MOTO GP 2010 - Stoner vs Rossi vs Lorenzo Vs Spies = Woo Woo

Who else is looking forward to this years Moto GP starting 11th April at Losail circuit in Qatar ? :biggrin:

Of Interest was just reading in the latest UK BIKE Mag that Spies had set the WSB lap record at Losail with 1m 59.0 and Stoner set the Moto GP lap record at 1m 55,1s should be a great battle.

http://sportal.com.au/motorsport-opinion-display/qatar-motogp-preview-88947

 

i expect ben spies to do quite well....and show a few established riders the way to the door...

 

Will still being cheering Stoner on but Mat Mladin is on record saying Spies is the best rider of our time so think there will be some exciting racing this year even more in 2012 if they go to simpler higher HP 1000s like the rumours suggest.

 

I'l be watching the GP, but so far the 1st 4 races of WSBK have been much more exciting than the GP races of the last 2 seasons. Im not going to tune in at 4am to watch a GP race if there is gonig to be a 5 second gap between Rossi and the next guy.

Second to Mladin, according to himself!

Stoner is back in shape, so watch out for the kid who has the biggest balls of them all. I've come up with a theory though, if some of the riders have been severly injured and have mucho metal holding busted bones together, they are less likely to win a championship. The pressure exerted on the metals is too great and becomes very painful and this will hold back those who are affected. Rossi wins for several reasons - he's the smartest rider out there on the grid, he has been surprisingly injury free most of his career so he's not in pain. he's the head game master.

 

I think the lack of riding time puts a serious hurt on most rookies, riders on new machines. Team Texas will be the most fun to listen too, but the fireworks between Jorge and Val will be fun as well. I'll munch popcorn watching the Puig-Chernobyl-effect if Dani, er..., Honda can't develop/ride/race the Repsol bike well -esp. in Spain. I'm hoping Nicky and Colin get wins, I'm confident Ben will.

 

And the 2010 Moto GP Champion is.... BEN SPIES!!! Oh wait, did I spoil it for everyone?!?! Hoping they go to the 1000's next year without all the TC and electronics. Go Nicky!!

 

Sorry guys, Casey Stoner is back. And he has something to prove.

 

yes and so does Rossi

 

what does rossi have to prove? oh wait, i know! prove that he can actually beat a completely healthy casey stoner?

spies might make the box this year a few times, the smart money wouldn't be bet on him winning a race though. .3 to .5 of a second off is a long time in racing, although yes, he was fast in testing...he wasn't as fast as the pointy end. Motogp races aren't one lap in distance. Next year will be Ben's year.

 

So no-one supporting Hondas Pedrobot or Dovizioso then ?

 

I will always support dani...honda and dovi, not so much

 

Let's hope health and injuries do not plague this season as much as last year.
A few guys did awesome despite less than perfect health. Imagine what they can do if they are feeling 100%!

 

There will be new specs in 2012 from the looks of things.. If you don't get Cycle World, Kenin Cameron 'splains the new limitation$ in this article. You should subscribe, you know...... ;-) Personally, I always liked the "go faster - cost doesn't matter" concept of MotoGP....custom made everythings & one-off's.
Those days are numbered it appears.

The last of the Golden Years of MotoGP...........?

 

Kevin Cameron always writes a good page, and uses examples to help the non-mechanically inclined understand better.

Golden years? Maybe so, but all that testing and prototyping, where it costs $1M to gain 0.1 second improvements in lap times is a little absurd. The Superbikes are very close to the GP bikes in performance, granted the 200cc difference, but the big difference is it costs less to run a WSBK team. Besides, the big problem with GP is that some of these kids simply cannot operate these overly technical bikes with all the electronic wizradry. If they cannot effectively communicate information to the engrs, then the bikes' cannot be optimized to suit a particular rider for success. Then again, the argument could be made that part of the GP game is that a rider has to be intelligent and a good communicator, in order for a bike's setup to have a competetive edge. LESS ELECTRONICS! Let the riders ride the bike, not the computer guys! I, for one, want to watch close-call races with wins so tight that the lead is by a horse's nose.

 

oh....I agree with you. competition on a number of levels.
It's just that extra .1 second & the overwhelming magnitude of the system in place to obtain it......

If you haven't been to a MotoGP race it is really something to see.
No restraint.
How do you make it faster?
The Team. The Focus. the energy. the $$$.

It's like caviar. Nothing you'd eat every day. But wouldn't you like to lick it off a super model just once....or maybe twice?

 

you got it...:flex::boxing::thumb:

 

I'll take some of that.....

 

this year's championship has a TON of drama to watch
Rossi - 10th championship and final contract year - always a hot property, can Yamaha keep him or does he want to move on?
Lorenzo - Also final year of contract. Will he move to Repsol? How will he do now that Rossi has cut him off from data/setup sharing?
Spies - if he does well enough, can he get a factory ride from Yamaha (replace Rossi/Lorenzo)? If he does well it will allow Yamaha to rethink splashing out big again for Rossi
Edwards - riding the best he ever has - is this a breakthrough year? Watching him mentor Spies off track should be interesting
Pedrosa - perennial Mr. 2nd and 3rd place - also in last year of contract. Will he get a ride next year or move to WSBK? His REPSOL money keeps him on the factory Honda, but what if he doesnt produce results?
Ducati - Desperate to prove that the bike is rideable by Stoner (also in his final year of contract). Could the improvements of the GP10 (carbon frame, big bang engine) make it rideable by folks other than Stoner?
Hayden - see above Ducati, early testing results suggest he may be returning to form. Wait and see
Will Honda chase Stoner or Lorenzo?
Will Ducati chase Rossi to retire on an italian bike?
Will Spies replace Rossi or Lorenzo?

 

All excellent questions, funny how MotoGP hasn't even started yet their is intense speculation over riders shifting camps at the end of the season.

Rossi moving to Ducati and finishing his career in an Italian team would be an emotional move, if Stoner stayed it would make for interesting times. :drinkers: or :argue: ?