MOTO GP 2012

frostie500

Infoanon wrote: »

I heard Cal saying that he did not tell the medics the truth BUT I think Doctors are a bit cleverer then that ?! - it makes a good story but.....

Apparently they made Cal jump up and down on his broken ankle - a similar test is used in F1 - and he passed it so he was allowed to race.

I saw Cal that morning and he looked to be in absolute bits but he showed that he was fit enough to race, and race really well. Racers arent like us "normal" folk, they consistently race through the pain. If Yamaha were so concerned about him racing injured why did they never complain about Rossi climbing onto the bike while using crutches?

ZX7R

frostie500 wrote: »

I saw Cal that morning and he looked to be in absolute bits but he showed that he was fit enough to race, and race really well. Racers arent like us "normal" folk, they consistently race through the pain. If Yamaha were so concerned about him racing injured why did they never complain about Rossi climbing onto the bike while using crutches?

Could it be the fact he said, he lied to the doctors on live t.v
True they are super human when you see the injuries and pain they race through not like soccer players ect...

frostie500

ZX7R wrote: »

Could it be the fact he said, he lied to the doctors on live t.v
True they are super human when you see the injuries and pain they race through not like soccer players ect...

I'd say that there's more to this than we'll find out. But I'll see if I can dig up anything over at Assen, Ill only be there for the raceday though

Monkeybonkers

Game on again! Some great battles throughout the field. Great on board shot of Crutchlow overtaking Hayden and a good fight between Spies and Dovi at the end.

Johny 8

yep great race... where will Rossi and Cal end up next year?!???

Sids Not

Moto 3 race was the best race in any class i've seen this year..well done Danny Kent.....
Bautista....:mad:....spoiled a potentially great race...

Infoanon

Incredible Moto 3 race - 4 different leaders on the last lap ? - fairly rough riding by Cortese.

Great Moto 2 race as well - Crazy Joe and Marquez do battle !

Moto GP - pity that Cal could not pass the 3 Dukes for an age.

Bautista has been given a start from the back of the grid penalty for next week - Yes it was his error BUT it was a racing incident and Jorge / Rossi and co have all done similar and have not been penalised.......

Stoners move on Dani - stunning !

frostie500

Infoanon wrote: »

Incredible Moto 3 race - 4 different leaders on the last lap ? - fairly rough riding by Cortese.

After the race Casey was pretty scathing of Cortese's riding

All in all though a great days racing in all three classes.

frostie500

I only got to the race this weekend but here's a couple of photos from today....

Sids Not

frostie500 wrote: »

After the race Casey was pretty scathing of Cortese's ridingQUOTE]

At least he didnt try to head-butt him off the bike a la scumbag Sofuoglu...:mad:

Hotblack Desiato

Really think the most impressive riding of the year so far has been from Dovi - the BBC naturally hype up Cal and he's done well (and ballsy ride at Silverstone, but was lucky to get away with f**king up badly at the British GP for the second year in a row) but for me Dovi has been the most improved rider this year and will certainly be on a factory bike next year.

h3000

ninja900 wrote: »

Really think the most impressive riding of the year so far has been from Dovi - the BBC naturally hype up Cal and he's done well (and ballsy ride at Silverstone, but was lucky to get away with f**king up badly at the British GP for the second year in a row) but for me Dovi has been the most improved rider this year and will certainly be on a factory bike next year.

Big Dovi fan myself, I think he will only get quicker too.


The last 10 minutes of Sachsenringn QP was the most exciting bit of MotoGP I've seen in a while.

Please Kill Me

h3000 wrote: »

The last 10 minutes of Sachsenringn QP was the most exciting bit of MotoGP I've seen in a while.

Some GREAT racing, especially from 4th back to 10th. Some great moves.

As for Dovi, I reckon if Spies doesn't pull his head out of his ass, Dovi will get his seat.

Hotblack Desiato

Definite hints on BBC today that Ducati have offered Crutchlow a factory ride for next year. Redding was talking about possibly getting on a satelite Ducati. He's good enough imho.

frostie500

ninja900 wrote: »

Definite hints on BBC today that Ducati have offered Crutchlow a factory ride for next year. Redding was talking about possibly getting on a satelite Ducati. He's good enough imho.

Im not sure that they have offered Crutchlow a deal yet. They will have to wait for Vale to formally announce his intentions for next year first. But from listening to Cal it seems that he knows he wont win a title on a satallite bike and that moving to a factory represents his only hope of doing so. Even so I just dont think Ducati is a good move. It's such a difficult bike to ride but with Dovi taking four podiums so far this year he will get the factory Yamaha ride so Cal would have been on the Tech 3 for another two years....

Tough decision for him but its looking very likely that he'll be at Ducati. If he has a firm offer it shows that Rossi wont be on the bike next year in my view

h3000

Did you hear much about this Frostie?

Rossi hinting at a better future at Ducati after meeting Audi boss.

Story from motogp.com. Link in quote wrote:

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2012/Rossi+hints+at+his+future+with+Ducati+under+Audi+ownership

A visit from Rupert Stadler, chairman of Audi AG, which recently took over Ducati, lifted the spirits of Valentino Rossi after a hard-fought race at the Sachsenring


The Sachsenring race proved tough for Valentino Rossi and 6th position might still be far below the Doctor's usual standards, but apart from a slight improvement in overall performance, the Italian had some good reasons to remain optimistic.

In Germany, Rossi got the chance to meet Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Audi AG board, to discuss the German carmaker’s plans to back the Ducati Team after buying the Italian manufacturer as announced in April.

In an interview with MotoGP Italian broadcaster RTI, the Ducati team rider explained: "I spoke directly with the boss of Audi and they have a strong intent about supporting Ducati in the future to regain its competitive edge. It's a very ambitious project and I'm happy about it."

"And they're counting on me" added Rossi when prompted about how his own future fitted with those plans, hinting at the idea of taking his association with Ducati beyond the 2012 season.

Rossi also stated that Ducati doesn't need to scrap its current MotoGP project and build a brand new bike in order to be back at the front of the MotoGP pack: "It's much more clever to try and improve gradually the bike we have at the moment, because starting from scratch would mean spending too much time on setting up a new machine. We have to focus on the positives of our bike and improve on the negatives: me and my crew gave some clear indications over the past few months and we need to work in this direction."

frostie500

h3000 wrote: »

Did you hear much about this Frostie?

Rossi hinting at a better future at Ducati after meeting Audi boss.

I wasn't over at the Sachsenring race, but I will be down at Mugello to chase it up.

What I'd imagine happened is that Vale has seen that his options for a ride next year have dwindled and he now has been left few options other than staying at Ducati so he's trying to rebuild any relationships that he might have damaged over the last few months.

Hotblack Desiato

So, possibly Rossi and Crutchlow at Ducati next year then? Where does Hayden go though.

frostie500

ninja900 wrote: »

So, possibly Rossi and Crutchlow at Ducati next year then? Where does Hayden go though.

If that happens he'll be left high and dry without a prototype ride so would probably end up in World Superbikes

h3000

So Dani Pedrosa and Marc Márquez have been officially named as the Honda riders for 2013 and 2014. They will be a quick pair.

motogp.com - link in quote wrote:

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2012/pedrosa+and+marquez+to+race+together+in+Repsol+Honda

Pedrosa, who currently lies 2nd in the World Championship as the season reaches the halfway point, will extend his contract with Honda with whom he has raced with his debut in the World Championship in 2001. Dani is a three time World Champion (2003 in 125cc, 2004 and 2005 in 250cc) and made his debut in MotoGP in 2006, claiming the Rookie of the Year title and fifth position in the Championship. He has been runner up twice and has also finished third in the premier class on two occasions. After celebrating his maiden win of the 2012 season last weekend in Germany, Dani has shown he is certainly one of the contenders for the title in the premier class this year.

Marc Márquez, born on 17th of February 1993, will make his debut in MotoGP with the Honda factory team at just 20 years old. Already recognised as one of the biggest young talents in the World Championship, Marc has signed for two years with HRC. He was 125cc World Champion in 2010, runner up on his debut year in Moto2 class and is currently leading the Moto2 World Championship by 43 points.

Dani Pedrosa


"I'm very happy to be able to announce my renewal with the Repsol Honda Team for the next two years. It's been a very long relationship with Honda and I had a strong desire to stay here. The fight for the Championship this year is still open and the next two seasons will be very interesting for me. My whole career has been linked to Honda, since I entered into the World Championship in 125cc, then in 250cc and since 2006 in MotoGP. I'm perhaps one of the riders with the longest history with Honda, which makes me feel very proud. I want to thank HRC once again for their support; I'm sure that we have great things to do together.”

Marc Márquez


“To reach MotoGP next season with Repsol Honda is a dream come true and I want to thank HRC for their confidence in me. I am very proud to be a part of the big Honda family for the future and I don’t want to forget all the people have helped me since I began to ride motorbikes. Now my focus is on Moto2 where my team and I are working very hard and we are excited to achieve our goal, which is to win the World Championship in 2012.”

Shuhei Nakamoto - HRC Executive Vice President


"We are very pleased to renew our contract with Dani and welcome Marc to the Repsol Honda Team. Dani is enjoying a very strong season and currently fighting with Casey and Lorenzo for the Championship, we are very pleased with his performance. Marc has already proved how fast he is in 125cc and Moto2, and we believe that, giving him the right time to adapt to the new class, he will also be able to show this in MotoGP in the future.”

Press release courtesy of Honda Racing Corporation.

Yikert

I was on hols but watched Assen in the pub in Tenerife, great crack and to sit with a local crowd who are mad into it ( including the girls ). Great racing from all classes recently. Could Rossi win on the Tech 3 do u think?

h3000

Yikert wrote: »

Could Rossi win on the Tech 3 do u think?

Races - Yes
Championship - I wouldn't think so.

Saying that I don't think we will see him on a Tech3 either.

I have no real reason behind this but I could see the below next year.

Honda - Pedrosa & Márquez (Done deal)
Yamaha - Lorenzo & Dovi
Ducati - Rossi & Crutchlow
Tech3 - Spies & Hayden (Depends how tight Bradley Smiths contract to race with Tech3 is)

^^^It's all very unlikely though

frostie500

h3000 wrote: »

Races - Yes
Championship - I wouldn't think so.

Saying that I don't think we will see him on a Tech3 either.

I have no real reason behind this but I could see the below next year.

Honda - Pedrosa & Márquez (Done deal)
Yamaha - Lorenzo & Dovi
Ducati - Rossi & Crutchlow
Tech3 - Spies & Hayden (Depends how tight Bradley Smiths contract to race with Tech3 is)

^^^It's all very unlikely though

No chance Smith gets an M1 next year so there'll defintely be one available spot at Tech 3. You'd presume that Dovi and Spies will change seats next year. I wouldnt be surprised to see Spies hold onto a factory supported ride with Tech 3 though.
I cant see Rossi going to Tech 3 unless he has a factory ride so he'll run out of options and be forced to stay at Ducati. I thought at one stage he might look to set up his own single bike team but that isnt going to happen so it'll be him and Cal at Ducati. I think Nicky will be left high and dry and will go to WSBK (where he could be the first MotoGP/WSBK champion)

Infoanon

h3000 wrote: »

Honda - Pedrosa & Márquez (Done deal)
Yamaha - Lorenzo & Dovi
Ducati - Rossi & Crutchlow
Tech3 - Spies & Hayden (Depends how tight Bradley Smiths contract to race with Tech3 is)

^^^It's all very unlikely though

Not that unlikely ! Bradleys' deal for motogp is dependent on Moto2 results according to reports and I don't expect Bradley to be in Moto GP next year. Yamaha USA will have a big say in where Spies goes - unless theres a big improvement its probably Tech 3.
Of course its all dependent on if Cal signs with Ducati - an announcement is possible as early as this weekend according to reports

Yikert

Yeah, Spies blows hot and cold while Dovi is having a great consistent year. I was surprised when the Dukes werent so good in the wet last time out.

Infoanon

frostie500 wrote: »

I thought at one stage he might look to set up his own single bike team but that isnt going to happen so it'll be him and Cal at Ducati. I think Nicky will be left high and dry and will go to WSBK (where he could be the first MotoGP/WSBK champion)

Story doing the rounds today that a Philip Morris backed Factory Spec Ducati Rossi team maybe on the cards again. The Pramac team may not be paricipating next season (I assume thats where the VDS story is also coming from) thus freeing up a Ducati (limited to 4 entries).

No smoke without fire ??

ZX7R

Another story doing a round is that Audi have a new bike engine that they want to use in the ducati they reckon it will suit rossi stile of riding,seemly they also want to go into the bike market against b.m.w. They reckon that since the credit crunch there is a bigger demand for motorbikes and they want a peace of that market

Hotblack Desiato

Audi don't have a bike engine, no more than Ducati have a car engine, or Scania have a model plane engine, where does this crap come out of???

Hard to see a Marlboro backed satellite team when they can't get their logos onto the bikes.

A Rossi team is possible (remember when he wasn't on a Honda works bike, he was on 'Doohan team'?) but it all depends - neither Honda nor Yamaha would be happy to see him competing on similar machinery to their factory riders. He'll stay with Ducati for next year anyway.

h3000

frostie500 wrote: »

No chance Smith gets an M1 next year so there'll defintely be one available spot at Tech 3. You'd presume that Dovi and Spies will change seats next year. I wouldnt be surprised to see Spies hold onto a factory supported ride with Tech 3 though.
I cant see Rossi going to Tech 3 unless he has a factory ride so he'll run out of options and be forced to stay at Ducati. I thought at one stage he might look to set up his own single bike team but that isnt going to happen so it'll be him and Cal at Ducati. I think Nicky will be left high and dry and will go to WSBK (where he could be the first MotoGP/WSBK champion)

So you think Smith will be told forget about the ride? It’s probably the correct decision. He hasn't been riding too well this year.
I'd hate to see Nicky go I think he would do quite well on a Tech3.

Infoanon wrote: »

Not that unlikely !

Ah it’s possible alright. I just normally have very bad luck predicting things . We will probably see a Rossi Stoner Ducati team next year knowing my luck;);) .

Infoanon wrote: »

Story doing the rounds today that a Philip Morris backed Factory Spec Ducati Rossi team maybe on the cards again. The Pramac team may not be paricipating next season (I assume thats where the VDS story is also coming from) thus freeing up a Ducati (limited to 4 entries).

No smoke without fire ??

I'd be a little suprised if Rossi set up his own team for 2013 but I'd be shocked if he done it with a Ducati.

ZX7R wrote: »

Another story doing a round is that Audi have a new bike engine that they want to use in the ducati they reckon it will suit rossi stile of riding,seemly they also want to go into the bike market against b.m.w. They reckon that since the credit crunch there is a bigger demand for motorbikes and they want a peace of that market

Really? Sounds a bit odd to be honest.

Ducati apparently have a new engine for Laguna Seca which they reckon will suit Rossi much better. But I think the problems are a bit more than the engine.

Infoanon

ninja900 wrote: »

?

Hard to see a Marlboro backed satellite team when they can't get their logos onto the bikes.

They finance Ducati and Ferrari.....

Btw the Ducati engine is apparently the only strong point on the bike