43 replies to this topic

[Redline]

I can't see any rider in the 2006 MotoGP line up who's going to beat Valentino Rossi.

I'm obviously assuming that the other teams don't produce at least one mega quick bike that even Vale and Yamaha can't keep up with.

Gibernau is way too fragile mentally, at least when he sees Rossi in his mirrors.

Melandri is too early to go all the way to winning the championship.


The cupboard is bare!

Any ideas or comments, anyone, please?



Edited for a Gremlin which only posted a fraction of the original thread!

Edited by Redline, 30 January 2006 - 07:26 AM.

[nojvnof1]

Well I'm not sure how many fans of MotoGP are on these forums, but I thought I'd start a thread on the pinnacle of two wheeled racing, MotoGP. I think this year is going to be a great year where some young guns will really challenge Rossi for his crown. At the end of last year, Melandri and Hayden finally stepped up and started mixing it with the big boys. Now that Biaggi and Barros are out of Motogp (finally if you ask me   ) these kids will get factory bikes.

Of course, Valentino is the Michael Schumacher of bikes, he's just a class above anyone. However I think there will be challenges aplenty from Honda riders Hayden and Melandri who broke through for their inaugural wins last season, whilst rookies Stoner and Pedrosa could spring a surprise or two, but I don't expect them to challenge for the title until '07. I think Ducati will be strong and Capirossi will shine, as for Gibernau, I think a change to Ducati will be a refreshing change for him, but his mental strength is a question mark. I expect Colin Edwards to win races (yes, plural), this year and for John Hopkins on the Suzuki to get his first podium, whilst his teammate Chris Vermeulen will be a star.

So here's who I follow in the three classes

125cc: Mika Kallio
250cc: Anthony West
MotoGP: Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, John Hopkins.

[nojvnof1]

Well it seems everything merged OK.

[Redline]

Quote

Well it seems everything merged OK.

Ye-e-e-e-e-y!!!!!

If you're not familar, this is the Formula 1 of motorbikes and it's way more exciting to watch, IMHO!

Can't wait for the first race!

We may get a good early idea of which bikes are quick. Honda should be ashamed of their performance in 2005......they may surge back.

I forgot about Vermuelen!! ......he really impressed me in 2004 especially. Maybe less so in 2005. He's definitely got what it takes to be a contender, both in terms of skill and, very important against Rossi, mental toughness. Gonna be some scraps between those two, I hope! Suzuki need to be reliable as well as quick.

Calendar

Hope this is accurate (don't blame me if not...pasted from the net)......

March 26 Spain Jerez
April 8 Qatar Losail (Sat)
April 30 Turkey Istanbul
May 14 China Shanghai
May 21 France Le Mans
June 4 Italy Mugello
June 18 Catalunya Catalunya
June 24 Netherlands Assen (Sat)
July 2 Great Britain Donington Park
July 16 Germany Sachsenring
July 23 United States Laguna Seca (MotoGP only)
August 20 Czech Republic Brno
Sept 10 Malaysia Sepang
Sept 17 Australia Phillip Island
Sept 24 Japan Motegi
Oct 22 Portugal Estoril
Oct 29 Valencia Valencia

(Sat) = Saturday race.
(MotoGP only) = No 125 or 250cc.

Edited by Redline, 30 January 2006 - 10:16 AM.

[pumpdoc]

I'll be watching for N. Hayden   to follow up on his Laguna Seca win..............

[nojvnof1]

Cheers for posting the calendar. Teams are testing at Phillip Island from today onwards I think. I find the best place for testing reports and news is crash.net, although the motogp website is pretty good as well.

Quote

Honda should be ashamed of their performance in 2005......they may surge back.

The bike is great, it's still the best out there, but when Rossi went, they had no-one gifted enough to advance the bike technically and then race it consistently at its best. Alot of that bike goes down to Rossi's development skills. I've just finished reading his autobiography, some very interesting details in that and a must for any fan of bikes. With Max and Alex gone, they now have key racers, and development riders in Hayden and Melandri. Stoner and Pedrosa will come into their own next year but should win races this year.

[Redline]

Quote

Alot of that bike goes down to Rossi's development skills.

.........not forgetting Jerry Burgess, Aussie bike guru par excellence!

Burgess is to Rossi what Brawn is to Schumi.

[Wez]

As much as I cant see anybody beating Rossi, ill be supporting Honda's Melandri and Pedrosa

[nojvnof1]

Quote

.........not forgetting Jerry Burgess, Aussie bike guru par excellence!

Indeed. I should have said Valentino and his highly gifted technical team.

Quote

Burgess is to Rossi what Brawn is to Schumi.

Yep you're right there.

Wez, Melandri looks like he'll have a very good year. If he stays on the bike, he could give the title a big shake. As for Pedrosa, I think he can win a race this year, but I don't think he can challenge for the title until 2007.

[Wez]

nojvnof1, on Feb 1 2006, 09:09 AM, said:

Wez, Melandri looks like he'll have a very good year. If he stays on the bike, he could give the title a big shake. As for Pedrosa, I think he can win a race this year, but I don't think he can challenge for the title until 2007.

Yeah I agree...

Pedrosa is one for the future, no one since Rossi has dominated 125cc & 250cc like he has.

[narain fan]

Two Wheeled Rivarly Spills Over Onto Four


A motorcycling rivalry has spilled into the world of formula one, with Max Biaggi mockingly offering to teach MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi how to drive a four wheel racer.

Biaggi, the axed Honda rider, recently tested for Midland's MF1 team at a sodden Silverstone track, before countryman Rossi joined the group Valencia action this week and spun on his eleventh bend.

''I could have explained to him how to keep a formula one car going straight,'' Biaggi chimed to the Gazzetta dello Sport 'paper.





Ferrari's five time world champion Michael Schumacher, however, might have brought the pair back down to earth by suggesting that switching from two wheels to four is not nearly as challenging as vice versa.

The German tried a Ducati MotoGP bike last December at Mugello, and ended up about 20 seconds off the real pace.

''Going from two wheels to four, we've seen in the past that this can be done,'' Schumacher said.
paddock talk.com

[nojvnof1]

Biaggi is all talk and no walk. He was equally insulting towards Rossi in bikes and Rossi destroyed him. Biaggi is now out of MotoGP and seemingly not going to get a ride in WSBK, so we may hear more drivel from him sadly. Whilst all this is going on Valentino is looking forward to another year in MotoGP whilst testing for Ferrari in F1. Biaggi might have a few Midland tests to look forward to...

[pumpdoc]

nojvnof1, on Feb 2 2006, 11:41 PM, said:

Biaggi is all talk and no walk. He was equally insulting towards Rossi in bikes and Rossi destroyed him. Biaggi is now out of MotoGP and seemingly not going to get a ride in WSBK, so we may hear more drivel from him sadly. Whilst all this is going on Valentino is looking forward to another year in MotoGP whilst testing for Ferrari in F1. Biaggi might have a few Midland tests to look forward to...

Indeed well put I'll take the Ferrari over the Midland every time

[irishfemalefan]

Just watched the race live from Turkey (on TV obviously) - i freely admit i know sod all about motorbikes & even half the teams but this is a cracking sport

just one question though - what is happening with Rossi - has he even won one race yet this season??

though must admit its great seeing him not have total domination over the whole lot   - it was Melandri won today but about 5 or 6 riders had the lead at different times - even the commentator commented that he shouldnt even get paid for doing his job it was such a brilliant race!!!!!

for some reason id like to see Hayden do really well (not usualyl known for my support of the yanks in sport) & great to see the new comer Stoner doing so well

again it was mentioned that Rossi will be making his decision about Ferrari & F1 within the next month - cant decide what i think of that one    if he could keep the pace i think it would be great for F1 but if not i wouldnt want to see someone of his expertise & skill floundering

[Ctrl300]

Channel Ten here in Australia has just finished the MotoGP coverage and yeeeha, Casey Stoner got 2nd!!!!!!
Bloody hell, this was one of the best races for years. 4 riders (Melandri, Stoner, Hayden and Pedrosa) fought it out all the way, where Stoner got overtaken by Melandri (on a vast superior machine) on the second last corner on the last lap! Really, really good race. Its on, MotoGP has come alive again after too many seasons of Rossi dominance.
BTW, I hope either Hayden or Stoner wins the WDC. The former more likely than the latter due to experience and machinery, but he is a deserving champ if he gets it. Rossi is only 12 p's off the pace, while Stoner is 11 p's off.
Looking forward to the next race

[irishfemalefan]

yeah Stoner had a blinder of a race considering hes a newcomer - my heart was in my mouth for the first 15 laps - that sort of riding takes serious serious skill & as you say its so good to see others winning for a change - nothing against him of course just like to see others getting a chance!!  there was about 4 or 5 drivers who had they won would have thoroughly deserved it!!!

did feel sorry for Pedrosa though he was having a superb race until he made a tiny mistake & went off

definitely becoming more & more of a MotoGP the more i watch it   

[Ctrl300]

irishfemalefan, on May 1 2006, 01:22 AM, said:

yeah Stoner had a blinder of a race considering hes a newcomer - my heart was in my mouth for the first 15 laps - that sort of riding takes serious serious skill & as you say its so good to see others winning for a change - nothing against him of course just like to see others getting a chance!!  there was about 4 or 5 drivers who had they won would have thoroughly deserved it!!!

did feel sorry for Pedrosa though he was having a superb race until he made a tiny mistake & went off

definitely becoming more & more of a MotoGP the more i watch it   

Back home there is absolutely no coverage of MotoGP. I dont know why that is, but Eurosport got taken of the network and no one decided to pick it up.
Nevertheless, I grew up with a Montessa trial bike and have always loved bikes. I started getting really into MotoGP again when I moved to Sydney. I used to follow Wayne Gardner and to a certain extent Mick Doohan back in the days, and have a fetish for Australian riders. Good to see Stoner and Vermuehlen getting into the big leagues.
Anyways, as this post is getting nowhere I would just like to round up by saying that I wish F1 would be as tight as MotoGp and that I love Earl Gray, Russian Caravan, and Lady Gray teas at different times of the day. My god I'm tired.

[nojvnof1]

Quote

just one question though - what is happening with Rossi - has he even won one race yet this season??

I think they're having loads of problems with the bike, as Colin Edwards is also off the pace. I know in Jerez he suffered badly from chatter, which is when the front or rear end of the bike jumps up and down wildly, this differs in severity, but in Jerez they had it in severe cases. Also, Rossi was hit by Elias at Turn 1 of that race, but he wouldn't have done any better than maybe 4th or so with the way the bike was handling.

I saw the Turkish race and must say that was one of the best races I've seen in a while. Hard, but very clean racing. Stoner is proving a revelation. I thought he'd do well, but not this well, whilst Pedrosa is also doing well. Melandri made a big breakthrough in testing after Qatar so I expect him to challenge for the title, same goes for Hayden who is performing very consistently. I was absolutely stoked for Vermeulen though. He did brilliantly well to get pole and he had a brilliant race in the underpowered Suzuki.

As for the difference between Melandri's and Stoner's Honda, I don't believe the difference is that significant. I've always heard that the difference between the factory and customer bikes are very minimal, and a good rider is able to win on either.

Did any of you guys happen to see the end of the 250cc race?? It was crazy to say the very least! How de Angelis managed to save that accident and not hit the wall is beyond me!

[Ctrl300]

How any of the two involved managed to stay on their bikes is beyond me.

I think you are wrong with the difference between factory and customer bikes as factory teams tend to heve more funds to get more out of the bike and get the newest parts before the customer teams.

[kiko01]

Ctrl300, on May 2 2006, 09:03 AM, said:

I think you are wrong with the difference between factory and customer bikes as factory teams tend to heve more funds to get more out of the bike and get the newest parts before the customer teams.

I think you´re the one who is wrong   Since Valentino left Repsol Honda HRC (factory team) other Honda powered teams such as Gresini (Gibernau, Melandri) or Pons (Barros, Biaggi) have won more races than the "official" racers. The bikes are almost equal...
Amazing race in Turkey. Valentino will win the championship but for the first time it seems there are a couple of guys able to make Valentino´s life really complicated. Pedrosa and Stoner are two genious   The best couple since Rainey - Schwantz!!!!

[Ctrl300]

kiko01, on May 2 2006, 09:12 PM, said:

I think you´re the one who is wrong   Since Valentino left Repsol Honda HRC (factory team) other Honda powered teams such as Gresini (Gibernau, Melandri) or Pons (Barros, Biaggi) have won more races than the "official" racers. The bikes are almost equal...
Amazing race in Turkey. Valentino will win the championship but for the first time it seems there are a couple of guys able to make Valentino´s life really complicated. Pedrosa and Stoner are two genious   The best couple since Rainey - Schwantz!!!!

What you failed to mention is that with Rossi the whole of the engineering staff left, Burgess among them. Repsol can't just make up for such a loss overnight.
Historically the factory teams have dominated. The Yamaha's of the last two years, the Honda fatory team of the, what, 12 years prior?
Tell when a contract team dominated?

[nojvnof1]

Quote

I think you are wrong with the difference between factory and customer bikes as factory teams tend to heve more funds to get more out of the bike and get the newest parts before the customer teams.

You're right, but all that doesn't make the difference so big that a customer spec rider cannot beat a factory bike in a straight fight. Biaggi complained he was only losing to Rossi because he was on a customer bike, when Biaggi moved to the factory team, he was trounced by Rossi in the Yamaha and better riders on customer bikes. Mick Doohan and Daryl Beattie who provide expert comments at times have long held that the difference between the two is minimal.

[demonhorse]

I've watched three different races of this series so far this year,  and two of them, Jerez and Assen had like NO action until the very last lap.

[nojvnof1]

Better late than never

[demonhorse]

same for Donnington....

and some people rate this because it has 'more action than F1' but what ive seen I've had little evidence of this I am afraid.

[Geordie]

The last few races havn't been as exciting as before but If you havn't enjoyed them I feel sorry for you.

[nojvnof1]

Indeed. Watching Melandri and Rossi race with such injuries, and performing so well was great to see. Suzuki seem to be on the up as does Roberts Jr. The series is wide open and the racing is very good. Better to have one or two laps of action than none at all (like some F1 races sadly).

[nojvnof1]

Well what an exciting German MotoGP. That must go down as one of Rossi's finest victories. From P11 (10 after Stoner's withdrawal) he made a fantastic start, passed all bikes in front after that and held off the much stronger Honda's. Fantastico!!!

I must give a special mention to Anthony West in the 250cc class. He is in a bike way behind in terms of technology of the factory bikes but qualified P7 and finished there ahead of much faster factory bikes. He is the most underrated racer going around and it's a disgrace that untalented riders with big money get the factory bikes and do nothing whilst Westy rides the lower grade bikes and beats them.

[Geordie]

Rossi starts from 10th at Laguna Seca let's see what he can do. Or can the 7 1/2 stone Pedrosa win !?

[nojvnof1]

Not surprised Nicky Hayden won, but I'm gutted for Rossi. He now is 51 points behind Nicky and is going to have a real fight on his hands to win the title. He's had amazing luck throughout his career, but this season has been one where nothing has gone right, slow bike, injuries, unreliability. Rossi is still the best rider there, but Honda have a really special bike, they've always had, but now they've got the riders capable of taking full advantage of such a bike.

As for the rest, disappointed with Stoner and Edwards whilst I was pleasantly surprised to see Chris Vermeulen get pole and race for a podium only for his tyres to really let go 2 or so laps from home as he deserved a place on the podium.