Topic: Better racing this week?

[tsflstb]

Practice times are in...looks like you could throw a blanket over the field at Jerez.  Except for any Ducati not ridden by Stoner.  Melandri's no slouch - I hope he comes to grips with the bike soon.  That Lorenzo's guy is for real, huh?



Pos. Rider Team Bike Time
1 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:40.321
2 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:40.364
3 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:40.584
4 Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:40.673
5 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:40.815
6 Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:40.877
7 Andrea Dovizioso JiR Scot Team Honda 1:40.909
8 James Toseland Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:41.028
9 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:41.157
10 Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:41.189
11 Randy De Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1:41.268
12 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:41.303
13 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:41.393
14 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1:41.519
15 Marco Melandri Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:41.825
16 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team Ducati 1:42.115
17 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1:42.181
18 Toni Elias Alice Team Ducati 1:42.183

[nickjtc]

Wouldn't it be embarrassing if Lorenzo beats Rossi, again.

[malcolmgb]

Wouldn't it be embarrassing if Lorenzo beats Rossi, again.

only for Rossi, 'George Lawrence' would be more arrogant than ever 

[nickjtc]

I don't mind admitting that I'm a Rossi fan. However every star has to wane sometime, and I wonder if we're seeing the last gasps of a great career. I suspect that this season will let us know what the future holds for him.

[tom8Toe]

Hmmmmm.

[malcolmgb]

Hmmmmm.

you have a great forum name, it reminds me of a Motorcycle Racing sponsor of the 60/70's Tom Arter.

[nickjtc]

Hmmmmm.

you have a great forum name, it reminds me of a Motorcycle Racing sponsor of the 60/70's Tom Arter.

Wasn't he the sponsor of the Matchless bike that had the first solid wheels, ridden by Peter Williams?

[malcolmgb]

Hmmmmm.

you have a great forum name, it reminds me of a Motorcycle Racing sponsor of the 60/70's Tom Arter.

Wasn't he the sponsor of the Matchless bike that had the first solid wheels, ridden by Peter Williams?

That's him.......http://www.nortonracing.co.nz/about02.html

I see Michelle/Mike Duff also rode for him, that's another story though, sorry for highjacking the thread.

[tsflstb]

Qualifying is done.  It's a good day for Spaniards.

Pos. Rider Team Bike Time
1 Jorge Lorenzo Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:38.189
2 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:38.789
3 Colin Edwards Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:38.954
4 Nicky Hayden Repsol Honda Team Honda 1:39.061
5 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1:39.064
6 Randy De Puniet LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1:39.122
7 Casey Stoner Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:39.286
8 James Toseland Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 1:39.334
9 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1:39.439
10 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:39.484
11 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:39.559
12 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1:39.704
13 Andrea Dovizioso JiR Scot Team Honda 1:39.767
14 Alex De Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1:40.037
15 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1:40.088
16 Toni Elias Alice Team Ducati 1:40.286
17 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team Ducati 1:40.939
18 Marco Melandri Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1:41.027

Edwards with a "moment" in qualifying
[youtube=425,350]K1UlEQtdUGc[/youtube]

My less than educated prediction for tomorrow...

1. Pedrosa
2. Lorenzo
3. Rossi
4. Hayden
5. Edwards

[nickjtc]

My less than educated prediction for tomorrow...

1. Pedrosa
2. Lorenzo
3. Rossi

Excellent predicting! You got all three podium people correct, if not all in that order. Don't know what happened to Lorenzo, though. Is this the start of the return of Rossi? He has said that the Bridgestones will make a difference..... And what about Stoner.....? Hopefully the mayhem will continue so we have a half decent year.

[Sam Green Racing]

Give us the full story Nick, I missed it while trying out my new Bridgstones, if they are good enough for Vale, they'll do for me.

Bridgstone test.

http://www.eurodragster.com/live/2008marchstraightliners/pic32.htm

Sam.

[nickjtc]

Bridgstone test.

I was going to say "at least you were out riding", Sam...but of course I was too, this weekend, on a 250 Virago teaching some instructor wannabes. Had the missis tape the race for when I got home.

I find it incredible that there can be such a huge time difference between the guys at the front and those at the back....can the Honda and Yamaha front-rank team bikes really be seconds a lap quicker than the rest??

[tsflstb]

Quote from: tsflstb on March 29, 2008, 09:21:08 pm
My less than educated prediction for tomorrow...

1. Pedrosa
2. Lorenzo
3. Rossi


Excellent predicting! You got all three podium people correct, if not all in that order. Don't know what happened to Lorenzo, though. Is this the start of the return of Rossi? He has said that the Bridgestones will make a difference..... And what about Stoner.....? Hopefully the mayhem will continue so we have a half decent year.

Hard to bet against the Spaniards when the King shows up. 

Allow me to vent for a second....I enjoyed viewing the results and race transcript on the internet as my *^%)*&   @!&*&^ cable was out this weekend.  Actually not all the channels - just the few that actually show something worth watching.  Don't worry, they'll be out next Wednesday between 5 and 8.  Sons of !@#$%^s.  Thank you.

I saw the first segement of the race on YouTube which was the bulk of the action anyway.  Glad to see Rossi ahead of his teammate.  Maybe Sam can give him some pointers on really using those Bridgestones before Portugal.  It was good to see Hayden hang onto the fast group also...seems he's happy with the '08 chassis now.

Future predictions...a couple of mechanical DNFs for Honda when the pneumatic valve engine arrives.  There must be some serious issues if they couldn't get it ready for the first race.  C'mon this is Honda they should crank these things out like rubber dog poo.  Stoner will bounce back, not sure about Melandri at this point.  It's got to be a confidence killer to have the same ride as the champ and be racing with the backmarkers.  Rossi will win some races and be completely out of contention at others.  The tire rules are working against him as they have to re-learn the setup for every track now.  They're guessing on Thursday which tires might work on Sunday without any data.  Lorenzo will get a couple of wins.  Pedrosa or Stoner will win the title...I think it will depend on the power and reliability of the new Honda engine and how it works with the new chassis.

[Raul CB750K1]

Hard to bet against the Spaniards when the King shows up. 

Believe it or not, the general consensus is that he acts like a charm. Most of the times he shows up for a soccer, basketball, olympics etc, the spanish time either win or make a great score.


Lorenzo is as young as arrogant, to the point of stupidity. If he makes a good debut this season it will be bad for him. He doesn't need a great debut, because the career is long and it will be hard to be at the top all the coming years. He needs to slowly build his career to become more mature and humble or he will become impossible to deal with. He doesn't talk to his father anymore -who put him into racing at 5 years of age or so and took him all around Spain to build his career- and got an argument with Pedrosa for another stupid tantrum -even the King had to ask them to shake hands, something they ruefully did.