Just wanted to say 'grats to Chris Vermuelen (AUS, Rizla Suzuki) for his second place yesterday. It was a great ride under very challenging conditions (at the world's best track ) and it gives me great hopes for what he'll be able to do in the future with some actual horsepower under him Nice one CV

Rossi's charge for 3rd place, nailing Sete's Duke right in the final sector was awesome to watch too. He was hammering so hard I'm wondering what he could have pulled off had the track been bone-dry...he's up into second spot now, right behind Nicky Hayden. The end of this season should be very interesting indeed! Also interesting is the news that some teams will be testing their 2007 season 800cc bikes in some upcoming rounds. I wonder how they'll go

The opposite lock, rear wheel smokin' antics on the last corner were awesomeness. But MotoGP (whilst normally amazing) goes to pieces in the rain. Motorbikes are just crap in the wet, so all the riders err on the side of caution (mostly). At least car races get better in the wet.

+1 for more dry MotoGP races

(P.S. I might be back on the saddle soon as I've decided to return my cousins ZR250 to roadgoing condition. A pair of overhauled brakes, a good clean, and a new battery later and it's being ridden around the garden (only room to test up to 3rd). A throttle 'off' cable tomorrow I hope, an MoT and some Tax, and I'll dig out the old leathers. What's more, it's free, so I ain't complaining about it only being a 250. Oh, and I think the headstock bearings MIGHT need adjusting... that's a pig of a job without a decent stand or hoist...)

250's nothing to sneeze at - my brother just restored a BSA Bantam. 1 cylinder (123cc I think), perhaps 8 horsepower...not a ball-tearer by any standards but damn does it look cool

Anyone know when the highlights are for this? Uk.

Not sure, Eurosport usually repeat it a few times.

Good race though. A few races ago I was doubting The Doctor's chances but is he digging deep or what. He is like the only rider on a Yahama ever near the front

Nicky must be destroyed at Rossi clawing the championship gap down.

I thought the rain killed the race, but that last lap totally made up for it

I loved Milandris one hand powerslide out of the last turn, and i bet Sete wasn't happy seeing that yellow flash go past again

Top stuff from Chris too, glad he finally has the podium he deserves...one to watch.

I've been kind of rooting for Pedrosa ever since he got his first win. To win in the premier class as a rookie would be incredible.

That said, I won't be disappointed with having an American champion again for the first time since 2000 (KR Jr., ironically enough the last guy to win before Rossi's streak). Plus, I think if and when Rossi doesn't win this year, we'll see him even more determined to take back the championship next year on the 800's.

@Tristancliffe: A 250 is plenty fast enough to get you into trouble. My 250cc single has about 25 HP and a top speed of about 94 mph down a hill, 90 on a flat road. At anything faster than 60, I have to keep the bars pretty steady or I get some nasty oscillations, but that's because it's a dual-sport, it's not really designed to go that fast.

Quote from Forbin :

I've been kind of rooting for Pedrosa ever since he got his first win. To win in the premier class as a rookie would be incredible

If he joined motogp about 2/3/4 years ago with the skill he has now he would not last long because the bikes have become so rider friendly even a 125 racer could handle a full works motogp but not go that fast

Congrats to Vermulen first of all, Way to go

Seccondly i think the fact that it was a wet race has made the championship much better. If you look at how badly hayden was doing and how fast rossi was coming through in the dry, it leads me to believe that rossi would have made a significantly greater gain on hayden pointswise if it had been a dry race. If he had gained 15+ points on hayden i would have to put my money on the rossi for the championship. As it is i think it's going to take some sparkling performances from the doctor and a little bad luck from hayden for rossi to win it all. Both of these are capable of happening but not a sure thing which makes it look to me like the final three rounds are looking like a real cracker!

Also its a bit of a long shot but dontrule out pedrosa or melandri

MotoGP is (imho) the best and most exciting motorsport series of this decade, and this season has been as good as any I can remember. The final corner this weekend, with Rossi's pass and Melandri's tyre-smoking one-handed antics sums up motogp quite nicely I think.
I want Rossi to take the title again btw.

Damn. Everytime I accidently miss a race I hear how great it was afterwards. If I can't watch an F1 race there's usually nothing to worry about.

Anyway, I saw Melandri's one-handed drift on Motorsports Weekend. F*n' Brilliant!

Quote from rc10racer :

If he joined motogp about 2/3/4 years ago with the skill he has now he would not last long because the bikes have become so rider friendly even a 125 racer could handle a full works motogp but not go that fast

Thats very true, the 500s were beasts. Rossi described it on a documentary saying 'the first time you get on a 500 its like...F***!!'

Pedrosa for me is the new Biaggi, although i suspect he might become more successful. Biaggi had a similar style, no thrills just fast...he was a bit too arrogant though and wasn't great under pressure.

Quote from sinbad :

I want Rossi to take the title again btw.

Who doesn't?

F1 drivers need to look to thier MotoGP brethren to see how to get the public on thier side. Rossi is an utter b*stard on the track and yet we all love him because he does not go over the line of being an utter bstard and being a cheating or unsportsman bstard a la any F1 driver you care to mention of late. (let me just clarify I mean Rossi is a damn hard racer and he will race to within the smallest quantifiable margin of sportsmanship and THAT is what makes him great in all our eyes)

Sure there will be folk out there who do NOT want Rossi to win but I bet they don't actually dislike the fact that he has won. In F1 people actively dislike the champion and would not give them credit due to thier off and on track antics.

As for the comment that wet races on bikes are rubbish, did you see the BSB at Cadwell park w'end before last? It was mental! Sure they are being super cautious but you can still see the ones that are pushing.

too bad Rossi's bike let him down a few times.
is allwais fun to watch that "yellow thing" riding.

it's too dificult for him to get the title this year, all that hayden needs to do is ride behind him..no need to attack.

Quote from joshdifabio :

Who doesn't?

ME lol. I didnt get to see the motogp race only the 250cc. I love the track it is soo bada$$

Yup, one of the best bike tracks around for sure :up: Always provides some killer racing
But you should see 600hp V8s race on it. Woah. :eek:

I am a fan of Rossi's skill and aggression to win, but Hayden does deserve it this round... honestly. Even if Rossi could take it back and win in the end this season, I'd be impressed and support Rossi in his fight to win the title. Hayden has a chance, and if he can win it with Rossi giving it his all, good for him too.

Heh I like this race though.... Hayden says he was a pansy "honestly" for the whole race. Maybe playing it safe, and that was a smart call... since he isn't that great in the wet (well it looks like everyone is really average in the wet, because anything could happen)

I enjoyed the race, it was just frantic and lots of position changes for the most part. MotoGP is by far way more fun to watch than F1... though I look forward to seeing F1 more for some reason I'll get into MotoGP more once I realize each driver's skill and know how the season works. I only started watching MotoGP a couple years ago. Was always watching WSB then and watching at Laguna Seca. A bike fan myself, but only losing interest because I need to buy a new one

I always watch the F1 races because I can't help it Lately the on-track action has been improving a bit too, with actual passing happening on track and people scrapping for dozens of laps at a time. Hope they keep it up!

I started following GP bikes during the days of Doohan & Biaggi's battles in the late 90s, when Rossi was just some little upstart in the 125s (you could see he had prodigious talent way back then). I always look forward to MotoGP races because they never fail to disappoint. The last 2-3 seasons have been especially exciting, and there always seem to be a few Aussies threatening to bag hefty points too :up:

I'll never forget Rossi's first race (and win) on the brand new & un-raced Yamaha a couple of seasons ago, after simply dominating the previous seasons with the Honda. It was a rare thing in today's motorsport: a dogfight that lasted an entire race. Biaggi's Honda had the edge in horsepower and Rossi's Yami would always catch up through the turns, only to be left hanging down the front straight as Biaggi streaked away. This back and forth went on for nearly 30 laps, the two guys a fraction of a second apart for the whole thing until Rossi finally passed Max and held him off until the end. I was, quite literally, on the edge of the couch for the whole thing and I didn't get up for fear of missing something. When Rossi finally crossed the line I leaped up and jumped around like an idiot! I couldn't believe I'd witnessed what was possibly the greatest bike race ever. At one point on the cool-down lap, Rossi was so overcome that he leaned the bike on a fence, sat on the ground and it was quite clear that he was sobbing his heart out into his helmet. I almost joined him! It was quite a moment I tried explaining the race to my lady with much enthusiasm the next day but, y'know...I think you need to be a bloke to "get" MotoGP, even if you don't ride much yourself. That ride really was Senna-esque. I'd had much respect for Rossi since watching him in the smaller classes and later seeing him dominate MotoGP on the Honda, but that first ride on the Yami really was something unforgettable.
The fact that Rossi could catch and pass his nemesis on a slower, un-raced bike speaks volumes of his skill, as does the fact that Colin Edwards' results this season have been less than stellar even though he's on the very bike that Rossi has been helping to develop into a race-winner since that first race a couple of years ago ...

It's an awesome category and the racing is always top notch. Whoever's in charge of the MotoGP "brand" right now could teach Ecclestone & Mosley *coughPUNKScough* a thing or two imho ... and some of those GP riders could lend a few personality points to some F1 pilots and still be the life of the party

Edwards is old to me... I think he is out of shape or something. I watched a documentary about Rossi, Hayden, and KR Jr.... and there was a part with Edwards in there and he says he worries too much when he rides, and thinks too much of his wife and kid(s?). When you are young like Hayden and Rossi, I think you give it your all. Edwards is like the opposite nowadays.

Yeah maybe he is a bit timid. He's also come into MotoGP from Superbikes, which are totally different to ride. Most current MotoGP riders have come through the 125 and 250cc classes and have got to know all the circuits, other riders, the whole circus that is GP racing etc. while he's come straight in from another category where everything is different and, while not any less professional, is a little more relaxed and not as high pressure (MotoGP is pretty much 2-wheeled F1 with as much factory & personal pride on the line as it's 4-wheeled cousin). Troy Bayliss tried the same thing after kicking arse in SBK for a few years. He lasted a couple of years in GP bikes, did ok but found it didn't suit him and now he's back in SBK, kicking arse again (usually duking it out with another Aussie, Troy Corser)

SBKs and GP bikes look similar, but I've heard the difference between them is like getting out of a GTR and hopping into an F1. Supers are basically racing versions of production models up to 1000cc while GP bikes are, like F1 & Le Mans cars, pure racing prototypes with experimental one-off bits and zillions of research dollars thrown at them. I can imagine the learning curve would be insane. Maybe Edwards should follow Bayliss back to SBK Doesn't look like he's going to be able to last in GP racing, especially not with young guns like Pedrosa & Stoner in there, fresh out of 250s and hungry like the wolf I think the days of "old" blokes dominating GP bikes went out with Mighty Mick Doohan. Having said that we shouldn't discount Capirossi. He's a veteran but a classy rider and that Ducati of his shouldn't be ruled out...

It doesn't mean you have to come through 125s etc to be a decent GP rider though - Chris Vermuelen has hopped in straight from the Supersport class (I think they're like SBK but not as nuts - perhaps the engine capacity limit is lower) and has really shown his class. His pole and first few laps at Laguna this year were wicked...shame about his bike trouble though, he could've placed really well there I was stoked with his 2nd at Philip Island though :up: Imagine what he could do on a fast bike
*sigh* only 3 more races left. Damn shame!

Quote from Tweaker :

(well it looks like everyone is really average in the wet, because anything could happen)

[disclaimer]Having very little knowledge myself on riding motorbikes etc I maybe wrong[/disclaimer].

I'm sure I heard them say (Eurosport) that the problem for the riders is they can't push the front like you can in a car as if you lose the front on the bike you'll most likely be on the ground. Obviously in something with four wheels you can understeer a fair bit and continue on but on a bike I guess it's face first onto the tarmac

Keiran

@keiran: Yeah, pretty much. As with cars, depending on how the bike is set up, one end may break loose before the other. However, losing the back end on a bike usually isn't a big deal. In fact, it may be even easier than in a car due to the level of connectedness you experience on a bike compared to a car. I also think the natural countersteering tendencies of a bike tends to be much stronger.

If you watch MotoGP, the back end of the bike is almost always hanging out at least a little, both under acceleration and braking. Lose the front, though, and you're almost guaranteed to find yourself on the ground. It's actually pretty rare that a rider goes down from a highside after losing the back end. More often than not they lost the front.

Yeah, losing the front pretty much means game over. For instance when you hit a wet tram track at the wrong angle with your front wheel, nothing can save you (as I learned recently in front of Flinders St Station at rush hour - the worst injury was to my pride :ouch: I oughta know better)

If I recall correctly from the coverage, one of the reasons everyone was being so cautious in the MotoGP, was that they simply hadn't done any real wet weather testing at that circuit.
So their setups were pretty much guesswork.