Capirossi is intruigingly down the sheets... Any reason? :confused:
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Capirossi is intruigingly down the sheets... Any reason? :confused:
I was watching Capirossi, and frankly, he seemed to be suffering the same problems that Hayden was: Just couldn't get to grips with the 800. Trying to bully it like he used to bully the old 990. But that just doesn't work.
Capirossi was fast round the 1st 2 sections a couple of times, then his times would go to pieces in the last 2 sections.
i cant wait for this race to start. i mean, i was looking forward to this race at the start of the weekend (for the last two weeks really) but the qualifying session really does make the anticipation even more intense. i dont think there has ever been a time when the whole field are separated by less than 2 seconds. and the top 12 only half a second apart, thats insane. this is why motogp is (and always will be) better than formula 1 or any other type of motorsport.
I'm rather surprised at this, given his pretty good testing times in comparison to Stoner - he actually looked like he had him covered for much of the off-season, so I'm surprised he hasn't been quicker than he has been thus far. Hopefully he can work his way around the problems though, because he still is one of the top riders on the grid IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kropotkin
Hayden may need to spend more time testing or in the wind tunnel, because at this rate his team-mate could be champion, whilst a top-8 in the final 2007 classification for Hayden is possibly beyond reach from what I can see now. It's most worrying that he is comfortable with the bike, but just inexplicably slow.
One word for ya, C.A.N.I - Constant and Never-ending Improvement
Is that even a word? Hehe, anyways, goooo Westy, onwards and upwards..
Cracking 250cc race. bring on the big ones..
What 250 CC race!!!!
I think Bautista is my new fave rider in 250.
This was a classic Rossi, we haven't seen such a race of him for a long time!
Haven't seen the 125 or 250s yet but the MotoGP race was a bit of a snoozer. You would have expected tighter racing after the qualifying yesterday. Disappointed to see everyone so spread out.
Great ride by the doctor and strong ride by Colin. I wonder if Dani's confidence will be shaken a little bit. He had a real chance to take the fight to Valentino in front of his home crowd instead he couldn't even make Rossi feel pressured. We have yet to see a real dog fight between Pedrosa and Rossi. Maybe Rossi has already won the mind games with Dani.
I'm gutted for Hopkins (as is my fantasy team). At least he has a month off now to let his hand heal.
Actually, it's a shame they concentrated on Rossi, Pedrosa and Edwards, with glimpses of Hopper and Hayden. The scrap for 6th was tight, as was the fight for 9th. There were 5 guys going at it right to the end.Quote:
Originally Posted by fatman
Anyway, I have a race report up on my site. Here's how it starts:
The Measure Of The Man
On any given race weekend, riders line up to be measured. They pit themselves and their machines against all comers, borne by an unwavering belief in their own ability to overcome their adversaries and the limitations of the equipment they have been given. They stand to be measured every time they line up. Sometimes, though, the measurement goes deeper. For there are some days when a racer has to step up and go beyond himself, beyond the limitations of his body and his machine, and reach a higher plane. On days such as those, the line which separates the great from the merely good becomes crystal clear: A good rider will give his utmost, and meet all that is expected of him; A great rider goes beyond himself, and rises above the field to do the seemingly impossible.
The Jerez MotoGP round was just such an occasion. Many questions had been answered at the opening race at Qatar, but in their answering, many others had been raised: Was Ducati's horsepower advantage the definitive blow of the season? Could Yamaha exploit their handling advantage at a slower track? Would Dani Pedrosa be able to stamp his authority on his home Grand Prix? And would the veterans who were doing so surprisingly poorly, such as Loris Capirossi and reigning champion Nicky Hayden, be able to solve the problems which seemed to dog them?
Muddy Waters
Practice had been a very mixed picture. The temperature differences between the cool morning sessions and the warm afternoon sessions meant that some people were running great times in one session, only to plummet to the bottom of the timesheets in the next. The new limits on tire choice showed the first signs of biting, as testing tires chosen for a warm afternoon race on a chilly morning was proving virtually pointless. And by the time qualifying was done, the picture was, if anything, even more confusing, Saturday's official Qualifying Practice producing the closest grid ever seen in MotoGP, with just over 3/10ths of a second covering the top 10 places, and the top 15 all inside of a single second. With the times so close, the race looked like being a lottery, with the run into the first corner looking ever more capable of deciding the race.
As the lights dimmed, and the pack roared off the line, there was a universal intake of breath. Last year at Jerez, Turn 1 set the tone for the rest of the year, as a hard-charging Toni Elias shunted Valentino Rossi off into the gravel, and setting Rossi on the long, hard road that would eventually lead him to lose his title. As the pack emerged unscathed from Turn 1, and headed off towards the rear of the track, the crowd collectively exhaled, glad that the race would be decided on the tarmac and not in the gravel traps.
Read the rest of my MotoGP Jerez race report
Good stuff as always Kropotkin :) Shame we have a three week break now until the next race.. Thats an eternity! :p