A new generation of riders will take to the tarmac when the new season of moto gp starts next month in sunny Qatar and to all intents and purposes it promises to be a season to remember if form is anything to go by.
World champion Casey Stoner is still the man to beat but fans favourite Valentino Rossi has shown his intention in the latest pre season test in Sepang by posting the fastest laptime with an impressive 2:00.300, albeit on qualifying tyres.
Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa continue the factory Honda attack with an updated version of the HRC RC 212V but look to be struggling after Nicky Hayden complained the engine is down on horsepower, due to it being designed around the lighter and smaller Dani Pedrosa, and was unable to better last years laptime in Sepang.
New boy Jorge Lorenzo, team mate to Valentino Rossi, has shown promise in pre season tests posting the second fastest laptime on the final lap of three days of testing in Sepang despite chronic front end problems that prevented him from pushing as hard as he would have liked.
Ducati still look like the champions elect but as Stoner seems to be the only rider who can tame the wild power of the bike the problem of an injury to Stoner must surely be a worry to the Italian factory.
A promising test in Sepang must be encouraging for the Honda Gresini team and new boy Alex De Angelis’ 2:02.194 time in Sepang, which was fifth fastest, must be a boost for the much improved team.
American rider John Hopkins will ride for the Kawasaki team this year alongside Aussie wild boy Anthony West who is surely one to watch for the future.
This season also sees reigning world superbike champion James Toseland attempting to make his mark in the premier class of motorcycle racing alongside Colin Edwards in the Yamaha Tech 3 team. Edwards, a five year veteran of Moto GP and a former World Superbike World Champion should be able to provide good feedback to Toseland and give hints and tips on the difference between a World Superbike and a GP bike.
Rizla Suzuki could produce a shock or two with their paring of the experienced Loris Capirossi and relative youngster Chris Vermeulen both of which have the pace and the talent to win races.
Showing posts with label Racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racing. Show all posts
2/16/2008
12/25/2007
Just for Crimbo...
Here's a little video of some spectacular crashes from the world of Motorcycle racing.
In the words of a wise man; Pain is temporary, humiliation lasts forever.
In the words of a wise man; Pain is temporary, humiliation lasts forever.
3/25/2007
Moto GP - Round 2 - Jerez.
This morning saw the riders take to the tarmac at Jerez for the second round of the Moto GP season. First place was taken by Valentino Rossi with Dani Pedrosa taking second ahead of Colin Edwards in third place. Current World Champion Nicky Hayden struggled to a seventh place finish as his development woes continued with the Honda RCV 212v.
Hayden's main problem seems to be that he is struggling to adapt his riding style to the new 800cc motor which has less outright power than last years 900cc bike. Because of the lack of horsepower the riders are having to maintain a higher corner entry speed and this doesn't suit Nicky's style of slamming on the brakes as late as possible, squaring off the corner and relying on the engine torque to accelerate out of the turn.
The winner of the first round, Casey Stoner, battled well to finish fifth behind Toni Elias after poor handling on the Ducati caused him to drop off the pace early in the race.
The next race weekend in the Moto GP begins in Turkey on the 22nd of April.
Hayden's main problem seems to be that he is struggling to adapt his riding style to the new 800cc motor which has less outright power than last years 900cc bike. Because of the lack of horsepower the riders are having to maintain a higher corner entry speed and this doesn't suit Nicky's style of slamming on the brakes as late as possible, squaring off the corner and relying on the engine torque to accelerate out of the turn.
The winner of the first round, Casey Stoner, battled well to finish fifth behind Toni Elias after poor handling on the Ducati caused him to drop off the pace early in the race.
The next race weekend in the Moto GP begins in Turkey on the 22nd of April.
3/18/2007
For race fans...
Trackpedia is a wiki that covers racing circuits around the world.
If you've got a passion for racing then haul yourself over to this site and share knowledge of your local track with other fans. Fully editable, after you've signed up, Trackpedia has the potential to become a great forum for the racing community.
If you've got a passion for racing then haul yourself over to this site and share knowledge of your local track with other fans. Fully editable, after you've signed up, Trackpedia has the potential to become a great forum for the racing community.
The excitement and the drama...
Were somehow lost on me during the F1 race in Australia during the night.
With the exception of probably 10 to 15 seconds when the winner may have turned out to be different to the person who got his car into turn one before anyone else did, it was just as I thought it would be. Worse than how I'd feel if I was forced to watch a group sex scene starring Anne Widdicombe, Theresa Jowell, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, but not by much.
It might as well have been contested over one lap instead of having it drag out over fifty eight of the buggers.
Maybe it's me but I don't see how F1 can even qualify as a race. A race to my mind is something like this... One set of tyres, one tank of gas, one car and one driver battling against the rest of the pack. Another part of racing to me is overtaking. Proper overtaking, you no doubt know what I mean, two cars hurtling into a corner with both drivers attempting to outbrake the other guy.
What do you get in F1? Overtaking when one guy goes into the pits to get new tyres or fuel. I'm exaggerating slightly there, to be fair the backmarkers do get overtaken but where's the challenge in passing someone who has been told to get out your way.
I remember the good old days of F1; Days when colorful characters like James Hunt and Jackie Stewart physically fought their cars to get it to point in the right direction; Days when a car would tie itself in knots on the exit of a corner and the driver would have to use their skill to keep it on the racing line; Days when it was a race and not a life sized version of scalextric.
As far as I'm concerned F1 is a shadow of its former self. Gone are the days of high drama and excitement to be replaced by a bunch of primadonnas playing in their go carts. It's the fans I feel sorry for. Do yourself a favour folks and watch any Moto GP race of the last twenty years and see what racing should be about.
With the exception of probably 10 to 15 seconds when the winner may have turned out to be different to the person who got his car into turn one before anyone else did, it was just as I thought it would be. Worse than how I'd feel if I was forced to watch a group sex scene starring Anne Widdicombe, Theresa Jowell, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, but not by much.
It might as well have been contested over one lap instead of having it drag out over fifty eight of the buggers.
Maybe it's me but I don't see how F1 can even qualify as a race. A race to my mind is something like this... One set of tyres, one tank of gas, one car and one driver battling against the rest of the pack. Another part of racing to me is overtaking. Proper overtaking, you no doubt know what I mean, two cars hurtling into a corner with both drivers attempting to outbrake the other guy.
What do you get in F1? Overtaking when one guy goes into the pits to get new tyres or fuel. I'm exaggerating slightly there, to be fair the backmarkers do get overtaken but where's the challenge in passing someone who has been told to get out your way.
I remember the good old days of F1; Days when colorful characters like James Hunt and Jackie Stewart physically fought their cars to get it to point in the right direction; Days when a car would tie itself in knots on the exit of a corner and the driver would have to use their skill to keep it on the racing line; Days when it was a race and not a life sized version of scalextric.
As far as I'm concerned F1 is a shadow of its former self. Gone are the days of high drama and excitement to be replaced by a bunch of primadonnas playing in their go carts. It's the fans I feel sorry for. Do yourself a favour folks and watch any Moto GP race of the last twenty years and see what racing should be about.
It's all in the name of...
Comparative science.
The F1 season kicks off during the night in Australia and in the name of science I'll be staying up to watch it. I say science because, as regular readers of this blog know, I'm a big fan of Moto Gp (which is the premier class of motorcycle racing and the two-wheeled version of F1 but with more excitement, closer racing and a hell of a lot more overtaking.) and would like to be able to compare the two on a level keel.
Due to a lack of TV coverage of Moto GP during the late eighties/early nineties there are people in the world... Strange lonely people who wear Kappa shell suits over Manchester United tops and think Carl Fogarty was the best motorcyclist ever to sling a leg over a bike... Who think that World Superbikes is the premier class of racing when it comes to Motorcycle racing. They're wrong. Very wrong.
The difference between a World Superbike and a GP bike is light years apart. For example I could walk into a motorcycle dealership tomorrow and buy a fully tooled road legal version of a World Superbike and get change from £50,000. I couldn't walk into a showroom and buy a GP bike even if I was in Japan, at the Honda Racing Corporation headquarters and snaffle up an RCV 212v even if my name was Valentino "Faster than light" Doohan. Which it's not.
Essentially the difference between a GP bike and a World Superbike is this... A World Superbike will let you know you're pushing its limits by sending you a polite letter informing you if you don't stop wringing its neck there are going to be recriminations; A GP bike will send a get well soon card.
So in order to be able to rip the piss out of F1 with the same informed authority as I rip the piss out of World Superbikes I'll be staying up late to watch the F1 procession, whoops, I mean race...
The F1 season kicks off during the night in Australia and in the name of science I'll be staying up to watch it. I say science because, as regular readers of this blog know, I'm a big fan of Moto Gp (which is the premier class of motorcycle racing and the two-wheeled version of F1 but with more excitement, closer racing and a hell of a lot more overtaking.) and would like to be able to compare the two on a level keel.
Due to a lack of TV coverage of Moto GP during the late eighties/early nineties there are people in the world... Strange lonely people who wear Kappa shell suits over Manchester United tops and think Carl Fogarty was the best motorcyclist ever to sling a leg over a bike... Who think that World Superbikes is the premier class of racing when it comes to Motorcycle racing. They're wrong. Very wrong.
The difference between a World Superbike and a GP bike is light years apart. For example I could walk into a motorcycle dealership tomorrow and buy a fully tooled road legal version of a World Superbike and get change from £50,000. I couldn't walk into a showroom and buy a GP bike even if I was in Japan, at the Honda Racing Corporation headquarters and snaffle up an RCV 212v even if my name was Valentino "Faster than light" Doohan. Which it's not.
Essentially the difference between a GP bike and a World Superbike is this... A World Superbike will let you know you're pushing its limits by sending you a polite letter informing you if you don't stop wringing its neck there are going to be recriminations; A GP bike will send a get well soon card.
So in order to be able to rip the piss out of F1 with the same informed authority as I rip the piss out of World Superbikes I'll be staying up late to watch the F1 procession, whoops, I mean race...
6/20/2006
This weeks desktop...
Is a picture of Valentino Rossi on the Yamaha M1 during pre-season testing.
To grab a copy for yourself just click on the picture and save a copy.
To grab a copy for yourself just click on the picture and save a copy.
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