2009 MotoGP Round 3 - Jerez (Race Spoilers)

[derby]

Rossi, Pedro, Stoner, RDP....

Lorenzo crashed out of the race chasing down Stoner.

Full results soon.

[derby]

1.   Valentino Rossi   ITA   Fiat Yamaha Team   45min   18.557   sec
2.   Dani Pedrosa   SPA   Repsol Honda Team   45min   21.257   sec
3.   Casey Stoner   AUS   Ducati Marlboro Team   45min   29.064   sec
4.   Randy de Puniet   FRA   LCR Honda MotoGP   45min   50.450   sec
5.   Marco Melandri   ITA   Hayate Racing Team   45min   51.685   sec
6.   Loris Capirossi   ITA   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP   45min   52.685   sec
7.   Colin Edwards USA   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   45min   52.978   sec
8.   Andrea Dovizioso   ITA   Repsol Honda Team   45min   53.182   sec
9.   Toni Elias SPA   San Carlo Honda Gresini   46min   1.246   sec
10.   Chris Vermeulen AUS   Rizla Suzuki MotoGP   46min   3.740   sec
11.   Sete Gibernau   SPA   Grupo Francisco Hernando   46min   6.749   sec
12.   Yuki Takahashi   JPN   Scot Racing Team MotoGP   46min   10.432   sec
13.   James Toseland   GBR   Monster Yamaha Tech 3   46min   12.240   sec
14.   Alex de Angelis   RSM   San Carlo Honda Gresini   46min   12.498   sec
15.   Nicky Hayden USA   Ducati Marlboro Team   46min   19.794   sec
16.   Niccolo Canepa   ITA   Pramac Racing   46min   29.453   sec

DNF:   
Mika Kallio FIN   Pramac Racing
Jorge Lorenzo   SPA   Fiat Yamaha Team

[Jester]

Hell of a ride by Rossi.  As Stoner said after the race, Jorge was really pushing for that 3rd spot.  Too bad he binned it.  We might have had a good little scrap in the last lap or two.

[Desmostro]

Nice custom fairing. How would it be? "It's windy today, I think I'll drill some holes." 

[derby]

Nice custom fairing. How would it be? "It's windy today, I think I'll drill some holes." 

just in case you weren't kidding, that's exactly why they're there.

[Spidey]

Good to see Melandri back to form.  His bike was dogshit at the beginning of the season and is going to stay at the same level of dogshit throughout.  But he's doing well.

Stoner's showing is pretty impressive for a Duc at Jerez.  But he's not in the same form he was in his championship winning season.  And Rossi's starting to look like he's gonna podium every race.  Best rider on what might be the best all-round bike.  No way to beat him when's he's riding like that. 

That Lorenzo crash was pretty cool to watch from the on-board camera.  It almost looked like he mighta been able to save it with a knee if he'd caught it a moment earlier.  Then again, what the hell do I know?  I don't get paid a bizillion dollars to do this.

Mebbe Nicky will pick it up toward the end of the season?  I've kinda given up on him already.  I know I should wait for more than three rounds to write him off, but it might be too late.

I wanted Dovi to be up there battling.    Coming back to 8th from 16th (when he ran off) ain't bad.

Is Spies gonna get Toseland's ride next year?  Cuz Toseland is officially teh suck.

[Spidey]

BTW, that 250 race was f'n awesome.     Even if you don't watch racing ever, that was just lap after lap after lap of good entertainment.  I watched it with two non-moto folks who totally agreed.  Hellz yeah.

[pennyrobber]

Nice custom fairing. How would it be? "It's windy today, I think I'll drill some holes." 

"Holy drilled out fairing, Batman!" Good performance by Rossi.

+1 on the 250 race. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

[Desmostro]

Ya Dovi rocked. Where was the coverage of that? He ran off, then, oh he finished 8th! WTF!?
It's like those guys in back are stationary targets. How do you move through like that?
I don't remember seeing Mr. Kentucky more than a blink going into turn 1.   crap I hope he gets over this little dark cloud of his.

Do you mean Casey has room for getting better as the season progresses? ya I hope so. His wrist can't be 100% yet, but he did podium for the first time at Jerez today. That's an improvement even from 2006 no? yes? no?
If he is getting better, he'll be a contender for Vale in top form.
+1 Vale was a freight train - wow - he ate the Spaniards on their home turf. That was pretty cool.

[Spidey]

Do you mean Casey has room for getting better as the season progresses? ya I hope so. His wrist can't be 100% yet, but he did podium for the first time at Jerez today. That's an improvement even from 2006 no? yes? no?

IIRC, it's his first MotoGP podium at Jerez.  Earlier this week he commented that the Ducati's stronger tracks were later in the season and that Jerez wasn't anywhere they expected to do well.  As for him getting better?  He's in pretty good form already.  Last race he had a technical glitch for the first bit and in this race did fine.  The problem is that Rossi is riding well with a bike that pretty damn solid all-round.  Remember that both when Casey and Nicky won their titles, Rossi has been having serious problems in the beginning of the year and technically issues throughout.  When his bike is operating even close to on-par, Rossi is just plain scary.     

[MadDuck]

BTW, that 250 race was f'n awesome.     Even if you don't watch racing ever, that was just lap after lap after lap of good entertainment.  I watched it with two non-moto folks who totally agreed.  Hellz yeah.

Yep. It goes without saying that the 250 class is far better racing to watch. As for the big boys, as soon as I saw Rossi put his trademark pass on Pedrosa I was pretty sure that he was going to stay in front.  The entertaining racing is back in the middle of the pack although if Lorenzo hadn't crashed out there might have been an exciting last lap race for 3rd. Mr. Hayden better get his butt in gear. He should at least be able to mix it up with other riders like Capirossi, Melandri & Gibernau. But nooooooooo......... At this rate he might not even rate a ride on WSBK next season.

[derby]

i found these comments about tire compound and temperature interesting:

http://www.crash.net/MotoGP/News/146290/1/head-scratching_for_hayden_and_ducati.html

[Grampa]

I only watch the 250s to see if Marco gets a haircut.

 

What are the odds that Nicky hands over the keys to Troy towards the middle of the season?

[Desmostro]

i found these comments about tire compound and temperature interesting:

http://www.crash.net/MotoGP/News/146290/1/head-scratching_for_hayden_and_ducati.html

That is really bizarre.
I think he needs a spanking. I don't know what else to do with him right now and I feel slightly responsible.

I only watch the 250s to see if Marco gets a haircut. 
 
What are the odds that Nicky hands over the keys to Troy towards the middle of the season?

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http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=22961.msg406204#msg406204

[gm2]

bayliss, nonsense.

hayden, consider the thrashing he's put up with in the first two rounds.  new bike, new team, new tires, not much seat time.  give the kid a break.  granted, so far 1-in-11? 12? people can ride that 800 at all but i don't think he's going to spend the season in 16th.

marco & rdp: wow.  you go sisters.

rossi being rossi i was frankly still a little surprised that he caught pedro.  but let's remember that pedro is still riding all broken up and stitched together.  and rossi is rossi.