Moto GP 2007 - expectations

[jens]

So what are your first thoughts and predictions?

Was 2006 an exception for Rossi and he now continues winning like he did before 2006 or are we going to have a close title race again?
Can Hayden fight again for the title or will team-mate Pedrosa be able to beat him on his 2nd Moto GP season?
Will other youngsters like Elias and Stoner make a step forward?
Is Checa's time conclusively over?
Can returned Barros compete at the same level as he did before leaving to Superbikes?
Roberts Jr. hasn't had such a good season like in 2006 for a long time. Is it a sign for a second coming?
What about others?

[leopard]

From testing atribute Rossi used with logo of the legend sword Excalibur or King Arthur, 2006 should be only an exception for Rossi losing the grip. The one and only genuine king will return this year.

But, from his term extend the contract with Yamaha a year and a year, i doubt will he still have good appetite riding bike, more over Fiat is strongly rumoured to sponsor him on Yamaha as step to switch to four wheels when the time came. Whathever the motivation he is supposed to get back at his best form as motogp rider.

I don't look down on 2006 champ's ability, he is good rider, but head to head against his teammate i can't say him better than Pedrosa, you decide.

Elias and Stoner i expect to get better than last year, but i hope myself wrong to see them consistently unconsistent :D

Some old player like Jacque and Baros i dont think they will perform better as Checa or Kr Jr, at least from their bike point of view, IMO

[tha_jackal]

Was 2006 an exception for Rossi and he now continues winning like he did before 2006 or are we going to have a close title race again?
Can Hayden fight again for the title or will team-mate Pedrosa be able to beat him on his 2nd Moto GP season?
Will other youngsters like Elias and Stoner make a step forward?
Is Checa's time conclusively over?
Can returned Barros compete at the same level as he did before leaving to Superbikes?
Roberts Jr. hasn't had such a good season like in 2006 for a long time. Is it a sign for a second coming?
What about others?

Without doubt Rossi's the man to beat, he is so determined to win the title back after last year, that I really wouldn't be surprised if it was a year of Rossi domination.

However, being on new bikes and having a fairly level playing field for all riders, challengers are going to come from more directions than last year. I dont think Hayden will win the title, he'll win at Laguna ;) but wont win to many others. Pedrosa, Melandri and Capirossi will be the ones to watch out for. Also, if Suzuki can re-produce their form from the Sepang tests regularly, then CV and Hopper will threaten the podium regularly. (P.I tests suggest otherwise.)

Checa and Nakano both seem to be struggling to come to grips with the RC212V atm, its quite ironic that Shinya is complaining of the exact same problems that Tamada was for his entire time on Michelins. I hope, unlike Makoto, Shinya can sort these problems out and display to us the talent that he clearly possesses.

Barros, Checa, I dont think they should be in MotoGP anymore, but, as we've discussed so many times before, money talks. Barros will be more likely to challenge for podiums, even wins. Checa will continue his mid-field runnings, with the odd top five. I believe they will both be saying goodbye from racing at the end of this year though (or do i hope? :laugh :)

Its going to be a tough year, mechanical failures will be heightened due to the new machinery and the racing (hopefully) will be tough and close. All i can say is I hope 2007 is as entertaining and exciting as 2006.

Peace.

[jim mcglinchey]

[
But, from his term extend the contract with Yamaha a year and a year, i doubt will he still have good appetite riding bike, more over Fiat is strongly rumoured to sponsor him on Yamaha as step to switch to four wheels when the time came. .

Run that bit by me again. Fiat ,maker of cheap and very underated cars, ( I love them ) are rumoured to be in talks about sponsoring Yamaha. What would that look like?

[Hotbikerchic33]

Of course Rossi will win the championship this season without a doubt Hayden doesnt stand a chance he only won last yrs though the misfortune of others mainly Rossi,

Rossi had a bad season last yr with afew things going wrong for him thats how Hayden got his points not cos he was the best rider out there cos he isnt!

Hayden isnt a threat to Rossi the only one who is Pedrosa if any!
if Honda thought Hayden was so great why have they given Pedrobot? ( as he is nicknamed ) the best bike!! :confused:

So like i said Rossi will win the championship without a doubt!
Go Rossi Go!!!!!!!!!!! :D :) ;)

[tha_jackal]

Of course Rossi will win the championship this season without a doubt Hayden doesnt stand a chance he only won last yrs though the misfortune of others mainly Rossi,

Rossi had a bad season last yr with afew things going wrong for him thats how Hayden got his points not cos he was the best rider out there cos he isnt!

Hayden isnt a threat to Rossi the only one who is Pedrosa if any!
if Honda thought Hayden was so great why have they given Pedrobot? ( as he is nicknamed ) the best bike!! :confused:

So like i said Rossi will win the championship without a doubt!
Go Rossi Go!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Umm, if im not mistaken you would have made the same prediction as this one at the start of 2006 :) We all know how 2006 turned out.. I wouldn't say he will win without a doubt, BUT he has to be favorite, for sure..

Remember though, in this mad, crazy, topsy turvy world of motorcycle racing, annnnything can happen.. Heck, Checa could win the titl- no wait thats going a bit far, but u get the gist of it! :laugh:

[Hotbikerchic33]

Some things you just know the result and Rossi winning the championship is a sure fire thing!

Hayden aint going to get a look in this yr!!! :p

If Rossi doesnt win ( and he will ) id like Marco to win! as that guy is as sexy as F**k!! :facelick: :facelick: :facelick:

[MrJan]

I can't see Nicky winning the title again this year. Mind you I didn't expect him to win last season, especially after Dani's little slip up in Estoril. I'm expecting Yamaha to have the best bike but Honda won't be far behind. Pedrosa will probably be The Doc's main rival but I wouldn't be surprised if Stoner starts to rack up some points as well, as long as he remembers that you have to stay on the bike for the WHOLE race ;)

Should be a good season though (can't remember one that hasn't been exciting in nearly every race) but I reckon it'll be back to old form for Vale.

[Hotbikerchic33]

I can't see Nicky winning the title again this year. Mind you I didn't expect him to win last season, especially after Dani's little slip up in Estoril. I'm expecting Yamaha to have the best bike but Honda won't be far behind. Pedrosa will probably be The Doc's main rival but I wouldn't be surprised if Stoner starts to rack up some points as well, as long as he remembers that you have to stay on the bike for the WHOLE race ;)

Should be a good season though (can't remember one that hasn't been exciting in nearly every race) but I reckon it'll be back to old form for Vale.

Nicky has had his moment of glory he knows and we know he'll never get the championship title again!!!! so enjoy it while you can Hayden!!! ;)


Any Hayden fans out there? ( he must have at least one out there hee hee)
wanting to comment?? :) :p

[fatman]

While there are plenty of other riders I like more than Hayden, he deserves a lot of credit. Regardless of how you view his talent or why you may think he ended up with the championship. The fact remains he is the only rider who has beaten Valentino in 990cc class. No one else will every be able to say that.

I think at this point in time, Nicky has as much of a chance to win the championship as anyone does. He works hard, he is very very consistent, and it's too early to know what Lady Luck has in store for the riders this season.


That said. I expect whoever is fighting for the championship this year, it will be against Rossi.

[patnicholls]

Well, I could be boring and point out that you can all get a reasonable idea of my entire predictions for all classes all the way from the League pricings in the other thread :)

But seriously, Nicky had a much better 2006 than any of his previous years. It is true that the other four of the top five riders had their issues, but that doesn't change who won the championship.

For this year I expect the same bunch at the front- hard to say in what order - , joined by Casey Stoner on pace at least. Colin Edwards is as tricky to judge as ever, and Kenny jnr and the Suzukis will be possible dark horses.

250cc is wide open, anyone from Jorge, Andrea, Hiroshi, Alex de Angelis, Alvaro, Mika Kallio, Hector Barbera, Yuki Takahashi, etc...

125cc I expect the top five to be the three Aspar bikes plus Pasini and Lukas Pesek.

[tha_jackal]

125cc I expect the top five to be the three Aspar bikes plus Pasini and Lukas Pesek.

Add Nico Terol to that bunch I rekon.. And KTM's Tomoyoshi Koyama.. They'll have a chance to be right at the pointy end. Maybe even Matt's man Joan Olive could have the season he's capable of this year (being Pasini's teammate.)

As far as the 250's go, well its the most wide open of alll classes, and the most competetive IMO. Lorenzo, Barbera, Aoyama, Dovizioso, De Angelis and Takahashi.. Along with newcomers Bautista, Luthi and Kallio, anyone could win, the racing is going to be outstanding. I just hope Ant West can get in amongst the front runners and get his name in with the likes of those listed. He tests on Wednesday and that should give us some indication..

Peace.

[Hotbikerchic33]

But we must not forget that Nicky Hayden didnt win last yrs championship though talent alone he won it though luck only!!! :(

I dont think Nicky is a threat to Valentino this yr i think his mine threat is pedrosa!!! if Honda thought Nicky could of done it again this yr they would of given him the best bike instead of giving it to Pedrosa!! :(

Id like to see Marco do well this yr!!! :D ;) :)

[harsha]

i am a bit of a Nicky fan :up: ,but then i have no particular favourites in motoGP/SBK,just am a confirmed neutral,i don't care who wins as long as i get brilliant racing

[NinjaMaster]

But we must not forget that Nicky Hayden didnt win last yrs championship though talent alone he won it though luck only!!! :(
:laugh: Thanks for the giggle. Luck can get you the odd podium or maybe even a win but not 2 wins and 8 other podiums. The guy only finished outside the top 5 twice for goodness sake!

[harsha]

yeah!!,you can say that Honda made hayden a great bike but that doesn't take anything away from what Hayden's managed to do,he's beaten Rossi at his own game,and the reason as to why he's won the championship.......the consistency,you rarely see Hayden make a mistake

[MrJan]

It's true that Nicky had a lot of luck. Vale had a very poor run at the beginning of the season and Hayden's win in Assen was a bit fortunate. You also have to consider that his other win came on his local circuit which very few of the GP riders are familiar with and was in a poor state. Don't forget also that Valentino would have won the championship had it not been for Le Mans and that drag race to the line at Estoril.

However (deep breath) Hayden is obviously a very talented rider who managed to do something that Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi never managed, even after Rossi's move to Yamaha which was seen by many as a mistake. Nicky is the most consistent rider on the grid (apart from Casey Stoner who was surely odds on to end every race in the gravel by the end of the season :p : ) If Hayden failed to score a top 6 finish it was a shock (I never thought he'd do as badly as he did in Brno). I still don't really like him and can't see him winning the championship this year but he will run Rossi close.

As for Pedrosa I only need to mention to the longer standing members the many times the debate over having Honda's 'best' bike. In most of the last few seasons it's been the older bike which does better as it has a better reliability and is often proven.

This year is going to be one of the closest seasons for a while, the only thing that will really surprise me is if only 2 or 3 riders win a race this season, watch out, it's going to be a good one :D :up:

[patnicholls]

Add Nico Terol to that bunch I rekon.. And KTM's Tomoyoshi Koyama.. They'll have a chance to be right at the pointy end. Maybe even Matt's man Joan Olive could have the season he's capable of this year (being Pasini's teammate.)



Yeah those guys should be in the front-ish bunch, Koyama could be a dark horse for the title. Ditto Bradley Smith hopefully for the front pack, Pol Espargaro (he is good), Raffaele de Rosa (needs consistency though) and Pablo Nieto will be in there too now he's back in 125s. Maybe even Randy Krummenacher on the second KTM. I think the front five will be the ones I said first though :D

Plenty of the top guys from last have moved up, so it is a chance for new names to come to the fore in that class - which is what it's there for, after all!

[Georgeboi999]

Stoner will win a race on its ducati

[Hotbikerchic33]

Rossi will win championship without a doubt :D :p :) ;)

[maxu05]

I think Loris would have to be the biggest challenger to Rossi IMO.

[jim mcglinchey]

Rossi will win championship without a doubt :D :p :) ;)


Pedrosa will win championship without a doubt.......or Loris.

[Hotbikerchic33]

Pedrosa will win championship without a doubt.......or Loris.

ok its time to wake up from your dream :D :rolleyes: :D

[jens]

ok its time to wake up from your dream :D :rolleyes:

:laugh:

My dream is to see Alex Hofmann winning the title! ;) :p :

[Hotbikerchic33]

ok Guys its ok to have dreams but unless your fan of Rossi none of your dreams will come true!!! :D :) ;)

As Valentino Rossi is gonna win the 2007 Championship!!! :D :D

[leopard]

You will never be able to forecast what will Rossi do this year, he can do anything whatever he wants like dissappointing fans like you. Nobobdy rely on him playing the league fantasy

[leopard]

sorry... i was joking in my previous post, being Rossi fans isn't a mistake and it's fine

[Hotbikerchic33]

You will never be able to forecast what will Rossi do this year, he can do anything whatever he wants like dissappointing fans like you. Nobobdy rely on him playing the league fantasy

Yes, but some things in life you can be sure of and Rossi winning the championship is one of them!!! :D :D :D :D :D

[leopard]

There is nothing definitely sure in this life before it happens, unless as human each of us need eat, $, and maybe X :D

Max Biaggi all the wayyy :D

[jens]

Anyway, my thoughts.

Rossi is certainly the title favourite. He may dominate, he may not dominate, but he'll be at least in the title chase.
Hayden and Pedrosa are a very tight team-mate pairing, maybe Dani will have a slight edge and will score points, but it's only just. Nicky is, in fact, very consistent as some have already mentioned. But by raw speed he won't have a chance against Rossi and maybe someone else as well. So he has to hope for some mechanical gremlins or whatever at Rossi's bike again.

Melandri and Capirossi suffered in last year's Barcelona harsh collision, which affected their performances in the next rounds as well. I'd say Melandri is quite likely to attack Top3 again. He is still quite young (he started racing in 125cc-s, when he was 15 - I used to compare him to Rossi, when being a series lower). 2005 at last he managed to prove himself to finish 2nd, last year he was a bit inconsistent. He'll be a strong competitor for Top3, maybe for the title. Capirossi seems to be inconsistent to some extent and with several youngsters coming from behind, it'll be tough for him to keep the position.

If Rossi has a better season, then probably Edwards should also have a better one, although he probably will still be quite far behind from the title runners.
I'm afraid that 2006 stays as Roberts Jr's 3rd best season (after 2000 and 1999) and he'll drop a bit backwards again. Tough to say about other Suzuki boys - they have been pretty quick in qualis and in the first laps of the race, but lacked of consistency (bike's fault?) throughout the race distance.

Jacque with Kawasaki may score a couple of podiums, especially in the wet. Barros's best hopes for podiums is also wet. I think the experienced Brazilian will finish in Top10 in the standings, but anything higher will be a clear win. Checa - well, IMO his times are clearly over, but he still haven't decided to quit.

And then Stoner and Elias. Interesting how will new bike affect Stoner's performances (Ducati affected badly Sete). He was pretty good at the start of last season, but then dropped backwards. He should score his first win that he was pretty close on a couple of occasions last year. He should rise, but this year he won't be able to interrupt the title contenders.

Elias is a real fighter and seems one of the strongest competitors against Rossi himself on the final laps. There haven't been many occasions, when Rossi has been beaten on the final lap, but this is exactly what Elias did at Estoril. I'd say this was one of the most outstanding wins of the season. He needs to find consistency - if he can consistently drive in Top8 like he did at the start of last season and score some podiums as well, that would be quite decent. Among youngsters, he seems somehow in Pedrosa's and Stoner's shadows, although I'd say we should keep a very firm eye on that young Spaniard as well.

[Ranger]

On top of most of the things said in this thread, I expect Stoner to win at least 1 race in 2007.

Rossi will be in the title chase.
Roberts Jr. will drop back.
Suzuki will improve - maybe race wins?

But if its another season like 2006 then I won't need to make predictions.

The nice thing about MotoGP is the races are mostly interesting no matter who wins.

[leopard]

Anyway, my thoughts.
...


so which one interesting more between motogp (sportbike) and another category of motorsport? :)

[jens]

so which one interesting more between motogp (sportbike) and another category of motorsport? :)

I tried to read your question on several occasions, but I still couldn't understand it. :D

[harsha]

he's maybe asking you whether motoGP is more interesting or any other form of motorsport....right :D

[Hotbikerchic33]

he's maybe asking you whether motoGP is more interesting or any other form of motorsport....right :D

Well the answer to that is YES!!! :D :p :) ;)

[RaikkonenRules]

Hayden will never retain the title this year. He only got it because of Rossi's misfortune. Hayden's only the 5th or 6th fastest rider out there but probably the luckiest.

[Hotbikerchic33]

Hayden will never retain the title this year. He only got it because of Rossi's misfortune. Hayden's only the 5th or 6th fastest rider out there but probably the luckiest.

I said that in an earlier post Hayden doesnt stand a chance this yr :D

[MrJan]

Yes, but some things in life you can be sure of and Rossi winning the championship is one of them!!! :D :D :D

Funny that because I said exactly the same thing this time last year :p : :D

[leopard]

I tried to read your question on several occasions, but I still couldn't understand it. :D

I don't hope neither you understand what you wrote at lenght as your 'my thoughts'

harsha thanks for helping me explain the question :D

[leopard]

I was joking, if not mistaken i meet you in many posts of F1, i was surprised you are motogp lover too and can also feed us up with your expectation on 2007 season, good one and try to post more here :up:

[Hotbikerchic33]

Does MotoGP have a theme tune?? :confused:
and if so can i download it on my mobile anywhere????

[Lanky_Wes]

i think its funny how people keep saying its a certainty that rossi is going to win and hayden has no chance of winning. apparently hayden only won on luck. i dont know about everyone else in here but i could never have won the championship even with all the luck in the world. surely there must be some talent in hayden that helped him win the championship.
as for my prediction this year, i think the championship is fairly wide open. rossi will certainly be up the front and a great chance at the title but i think there are a few other riders in with a shot.
riders such as hayden, melandri, pedrosa, capirossi, stoner will all be pushing for race wins this year in my opinion. then there are other riders who are a bit unknown as to what they will do this year. elias hopefully can keep form throughout the year and shouw that same aggressivness that he raced with last year. hopefully the two suzukis will have a package that is quick in qualifying and races. it would be great to see hopkins/vermeulen pushing for race wins/podiums. nakano could also be running with the lead group if he can get used to the new bike.
i cant wait for this year to start. i think its going to be a fantastic year, full of excitement and close racing. i think several riders have a chance at the title, not just rossi. who knows, maybe rossi will have bike trouble again this year and mr consistent (hayden) will do it again.

[tha_jackal]

i think its funny how people keep saying its a certainty that rossi is going to win and hayden has no chance of winning. apparently hayden only won on luck. i dont know about everyone else in here but i could never have won the championship even with all the luck in the world. surely there must be some talent in hayden that helped him win the championship.

People that say Hayden won his title due only to luck are either completely ignorant or just blind Rossi suporters.. (i.e Hotbikerchic(k?)) Winners make their own luck and thats exactly what Hayden did last year. Sure, Rossi suffered some mis-fortune, but nothing can be taken away from Nicky, he was amazingly consistant and deserved to be champion.. "Numbers dont lie" ;)


nakano could also be running with the lead group if he can get used to the new bike.

Shinya is complaining of the exact same problems that Tamda had on that bike for the 2005/06 seasons. Lack of front grip feel and confidence. It seems moving from Bridgestone to Michelin rubber causes this sort of problem for many riders. However, I do believe Nakano can run at the front, given he adjusts to the Honda and the Michelins.. Fingers crossed, because the more the merrier..

[leopard]

Does MotoGP have a theme tune?? :confused:
and if so can i download it on my mobile anywhere????
I think they have it, what is the mobile number? :D

Our local TV broadcasts motogp has a cool theme tune usually they play on breaking time or before/after advetising. We can record and play it in the mobile.

[Lanky_Wes]

People that say Hayden won his title due only to luck are either completely ignorant or just blind Rossi suporters.. (i.e Hotbikerchic(k?)) Winners make their own luck and thats exactly what Hayden did last year. Sure, Rossi suffered some mis-fortune, but nothing can be taken away from Nicky, he was amazingly consistant and deserved to be champion.. "Numbers dont lie" ;)



Shinya is complaining of the exact same problems that Tamda had on that bike for the 2005/06 seasons. Lack of front grip feel and confidence. It seems moving from Bridgestone to Michelin rubber causes this sort of problem for many riders. However, I do believe Nakano can run at the front, given he adjusts to the Honda and the Michelins.. Fingers crossed, because the more the merrier..

thats right, like my bro ninja master said, someone might be lucky once or twice in a season but not in every race and not enough to win the chamionship. hayden didnt have it all his own way (pedrosa taking him out) and rossi had a chance to win but lost it on his own (crashing in the last race). hayden stayed strong and did enough to win the championship. he was a worthy winner and has a good chance to win again.
i hope nakkers can get some confidence cause id like to see him up the front too. he is an enjoyable rider to watch. it would be great to see 8 or so riders fighting out for race wins, and different riders winning each race.

[MrJan]

To be fair though Rossi also had a lot of misfortune earlier in the season with bike and tyre problems. I can only remember 2 problems that Hayden had in a season that weren't his own fault, one with tyres in Brno and the other with a tiny Spainard ;) Of course it's all 'ifs and buts' because at the end of the year it was Hayden popping the champagne corks and that's all that matters, wouldn't be so sure he'll do it again this year though, don't reckon Rossi will like being shown up two years in a row.

[NinjaMaster]

Interesting interview on SuperbikePlanet.com where it states that the Roberts team may not make it to the first race or any other race beyond that if they don't pick up some major sponsorship cash.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Feb/070215robertintervie.htm

I don't particularly like the Roberts's but it would be a shame to see the only fairly competitive 'independant' team wind up.