MotoGP Estoril (spoilers)

[zooom]

Nasty ass high side by Marco. OUCH!!

I thought Barbera's highside was nastier personally...

[mitt]

It is rare to have a really great Motogp to watch, but Moto2 is pretty exciting every week    I think having a large field really helps, and "spec" engines.

mitt

[gm2]

I know the bikes are different, and may be the answer to this question should be obvious....but I don't understand why Ducatis are competitive in WSBK but so far not so much in MOTOGP  ?

Riders ?

Dolph   

it's not that the bikes are different.  it's that they are *completely* different.  and the character of the spec tires between the two series are about as opposite as they could be.  ..if you put the spec bridgestone on the ducati wsbk i bet it would run around in the back of the pack.

and the ducati isn't necessarily competitive everywhere, just like all the bikes.  there are 'ducati tracks' and 'non-ducati tracks'... the next race (monza) will be the latter.

as for more exciting, yeah, usually.  2012 should help that situation a lot in GP.  it better.

[kopfjäger]

Nicky was fastest through the speed trap on the Duc.

It's not all about how 'fast' the bike is.

 

[Spidey]

That was a completely different Midget Mcdouchemake the beast with two backs than we've seen before.  He usually runs up front and takes off or stays with the leaders and then fades toward the end.  On rare occasions, he's had a battle at the end.  But he's not the one to drop the hammer with a coupla laps to go, ala Rossi or Lorenzo.  Totally unexpected.  And pretty refreshing.  He's still a make the beast with two backswad.

I love Simoncelli.  He's a madman.  I hope he takes a dump in Lorenzo's helmet.  

I'm starting to get disappointed with The Ben.  I expect him to be running with the big boys, not telling us each time how his laps woulda had him running with the big boys on if _______ [Mad Lib] hadn't happened.  Ben, give us results.

I'm also pretty impressed with Crutchlow.  He killed it in WSS, and had flashes of brilliance in WSBK but was inconsistent (understandable considering that WSBK Yami tha tyear).  So I thought that would translate into middling MotoGP times, but with a strong British fan base.  I just didn't expect him to be doing quite so well so fast.

Elias is never gonna wrap his head around those tires, poor guy.  

Man, it sucks when the guys you're rooting for aren't finishing on the podium or are crashing out.  

[OT]

My personal opinion is the carbon chassis they keep trying to use.   I think if Ducati designed a chassis out of a more conventional material, they would have more success, but they seem dead set on using carbon because its exotic.  From what I understand, the carbon fiber is very progressive on initial flex, but the snap back is not nearly as progressive, so you get no feel and a twitchy bike.  I believe a more conventional metal alloy chassis would be smoother in both directions and provide a better bike to work with.  Its never been their engines.

Agree - I worked in FRP/CF R&D in the "early days."   CF is amazingly light but one has to ponder how (fiber-reinforced) PLASTIC can be manufactured & tuned to handle all the subtle (and not so subtle) stresses/flexing a GP bike puts on the chassis/SA during a race.   

Any "modern" CF engineering experts around?

[Buckethead]

Agree - I worked in FRP/CF R&D in the "early days."   CF is amazingly light but one has to ponder how (fiber-reinforced) PLASTIC can be manufactured & tuned to handle all the subtle (and not so subtle) stresses/flexing a GP bike puts on the chassis/SA during a race.   

Any "modern" CF engineering experts around?

Well, according to THIS ARTICLE, it was less a matter of the CF itself than, likely, the weave/layup pattern. Stiff in the wrong direction(s).

[OT]

My point (almost exactly); plastic (the P in FRP) doesn't behave like metal.  Fibers (the F in FRP) themselves have no flex, so it becomes the plastic trying to bend and the inflexible fibers resisting/directing the bending.  A designer can try to introduce 'spring' into the FRP using 2/3-D geometric shapes, but the thicker the FRP becomes the more variables get introduced (i.e., the fiber core, etc.).

Anyway, that article indicates both Rossi and Nicky liked the new chassis they tested after Estoril, so maybe Ducati's on the right track...

[ZLTFUL]

Finally got around to watching the Moto2 race and I gotta say gawddamn whatta rush.

Are Simoncelli and Ianonne related? They sure as hell both ride a lot alike. I was stoked for Ianonne but he just pushed her a tad too hard and ran out of rubber.

And then a pretty good exchange after Ianonne took himself out of contention.

[zooom]

Agree - I worked in FRP/CF R&D in the "early days."   CF is amazingly light but one has to ponder how (fiber-reinforced) PLASTIC can be manufactured & tuned to handle all the subtle (and not so subtle) stresses/flexing a GP bike puts on the chassis/SA during a race.   

Any "modern" CF engineering experts around?

on this alone, I would love it if an older member "SP3" ( who doesn't participate here anymore, but may apparently on occasion lurk) chime in with his opinion...

[OT]

on this alone, I would love it if an older member "SP3" ( who doesn't participate here anymore, but may apparently on occasion lurk) chime in with his opinion...

How old does he have to be?

I'm sneaking up on 60