MotoGP Qatar 2008

[mx311]

Three things I'd like to add.

1) Foggy is a tool, everyone knows this so I have no idea why people continue to talk to him and ask him questions. Btw, I think Toseland will do alright at the beginning of the year, and then fade later as he waits for the new parts to arrive (he'll be last in line at Yamaha).

2) Night racing, we'll have to wait until the first round has been run to see if it's worth it but so long as we don't have 16 night races a year I'm OK with it. At least in the dark you won't be able to tell that there is no-one there.

3) The Qatar race might not answer all our pre-season questions (what with it being run in the dark and all), but if they can't beat Casey Stoner it will hurt the others mentally that's for sure. Honda and Yamaha are close (but perhaps not close enough), Suzuki and the other Dukes aren't there yet (and probably won't get there either) and Kawasaki are Kawasaki (last of the factory boys). I'm actually looking forward more to the 125 and 250 classes to be honest, try picking a winner there.

[The Phantom]

Good stuff Matt, and thanks Roby for the excellent pics.

I imagine it would've been a trippy place to be when the pics were taken - no people, absolute silence.

Only a few days to go now!

[Roby44]

Good stuff Matt, and thanks Roby for the excellent pics.

I imagine it would've been a trippy place to be when the pics were taken - no people, absolute silence.

Only a few days to go now!

And there will still be probably not too many people there..

Can't wait for the race..May have to throw a sickie that day!!

[Roby44]

West wary of Qatar conditions


07.03.2008


Australian Anthony West has reservations about getting on the bike in the opening round of the MotoGP season in Qatar this weekend.
West, 26, said his Kawasaki machine was feeling good but admitted performances in the lead-up to the maiden event of 2008 haven't filled him with confidence.
He also joined the chorus of riders expressing concerns about the icy conditions at the desert track's historic night race.
"I'm not feeling as good as I'd like as my lap times in testing weren't what I was hoping for," West said.
"I'm quite concerned about the temperatures at night in Qatar as it was so cold and that affected the tyres more than I was comfortable with."
"But we still made loads of big improvements to the bike. I'm really pleased with the feeling I'm getting from the new chassis and the set up generally has really come together over the testing season."
Like all riders, though, West wants to get on track and pit himself against his rivals.
"I'm keen to get back to racing now. Physically, I'm feeling fit and a lot stronger so I'm ready to get on with it," he said.
Kawasaki's competition manager Michael Bartholemy said there had been hiccups in the off-season.
"We didn't have the easiest time at the tests last week," Bartholemy said.
"Anthony in particular suffered a lack of confidence in the grip available, as it was so cold that he struggled to get the tyres up to temperature."
"We weren't the only team to struggle with this but, on the positive side, it seems the night temperatures are now rising a bit so hopefully we will see an improvement in available grip for the race."

[osg]

West wary of Qatar conditions


07.03.2008


Australian Anthony West has reservations about getting on the bike in the opening round of the MotoGP season in Qatar this weekend.
West, 26, said his Kawasaki machine was feeling good but admitted performances in the lead-up to the maiden event of 2008 haven't filled him with confidence.
He also joined the chorus of riders expressing concerns about the icy conditions at the desert track's historic night race.
"I'm not feeling as good as I'd like as my lap times in testing weren't what I was hoping for," West said.
"I'm quite concerned about the temperatures at night in Qatar as it was so cold and that affected the tyres more than I was comfortable with."
"But we still made loads of big improvements to the bike. I'm really pleased with the feeling I'm getting from the new chassis and the set up generally has really come together over the testing season."
Like all riders, though, West wants to get on track and pit himself against his rivals.
"I'm keen to get back to racing now. Physically, I'm feeling fit and a lot stronger so I'm ready to get on with it," he said.
Kawasaki's competition manager Michael Bartholemy said there had been hiccups in the off-season.
"We didn't have the easiest time at the tests last week," Bartholemy said.
"Anthony in particular suffered a lack of confidence in the grip available, as it was so cold that he struggled to get the tyres up to temperature."
"We weren't the only team to struggle with this but, on the positive side, it seems the night temperatures are now rising a bit so hopefully we will see an improvement in available grip for the race."

Fantastic mindset to have going into our first full season on a factory bike

At this rate he'll be released before season's end with that thinking.......

[The Phantom]

Fantastic mindset to have going into our first full season on a factory bike

At this rate he'll be released before season's end with that thinking.......

It's been one of West's bugbears - too eager to speak his mind. On one level it's admirable, but on another - the one team managers inhabit - it's not going to do him any favours.

Remarkable - move the race to evening to escape the heat, and now the track is too cold. Didn't they do any research on desert weather patterns before they committed? Anyone who lives in the Outback can tell you that 40 degree days quite easily turn into 12 degree nights...

BTW if you haven't been over to MotoGP Matters of late, have a look - great article on the lighting at Qatar.

[Corny]

FP1 has started, and this is a report for the first 10 minutes: Casey is away like a rocket!

[tha_jackal]

FP2 is done, all ill say is kawasaki = up sh*t creek stoner = bridgestone's savior..

[jim mcglinchey]

JT must be riding like a demon. Hes about 16 klicks down on top speed from the Marlboro Dooks and significantly slower than Looneys Yam, but hes hanging in there.

[maxu05]

It's great to see the rookies adapting so quick, but, it's only first night of practice, so some of them are still tweaking and fiddling about. I think Saturday night will really be a better gauge of how they stack up. It is going to be a real battle IMO. Bring it on