Ducati Monster Forum

Three threads about going but no official race talk?

I cant wait to see what Vale does now that he's better.  ;D

Predictions: Lorenzo, Vale... Spies. In that order. I really want to see Perdobot and Stoner have a nice scrap for fourth. Maybe with Hayden in the mix.


No moto2 :(

23 July 2010

MotoGPFP1
13:55 - 14:55

24 July 2010

MotoGPFP2
09:55 - 10:55


25 July 2010

MotoGPWUP
09:40 - 10:00
MotoGPRAC
14:00


So what are your predictions?

I too would love to see what the Moto2 scrappin would be like at Laguna...thet'd be a helluva turn1/2 cluster with those bonzai bombers...

my prediction...

Pedrobot, Lorentho, Rossi, with 4th being a close scrap between Stoner and Dovi and Nicky finishes ahead of Spies...

I really hope you're wrong with them predictions of yours. We don't take kindly to that talk 'round these parts. ;)

I can't remember what happened to Lorenzo at laguna last year, I believe he was riding seriously injured. Also IIRC laguna was where Rossi did a stoner and randomly fell while leading. Laguna has such high braking corners that I don't really see it favouring Thumbelina if the other riders are healthy

Lorenzo and Stoner both chucked their bikes in practice last year if I recall.  Pedro had the race won by a country mile but decided to run the entire last lap in first gear, so Rossi almost pipped him.  I think Lorenzo and Pedro fight for first with Stoner or Rossi duking it out for third.  Spies is good, but home track or not, he'll need a crash to hit the podium.  I'll slot him in 4th or 5th. ( I'm rooting for a podium though ).

(http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk304/racintracy/ls.jpg)

^^^ That picture is a bit disturbing!  Lorenzo looks like the slow guy from Drop Dead Gorgeous [cheeky]

+3 on what a bummer it is there won't be Moto2. Best racing of this season has been happening there (from what I've seen).  :'(

1. Lorenzo (If he can keep the rubber side down)
2. Stoner (ditto)
3. Pedrosa (I just don't want to see him blaze out of the gates and leave everyone  :P)
4. Hayden (I'm really hoping he can pull 4th...he's fast here, and Rossi's leg will still be sore)
5. Rossi (Of course...he could win it...who knows. Maybe he'll try to stuff Lorenzo in the dirt early ala Stoner  [laugh])
6. Spies (I'd love to put him higher...but those are some fast dudes ahead of him who have been there before on a GP bike)

 [popcorn]

fwiw, spies has been there before on a gp bike, too... he finished 8th in 2008 on the suzuki.

OK...on a fast GP bike.   ;D

I didn't know that though.

i'd like to say that i think nicky will finish ahead of ben.  but i don't -- provided the tech 3 bikes aren't the "germany" bikes.

1) Hayden (Roger Lee)
2) Capirossi
3) Simoncelli

...and then I woke up from my nightmare.

hahahahahahaa....although it wouldn't suck too bad to have RLH on the podium...although pipping his brother would kind of suck...

Of all the Hayden brothers, I'd rather hear an interview with RLH than Nicky. Nicky's our version or Guy Martin ;D

Lorentho
Spanish Turd
Rossi

One guy can't get both first and second. Oh wait...you're talking about Pintey McSmurfDouche.

sure i don't think he's gonna win or anything.. and zero time on the RC isn't doing him any favors.  but at least he knows the track and he's been on-this-track-on-an-800cc-GP-bike-on-bridgestones.  and he finished in the top 10 then.

I think I'd like to see:
- Rossi
- Stoner
- Spies

I predict:
- Lorenzo
- Rossi
- Stoner

I just really don't want to see a Spanish Inquisition with a runaway Pedrobot followed by Lorenzo and Dovi.

Well, nobody expects the spanish inquisition ;)

Spanish Inquisition the musical (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppHeMlaLVM#normal)

The top five are gonna be at least three of the Aliens with a dash of Ah-mur-ick-uns.  I'm starting to wonder whether Spies is going to make any inroads this year into the Aliens.  He is basically running last year's bike, and he can't seem to get up to pace in the first third of the race.

I bet Rossi has some problems with his shoulder.  Laguna's an extremely physical track and there's no good straightaway to rest. 

I call douchebot to tuck the front in T2.  Just cuz he's a douche. 

Who is gonna toss it in 11?

That would be Stoner.

Nah, someone new.  The sukes and the Pramac guys are always good for some asphalt surfing.  I bet it's one of them.   Actually, one of them is more likely to go down in T2, but I've already called douchebot for that one. 

t11 = Espargaro

Spanish inquisition (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gldlyTjXk9A#normal)

Will the American dream come true at Laguna Seca? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKxk9WsFmMc#normal)

;D
(http://static.blogr.com/tenants/com/sites/wo/worstblogever/media/spanish-inquisition.vga.jpeg)

Hopefully not Edwards with his grip issues.

I would venture Espargaro or Bautista too.  I'm not too fond of Simoncelli, so hopefully him but probably not, he's looked decent in the last two races.

(http://pix.crash.net/motorsport/710/PA790095.jpg)

1) Hayden (Roger Lee)
2) Capirossi
3) Simoncelli

I miss the days of good comedy [thumbsup]
;D

My vote for who bins it first is Espargaro. That boy cannot keep the shiny side up

(http://www.roadracerx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/FYT_100723015755426_3.jpg)

The Fiats look really cool. It's a shame they only use that paint job in the US.

Does anyone know what the TV schedule for the qualifing and the race are?

I see it listed on the SpeedTV web site but I can't trust the NASCAR channel's listing since they F'd me with the coverage of the WSBK races at Miller.
But I also remember that the networks here had the shi-ot-shu coverage last year.

Just want to make sure I dont miss a moment.

jimi

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36924.msg728444#msg728444 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36924.msg728444#msg728444)

fp1, here we go...

first faller of the weekend.

Woohooo!!!!  It's on, bishes.   [thumbsup]

RLH is gonna have a tough weekend.

Spies is startin' to throw down the laps.   [moto]  7th to 5th to 4th.

Jebus.  Casey went faster in FP1 than the fastest race lap last year.  And he almost equaled Jorge's pole position from last year.  Yoikes.

Spies ends up 5th. 

RLH is 27th just like in WSBK.

RLH ran a 1'23.285 on the kawi in 2007. don't count him out just yet.

I'm just screwin' with him.  He's doin' ok.  He's only 0.4 second off of Bautista and within 2 seconds of the GP 250 rookies and the Sukes.  With an hour on the bike, that's not bad.  He'll probably qualify last, but will get faster and faster as the race goes on. 

(http://web5.twitpic.com/img/134346863-56a6aa0788b1c37363e3b2b7e1790c35.4c4a10e0-full.jpg)

Or in a different form . . .

1. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 21.699s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 21.932s
3. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1m 22.225s
4. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 22.559s
5. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 22.640s
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 22.660s
7. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 22.902s
8. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 22.971s
9. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 23.021s
10. Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing 1m 23.693s
11. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1m 23.825s
12. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 24.002s
13. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1m 24.326s
14. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1m 24.615s
15. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 24.710s
16. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 25.031s
17. Roger Lee Hayden USA LCR Honda MotoGP 1m 25.432s

what was i saying about the ben ahead of nicky?  ;)

can't wait til tomorrow night!  oh, and sunday too.

That's impressive from Spies!  [bow_down]

Nickey always gets faster here as the practices go on.

Mind you, I'm still pegging him for a 4th.

i'd rate ben lower all things considered if i hadn't seen what he did in here in the last AMA race of 2007. 

if he has a package that can help him get near the aliens, he can do some superhuman shit.  we'll see.

Help me out here.  I never watched the race.

height of the spies/mladin battle.  last race of the season and the championship came down to that race; they were separated by a point or two.  mladin nearly got away in the early laps, ben clawed his way back, made up several seconds on him.  mid-way through he set up this crazy inside-outside-inside pass in the corkscrew... make the beast with two backsing beautiful... and then pulled out FIVE SECONDS on mladin over the next few laps.  broke him.

find it on RU.  worth watching.

the whole race is worth watching, especially after the way the season went up to that point, but here's the pass:

AMA SBK Deciding Pass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_YSnCpc0a4&feature=related#normal)

That's some bad ass riding right there!!   [thumbsup]

(http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/mr-burns-excellent.jpg)

Sat Practice

1. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 21.763s
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 21.826s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 1m 21.876s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda Team 1m 22.166s
5. Ben Spies USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 22.293s
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team 1m 22.334s
7. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 22.642s
8. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro Team 1m 22.769s
9. Hector Barbera ESP Paginas Amarillas Aspar 1m 22.846s
10. Aleix Espargaro ESP Pramac Racing 1m 22.913s
11. Marco Melandri ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 23.077s
12. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 23.307s
13. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m 23.310s
14. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 23.706s
15. Mika Kallio FIN Pramac Racing 1m 24.037s
16. Roger Lee Hayden USA LCR Honda MotoGP 1m 24.368s
17. Alex de Angelis RSM Interwetten Honda MotoGP 1m 24.637s

Wow, it looks like Edwarfs remembered how to ride a motorcycle.

T-37 Min in qualy. Current pos: Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso, Hayden, Spies and Rossi

1.    Jorge Lorenzo    ESP   Fiat Yamaha Team    1m   20.978s
2.    Casey Stoner    AUS   Ducati Marlboro Team    1m   21.169s
3.    Andrea Dovizioso    ITA   Repsol Honda Team    1m   21.617s
4.    Dani Pedrosa    ESP   Repsol Honda Team    1m   21.655s
5.    Ben Spies    USA   Monster Yamaha Tech 3    1m   21.679s
6.    Valentino Rossi    ITA   Fiat Yamaha Team    1m   21.688s
7.    Nicky Hayden USA   Ducati Marlboro Team    1m   21.920s
8.    Colin Edwards USA   Monster Yamaha Tech 3    1m   22.217s
9.    Marco Simoncelli ITA   San Carlo Honda Gresini    1m   22.300s
10.    Hector Barbera    ESP   Paginas Amarillas Aspar    1m   22.366s
11.    Marco Melandri    ITA   San Carlo Honda Gresini    1m   22.407s
12.    Loris Capirossi    ITA   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP    1m   22.647s
13.    Aleix Espargaro    ESP   Pramac Racing    1m    22.712s
14.    Alvaro Bautista ESP   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP    1m    22.770s
15.    Mika Kallio    FIN   Pramac Racing    1m    23.127s
16.    Alex de Angelis    RSM   Interwetten Honda MotoGP    1m   23.226s
17.    Roger Lee Hayden    USA   LCR Honda MotoGP    1m   23.764s

It's pretty insane that they're in the 1. 20's

They?

They. As in the whole field is in the 1:20's.

Considering that there're AMA 600s running sub 1:30s there, I don't think that's what he meant.

Sorry, Sometimes I forget that not everybody thinks of Lorenzo as the holy trinity like I do. I guess I meant HIM.

Should be a good race. The slow motion shot in qualifying with the suspension movement and the chain flopping around was insane.

Warm-up times

1 99 Jorge LORENZO YAMAHA 1'21.857     
2 27 Casey STONER DUCATI 1'21.909 0.052 0.052
3 26 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 1'22.183 0.326 0.274
4 46 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA 1'22.432 0.575 0.249
5 33 Marco MELANDRI HONDA 1'22.731 0.874 0.299
6 11 Ben SPIES YAMAHA 1'22.830 0.973 0.099
7 69 Nicky HAYDEN DUCATI 1'22.874 1.017 0.044
8 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO HONDA 1'23.045 1.188 0.171
9 5 Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA 1'23.272 1.415 0.227
10 65 Loris CAPIROSSI SUZUKI 1'23.438 1.581 0.166
11 41 Aleix ESPARGARO DUCATI 1'23.511 1.654 0.073
12 58 Marco SIMONCELLI HONDA 1'23.542 1.685 0.031
13 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SUZUKI 1'23.683 1.826 0.141
14 40 Hector BARBERA DUCATI 1'23.890 2.033 0.207
15 15 Alex DE ANGELIS HONDA 1'23.930 2.073 0.040
16 95 Roger Lee HAYDEN HONDA 1'24.597 2.740 0.667
17 36 Mika KALLIO DUCATI 1'24.799 2.942 0.202

race time, kiddos!!

FINAL RESULTS









1. LORENZO
2. STONER
3. ROSSI
4. DOVI
5. HAYDEN, N
6. SPIES
7. EDWARDS
8. MELANDRI
9. CAPIROSSI
10. KALLIO
11. HAYDEN, R
12. DE ANGELIS

That was pretty horrible coverage by Speed.

motogp.com

What he said. The Brits are entertaining, knowledgeable and there are no commercials. Plus live (and recorded) coverage of all the practices, post and pre-race interviews, plus live stats, yadda yadda yadda.

About 100 bucks a year, and well worth it if you have broadband internet.

Downside: What they choose to cover on camera is a bit random at times. But I think their 'feed' is the same one Speed uses. I (and the rest of the world) totally missed the last ditch effort by Dovi to get past Rossi.

Well, I was close.

Did not foresee Pedrobot going down, but glad he did.  And Espargaro went down in style, quite the faceplant when he lost the front.

Good effort by elbows and Hayden as well.  Wish there had been more of a fight up front.

Oh yeah, did I mention the Motogp.com announcers are knowledgeable? They were referencing the Mladin / Spies fight during the race.

Beyond that, an okay race. But I'm always happy when the Pedrobot crashes.

And having him crash while leading adds that extra bit of schadenfreudeliscious secret sauce  [evil]

Think I'll watch the replay with Toby & Jules ;D

Yes, there was a cheer when Pedro-bot went down at my house. I never wish injury to anyone in a crash but having the little f#@ker crash out in the lead was sweet! My fav shot was of Puig throwing a fit at the pit control board after the wipeout. What a dick! Actually he's the perfect mentor and manager for the midget. ;D Who better to mold ones self after if you are the Pedro-bot. Yahoos all around! [laugh]

Again, MotoGp this year is just weak. Boring. Glad Rossi is OK and throwing it down. Just awesome stuff as you would expect from that guy. Anyone else would still be in a cast and on crutches! But I'm just liking Biaggi and WSBK so much better. It's not even close.

Hey, where does Colin Edwards end up next year?? Silly season stuff. I get the real impression based on his Laguna Seca interviews that he's f#@king done with MotoGP and wants to go back to WSBK like Bayliss did. He was very straight forward about it. Having The Ben whoop his ass every round doesn't help. I'd love to see him wrap it up in WSBK. I think he'd do so much better on the right team and equipment. Thoughts??...

Did anyone else catch Toby call Alberto Puig, Alberto Spooge?

No celebration for Lorenzo?

Awesome for Rossi, dude has to be part robot.

I guess it's pretty obvious that Thumbelina can't handle pressure. Fail.

Did you not see the space suit?

Didn't show it on bbc ???

He was walking like he was on the moon.  :D


(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa91/chiflado/moon.jpg)

probably doesn't help that often show smaller gaps on his pitboard (to try and make him go quicker).

That's kind of awesome. I'm sorry I missed it. Stupid BBC.


Did they do that this time? IIRC Lorenzo was making some pretty serious inroads into his lead and Nanobot was pushing as hard as he could.

I sorta feel Pedro was running a "ragged edge" pace to begin with.  I don't think Lorenzo necessarily pressured him into the crash more than he was running at the very limit and simply lost the front trying to hold off the inevitable charge.  Dani was a bit off Lorenzo's pace all weekend.  It was pushing logic that he was going to keep that speed even if he stayed upright.


Other than Pedro's dry personality ( dealing with English press ), I really don't understand all the hate for this kid.  I personally was pretty disgusted when he went down because there wasn't going to be a race for first.  Pedrosa is one fast and talented rider and I can't believe there is still hatred due to the Estoril Nicky incident when Pedro was still in the championship that year, so where is it coming from.  Pedro has actually taken the fight to Jorge this season and if you go back earlier in his career, was a pretty solid racer that could pass people.

Stoner and Rossi aren't doing anything right now, so you should be rooting for Pedro to give us something to watch, not cheering for him to crash.  He's also a bit more candid with the Spanish press, and you have to admit his overall attitude with English press has improved.  Just my opinion.

i wasn't paying attention and i was too lazy to go back and look.  ;D

I think it's the combo of Pedro-bot and Puig that makes me want to throw up more than just Dani's riding. Without a doubt he's a very gifted rider, he hauls ass for sure. He is just a PR nightmare that no one can fix. To be fare just as many people hate Lorenzo. He too is a complete dick. Ah... anyone want to argue that? He was a complete ego maniac little shit as a 250 champ and he now does his best to "out Rossi" every chance he gets. It's funny when Rossi does it but it makes me want to pregnant dog slap George every time he tries the Rossi BS after a win. He's a prick. I don't give a shit how many championships he wins. He's a loser. Respect is something you earn, wins and Rossi-less championships don't get you that. He needs to take a lesson from Ago, Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, Gardner, Schwantz and many others. Too soon out of the trees for young Lorenzo. Hell, even Pedro-bot behaves better. Sad stuff indeed...

He had to run at a pace that was unsustainable for him in order to try and beat Lorenzo. How is this not being pressured?



While I personally don't hate the guy, as much shit as I give him, I do see why some people hold less than favourable opinions of him. Pedrosa didn't deserve what he was given to him at HRC.

When he came into the picture and Puig became a board member at Honda, all resources and development immediately went to his direction. Why the hell would you do this over a rider that won you the championship last year through hard work. When the '07 pocket bike was unveiled, it left a really bad taste in most people's mouth's. Hayden deserved the #1 spot at Honda, he earned it when he won the championship. Pedrosa came off as that smug kid whose daddy buys the football team new cleats so that his undeserving kid gets to play in the team. To add to the fact that he has done nothing with all the obvious favoritism only makes it worse.

I was waiting for who was going to say this first. A Rossi-less championship is no championship at all. The beauty of it is that from now on, even if Lorenzo consistently beats Rossi for years to come, all the nuthuggers will say: Rossi was never the same after the crash; Lorenzo wouldn't have stood a chance against a healthy Rossi.

The fact is, Lorenzo was on his way to winning the championship before Rossi decided to make a pretzel out of his leg. And the only reason Rossi got Fubared was because Lorenzo put pressure on him like he's never felt before. It made him do something foreign to him, Make a mistake. And it cost him dearly.

Never mind the fact that Lorenzo was winning the championship before Rossi crashed.  [roll]

I agree, respect is earned. Like last year, when he rode with two broken ankles and a bum wrist at Laguna to podium. Like how he always takes the blame for his mistakes instead of blaming the bike. Like how his work ethic is second to none. Yes, respect is won, and he has earned his.


Funny you should mention this, Rainey is Lorenzo's mentor.  [thumbsup]

Anyone else getting tired of the Aussie-excuse-machine? It was nice to see him rostrom but damn   that but needs to take a page out of Chopper.

Chopper Reid - Harden the make the beast with two backs up, Australia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc#normal)

in his defense, the 212 was a pretty shitty bike (for everybody) out of the gate and they're just now (finally) getting it sorted out.

Maybe because they hit it with a shrink ray?

among other things, center of gravity was wrong, weight distribution was wrong, they didn't design it for the higher cornerspeed of the 800cc class, etc.

I hate Smurfy McCrashesalot. Having the all access pass to Indy pits last year gave me some real insight into the personalities "outside" the public eye.

Lorenzo comes off as a bit of a douche on camera but he stopped and took pictures and signed autographs for pretty much everyone who wanted one behind the garages.

Colin and James were the exact same.

Rossi was a bit manhandled by his handlers but was also swarmed incessantly each time he came out of the garage.

Pedrosa...the little make the beast with two backs literally shooed everyone out of his way and didn't bother signing shit.

Nicky actually had to be pushed on because he wanted to chat with everyone.

Casey...well Casey was still battling his case of scabies.


I am still a Rossi Fanboy and always will be. Once Your Gay has won a few more world championshi[ps, I will begin to take him more seriously than I have been. As the saying goes...the sun shines on a dogs ass some days. Just look at Hayden 2006! ;-)

Hasn't Lorenzo won more races at the halfway this year than Hayden in his entire gp career? Apples to Oranges, but I do get your point.

I met Lorenzo at a D-Store event last year. He was reserved but brightened up when I spoke to him in my limited Spanish. He seemed like a decent sort. He took time for the fans, and overall I was impressed.

He does suffer from the Spanish Curse, however: He has a douche-face. His natural, relaxed facial expression makes him look pissed off.

 [laugh] [drink]

I keep trying to tell Lu that. She insists I'm scowling all the time. :D

I don't keep up w/ motogp much but I make a point to watch Laguna Seca every year. Dunno why.

So what happened to that one guy that caused him to face plant and crash. Neon green rider. Speed only showed it for a brief second. I think he was just passing that starting point and going into turn 1 and lost it. Went face first into the floor off the left side of the bike.

http://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2010/Laguna+Seca+2010+MotoGP+Race+Action+Aleix+Espargar+Crash (http://www.motogp.com/en/videos/2010/Laguna+Seca+2010+MotoGP+Race+Action+Aleix+Espargar+Crash)

looks like he outbraked himself... if you look at the paint, you can see the skidmarks.

You can't watch the video without a motogp membership.  [thumbsup]

I am a big Rossi fanboy myself, however:
Lorenzo is very similar to a young Rossi and will most likely be the next dominant rider once Vale rides into the sunset.  Hayden was never a consistant race winner, just a consistant podium threat.  Consistancy wins, but he still got lucky.  The point structure allows winning to beat consistancy and it almost happened.  Congrats to him on the championship, but Nicky is and has always been a top of the second tier rider in motogp.

He was already at that ragged pace though, I'm just saying Lorenzo gaining a few tenths on him probably didn't make him bin it.  He was most likely gonna bin it anyway or have to back off.  Maybe that can be called pressure, but I didn't see it as pressure in the typical sense of sticking your front tire up the arse of another guy.

The reason Honda gave all resources to Pedro is because he's a superior talent than Nicky.  Hayden is good, but he's simply not a race winning rider at this level.  He won his championship fair and square, but factories have to make decisions and right or wrong it was a better shot to work with Pedro.  Maybe he hasn't won a championship, but he's proven he's a better rider and carries a pace that Hayden can not match.

Forgive me, because for whatever reason I've taken this crazy stance to defend Pedro lately despite myself following Rossi for most of his career.  /shrug  argument is entertaining when it comes to this stuff anyway

I was bummed to see Pedrobot crash. I wanted to see a battle between him and Lorenzo.

Pretty boring race otherwise.

+1 I wanted to see The Ben battle it out with The Doctor. Unfortunately Ben went into 11 hot and lost the positions.

+1

spidey and i have had this convo more than once.. i'm sure it'll happen again  ;)

massive screw up in 2006, and not the most fun on the mic (language problems, mostly), but that tiny little bastard is tough as nails.  he has ridden very hurt many times and always pulls out the race face.  he was what, 4th or 5th all weekend.. until race time.  sucks that he crashed (wth was going on with T5?), but he was pounding out laps that george couldn't touch before that.

and yeah, slightly boring race after that.

rossi, amazing.

ben, sux he went wide in 11.  looked like the was going to pip nicky again.

colin -> wsbk.

i wonder if the electronics on those pramac bikes are set to only run 10 laps.

Rossi is just amazing, still nursing a pretty f´d up injury he made podium. That, to me, says a lot about him as a racer. Until someone better comes along, to me he is the best.

Shame about Dani, it would have been awesome seeing him and Lorenzo fight it out, the victory celebration was not funny or cute in my opinion. He needs a new sense of humor, the current one just isn´t working too well.

Shame about Spies and Nicky, would have been nice to see them on the podium in a home GP

The podium was hilarious...they started playing the Italian national anthem for a Spanish race winner. I wish I could've seen the look on Lorenzo's face.

he was somewhat annoyed, rossi laughed, and then jorge smiled when they corrected the anthem.

Oops, I meant to say T5.  As for why he's a douche, y'all seem to be forgetting 2006.  And the fact that he's a giant douche. Besides, other than last race, when he pretended like he knows how to actually race, the only time he wins is when he gets out front and goes.  He never actually races with anyone.  

When the fack is The Ben going to learn how to go fast in the first 5 laps?  I was bummed that he blew 11.  And even more bummed that Speed didn't show it.  Yes, I know that motogp.com is better.  I never renewed my subscription this year, so I figured I'll wait 'til 2011.  

I'm getting really pissed with the coverage though.  I'm pretty sure Speed the same feed as Eurosport.  WTF is it with showing us the last 10 turns of the obvious race winner and not showing the podium battle behind him?  Like showing us Pedro cruising to the win in Germany while Rossi and Casey duked it out off-camera behind him.  make the beast with two backs you, whoever is operating the production booth over there.  Show us the goddamn action.

BTW, Rossi is a god.  But let's not forget how jacked up douchebot and George have been the last year or two.  I think George rode at Laguna last year or the year before after having both his legs and one of his arms amputated.

Man, was there some crashing!  WTF?  I don't know if anyone went down in 2 or 11, but half the field went down in 5?  Weird.

they didn't show it either (it's the same video feed).

note: it's quite possible that they were using the us (speed) camera crew for this event.

That's what I figured.  I'm just generally bitter b/c I still haven't forgiven them for not showing the Rossi/Stoner battle last race.  Or the Nicky/Spies at Silverstone.  Assholes.

The thing that drives me nuts is the damn video of the guys in the pits WATCHING VIDEO OF THEMSELVES that we get to see all the time while there's a race going on. I don't give a make the beast with two backs about some mechanics facial expression... *sigh* sorry...

I was pretty bummed that The Ben® ran wide, he was starting to push Rossi, not sure that he would've ended up on the podium but it would have been a laugh anyway.

Can't wait until he announces what he's doing next year.

maybe you haven't noticed, but spencer hasn't been announcing for two years...

I haven't noticed because I haven't been watching it on Speed. Luckily, the local bar shows the Eurosport coverage.

That pissed me off as well.

That...and showing the crew and wives/girlfriends in the garage during the race. WTF. Unless the wives/girlfriends are willing to show some boob...BACK TO THE RACE!

The zoomie camera action in the corkscrew was annoying.  That turn is exciting enough without the camera adding anything.  Maybe the producer just caught the camera too early.

Turn 5 has me puzzled as well.  I haven't ridden, but it doesn't look off camber.  Someone mentioned that it's the hardest braking zone on track, but I would assume T11 was.  Maybe T5 is just more difficult than riders think.

they way pedro went down, the moment he started to turn in, was... weird

Isn't T5 where Lorentho high sided himself to the moon in 2008?

yup, right in front of me.

I liked that too.  They had it queued up for Rossi and all.  Wonder how much he paid them to do that, just to make the beast with two backs with Lorenzo.   [evil]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85575 (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85575)

guess it was a bump

God I hate those.

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh] He was NOT amused.

I can see why it happened though. Some stupid redneck couldn't tell the difference between La Marcha Real and that lesser italian song. I mean, the Star Spangled Banner is the only anthem in the world, isn't it?

Wasn't that Greg White's line last year?

i wouldn't know, i have a motogp sub.  ;D

spencer always liked to tell people about the "swinging arm".

You mean I got to see something on TV for free that you didn't get to see for money?  This might be a 'derby first' for me  ;D

fwiw, the money i pay for motogp.com gets me a lot more than just the races.

I watched the British Eurosport broadcast last night and they showed the Ben'sT11 screwup and then reviewed it again. The commentary was excellent as always. One point that Spalding brought up, when Dani threw it down, was how that saved Jorge's ass. He thought they would probably be taking an engine penalty in Malaysia or Japan, because of the blown one in Germany, so they'd have fresh engines for the last 3 GP's...somethings you'd never hear on Speed.

Hell yeah!! It's 'Murican dammit!!

(I cringed)

I never get tired of trashing on Pedrosa.

Last night I was reading to my son, and couldn't help but chuckle...

"Un dia Jorge vio a un hombre que llevaba un gran sobrrero de paja amarillo..."

Because, George is a good little monkey, and always very curious  [laugh]

That was really interesting. He mentioned that the pit exit was considerably in front of the start/finish line and it would be tactically advantageous to do so. Sounds pretty solid to me.

[laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/news/braking-news/1414-spies-qcascato-maleq-a-laguna-seca.html (http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/news/braking-news/1414-spies-qcascato-maleq-a-laguna-seca.html)

Every time I read something about The Ben I gain more respect for him.  [thumbsup]

Has anyone confirmed his issue? He was definitely gaining on Val and that would have been a battle to see.

http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-visor-halts-spies-rossi-attack/ (http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-visor-halts-spies-rossi-attack/)

You gotta love this guy.

He's got a good attitude, he's very humble and likable. 

sheesh, how many GPs are visors going to eff up for him.


 [thumbsup] ben.

I always thought they would at least get a new visor every race.

if needed.. they usually at least get fresh tearoffs, though.

They don't use tearoffs every race though do they?  I noticed it at Laguna, but nowhere else.

they're generally mounted every race "just in case". better to have 'em and not need 'em than need 'em and not have 'em.

You aren't fooling anyone you know. [bow_down]

Can anyone post the video of Spies blowing this corner?  Speed was busy selling beer or taping Stoner's wife when the race was on. [bang]

:o

I hate speed so so so much.
I think im buying a subscription. Maybe they suck asshole on purpose in agreement with FIM. so you will buy motogp.com subscrip

anyways

"Spies keeps a lid on helmet issue"- Im not sure how much is the same, but my HJC sucks for the visor above 100MPH too.

well...in terms of Spies and his lid issue....that ain't nothing that some NASCAR technology can't fix...some good ole 200mph tape!

The motogp.com subscription is 50% off (as of Monday or so) cuz it's halfway through the season. 

Oh I just figured it would last a calendar year

(http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2010/motogp/laguna/3fan/v.jpg)

Even better than Lorenzo's face is Rossi laughin' his ass off.   [laugh]  The Doctor's in the house. 

That's an awesome shot, Rossi is hilarious

I saw that pic also on superbikeplanet.com, it cracked me up seeing Rossi laughing about it and Lorenzo with the WTF look! [laugh] Stoner has that "how much longer before I'm back on Hondas" look. :P

2010 Red Bull Laguna Seca...Podium Ceremonies..!!!--Lorenzo, Stoner, Rossi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drrOvR3umjk#normal)


 [laugh]

^^^  [clap] [laugh]

From the Fiat Yamaha team, Mr. Casey Stoner.

I think the entire crew was having a bad day.

Yea, the commentator was really spot on!   [roll]

FWIW, I was at turn 10 when Pedrobot crashed and when they announced it almost the entire crowd cheered. I mean arms were in the air with VJ-Day faces.
Also observed:
No one can top Rossi's fan base, but second in the rider shwag wearing fan base is definitely Lorenzo. I was really surprised to see how many people were rooting for him/ wearing his shirts considering it was near nil last year. I'd buy stock in Spies for next year though.
The new jumbotrons were great.
Mango smoothies at the corkscrew were the bomb.
For the first time ever, I saw nothing but cars being pulled over for speeding on the way in to Laguna - no bikes! Riders got the message and LEO is being equal opportunity.
Based on t-shirts and hats it would appear that Ducati sells half of the motorcycles in the US.
Weather: almost perfect. Just needed the sun out a little earlier.
Attendance was over 100k for the 3 days. Each year I think Laguna Seca dies a better job overall than the year before.
And the First Aid people are awesome...

PS. The Superbike race was great.