MotoGP - Phillip Island

[NinjaMaster]

And finally the Phillip Island round of MotoGP is here. I'm riding down tomorrow and stayin down there for the weekend and can't wait. I don't really care how close the race is, I just love being there and watching these blokes ride in a manner I can only dream about, particularly Stoner who's as exciting to watch on his own as seeing any Moto2 dogfight. Anyway, I'll give a brief rundown of the MotoGP protagonists for the race.

Casey Stoner - 2011 champion elect and has won the last four races at Phillip Island, it's honestly very difficult to see him being beaten at his home circuit. He can take the title if he wins and Lorenzo finishes 4th or worse though this seems unlikely. Would make a nice birthday present for him though.

Dani Pedrosa - has returned to full fitness and full speed. Will be buoyed after last rounds win buried the demons from Motegi 2010 and a confident Dani should be very competitive. I'd be surprised if he's not on the podium.

Andrea Dovizioso - probably the most determined rider in the paddock at the moment after Honda chose Simoncelli over him for a factory contract in 2012. He's signed for Tech3 Yamaha now for next season and will be keen to show Honda they've made a mistake. A chance for the podium

Marco Simoncelli - now he has a contract for a Factory Honda in 2012, I'm expecting to see the return of a more aggressive Simoncelli til the end of the season. If it is coupled with his seemingly new found maturity of the second half of this season, he could well be a smokey for at least a podium.

Hiroshi Aoyama - the quiet Japanese has had a quiet year, racking up consistent solid finishes to be vying with Colin Edwards for the top genuine privateer. The Island isn't one of his happier hunting grounds so a top 10 is probably all he can hope for.

Toni Elias - 2010's Toni the Tiger has become Toni the Turtle in 2011. His lack of speed this year isn't for lack of trying but his riding style is so distinct that it just doesn't gel with the Bridgestone tires. Likely off to World Superbike in 2012, Elias will probably get a blinder start then fade through the pack or crash trying to keep up.

Jorge Lorenzo - he's hanging on in there for the title race against all hope. Needs to not finish on the podium for Stoner to take the title here but he looks too strong for that. Also, Phillip Island is a circuit that flows so it hides the Yamahas biggest weakness - it's lack of acceleration.

Ben Spies - The Ben has had a slightly disappointing year given the high expectation placed on him to elevate to 'alien' status. However, it must be said that he's had more than his fair share of bad luck to hold him back. Phillip Island is a track that suits him and he's had good results there in the past. A strong chance for a podium - if he's allowed to beat his teammate...

Colin Edwards - ol' Col is nearing the conclusion of his career, heading to a CRT bike next year. Still pretty competitive, if he has a day out he could sneak a top 6 result.

Cal Crutchlow - started the year very impressively but started craching - a lot - and seems to have lost a lot of confidence. Will be eagerly awaiting next years switch to 1000cc machines and softer Bridgestones. I'd expect scraping into the top 10 to be about his limit though it is at least a circuit he knows.

Alvaro Bautista - Alvaro has been quietly impressive this year, improving steadily as the year progressed after busting his femur at the opening round in Qatar. Through the bike away last round trying for a top 5 finish, he'll be pushed to be that far up the field as the Suzuki traditionally struggles at the seaside circuit.

Valentino Rossi - the biggest name of all has been the biggest letdown of all in 2011. The marketing dream of the millenium has become a nightmare. After some very public potshots at his rivals before the season, Rossi has failed to fire at all. Despite multiple heavy revisions to his Desmosedici, all have failed to result in any serious improvement. Made some ergonomic changes to his bike before the last race (similar to Stoner 2010) and a new aluminium frame saw him fourth fastest in warmup at Motegi, will be interesting to see if it translates into genuine improvement of flash-in-the-pan. The successes of 2001-2005 in Australia are a distant memory and I expect him to finish his now customary 7th place.

Nicky Hayden - Nicky has struggled through 2011 manfully and without complaint (publicly). Phillip Island is one of his strongest tracks and being only 16 points behind Rossi in the standings, he'd love nothing more than to beat his teammate to finish top Ducati man for the year.

Loris Capirossi - The 2011 Phillip Island Grand Prix will mark the last time we see Capirossi race down under and the third last race in Grand Prix anywhere. What has been a very successful career is reaching a somewhat sorry end of injury and difficult machinery. Will sadly be a likely tailgunner of the field.

Randy DePuniet - unfortunately the theories of Randy's riding style suiting the Ducati have come to nought. He will be desperate to finish the year competitively and win his seat back at LCR Honda. Probably hover somewhere around 10th place.

Karel Abraham - many questioned the inclusion of Karel Abraham in this years MotoGP lineup. After all, the dude has only had two podiums with one win in the feeder classes and was getting a ride in a team funded by Daddy. However, Karel has been mildly competitive on a difficult bike with a rookie team. If things go real well, a top 10 is not out of the question.

Damien Cudlin - finally we have Damo. An Australian motorcycle racing journeyman, Cudlin got the surprise call up to replace the injured Capirossi at Motegi last round. He rode a respectable pace but crashed out racing with Honda test rider Akiyoshi. This time he's gets the opportunity to race on the back of Hector Barbera's misfortune (busted collarbone). With a weekends riding of the Ducati under his belt, racing at home at a familiar circuit he should be more competitive and will hopefully be able to at least have a bit of a battle with someone else at the back of the field.

So there ya have it. Hopefully the weekend is fine (for my sake as much as anything!) and the racing close. My MotoGP top 5 is as follows:
1. Stoner
2. Pedrosa
3. Dovizioso
4. Lorenzo
5. Spies

Okay, so I'm actually expecting Lorenzo to come second and Dovizioso fifth but that doesn't result in a home town championship for Casey!

So I'm about all typed out now to bother much with Moto2 and 125. Am really hoping that Ant Wests improvement since Warren Willing came on board will continue and he could push for a top 5 and I'd love to see Bradl answer the challenge and win, taking back the championship lead. Hopefully Jack Miller has a good race in 125 and Arthur Sissis too if he gets a gig and a right ol' fist fight battle up front.

Can't wait!

[Rod Richardson]

Great post Ninja

QUALIFYING (Windy conditions)
Moto GP
1. Stoner
2. Lorenzo
3. Simoncelli
4. Bautista
5. Dovisioso
6. Hayden
7. Spies
8. Pedrosa
9. Edwards
10. Capirossi
11. De Puniet
12. Aoyama
13. Rossi
14. Crutchlow
15. Abraham
16. Elias

MOTO 2
1 De Angelis
2 Di Meglio
3 Takahashi
4 Redding
5 Sofuoglu
6 Espargaro
7 Smith
8 Bradl
9 Luthi
10 Pasini

125 cc
1 Zarco
2 Cortese
3 Folger
4 Terol
5 Faubel
6 Vazquez
7 Kent
8 Moncayo
9 Vinales
10 Salom

[Ranger]

Lorenzo declared unfit to race after warm-up crash.

Meaning to say Casey Stoner needs only to finish 6th to win the title today.

[MrMetro]

Congratulations to Casey Stoner, for winning the 2011 MotoGP world championship! Shame Lorenzo couldn't fight him to the very end, but none the less, Stoner deserved it.

[NinjaMaster]

Ahh, Phillip Island. Tis always a great weekend but now a distant memory. Anyway, here are my belated notes of the event.

- the 125 race was one of the oddest I've seen. A bunch of teenagers riding in dodgy damp conditions and only one or two crashes! How did that happen?
- Marc Marquez unquestionably had the ride of the weekend, from last to third was astounding.
- Marquez was also the luckiest rider of the weekend. To take Wilairot out and put him in hospital after the chequered flag for practice and be allowed to race was incredibly lenient.
- Ant Wests bike, replendent in the Australian flag looked great. Unfortunately being taken out on the fourth corner of the first lap means I didn't get to see much of it...
- Thomas Luthi is close behind Marquez for luckiest rider of the meet. Anyone who can straightline turn one and live to tell the tale has done incredibly well.
- Alvaro Bautista generally bucked the Suzuki trend of struggling at Phillip Island. However, his crash from a strong position was through misfortune this time. My friend was a marshall there when rain began to fall. He stood up with the rain flag just in time to see Alvaro skid up the road...
- unluckiest man of the weekend went to Jorge Lorenzo. It was a nasty crash in warmup and to lose his finger, the 'bar must've come down exactly on top of it as he didn't drag under the bike.
- Damien Cudlins crash was horrible. He highsided and landed heavily on his shoulders and lost too much skin from his back and side to race. The irony was hearing his wife on the PA only 5 minutes before the crash talking about his dogtags he took off and gave to her were their lucky charm he has worn since he broke his back about 10 years ago .
- Casey Stoner was man of the round. Fastest in every session pretty much sums up his year. Hopefully he will run number 1 next year.
- Valentino Rossi has always been the best supported rider in the paddock. This year though I reckon that Stoner has overtaken him in his homeland. The amount of Stoner T's, caps and flags amongst the crowd was impressive and his merch store was busier than Rossi's. Just a shame that his merch is now the same price and Valentino's overpriced stuff.
- The weather was brilliant on Friday and Saturday and whilst Sunday was pretty average with a few showers, we dodged some major bullet with heavy showers that passed out at sea.
- Cameras work better when you don't leave the battery for it at your accommodation...
- The FI light constantly shining and restricting my bike to 7000rpm cannot be a good thing.

Overall, it was another great weekend with the only real downer being it's now 12 months to see them go again.