Qatar discussion

[nozzle]

Wow!

Michelin can compete. They were able to be in the mix in the cold.

Stoner rode well, but Lorenzo... that was some rookie riding.

First five laps were great to watch. Even a little NASCAResque banging!

So Pedrosa managed to get the right combination and Nicky -with how many more development hours?- blew it.

Q: How can Dani's bike pull that much harder than everyone else at the start?

[nozzle]

Saw this on Crash.net...Honda engineers checking out Stoner's ride

[NeverlosT]

bummer still no one can compete with ducati. Where are yamaha and suzuki? Just hanging out and deciding that winning isnt all it is cracked up to be? For the amount of dollars getting poured in, I would say honda needs to sh$tcan some of their engineers and get some fresh blood in there. use some fresh ideas. I think penderosa is a goof. Im on my way to finally watch the race at a friends house (she recorded it, I have no TV!).

We will see what my thoughts are when I get back, but from the reviews, that ducati seems unbeatable. Everyone put in your orders for 1098R's!

[NorcalBoy]

Noz, Did you just use a NASCAR reference while discussing MotoGP???? Shame on you!

I think Nicky is on the verge of career distruction if he doesn't get it together very soon. I think that somebody is going to realize that he continues to be quicker in testing than in races....blame it on what you want, but it does not bode well for Mr. Hayden's longevity at Honda. That could be a blessing in disguise though too.......except there aren't too many rides available in the near future, unless you wanted to go to Tech3 when Colin Edwards get's shown the door.

Mr. Pedrosa, love him or hate him, he is still one of the quickest. His inspired ride, while injured, to third on the rostrum was further proof positive (we all know the other demonstration of his resolve) of just how much he wants a championship. As for the monster holeshot, it would seem the combination of his diminutive figure and excellant choice of a starting map for his ECM was a good combination - either that or he was willing to risk a ride through penalty to get a good start. Pretty crafty I would have to say, he knew he was hurt, he knew he didn't want to fight his way through traffic and tire himself out, so he did what he had to, to put himself at the sharp end of the field. This also allowed him to somewhat control the pace at the front for the first segment of the race, further helping with his fitness issue. I'm no Pedrosa lover, but the guy's racecraft and quickness cannot be denied.

Now for Mr. Stoner, I would be interested in his thoughts, but it's kind of hard to talk when RVFR has his tongue jammed down your throat.......

[R.W.]

Originally Posted by NorcalBoy

I think Nicky is on the verge of career distruction if he doesn't get it together very soon. I think that somebody is going to realize that he continues to be quicker in testing than in races....blame it on what you want, but it does not bode well for Mr. Hayden's longevity at Honda. That could be a blessing in disguise though too....... :

I wonder if Nicky ever kicks his own A$$ for turning down Ducati, agreed on being a blessing in disguise on losing his ride...

Originally Posted by NorcalBoy

Now for Mr. Stoner, I would be interested in his thoughts, but it's kind of hard to talk when RVFR has his tongue jammed down your throat.......

Oh no you didn't! You going to take that Carb :

[NeverlosT]

ok folks, please educate me. I watched quatar MotoGP, as tivo'd by a friend of mine, but it was all 250's, not the big show... do they do those races back to back or something and they just werent televising the 800cc machines at this time? I looked at SPEEDTV.com and the only race they are showing at this time is the 250s! Dont get me wrong, the 250 race was really terrific, some awesome passing at the end, probably better than the 800s, but I wanted to see the big bikes!

I thought there was only on motor size in MotoGP, and that the smaller bikes were all superbikes aor supersport bikes, please educate me!

[NorcalBoy]

There are actually two support classes to the 800's - 125 and 250cc two strokes. There is no rhyme or reason to when they show the 250's, could be Sunday, could be Tuesday......The 800's are always shown tape delay the day of the race, could be 2:00 PM could be 7:00 PM.......

[nozzle]

Pedrosa is an amazing rider. I think Marlboro Ducati will have a change in the #2 spot before HRC's #2 spot, but who knows.

I am amazed at how bad the Suzuki's have sucked for so long.

Nozzle predicts end of the month win for the Michelin shod #48 bike in Spain.