Laguna Seca motogp

[Ranger]

I love back-to-back weekends of racing. :D

My picks:

Pole: Vermeulen (hey, nothing wrong with continuing a trend)
1. Hayden
2. Edwards
3. Stoner

[tha_jackal]

Too right! Nothing better than back to back races (wonder if the riders agree?) :p

Bets in!

1. Hopkins
2. Vermeulen
3. Hayden
Pole> Rossi

Suzuki to do the business and Westy to claim seventh, steadily improving whilst learning a new track (which he prooved he was quite capable of doing at Monza and Misano WSS races.)

Cant wait..

[Ranger]

Cant wait..
Neither! But I just hope for some good racing! (its my birthday then) :D

[alfa155btcc]

Hi Guys,

I think if season goes as it looks it is going Stoner could get one step closer to clinching title at Laguna, this is one of Rossi`s least favourite tracks. Looking at Hayden to do well he is winner last 2 seasons gonna be strong, and pedrosa will do well again what a turm around for Honda, but Ducati has done well at tracks where it was`nt fancied so watch it this weekend.

Ciao a tutti
:s mokin: :s mokin: :s mokin:

[Corny]

1 Stoner (sure, he was doing really well last year and there are some real Stoner corners in this circuit)
2 Hayden
3 Pedrosa
after that, the yamahas?

[The Phantom]

For Australian members (Eastern seaboard) with Foxtel - coverage starts at 6:30am on Monday morning... so make your plans for a late start at work :s mokin:

At least I won't be as :dozey: as I usually am on Mondays (most Sundays I head around to a mate's place who also has Foxtel, to drink beer and enjoy the racing)

1. Stoner
2. Hopkins
3. Hayden

Pole - Pedrosa

Edit: just doublechecked the Foxtel guide, 6:30am to 8am it is - Fox 2.

However I also noticed that from 3:30am, Fox 3 has a three part series titled "History of Motorcycle Racing Vol 1-3", could be worth a look for the insomniacs...

[maxu05]

Firstly, after checking out the pickems for this round, I must say, good luck Scoobygirl. I can't see Andrew pitt finishing 4th, and I really can't see Olivier Jaque finishing 8th, but, they are your picks :laugh:
My picks are based on the fact that Bridgestone is struggling to build a tyre that can handle high temperatures, so, I think it will be a Michelin affair.

1st) Edwards - I think he will finally break through.
2nd) Hopkins - Though on Bridgestones, I think he will hang in there.
3rd) Rossi - He will tough it out and take 3rd.
Pole - Edwards or Hayden, but Hayden will have bike setup drama's for the race.

[Dr. Gellar]

Wow...it's finally here. Been looking forward to this for a long time. Alright, I'll give this a shot:

Pole:Vermeulen

Winner: Hopkins
2nd: N. Hayden
3rd: Vermeulen

If they finish, don't be surprised to see Roger Hayden and Miguel Duhamel in the top 10.

[tha_jackal]

Wow...it's finally here. Been looking forward to this for a long time. Alright, I'll give this a shot:

Pole:Vermeulen

Winner: Hopkins
2nd: N. Hayden
3rd: Vermeulen

If they finish, don't be surprised to see Roger Hayden and Miguel Duhamel in the top 10.

Wouldnt it be GREAT to see Hopper win?! I rekon id love that almost as much as Ant getting his first win, John really deserves it and Laguna is probably one of his best chances throughout the year..

[billiaml]

I have no idea who's gonna win (Stoner or Rossi, maybe?). What I really wanna know is when it's gonna be on tv. I don't really follow the bikes as closely as I do cars but, since I went to see the AMA Superbikes in Daytona this year (my bro's Duhamel's crew chief), I'm really curios to see how he does.

[ozrevhead]

Hi Guys,

I think if season goes as it looks it is going Stoner could get one step closer to clinching title at Laguna, this is one of Rossi`s least favourite tracks. Looking at Hayden to do well he is winner last 2 seasons gonna be strong, and pedrosa will do well again what a turm around for Honda, but Ducati has done well at tracks where it was`nt fancied so watch it this weekend.

Ciao a tutti
:s mokin: :s mokin: :s mokin:

Truth be known I wouldnt mind if Rossi caught up cause I dont want anyone to think other than Casey being the better rider this season as the reason to why he ends up (hopefully) winning the Championship! I dont want the 'he was lucky Vale stuffed up' crap that can happen on Internet forums!

He is doing to Valentino what Valentino did to so many riders - build the pressure until your opponent cracks and makes mistakes which is ironic considering we were wondering if Casey could handle the pressure Vale was putting on him!

I can not wait till this race starts - I start work at 12pm so it will be good for me :D !

My top three...
1st: C Stoner
2nd: C: Vermeulen
3rd: N. Hayden

[T-D]

the man on the best handling bike wins this one: the doctor for victory.
stoner second.
pedrosa third.

hayden hangs on to fourth ahead of marco melandri, colin edwards and chris vermin.

new track for westy: i say he finishes 9th.

[Dr. Gellar]

Wouldnt it be GREAT to see Hopper win?! I rekon id love that almost as much as Ant getting his first win, John really deserves it and Laguna is probably one of his best chances throughout the year..

That would make my day! And this is his best opportunity yet to win on American soil. I'm not really looking forward to a Nicky Hayden 3-peat.

As for West...if he can do well at Laguna (he has never raced on this track), he'll really start to impress people.

For Kiwis watching Sky Sport channels. World Superbikes is delayed until 6.00am Monday morning (but recheck that time on sunday as something doesn't seem quite right on the programme listings I have ). Motogp is live at 9.00am Monday morning.

[NinjaMaster]

How tough are the pickems these days?

I've gone with a top 3 of:
1. Chris the V
2. Nicky
3. Stoner
Pole: Nicky

It really will be an intriguing race. Can Rossi come back from the disappointment of Sachsenring? Will the hometown Yankees dominate? Is Capirex back or was was Germany a one-off? Can Bridgestone rebound in the Monerey heat or have Michelin now gained the upper hand? These and so many more questions to be raised this weekend, it really will be most interesting to see how everything unfolds and I can't wait!

[ozrevhead]

How tough are the pickems these days?

I've gone with a top 3 of:
1. Chris the V
2. Nicky
3. Stoner
Pole: Nicky

It really will be an intriguing race. Can Rossi come back from the disappointment of Sachsenring? Will the hometown Yankees dominate? Is Capirex back or was was Germany a one-off? Can Bridgestone rebound in the Monerey heat or have Michelin now gained the upper hand? These and so many more questions to be raised this weekend, it really will be most interesting to see how everything unfolds and I can't wait!
you wouldnt post on BigFooty by anychance?

[NinjaMaster]

you wouldnt post on BigFooty by anychance?
mebee ;)

[tha_jackal]

1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 22.997 secs
2. Marco Melandri ITA Honda Gresini (B) 1min 23.177 secs
3. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 23.452 secs
4. Colin Edwards USA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 1min 23.535 secs
5. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 23.548 secs
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 1min 23.550 secs
7. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 23.576 secs
8. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 23.768 secs
9. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 23.912 secs
10. Makoto Tamada JPN Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 23.965 secs
11. Carlos Checa SPA Honda LCR (M) 1min 23.998 secs
12. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 24.043 secs
13. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 24.077 secs
14. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 24.173 secs
15. Roger Lee Hayden USA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 24.325 secs
16. Alex Barros BRA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 24.457 secs
17. Kurtis Roberts USA Team Roberts (M) 1min 24.666 secs
18. Shinya Nakano JPN Konica Minolta Honda (M) 1min 24.850 secs
19. Miguel Duhamel USA Honda Gresini (B) 1min 25.550 secs *
20. Chaz Davies GBR Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 26.459 secs

Gooo Stoner and Hopper! Westy stickin with his teammate and beatin the younger Hayden.. Chaz Davies replacing Hoffman! :eek: Silly move by Guintoli.. :confused: DePuniet crashed in FP2 :p :rolleyes:

[ozrevhead]

Casey is just kickin some serious butt atmo

I cant believe he's only 21 though - he's driving like a seasoned professional!

[Corny]

Casey is just kickin some serious butt atmo

I cant believe he's only 21 though - he's driving like a seasoned professional!

for sure he's doing well, when I see a race from last year I almost can't believe that he's leading the championship right now..
Think he'll win on sunday, last year he did great until Pedrosa came.. But that will not happen again

[NinjaMaster]

Ah, now that's better. I always like Edwards custom jobs.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2007/mgp/laguna/thursbj2/ThursLaguna013.JPG

Casey looks strong again. He and Ducati won't be keen for a second 'poor' performance in a row so I don't expect a fade in performance like last round.

Westy's 13th is very encouraging early in the weekend, right behind his teammate. Considering he ain't ever been to Laguna before, this is very impressive and he's only going to get faster. Improvements are coming in leaps and bounds and I reckon this will be another strong performance where he can hopefully show up his teammate.

Vermeulen, whilst not yet as quick as I'd hoped, is in a strong position to build from and is certainly still a strong podium chance.

Rossi is really going to be up against it. If Stoner beats him again, especially with other riders in between and with the Hondas getting stronger, the pressure is really on Vale and Yamaha. This is a challenge like Rossi has never seen before, a bike/rider package that is genuinely faster than he. It will be interesting to see how and if they can respond.

[fatman]

Roger Lee must be happy to be the fastest Kawasaki in 3rd FP.

[Allyc85]

qualifying halted after a big crash involving Melandi and roberts :( http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6~id~151653.htm

[jim mcglinchey]

That was a strange qualifying. Stupid mistakes by Kurtis and Checa resulted in injury to Marco and barely restrained assault by Hopping-mad John.

Saw the Hoffmeister crash again and it looked like his hand took the full force of Guintolis impact, nasty.

[tha_jackal]

West = Kawasaki No. 1! :D

[NinjaMaster]

Ah, Westy's first real chance to beat his teammate qualifying ahead of him. If he can beat him overall for the rest of the year, it will do wonders for him securing a ride for next year.

As happy as I am to see Stoner get another pole, I am stoked to see CV on the front row. Gives him a real good chance to get Zooks first dry race win for years.

Pedrosa has been good around a circuit I wouldn't think he would enjoy too much and Hayden looks like he'll be thereabouts for the race as well. Rossi really looks like he has a lot of work ahead of him, especially if he gets his typical poor start.

[maxu05]

Well, that was an interesting qualifying to say the least. So, who gets a thumbs up, and who gets the thumbs down so far ?
Here are my :up: and :down:

:up:
Casey Stoner - for a brilliant pole, he is looking very good ATMO.
Pedrosa - also looking good, but, will he stay up there for the distance ?
Vermeulen - Didn't think he would be on the front row, despite last years pole
Nakano - Good to see him at least in the top ten again.
Melandri - Guts galore as usual for this guy, hope his injuries don't rob him of a potential podium.
Westy - 12th is more than I expected for a new track, and 1st Kwaka to boot
Caz Davies - Wow, to qualify is an achievement considering how he got there, If he finishes the race, he should be very proud. If he picks up points, he will be a legend.

:down:
Carlos Checa - What A Twit! Should know better with his experience, bout time he got the axe IMO.
Guintoli - A little brain fade, but I think he will feel terrible about it, so I can't be too harsh
Roberts - For f.. sake, get out of the way with your IKEA/Mechano, snap together, look ma no glue, moped inspired piece of crap. Ooops, may have gone too far there. But, for ........ sake, What is the Roberts team doing ?
I hope Chaz beats him.

[NinjaMaster]

It was time that Chucka got the axe about 4 years ago! Can't believe he still gets a ride.

Props to Tamada for his best qualifying for ages. Hopefully it can translate into a good race in his likely last MotoGP year.

And Chaz has been brilliant. Love to see him beat a couple of riders home in the race. Good luck to him.

Good sign for RL Hayden with an AMA supersport win to.

[fatman]

I always find motogp.com's live feed to suck during Laguna. Tried to watch qualifying but nothing. I suppose I could watch speed channel but who wants commercials during a race!.

[maxu05]

I always find motogp.com's live feed to suck during Laguna. Tried to watch qualifying but nothing. I suppose I could watch speed channel but who wants commercials during a race!.

I had similar problems Ryan. It took 40 minutes into the Qualifying before I could log in. I had to wake up at 04:30 in the morning to watch the thing, then spent about 35 minutes trying again and again to log in. I managed to see the last 15 to 20 minutes after downloading Firefox just to watch it. Not happy, and I gave them low marks in the stupid pole they popped up when finally logging in.

[jim mcglinchey]

I watched that Doctor, Tornado & Kentucky Kid DVD about the '05 Laguna Seca round yesterday and its actually very good. Even if you're well into bikes that type of thing often disappoints, Ive found ( Faster springs to mind ) but DTKK was a well written and produced film, covering the history of the event, the build up and the actual race, with alot of time spent on the riders and other personalities.

Althoug the actual race was not the most gripping with Nicky leading from start to finish, the film makers caught all of the excitement. Very insightful.

[ChrisS]

DTKK is nice but Faster is much better IMHO.

also the Doctor, the Tornado & the Kentucky Kid is a misleading title, all Rossi audio comes from the post race press conference. It should be called The Hopper, the Tornado & the Kentucky Kid

[Corny]

too bad; it seems that it's almost impossible for Vale to come near Casey in tonight's race, his pace hasn't been impressive..
but ok, we'll see what Pedrosa can

[Corny]

yup, seeing the warm up means a Stoner-win for me, it just can't be else, he clocked a 1:21!
funny: Roger is in front of Nicky! :D

[alfa155btcc]

Ah, now that's better. I always like Edwards custom jobs.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2007/mgp/laguna/thursbj2/ThursLaguna013.JPG

Casey looks strong again. He and Ducati won't be keen for a second 'poor' performance in a row so I don't expect a fade in performance like last round.

Westy's 13th is very encouraging early in the weekend, right behind his teammate. Considering he ain't ever been to Laguna before, this is very impressive and he's only going to get faster. Improvements are coming in leaps and bounds and I reckon this will be another strong performance where he can hopefully show up his teammate.

Vermeulen, whilst not yet as quick as I'd hoped, is in a strong position to build from and is certainly still a strong podium chance.

Rossi is really going to be up against it. If Stoner beats him again, especially with other riders in between and with the Hondas getting stronger, the pressure is really on Vale and Yamaha. This is a challenge like Rossi has never seen before, a bike/rider package that is genuinely faster than he. It will be interesting to see how and if they can respond.

The Doctor, has had similar battles and i am sure if not this season he will be there abouts next, how quick time changes, last year stoner you could not pa him to stay on a bike, this season he looks like he will never fall off, but he has a long way to go if you are going mention him as a pure genius like rossi, 7 time world champion, stoner looks like getting his first but still 7 races to go.
:s mokin:

[alfa155btcc]

Stoner 1st Vermulen 2nd Melandri 3rd and Rossi 4th, Championship is over i am sorry to say, being a big rossi fan and always will be, but I will repeat myself, You Need a Great Bike, a great set of Tyres and a great rider and that`s what Ducati and Stoner have at the moment, Hats off to Rossi being the first Michelin over the line, the people at michelin need to pull there finger out the bridgestone is quick straight away and the michelin seems to need to warm up, but even then its not good enough, and i don`t care what anyone says the Ducati has 20kph on anything else out there, but not just that the bridgestone is a better and stronger tyre look what happened to Edwards even got passed by a Dunlop so great job by Rossi to get 4th, are we going to end up like F1 where there will only be 1 tyre manufacterer ie Bridgestone, another 1,2,3 for them come on Michelin do something about this cause the championship has gone away from you.
:mad:

[T-D]

the entire field didn't go to michelin when bridgestone entered, so why would they all go to bridgestones now? also, did i see rossi defeat stoner at tracks where he supposedly had a top end advantage--mugello? yes, i do believe i did.

[jim mcglinchey]

Delighted with that result. Dont know which of the podium guys I'm most pleased for, probably Marco riding with that injury, and the Stoner/ Melandri- Ducati team is going to take some beating next year.
Dreadful result for the Americans. Only Roger Lee could be happy with his performance and I wonder what Hopper and the inconsolable Nicky said to each other.

[tha_jackal]

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Brilliant day for all three from down under.. Thats all ill say, oh and hats off to Melandri, what a brave dude, really deserved that podium and one can only imagine what would have happened if he was fit..

[AndyRAC]

What did you think of the BBC's coverage, no build up, no interactive service after the race. If it had been one of their favourite sports they would've given it better coverage.
Great result for Casey, brave ride from Marco, and as for Chaz Davies don't know what to say, hopefully he'll get a ride next year in Moto GP.

[tha_jackal]

No offense but I think there are a few riders ahead of Chaz on teams shopping lists for 08.. But time will tell.

[maxu05]

Well done Casey, Chris and Marco. Casey was in a class of his own today, and as Paul Denning(Suzuki Manager) said,"he's on another planet". I was very happy also for Westy, and Kawasaki in general. Well done to Chaz, for giving it a go. Bad luck for Hoppa, that was a real shame. Oh well, now it's nearly a month to wait for the next race. I think I will have to dust off the PS2 again.

[AndyRAC]

No offense but I think there are a few riders ahead of Chaz on teams shopping lists for 08.. But time will tell.

Fair point, though there are also some riders who should call it a day after this season. As for Chaz he couldn't have done a lot more, never ridden the bike, never ridden the circuit, kept improving his pace, very good ride. If he was Spanish or Italian he probably would get a ride due to sponsors, as he's British, he's probably got no chance.

[The Phantom]

Amazing result, who'd have thought the locals would be so far out of contention so early in the race!

As well as the podiumgetters, the whole Kawasaki team deserves a pat on the back. I would not have expected a wildcard ton be running in the top 10, even with Hopkins and Hayden out of contention.

Telling quote - commentator (Harris I think) said he was talking to the cornerworkers and one said that Stoner was clearly the fastest guy to watch during each session; his blistering pace was obvious from trackside.

Track surface looked good, but clearly favoured Bridgestone. Talk of overwhelming Bridgestone dominance is fair enough, but it's not long ago that Michelin was doing the same thing.

[tha_jackal]

Fair point, though there are also some riders who should call it a day after this season. As for Chaz he couldn't have done a lot more, never ridden the bike, never ridden the circuit, kept improving his pace, very good ride. If he was Spanish or Italian he probably would get a ride due to sponsors, as he's British, he's probably got no chance.

One thing I will say is that Dorna will want a brit in GP's next year, Chaz has done his chances no harm with his performance this weekend.. All im saying is its hard for a team to gague his potential from one outing.. A team will have to take a big gamble for him to score a ride in 08..

On contract news, Ducati have apparently announced Stoner and Melandri will be their riders for the 08 and 09 seasons and have offered Loris the opportunity to run a third bike :)

[AndyRAC]

One swallow doesn't make a summer, but it was encouraging. Yeah, Dorna do want a Brit in Moto GP, as I'm sure they want to crack Britain and overtake WSBK. They'll surely want one a decent bike and not hanging out the back like recent riders. Personally if they're good riders and deserve a good bike then good, but I know it doesn't work like that. The more exposure Moto GP gets in Britain the better, it's a catch 22 situation though.

[maxu05]

Ok, I agree there should be a Brit in Motogp, as long as it's not Hodgson :laugh:

[alfa155btcc]

the entire field didn't go to michelin when bridgestone entered, so why would they all go to bridgestones now? also, did i see rossi defeat stoner at tracks where he supposedly had a top end advantage--mugello? yes, i do believe i did.

Because it is by far the better tyre, as for track was only one that was Mugello, one of only a few times michelin got it right, rossi had the slower bike top end but chose right tyre combination at that track if you wanna check but better package on the day, stoner still had the faster bike just could`nt get the power down quick enough. Top 10 riders were all Bridgestone except for Rossi and Pedrosa i rest my case.
:s mokin:

[alfa155btcc]

What did you think of the BBC's coverage, no build up, no interactive service after the race. If it had been one of their favourite sports they would've given it better coverage.
Great result for Casey, brave ride from Marco, and as for Chaz Davies don't know what to say, hopefully he'll get a ride next year in Moto GP.

I watched race live on Eurosport BBC`s coverage was about 10 minutes delayed not even live it is not good enough BBC what a waist of money especially as we pay for our license.
:s mokin:

[T-D]

Because it is by far the better tyre, as for track was only one that was Mugello, one of only a few times michelin got it right, rossi had the slower bike top end but chose right tyre combination at that track if you wanna check but better package on the day, stoner still had the faster bike just could`nt get the power down quick enough. Top 10 riders were all Bridgestone except for Rossi and Pedrosa i rest my case.
:s mokin:
it'f far more complex than that, alfa. teams and manufacturers align with tire makers for a variety of reasons including development focus, committment of resources, cash, etc. unless michelin pull out, they will have a couple of partners who will hopefully help them develop. goodyear has had one season. michelin dominated for years. what makes you think they will suddenly not find their form? all things considered, given their hostory, it's quite likely they will rebound strongly.

and yes, the stones dominated at mugello. tell me, how was their performance at sausagering?

the wheel goes round and round, bro.

[S Evans]

1974 AMA National photo, if you ran off the track then you were dust. sean

Roberts, Romero, Baker, Evans (my brother Pat), Nixon, Smart
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6342/laguaot7.jpg

[edlalu]

1974 AMA National photo, if you ran off the track then you were dust. sean

Roberts, Romero, Baker, Evans (my brother Pat), Nixon, Smart
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6342/laguaot7.jpg

Can I say "holy crap" in the forum and not get in trouble?

HOLY CRAP!! Thats a road course! All thats missing are the parked cars and sidewalks! It aint IOM, but if you miss the first corner into the corkscrew you can say "Hi" to the fans up close and personal. Maybe sign some autographs in blood?

[The Phantom]

What a fantastic photo, thanks for sharing!

[Pantah Jack]

Well, that was an interesting qualifying to say the least. So, who gets a thumbs up, and who gets the thumbs down so far ?
Here are my :up: and :down:

:up:
Casey Stoner - for a brilliant pole, he is looking very good ATMO.
Pedrosa - also looking good, but, will he stay up there for the distance ?
Vermeulen - Didn't think he would be on the front row, despite last years pole
Nakano - Good to see him at least in the top ten again.
Melandri - Guts galore as usual for this guy, hope his injuries don't rob him of a potential podium.
Westy - 12th is more than I expected for a new track, and 1st Kwaka to boot
Caz Davies - Wow, to qualify is an achievement considering how he got there, If he finishes the race, he should be very proud. If he picks up points, he will be a legend.

:down:
Carlos Checa - What A Twit! Should know better with his experience, bout time he got the axe IMO.
Guintoli - A little brain fade, but I think he will feel terrible about it, so I can't be too harsh
Roberts - For f.. sake, get out of the way with your IKEA/Mechano, snap together, look ma no glue, moped inspired piece of crap. Ooops, may have gone too far there. But, for ........ sake, What is the Roberts team doing ?
I hope Chaz beats him.
Checa said in interview that he had yellow flags and was slowing in response and there were no blue flags. Poor bugger aint got no rear view mirrors...

As for Roberts he was obviously slowing, looking behind and I rekon inside the racing line so maybe Marco needs to watch where he is going.....

Ant West 7th and who knows where if he didn't have to contend with Hopper and Hayden crash right in front of him at the first corner. There is no way De Puny falleeoffee should get a Kwaka ride in front of him for 08. His race times were also rather inconsistent.....

[ChrisS]

Stoner was on a league of his own, Chris the V tried to keep close but couldn't, Melandri had a very good race, Rossi best of the Michelins, Pedrosa started fighting for the win and ended up trying to keep 5th, he didnt even put up a fight when Meladri and Rossi overtook him.

Roger Lee best American at 10th and Dunlop tyres as good as Michelins in a track that dunlop knows well

average race IMHO, I cant believe I'm about to say this but I found F1 more exiting. WSBK was the best racing this weekend though

[alfa155btcc]

it'f far more complex than that, alfa. teams and manufacturers align with tire makers for a variety of reasons including development focus, committment of resources, cash, etc. unless michelin pull out, they will have a couple of partners who will hopefully help them develop. goodyear has had one season. michelin dominated for years. what makes you think they will suddenly not find their form? all things considered, given their hostory, it's quite likely they will rebound strongly.

and yes, the stones dominated at mugello. tell me, how was their performance at sausagering?

the wheel goes round and round, bro.

They may bounce back but you miss my point the Bridgestones have proved by far they are well ahaed of michelin and over a season have a better tyre, they have tested more and have better compounds. as for sausagering that`s a bit racist is`nt it ? but if rossi had not have droped it he would of caught points up on Stoner but that`s all if`s and buts, as for wheel goes round bro, its not gonna go round enough bro for this season is it.
:s mokin:

[Wim_Impreza]

Excellent drive from Stoner. Vermeulen did a great performance too and what a great performance from Westy, really a great pace from the Australian drivers. Respect for Melandri. Rossi will be happy that he must probably never race again at this track. Pedrosa was not so good as expected, but the Michelins weren't good enough. I am happy with the performance of whole Kawasaki Racing Team, all the three bikes in the top 10 with Roger Lee as best American driver! Tamada did well too.

[T-D]

They may bounce back but you miss my point the Bridgestones have proved by far they are well ahaed of michelin and over a season have a better tyre, they have tested more and have better compounds. as for sausagering that`s a bit racist is`nt it ? but if rossi had not have droped it he would of caught points up on Stoner but that`s all if`s and buts, as for wheel goes round bro, its not gonna go round enough bro for this season is it.
:s mokin:"suasagering" is racist? i'm not certain how that can be, but if you're genuinely offended then i respectfully offer an apology.


now i need a new nickname: how about "sexinthering"?

anyway...

[NinjaMaster]

"suasagering" is racist? i'm not certain how that can be, but if you're genuinely offended then i respectfully offer an apology.


now i need a new nickname: how about "sexinthering"?

anyway...
I think he's alluding to a German/sausage thing. Took me a while to pick it up after he mentioned it. A bit PC I reckon. Anyway, not a particularly exciting race but quite intriguing. Stoner was a class above Chris who was a level above the rest of the field. West was impressive and nice to see a more competitive Tamada.
Still a lot of water to go under the bridge this year and a lot of points up for grabs.

[alfa155btcc]

"suasagering" is racist? i'm not certain how that can be, but if you're genuinely offended then i respectfully offer an apology.


now i need a new nickname: how about "sexinthering"?

anyway...

No offence taken mate, as for new name not bad . :s mokin: :s mokin: :s mokin:

[Crypt]

The coverage in the States was absolutely pathetic. Fox Sports should of at least watched a few races from Speed channel's coverage to get an idea on how to cover a MotoGP race.

Blech.

The last thing I wanna see or hear, especially in the last 8 laps of the race, is some twit telling the viewers how brakes work. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

[The Phantom]

They may bounce back but you miss my point the Bridgestones have proved by far they are well ahaed of michelin and over a season have a better tyre, they have tested more and have better compounds.
Hey Alfa,

It's true that Bridgestone are ahead, but we're only half a season into a fairly radical new tyre rule.

There's a good reason why Bridgestone are ahead. In the past, tyres were a bit of a free-for-all, but Michelin had the upper hand. Why? Majority of races are held in Europe and surrounds, and if the tyres weren't quite right, Michelin would knock out a new batch overnight and fly them to the track. Bridgestone, whose plant is in Japan, never had that luxury.

Now that they all run the tyres they chose on the Thursday, Michelin is struggling, but Bridgestone are doing well because that's how they've always done it. They have become adept over the years at working out in advance what tyres will be the best (compromise).

Agree that the Laguna Seca round was a bit zzzzz... pity, as there are a lot of US fans who were desperate for a good showing for their guys. Oh well, they've had a lot to cheer about in the past, and next year they get two races.

thanks for the photo Sean, brilliant!

[Dr. Gellar]

Agree that the Laguna Seca round was a bit zzzzz... pity, as there are a lot of US fans who were desperate for a good showing for their guys. Oh well, they've had a lot to cheer about in the past, and next year they get two races.

As one of those "US fans", I was indeed disappointed by the relative lack of results by North American (lets throw Duhamel in there too) riders. I think had Hopkins and Hayden not collided on the first lap, they at least would have made the battle for the lead more interesting. Perhaps they wouldn't have caught Stoner, but they would have given Vermeulen, Melandri, Rossi and Pedrosa fits. Great ride by Roger Hayden, and I was impressed by Anthony West as well.

I agree....the race itself was zzzzzzzzzzz after while. Although it was fun to watch Hopkins catch Hayden late in the race before Hayden retired.

By the way...the sounds of the MotoGP bikes are freaking awesome!! Made the Superbike and Supersport machines sound like electric-powered motorcycles in comparison.

[tha_jackal]

Did DuHamel really retire because he didnt want to be overlapped? What a waste of freaking time he was! Apparently after the race on one station he said something along the lines of 'i was only going to get in the way or crash and im going to get another ride anyway so i decided to pit' :S Surely giving a young up and comer a ride, whose willing to try and proove himself and get a result would have been the go? Honestly, that old geriatric wasted a perfectly competetive opportunity... Look how well RL Hayden did, he was trying to proove something ;)

[Wim_Impreza]

Did DuHamel really retire because he didnt want to be overlapped? What a waste of freaking time he was!

What a pity. In qualifying he was not that bad and this was probably his first and last chance in MotoGP.

[ChrisS]

Gresini and Honda had good intentions giving him the ride, a veteran rider with track knowledge that could please the fans. Duhamel just wasted the ride pitting a perfectly good bike because he wasn't "feeling it out there"

Perhaps the reason he tried so hard at the AMA race was to make it up for his pathetic MotoGP effort.

[fatman]

Duhamel was just over his head on the MotoGP bike. He did the right thing to pull off if he wasn't feeling comfortable enough to get out of the way of other riders.

[Dr. Gellar]

The coverage in the States was absolutely pathetic. Fox Sports should of at least watched a few races from Speed channel's coverage to get an idea on how to cover a MotoGP race.

Blech.

The last thing I wanna see or hear, especially in the last 8 laps of the race, is some twit telling the viewers how brakes work. That was just the tip of the iceberg.

I've been reading a lot of negative reviews about the Fox coverage of the USGP. So I finally watched it today for myself. Quite frankly it wasn't that bad at all. I was expecting much worse. Sure, there is plenty of room for improvement, but it was WAAAAAAAAAAY better than any of CBS's MotoGP coverage. Now that, with the exception of Kevin Schwantz insight, was absolutely pathetic. Heck, CBS's coverage was so boring...they made the race starts sound as entertaining as watching paint dry. And by the way....the Fox coverage was essentially the same coverage as Speed (Greg White, Freddie Spencer, and...sorry, I forget the other guy).

[osg]

What a pity. In qualifying he was not that bad and this was probably his first and last chance in MotoGP.

DuHamel's been there before, waaaay back in '92 with Yamaha. Gresini gave him the ride as nothing more than a slap on the back for hanging around in AMA for 17 years with slightly above average results.

He's a stiff, as fatman said, he was in way over his head. Plenty of better riders than that average joe could have filled that spot.

[tha_jackal]

He's a stiff, as fatman said, he was in way over his head. Plenty of better riders than that average joe could have filled that spot.

Which is exactly my point, screw giving him a slap on the back when he doesnt even want to be there! Let him go for a ride on a RC212V in his own time, in private or something. At least that way he wouldnt make a fool of himself and come across as a quitter and incompetant.. :confused:

[ChrisS]

we've been bashing him since he pulled in from the GP race at Laguna, but he is a nice guy.

Soup reports that he had a massive crash during testing at Road America and hit the wall very heavily.

Lacerated Liver, Perforated Lung, Bruised Lung.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Aug/070808c.htm
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Aug/070808d7.htm
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Aug/07080817u.htm

At 39, this could be a career ending crash. shame, despite his bad performance in MotoGP he is still the "best of the rest" at AMA this season behind the Yoshi riders

[tha_jackal]

Apparently he's been turning 39 for the last ten years haha :D But seriously, no ones likes to see or hear about crashes resulting in serious injury, all the best for a quick and healthy recovery..

[NinjaMaster]

Couldn't really care less about his career ending. I just hope he can come to a full recovery. There are (surprisingly) more things to life than motorcycle racing and hopefully he doesn't have any debilitating injuries to deal with for the rest of his life. Good luck Miguel. :up: