Ducati Monster Forum

Valentino will be Burgess-less:

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jun/110629a.htm (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jun/110629a.htm)

Tough weekend getting off to an even tougher start.

Hope his wife is OK. [thumbsup]

Same here...not a good situation.

bummer.  best wishes to her.

looking forward to seeing how the new surface works when ridden in anger..

"Maybe his first mistake of the season....."

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jun/110628d.htm (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jun/110628d.htm)

Wait.....



















what  ???

(http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc22/Pigbristle/marcosimoncelli58.jpg)

That's some damn funny photoshop work!! [laugh] [laugh] He's gonna need a bigger fairing before the end of the season. There are a lot of riders left on his "to do" list. [laugh]

[laugh] !

Are there any Spaniards on the grid? I think the next one will be Stoner. He can't take out an Italian or a Duc because he knows the fans will crucify him.

Well, there's Barbera, Bautista, and Elias as the only Spaniards he hasn't torpedoed.
Yet.

he would need to crash into Stoner first, then crash into one of the bottom feeders as he was making his way back through the field.

Challenging, but he can do it. I have faith in him. 

Hah.  Pedrosa said in the press conference that "on Simoncelli's head is nothing but hair."  Was pretty funny in context of speaking about his view of Sic's riding habits.

FP1:


Pos.   Num.   Rider   Nation   Team   Bike   Km/h   Time   Gap 1st/Prev.
1   58   Marco SIMONCELLI   ITA   San Carlo Honda Gresini   Honda   327.7   1'48.987   
2   27   Casey STONER   AUS   Repsol Honda Team   Honda   326.9   1'49.027   0.040 / 0.040
3   4   Andrea DOVIZIOSO   ITA   Repsol Honda Team   Honda   330.8   1'49.088   0.101 / 0.061
4   1   Jorge LORENZO   SPA   Yamaha Factory Racing   Yamaha   325.1   1'49.251   0.264 / 0.163
5   11   Ben SPIES   USA   Yamaha Factory Racing   Yamaha   324.0   1'49.364   0.377 / 0.113
6   5   Colin EDWARDS   USA   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   Yamaha   322.1   1'49.810   0.823 / 0.446
7   26   Dani PEDROSA   SPA   Repsol Honda Team   Honda   324.2   1'50.104   1.117 / 0.294
8   69   Nicky HAYDEN   USA   Ducati Team   Ducati   325.2   1'50.203   1.216 / 0.099
9   7   Hiroshi AOYAMA   JPN   San Carlo Honda Gresini   Honda   324.4   1'50.629   1.642 / 0.426
10   19   Alvaro BAUTISTA   SPA   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP   Suzuki   325.2   1'50.658   1.671 / 0.029
11   35   Cal CRUTCHLOW   GBR   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   Yamaha   320.6   1'50.683   1.696 / 0.025
12   14   Randy DE PUNIET   FRA   Pramac Racing Team   Ducati   321.6   1'50.729   1.742 / 0.046
13   46   Valentino ROSSI   ITA   Ducati Team   Ducati   324.2   1'50.780   1.793 / 0.051
14   8   Hector BARBERA   SPA   Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP   Ducati   327.8   1'51.153   2.166 / 0.373
15   24   Toni ELIAS   SPA   LCR Honda MotoGP   Honda   325.5   1'51.868   2.881 / 0.715
16   17   Karel ABRAHAM   CZE   Cardion AB Motoracing   Ducati   322.9   1'51.876   2.889 / 0.008

hahahahaha....battle of the Broken Collarbones...Colin is on top thus far!

Dovi at 330kph.
And the big boy at 327+.
Them Hondas are cookin'.

Looks the start of a *long* weekend for Rossi.

More f'n rain.   >:(

Fixed it....Rossi likes rain.

most of em didn't even go out for FP2

Super Sic quote of the day:

" It is a shame about the conditions this afternoon because it was hard to tell if it was wet or dry and there was absolutely no point taking unnecessary risks."

ROTFL....

Well it looked like both of Rossi's bikes were suffering from electrical gremlins during fp1.  He had to park the first bike, and brought in the second one.  Not a good start.

he took them both out in FP2 just to confirm the electrical issues had been resolved

red faced as in embarrased or red faced as in pist off?....

it read as in angry

 [popcorn] Angry = Entertaining race. 

He better stay away from the red bikes, or else he'll have to deal with 100,000 + Italian fans.  Wait... that might be fun to watch.  [evil]

'cept they're his fans, too.  and there's probably a bigger number of them that like potato chips.  ;)

This is morbid, but I soooooo want Simoncelli to take out Stoner.  Can you just imagine the awesomeness that would ensue?   [laugh]

funny when you consider, in a likely odds sense, how likely that really is.  simo is super fast.  there's only a handful of riders who are super fast.  in 7 of 18 races, he's taken out 2 of 5(ish) likely candidates.  stoner is almost a mathematical certainty to get clipped..  =)

altho, we may need an actuary to calculate revised simo-stoner odds when you consider that rossi already took out stoner once this year.

I'm not sure if Super Sic. v. Stoner would be more awesome than if Pedrosa took out Super Sic, only to have Douchey McBrittleBones break his collarbone again. 

that shit just never gets old  [laugh]

+1!! [laugh] [laugh] Every name variation cracks me up!! Makes Pedrobot look boring. [cheeky]

is that why he is so little, early onset osteoporosis?
Don't break a hip little elf!

If Sic skittles another Factory Honda, I suspect his bike would lose about 20HP as soon as it went in the pits.

Ummmmmmm Skittles


All this shit keeps us watching - ( I have a feeling that is something "they" like)

I didn't want to be the one to wish such things...

But now that you said it, I'm all in  [popcorn]

In a punch on: Pedrosa Vs Simo = David and Goliath!!! [evil]

in some fashion like this would be good too though...

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/thai-superbike-fight-race/#more-23213 (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/thai-superbike-fight-race/#more-23213)

FP3 results....

Results:

Pos No. Rider Bike Time Diff Diff Previous
1 1 Jorge LORENZO YAMAHA 1'48.080     
2 58 Marco SIMONCELLI HONDA 1'48.411 0.331 0.331
3 27 Casey STONER HONDA 1'48.734 0.654 0.323
4 11 Ben SPIES YAMAHA 1'49.072 0.992 0.338
5 5 Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA 1'49.078 0.998 0.006
6 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO HONDA 1'49.132 1.052 0.054
7 69 Nicky HAYDEN DUCATI 1'49.756 1.676 0.624
8 46 Valentino ROSSI DUCATI 1'49.889 1.809 0.133
9 14 Randy DE PUNIET DUCATI 1'49.985 1.905 0.096
10 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SUZUKI 1'49.994 1.914 0.009
11 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW YAMAHA 1'50.002 1.922 0.008
12 26 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 1'50.296 2.216 0.294
13 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA HONDA 1'50.440 2.360 0.144
14 17 Karel ABRAHAM DUCATI 1'50.859 2.779 0.419
15 24 Toni ELIAS HONDA 1'51.043 2.963 0.184
16 8 Hector BARBERA DUCATI 1'51.145 3.065 0.102

 

Qualy:

Pos    No.     Rider                  Bike            Time     Diff     Diff Previous
1    27     Casey STONER          HONDA    1'48.034         
2    11     Ben SPIES              YAMAHA    1'48.479    0.445    0.445
3    58     Marco SIMONCELLI    HONDA    1'48.485    0.451    0.006
4    4      Andrea DOVIZIOSO    HONDA    1'48.694    0.660    0.209
5    1      Jorge LORENZO       YAMAHA    1'48.756    0.722    0.062
6    5      Colin EDWARDS        YAMAHA    1'48.974    0.940    0.218
7    35     Cal CRUTCHLOW     YAMAHA    1'49.021    0.987    0.047
8    26     Dani PEDROSA        HONDA    1'49.398    1.364    0.377
9    69     Nicky HAYDEN       DUCATI    1'49.509    1.475    0.111
10    8     Hector BARBERA     DUCATI    1'49.663    1.629    0.154
11    17    Karel ABRAHAM     DUCATI    1'49.678    1.644    0.015
12    46    Valentino ROSSI    DUCATI    1'49.902    1.868    0.224
13    7     Hiroshi AOYAMA      HONDA    1'50.156    2.122    0.254
14    19    Alvaro BAUTISTA    SUZUKI    1'50.460    2.426    0.304
15    14    Randy DE PUNIET    DUCATI    1'50.651    2.617    0.191
16    24    Toni ELIAS             HONDA    1'50.742    2.708    0.091

Apparently, qualifying was all about who could get in a fast lap before the rain came.

Yep.... Damn rain.... damn global warming

I'm glad to see Spies up there  [bacon]

premonitions:

1.Lorenzo
2.Stoner
3. Dovi

There's a distinct possibility that Simo could take out Stoner and/or Spies............. [popcorn] [popcorn]

Video of Pedrosa snubbing Simo's attempt to shake his hand, which Stoner thinks is pretty funny.

http://www.crash.net/motogp/video/170836/1/pedrosa_snubs_simoncelli_handshake.html (http://www.crash.net/motogp/video/170836/1/pedrosa_snubs_simoncelli_handshake.html)

Simo could crush Pedrosa's baby hand. [laugh] Pedrosa walks around like a sullen child.

Although Simo is a bit reckless, he's a hard arse. I like that, a bit mad like Elias (remember how he carved up Rossi and Rossi whined like a twelve year old. I support Stoner but I wish he just smacked Rossi in the mouth without a word. Same with Lorenzo to Simo. Hell a E5000- fine is small change to these guys. Maybe they are scared of the big fella.
Instead of whining to the press, these guys should fight it out like men. Bloody bubble wrap generation.. In my day (oh where's that ol' fart smiley)..

Schwantz, Rainey and Doohen  (and Mladin for that matter) would have made these guys shit themselves. I think Simo and Spies wouldn't have been intimidated though.

I don't have a problem with angry young men getting into fights because they are so motivated and pushing to the limit, it's nature, (I was young once), but whining looks so weak.

close but off a little  ;)

I was pulling for Dovi but he screwed up my prediction.

And hats off to Spies for trying to out brake Sic on the outside at the end of the strait. Ballsy move. I was sure Sic was going to make him his next victim. 

good race  [thumbsup] [Dolph]

amazing... RdP finished!  ;D

yeah, well... probably 15 minutes after everyone else at that pace

little rant, what's with Speed showing a million different angles of a relatively unremarkable start every 2 minutes?

Finally...a decent race!

Great ride by JLo.  [thumbsup] I thought Stoner had it in the bag.


Agree, but I don't think that's Speed's decision since they're just running the feed. That was some shit editing with respect to commercials and race action though...not to mention they don't show the interviews anymore.  [thumbsdown]

+1

Mad props to Spies for walking the line with Super Sic that entire race.

Good battle between Lorenzo and Dovi too  [thumbsup]

Was really nice to see Lorenzo/Dovi track down Stoner and keep this championship tight.   [thumbsup]  I'd imagine the Yamaha will do well in Germany and hopefully close this up even more.

When Lorendoody passed Stoner, I thought, if one takes out the other, the crying would be endless!  Months of whining, tears and pouting.  The season would end and they would still be at it, relentless whining.  Their fans would leave, their families would abandon them and the writers would run out of ink.  Fortunately for us it was a clean pass and a good race.   


^^^ The difference between boys and men.........

The lollypop guild is known for holding grudges

It was finally a good race!! Supposedly the Germany is not a great track for the Yammies, but we'll see. Whoreghey road a great race to keep Stoner in sight and Dovi make the beast with two backsing showed balls!! Finally!!

If Rossi can simply put together a decent qualy he might have been battling for 4th. If he didn't have to battle through most of the field at least he might have a chance against Simo and Ben.

Apparently

It's not that simple to put together a good qualy

I'm giving up hope. Maybe next year he can make me happy again

You have to stick with your racers even during the bad times.  Just enjoy the infusion of young talent into the motogp class while we wait on the Duc and Rossi to get sorted out together.  The upside is that if they ever bring the Duc up to par, then half the field that rides them will also turn in better performances.   [thumbsup]

Casey Stoner:
"I can't say I'm totally happy with the result today, we started the race very strong and everything felt fantastic on the bike, however, we had a problem with the tyres after a few laps. We believe this was related to incorrect tyre pressures for today's track temperature and we should have probably reduced them a little compared with what we used in warm up because as soon as the tyres got up to a certain pressure, I lost all the grip in the rear and this led to me starting to close the front. I think this is why we were able to be so fast in the beginning of the race, as the tyres were able to warm up very quickly, but then the tyre overheated and I lost all grip. I'm disappointed as our potential to win today was high, I thought I might still have potential to fight with Jorge and Andrea, but Jorge came past and he was too fast for me. Then Andrea came past and I thought I could respond, but I didn't have any traction. It's still a podium, and important points but I'm here to win races."

Aaaaand out come the excuses. Your ass got passed. Deal with it. Wanker.

Yeah, finally a really good MotoGP race! [thumbsup] Lorenzo ran a great race and I really like Dovi as a rider and person, seems like a good hard working guy. Glad he's on a factory bike. Good one for the Ben too! [clap] And gee, what a shock! Stoner whining about something! Waaaaaaa! They put the wrong pressure in my tire! Waaaaaaa! They lied to me! Waaaaaa! I'm not happy! Waaaaaa! [roll] [roll] :'( :'( Wonder if his wife gets sick of him being a pussy? :-*

How are these excuses? He's just stating what happened in his opinion. Did either of you watch that race and seriously not think casey's tires went off? And he didn't blame anyone in particular; he said "we," as in the team. Surely stoner has input into what pressures are run. He merely said that the team got that particular factor wrong.
Would you have preferred that he said, "j lo make the beast with two backsing destroyed me! I wish I could be 2nd behind Jesus in the line of people waiting to nuthug on him!"  [cheeky]
Apparently, the acknowledgement that Jorge "was too fast for me" didn't show enough slavish devotion to Lorenzo?  ;D
He damn well should be out there to win races, and should be disappointed when he doesn't. Frankly, i've always felt that people are overly harsh on Casey for not being the nice guy. He's out there to win, and doesn't give a rat's ass about anything else, including peoples' perceptions. He's honest about his opinions, moreso than almost any other rider, whether others like them or not. Plus, he's insanely talented and actually lives up to his talent. I can respect that.

I'm with Swampduc. While Stoner does have a tendency to whine, I don't see that here. He was just explaining what happened during the race...same thing that all riders do.

It was obvious that his tires were going the way he was losing time at the end. That's not to take away a great win for Lorenzo.

My sentiments exactly.

Stoner has mad skills for sure. And yes, lots of riders explain what went wrong for them after a race. I don't know, he just sometimes comes across a little whiny in some interviews I have seen. I watch Hayden or Rossi explain why a race went to shit and they come across just matter of fact. Minus the whiney edge. No biggie. Still wouldn't mind seeing Stoner take the championship. Don't see him whining about that. ;D


http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jul/110704test.htm (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2011/Jul/110704test.htm)

When Stoner wins all credit is due to him.

When Stoner loses all blame is due somewhere else.

Although he didn't play the sabotage card and/or call foul when his "team mate's" pass so close to the finish cost him points....I'll bet he was thinking about it  [evil]

Again, he said "we." Not anyone else. He and his team.

+1 I agree with this as well.  When the media asks the riders how the race went, I want to hear about the issues they were having.  It was painfully obvious to anyone that watched the race, that Stoner was having some sort of issue with his tires.  What did you expect him to say?  If he doesn't have tire issues, I think he smokes everyone by 5-10 seconds and he's pissed because he knows that.  I don't like Stoner personally, but at some point we have to acknowledge that his whiny cockiness is somewhat deserved, since he's generally faster than anyone on the circuit and gives input to set up a bike with very little testing time, whereas these other guys rip off 20 laps to figure settings out.

I was wondering how long before the pregnant doginess would start about Stoner  [coffee] same shit different day [laugh].
That bloke couldn't do anything right, if he explains what is happening he is a whinger, if he doesn't he's a spoilt child. make the beast with two backs I hope he wins every race from now on so I can sit back and watch all the whinging and moaning on this board [laugh]
Go you little Aussie

And you'll notice that half the people responding, myself included, are defending what Stoner had to say?
I'm personally a fan of his and have been, even when he was out last year and being accused of being soft, spineless, etc. I think he's continually proved his status as one of the top couple of riders of the last 10 years.

Are people whining about us whining about Stoner's whining? I'm getting confused. What came first? The chicken or the egg or Stoner whining about it? [laugh] [laugh]

Next race please. ;D

You know, the funny thing is that i actually enjoy the man's riding and talent. i just get tired of hearing him always have some sort of excuse for not winning. and yes, he should be next in line to hug on lorenzo's nuts  :

Is fastwin whining about people whining about us whining about Stoner's whining?  I'mgetting confused.  What came first?  The chick or the egg or Stoner whining about it or fastwin whining about Stoner whining about it?   [laugh] ;) [laugh]

Next whiner please.  :P

I'm all whined out! [laugh] [laugh] When's the next WSBK race?? ;D

And yes, I love Stoner's mad riding skills. I'll leave it at that and let his wife deal with the rest. That's one lucky dude! [thumbsup]

Is there anywhere to get footage of The Ben's pass on Simoncelli?   >:(  After termpoarily getting my hopes up last weekend, The Ben is still 8-9 seconds behind Lorenzo on the same machinery.  Sure, he sat back on Super Sic once he lost touch with the front group and that accounts for some of the gap, but still . . .

Dovi's having the quietest season, considering he's pretty solidly 3rd in the championship.  He keeps putting more points between him and the Ducs and The Ben, and he's finishing far enough up in each race, that Pedrosa's got some work to do to catch him.  As long as he doesn't start tossing it away, he's in a good spot.  At what point in the season does Repsol start giving team order to Breaky Mcmake the beast with two backswad (yeah, we know how well that'll work.  [roll]) and Dovi?

Watching Rossi dice with Barbera reminded me that Barbera used to be what Simoncelli is now.  I miss the old Barbera.  [evil]

 

Shrug.  Guess I get the Stoner whining bashing to a point, but what he was saying in regards to bike setup is nothing different than just about every other rider on the circuit including Rossi and Edwards; all describing what was "off" with the bikes and why they didn't do as well as they'd have liked.

At some point it just makes the one's doing the bashing look like no-brain group think retards.

Mongo think Stoner whine.  He weak and pregnant dogy.  Stoner not deserve hawt wife.  Stoner with Repsol.  Bad.  Bad.  Mongo no like. 

[laugh][laugh][laugh]

Everyones dislike of Stoner stems from the fact that he psychically looks like that kid in Kmart who is pitching a fit because the Icee machine is broken and he cant have one, and his mom wont smack him quiet.


"Attention Kmart shoppers.... we are currently having a blue light special on smacking the lil toehead quiet located at checkout register #4"

Can I get that in bulk?

[laugh] [laugh] [clap] lol Your right.

The race footage on motogp.com covered the pass a couple times at the end of the race.

yep, he does have a tendency to whine and blame.  that wasn't it.  he clearly couldn't get out of corners.  he said as much, said he was bummed, called it a day.

hell of a ride by lorenzo.  and props to dovi for making it stick.  and ben, of course.

Team orders at Repsol?!?!?!...that'd never happen...

(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs27/f/2008/097/3/a/Motorbike_Posters_Repsol_by_Eccles116.jpg)


but...in defense of Dovi...I think he is proving to Repsol exactly every effort his manager put forth to keep him on that factory machine at the end of last year in the silly season shuffle....and though it has shades of Hayden in 06 in a way, to me, it seems that Dovi will be in the same position come negotiation time again regardless of his hard work ethic and consistancy, which is sad to me in terms of how HRC and Repsol view things and do business....

Again, I like Dovi. He doesn't have a lot to prove. If Repsol is smart they will keep him if they can afford it. But I do wonder how he will perform on the big block bikes next year. My guess is that he will do fine... wherever he is. He's fun to watch and I'm glad he got past Stoner. Yeah, I know his tires were toast but it's always such a mental boost to beat your teammate. [thumbsup] [popcorn]

if pedro can stop getting hurt and start being fast again, no way is dovi in orange and black next year.

I can certainly see that. But Dovi has helped the team in Pedrobot's absence. In that sense he's earning his pay.

+1  and Pedro is Spanish too.   On top of that, You'd have to think Repsol might move back to two bikes, since Dovi's wasn't necessarily in the plans until he shoved his contract down their throats.

There isn't anything bad to say about Dovi, but he's never shown to be a winner exactly.  Always a few tenths too slow to win.  He's the consumate second rider on any factory team, but not one you'd dump all your money on.  I could see him *maybe* taking a win this year, as he's consistantly in podium contention on the best bike, but don't see him returning to Repsol.

dovi is fast, that's not the issue.  but he's not do or die fast, he's very calculating.  he's not going to win a title.  he was actually more aggressive when he was on the privateer 800.

the main point is that there are 3 bikes this year not because repsol wanted to fork out the extra cash but because dovi had good lawyers and they technically were supposed to give him a factory ride.  however simo has a factory ride.. they wanted to give him a factory ride in white; he was able to argue that they owed him a factory ride in black & orange.  that won't happen again.

dani is super fast and able to win.  he's spanish, dorna is spanish, repsol is spanish.  and he has experience on a 990.

bye bye dovi.  hopefully he just ends up on the B team but on factory machinery.

like announcers keep saying... the next alien will actually be the love child of simo and dovi.

Actually they said if Sic and Dovi were to have a love child...well..you'd have Rossi.  [laugh]

Not flaming, just wondering....opinions, please.

I agree wholeheartedly. Until he starts muscling people around and asserting himself a little more, I don't see a title in his future

So.... going up the inside of Lorenzo on the start at Mugello, a good bit of dicing with Simo, and taking Simo in the *last* corner... that doesn't count?

maybe he can do that on the 1000CC M1 in 2012.....but we have to wait and see...especially since silly season has really yet to kcik off in that regard...

SPEAKING OF....seems like any and all talk of movement and all that stuff is pretty much muted....especially in comparo to last year with the Alien movements and all....

You don't have to a be a do-or-die-The Ben fanboy to disagree with this one.  The Ben's put enough moves on people to distinguish himself from Dovi's milquetoast riding.  Off the top of my head, The Ben's put seriously last lap moves on Hayden, Dovi (even making Dovi highside trying to keep up) and Simoncelli.  Outbraking Dovi last year was just insanity.  Yes, he's calculating, but he can drop the hammer in a way that Dovi can't.  That said, I agree that he hasn't shown that he has what it takes to win a title, both in terms of consistency and outright race pace.  People can keep making excuses for him this year by saying its only his sophmore year, but if he doesn't come into his own by next year, he's peaked.  I'll leave a wee bit of wiggle room for the clustermake the beast with two backs that is going to be created by switching to the 1000cc bikes, but the Ben needs to seriously step up if he's going to live up to his fanboy's expectations. 

OTOH, I think we're seeing pretty much the extent of what Dovi can do this season -- be a consistently fast non-Alien.   He's third in the championship because thus far, he's been fast enough and b/c he is finishing races and staying healthy. 

Staying healthy and finishing races are two huge X factors in anyones title chase. Regardless of the class. You can place well and even win a few races but you also have to have the other two to win a championship.

he has one of the best machines on the grid this year and he is consistant...

re ben, you also have to remember how the 800s HAVE to be ridden.  you have to set up moves 4 corners out... or 3 laps out.  as for racecraft and balls, he showed us what he can do in the AMA and WSBK.  with a bike that allows for squarer corners, next year will be a different series.

but, yeah, to everything else spidey said.. if you haven't seen bold moves from ben on the GP bike, you haven't been paying attention.  he earned his stripes simply with those outbraking moves against dovi in aragon last year.  that was amazing shit.

i don't think he quite has it to consistently run with stoner and lorenzo yet.  he's close but those guys have it start to finish, every race.  he doesn't quite have 7th gear sorted.  ben is really strong at the end of the race and great with tire management.  the start of the race is a lot better than last year but not quite there.

OK, but it seems to me that (the) Ben has shown his predatory best only when the rabbit's within reach and gets his undivided attention.  This is what I recall when he was clawing at Mladin (a really tough nut to crack), after Haga returned from his injuries in WSBK, and when Simo was trying to beat him last weekend.

In those situations, he seems to really bear down and compete for the spot "at all costs".

Otherwise, he seems to be 'racing' with the same flaming-barbed-wire energy that he shows during interviews....

I'd like to see the guy win a title, but just not sure that he really wants it badly enough.  After all, he is riding the 'same' bike that Rossi/Burgess mostly developed and that Lorenzo rode to the title last year and to the top of the podium last week...

Maybe there'll be signs of life in the upcoming races...if not, it'll be a shame.

i might agree with you IF ben had a tendency to crash or take others out in the process, which he doesn't. you've basically described simoncelli, and spies is no simoncelli.

Ask Nori Haga about that  :'(

Well, no....I think he's shown in AMA and WSBK that he's good enough, and that 'all costs' riding doesn't mean he's going to lose control whenever he pushes the envelope.  In that regard he's probably a better rider/racer than Simoncelli - who I recall had his share of crashes in 250s(?) before his promotion.

Not trying to be critical, as I certainly don't have his talent; just pondering his desire...maybe he's bored with the whole thing, which would not be that unusual for an unmentored, very talented kid to whom winning came fairly easily and often at an early age.  Or, he's far more cerebral about racing than he lets on...

BTW - Is there a race somewhere this coming weekend?  ;D

you're letting his demeanor fool you.  you don't take down mladin, win wsbk on your first try, or pole/podium/rookie of the year in GP if you aren't mentally out for blood.

Out for blood is the wrong term for Spies.

Edwards vs. Hayden in the Dutch TT. Rossi v Stoner at Laguna. That's blood.

Hell, the end of the 500s era, there was blood in the water then. Now, not so much.

Finally got to see the race.

Nothing for me to whine about. [thumbsup]

You just had to ruin it with the Mladin reference. ;D

He's not too popular up your way is he? Love him or hate him, a hard ass nevertheless.
Reminds me a bit of Doohen, could be harsh. 
I think Spies is a quiet, tough guy but disciplined. But his Mamma's trained him to handle the media better than Mladin, Doohen or Stoner. You see, those Aussies all went to the" Wayne Gardner Charm School"! ;)

I have always loved Mladin's "don't take shit off of anyone" charm. Bayliss too for that matter. [thumbsup] And I'm not big on whiners. Reminds me of my step son when he strikes out repeatedly in baseball games. I love him dearly but I get sick of the "everyone is out to get me and strike me out" bullshit. Well, as a matter of a fact, yes they are. That's what they are supposed to do! I like Stoner's skills on the track, obviously he's incredibly talented, but his interview personality sometimes comes across like my strike out king step son. Funny, the same words could come out of Hayden, Edwards, etc. and I would never think that. Maybe he should hang out with Mladin and Bayliss. [laugh]

It sure is easier to accept or respect a tough or hard attitude, but no one likes a whiner. I support Stoner and marvel at his skill, but he gets paid to race motorcycles for living, has a lovely young wife and is a world champion! He could smile more and be happier. How many guys would want to swap jobs?!  Doohan once said that his job sure beat digging ditches which he had done, it made him know what a dollar was worth.

Mladin? Mostly just with me. :P

He is a good rider.

I don't have much respect for his decision to not go to the world stage. It was the right decision for him though. I don't think he would have matched up to the 'big boys'. IMO he is not in the same league as the Aussie riders you mentioned.

i disagree... mat would've given the worldsbk paddock a run for their money (much like spies did) and possibly would've ground out at least a world championship or two... gp, on the other hand...

I don't blame Mladin one bit for coming over to the States and kicking our asses. It made him famous, it made him a fortune and it made our SBK series that much better. Where's the wrong/bad in that? And yes, I think he would have done very well in WSBK. But he stayed over here, his choice and a good one for him. And he helped mentor Spies into the World Champ he became. Win, win.

go watch the 2007 AMA superbike series

Mladin went to 500 GP as a kid straight from oz sbk and most say too early. Some say the big crashes and he didnt adjust to the lifestyle. By the time he was ready to go back to GP he was married amd settled in the States.
He said later that offers of GP money were less than AMA, he liked the US, same laguage, life style, less travel and later his kids were settled at school, wife wad happy.  He was at home.

Im guessing that they were the reasons you were thinking of. Good reasons. I think the GP scene is suited to single guys. Or young couples sans kids. It is probably easier than it used to be. I dont know how Bayliss did it. His wife won't let him come back. He  said he wants to and is restless, but that Kim has insisted!

Us married guys understand..

Probably the biggest factor here.  I think he was making somewhere around 7mil a year at the end in AMA.  There is no way he was going to get that kind of money in the GP paddock.

7 million! :o 
With a family and limited career time barring injuries, I'd stay. [bacon]

Ben's like my cat; bored, fickle, and gets carnivorous only when someone playfully dangles fresh meat in front of his nose.

When he starts consistently behaving like Rossi, Lorenzo, Max, Bayliss, Ago, and even Mladin - just a few of the 'fellows' who passionately believe(d) deep within their hearts that every trophy has their and only their name on it - will he become a real challenger for the GP title.

After the Flag: Mugello (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7dDjTW6iP8#normal)


When Colin Edwards retires he should announce the races for the US market.   "sphincter overload"   [laugh]  The host wasn't expecting that. 

At least he can pronounce Lorenzo's name. 

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93182 (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93182)

That brings up some interesting possibilities...Simo to WSBK? Dovi to Moto2?

plus, only 4 hondas total in GP will be pretty weird.  what was there in 2006, 8?

sure hope suzuki comes back and fields 2.  maybe kawi can make a comeback with hopkins..  =)

I'm not holding out much hope for that...would be nice. But I have a nagging suspicion that it looks more like:
1) Rossi Retires, there goes half the MotoGP audience.
2) Honda pulls back to 2 factory bikes with maybe 1 or 2 true satellite bikes.
3) Ducati implodes, tucks its tail between its legs, and goes limping back to WSBK...maybe with Rossi (or Super Sic) in tow.
4) The Claiming Rule Teams take over and it becomes NASBIKE.

Just my $0.02. Then again, I'm a pessimist.

At least we'll have 300hp missiles that grenade at random during all the sessions.  Oil spill rider pileups, teams claiming/swapping bikes, verbal assaults between teams due to the claiming, etc.  This sounds like the beginnings of a nice reality show.   ;D

...with Johnny Rock Page as the host ;D

LOL! I guess that's why you're called Jester!

I'd say you were an Apocalyptomist.  [laugh]

I'm thinking Simo stays at Gresini, Dovi joins him there, Honda to supply them with satellite spec bikes.

Suzuki folds it's tent and leaves MotoGP.

Edwards and Cal together 1 more year at Tech3.

Rossi and Nicky stay at Ducati.

GP11's for the lower level satellite teams, base-model GP12's for the upper level satellites.

Elias, Bautista and Aoyama shuffled off to satellites/WSBK/CRT's.

although they avoided litigation this year by suggesting, but not promising, that they'd be back next year with 2 bikes.

there's no way rossi won't be back next year.  (yeah i know he has a contract; he could get out of it.)  he's not going out like this.

If there's no light at the end of the tunnel? I can see him at least demanding that they let him race WSBK if the 1199 is any good ;D

but there is light: the GP12 didn't seem to have the problems the GP11.1 does.  next year was really the whole point anyway.

http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/171962/1/dovizioso_denied_1000cc_honda_test.html (http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/171962/1/dovizioso_denied_1000cc_honda_test.html)   d'oh!