous from Stoner....... on another planet.

Whatever issues there were with the GP8 are loooong gone, and he got the bonus of grabbing a bucketload of points back on Vale after an incredible error from him.....

T-D

28th June 2008, 13:40

good job, vale. i was thinking that the season was going to be a boring one.

now, there's something to look forward to.

ant west will be kicking hmself...

NinjaMaster

28th June 2008, 15:19

I don't think anyone could have scripted more drama into this race than what happened. For Rossi to make a mistake like he did was almost unthinkable, though the blow was lessened for him with Cairex and Hopper not racing then West and DeAngelis crashing out and of course DePuniet not able to go again.
Stoner is an irresistable force at the moment. Thoughts of 2007 are flooding back and it is going to be a titanic battle for the title between he, Rossi and Pedrosa. I think all will have patches of dominance and the deciding factor will be how deep their hollows are.
I was gutted for Nicky to stop where he did. You could just hear in his voice after the race he was absolutely shattered. Edwards post race interview sounded like he thought that Hayden had screwed up the final chicane and not known he broke down.

Ninj, your right Team Green is not that far behind. With the right team, including riders they will grow again. But I think it will take a major overhaul to become a regular podium placer.

Suzuki are equally under performing, yet I believe the GSVR is a better package out of the box.

There was a a mass debate some time ago about the might of the Company that is Kawasaki, however if you take apples for apples, the motorcycle arm of Kawasaki is not that overwhelming.

Spot on. Perhaps it's time to consult their aerospace division a little more. :)

kwack haven't done squat in anymajor series.

motogp: NO

wsbk: nyet

bsb: nunca

ama: not so much...

the latter three are production based series, so one would expect more competitiveness there, at least. but, no.

until proven otherwise, i will continue to expect them to be last among factory teams.

There's no doubt that Kawasaki are now the least of the major factories in most of those series. MotoGP their results are obviously bugger-all. Their superbike problems I'm convinced are more of a team/support problem than the bike per se. WSB they haven't been a force since returning, BSB they have had lukewarm results in recent times but neither of those series gets much factory involvement at all. AMA they are now a clear second to Suzuki and are starting to challenge for wins. To be competitive really needs an entire package of riders, team and bike which Kawasaki can't seem to get all three factors together.

Corny

28th June 2008, 20:39

just back from Assen and had a very good weekend..

Fan or not from Vale, it's just unbelievable how populair that guy is, the crowd is just amazing only on him..

Stoner looked best all weekend. Out of the GT chicane he sure had his traction control helping, when I was looking at him from close it was like he was going to have a highsider 20 times only out of that corner, but that ED traction control is putting the right tyre at its place back every time.. boooring, where was the time that Barros and Gibernau were sliding all the way on the track in Assen, on rainy days?

BTW there was also something new at Assen, I'll call it a parade lap, every MotoGP rider was sitting in the back of a BMW cabrio, that was quit cool..

It were 2 amazing days :D

Roby44

29th June 2008, 04:25

We have that "parade lap" at Phillip Island each year , weather permitting of course!!
Its a good chance to see the riders..all be it with them all rugged up from the cold!! Colin Edwards some times "fires" Tshirts into the crowd..

29th June 2008, 04:27

Roby44

29th June 2008, 04:31

[quote="NinjaMaster"]I don't think anyone could have scripted more drama into this race than what happened. For Rossi to make a mistake like he did was almost unthinkable, though the blow was lessened for him with Cairex and Hopper not racing then West and DeAngelis crashing out and of course DePuniet not able to go again.
Stoner is an irresistable force at the moment. Thoughts of 2007 are flooding back and it is going to be a titanic battle for the title between he, Rossi and Pedrosa. I think all will have patches of dominance and the deciding factor will be how deep their hollows are.
I was gutted for Nicky to stop where he did. You could just hear in his voice after the race he was absolutely shattered. Edwards post race interview sounded like he thought that Hayden had screwed up the final chicane and not known he broke down.
quote]

Poor Nicky!! He has had some terrible luck of late hasn't he.. Running out of petrol seems to be the thing though doesn't it?? Didn't Casey run out too this year or was it last year in a race, Sete had it happen to him too. I think even Valentino has run out of petrol before.. Imagine if the price of petrol keeps going up as it is this might become the "norm" the winner will be the team who can afford the fuel!!

Sorry bad joke.. It was a long night!!and the Bundy Bear wasn't kind!!

Roby44

29th June 2008, 04:31

Rossi´s Assen post-mortem: `I made a mistake´

Saturday, 28 June 2008
Valentino Rossi was left bitterly disappointed after a first lap crash in the A-Style TT Assen.

http://resources.motogp.com/files/images/xx/2008/MotoGP/NED/non/226868_Fiat+Yamaha+Rossi+crashes+on+the+first+lap+ of+the+A+Style+TT+Assen-1280x960-jun28.jpg.preview.jpg (http://www.motogp.com/en/photos/2008/Fiat+Yamaha+Rossi+crashes+on+the+first+lap+of+the+ A+Style+TT+Assen)

Valentino Rossi, for all his undoubted talents, has never been the best of starters in MotoGP races. Identifying this as an area for improvement, and with the prospect of Assen poleman Casey Stoner making a breakaway at the head of the race, the Fiat Yamaha rider was going all-out in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately for the five-time World Champion, the gamble didn´t quite pay off, as on the opening lap he came unstuck due to a combination of over-exuberance a cold tyre and the tricky first left hander of the race.
`Unfortunately I made a mistake on the first lap, on the first left corner,´ admitted Rossi frankly after the A-Style TT Assen. `I went in too fast with a cold tyre and lost the rear.´
The Italian remounted his M1 and fought his way back to eleventh place after overtaking Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, but the rider taken out in his first lap fall was unable to do so. Rossi extended his apologies to LCR Honda´s Randy de Puniet, holding up his hand for the collision between the two.
`I took De Puniet with me when I crashed, so I have to say sorry to him. It was a bad mistake, because today we improved the setting of the bike and had great pace, and could even have challenged for the win,´ lamented the rider, having conceded the lead in the World Championship to Dani Pedrosa.
`It was an important mistake for the championship, but we are on the pace, we are fast and the championship is very long. One mistake in a year is possible after seven races on the podium.´

Roby44

29th June 2008, 04:34

Happy for you Corny that you had a great time. We fans in NZ are not happy with the mess Sky tv made of the broadcast. Delayed broadcast then delayed again for an hour an a half due to Wimbledon being on same channel (duh!) No 125 race again and the highlights tonight being on same time as the Superbike races. Anyway I did enjoy the 250 and Motogp. A real shame Nicky's race ended the way it did.

I was out at a party but had friends txt me the race lap by lap, they watched online!! We got a delayed telecast due to football I think it was..

How many people watch football or tennis!! :)

Have you seen the latest Randy picture?? :eek: :eek: Leaves "nothing" to the imagination!!

29th June 2008, 04:41

Will it pass censorship to put on the forum?

Roby44

29th June 2008, 04:47

I don't know!!

Its on another forum but I don't know what the "rules" are here... :)

Corny

29th June 2008, 09:22

have you all seen the 125? That was amazing!

Wim_Impreza

29th June 2008, 10:27

125cc was great indeed. Nice that Hugo van den Berg took his first point.

250cc was not bad too, Luthi was very fast and we have seen again that Bautista is struggling when it rains a bit.

MotoGP was, after the first lap, quite boring. Rossi has always a bad start, so I am not surprised that he made a fault. A pity that he ruined the race from Randy de Puniet, too.

Sorry that I am that critical now, but there were only 16 riders and 13 on the finish. That is disappointing. Since there is traction control, the MotoGP races are mostly boring.

Corny

29th June 2008, 14:45

Sorry that I am that critical now, but there were only 16 riders and 13 on the finish. That is disappointing. Since there is traction control, the MotoGP races are mostly boring.

13 riders indeed, when they passed, it was every time like 'are there more to come?' This is just pathetic isn't it?

BTW I just hope that the British riders don't grow as MotoGP stars; man that english people are so anti-social..

T-D

29th June 2008, 16:13

the traction control has been around a while now. the great years of motogp 2003, 2004, 2006 were all seasons that featured tc.

the current problem, imo, is that the bikes rely on corner speed to make fast lap times, not sheer horsepower down the straights, plus the fuel restriction focuses so much resources on mapping engines for efficiency above sheer output.

they have totally ruined motogp for the fans.

Wim_Impreza

29th June 2008, 17:06

13 riders indeed, when they passed, it was every time like 'are there more to come?' This is just pathetic isn't it?

BTW I just hope that the British riders don't grow as MotoGP stars; man that english people are so anti-social..

Yes, it is pathetic. The MotoGP future is in dangerous as there are no more teams in 2009.

Wim_Impreza

29th June 2008, 17:11

ChrisS

30th June 2008, 00:07

In most of the other championships finishing 15th and getting the last point is an achievement and means a rider is faster than 10-15 others. In MotoGP it means you were able to hold on and finish the race. 16 starters 13 finishers is pathetic

Roby44

5th July 2008, 05:08

Will it pass censorship to put on the forum?

Well if that picture of Vale and that girl is ok I guess the picture of Randy is too??

There is only one way to find out...I'll post it..

Now if anyone gets offended please let me know so I can delete the picture...

This is a X rated photo of Randy so be warned ok...

Here goes.....

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a20/MareeBrooks/Randy_de_Puniet_sized-1.jpg

5th July 2008, 05:47

Geesh...........not much to hang onto....Why call him randy?...Looks as though he has a light on the end of it as well!

Roby44

5th July 2008, 06:09

Geesh...........not much to hang onto....Why call him randy?...Looks as though he has a light on the end of it as well!

It may have been a cold day, or just a bad case of stage fright!! :p :

maxu05

5th July 2008, 07:28

If that was Rolfo, you would have a life sized picture on your wall Roby :p :

Roby44

5th July 2008, 10:09

If that was Rolfo, you would have a life sized picture on your wall Roby :p :

Who.. Me!! :p : ;)

16th July 2008, 09:58

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