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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 16th May 2010 15:09
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Funnily enough, I've just been reading the September issue of Bike magazine and there's an article in that which pretty much mirrors this thread. Do you think Mat Oxley reads this forum...?
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 16th May 2010 15:09
Posts: 637,
Visits: 1,168
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| After all the hype about MotoGP going back to the good ol' USA, I expected a bit more of Indianapolis. Shouldn't have done, really: after all, I've seen some of the AMA racing. American racetracks tend to be a bit poor, rather like a Tescos car park with a few corners marked out by more traffic cones than there are on the M1 on a bank holiday weekend. Perfect for taking your CBT, not so good for racing. Indy, as befits one of the more famous circuits, is a slightly higher standard than average, although the infield still looks to have been tacked on to the "oval" as a half-hearted afterthought. Anyway, it wouldn't have mattered if it was like Monza, only faster, given the prevailing weather conditions. Can't blame the organisers for the rain, but they didn't handle it well. Red flagged at about two-thirds distance when the skies opened, followed by several minutes of arguing between riders and organisers before they finally shrugged off the idea of a restart of a restart and handed first place to Rossi. Worth taking the whole circus halfway across the world for? Hardly. Still, it wasn't like the actual racing was that good even before the flag came out. On balance, it was probably a relief that it finished early so's I could watch the recorded BSB instead.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 16th May 2010 15:09
Posts: 637,
Visits: 1,168
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| Well, that's that then. Title went to Rossi at Phillip Island, putting what has turned out to be a particularly dull season out of its' misery. Stoner cruised away with the victory, presumably having fixed his head once the pressure to retain the "1" plate was off. Some of the racing wasn't that bad - it is a beautiful, fast track, after all, and even MotoGP couldn't entirely mess that up - and Hayden very nearly pulled off second, only being mugged by Rossi on the final lap. The main news is that next season will be on a single tyre make, looking fair set to be Bridgestone. Apparently, this is a move to reduce or limit the excessive corner speed of the 800s, although Carmelo Ezpeleta (he of Dorna) singularly failed to explain how that was going to come about as a result. Apparently, most riders prefer a return to the 990s, which were slower round the twisties anyway, a suggestion Ezpeleta dismissed as "impossible". Frankly, the bloke comes across as a bit of a dick and, really, he has only himself to blame for putting the series into the position it currently occupies with all his tinkering about with the rules. On that subject, it is also confirmed the 250s will go at he end of 2010, with 2011 seeing the introduction of a 600cc 4-stroke series. Rumour has it it will be limited on the engine mods but allow prototype frames and also have one of those incredibly difficult to manage systems where anybody in the paddock can buy anyone else's performance parts for a fixed (and low) limited amount. In theory, it stops teams spending a fortune on fitting hyper-trick components, since any other team can then buy it at a fraction of the true cost. In practice, it's not a system that's worked well elsewhere... Comes to something when the politics warrants more discussion than the on-track antics...
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 16th May 2010 15:09
Posts: 637,
Visits: 1,168
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| Season's end, then, at Valencia. Not the best of the seventeen or so Spanish tracks the MotoGP circus visits: often giving a procession rather than a race. Sunday was no great exception, perhaps slightly less interesting than usual given that all the titles were already decided. Entertainment peaked with the opening 125 race, where it is always more difficult to get away from a pursuing pack, and the lead group hung together for most of the race in a high-pressure close-proximity scrap for the podium. Eventually decided in the favour of Corsi, who has improved considerably this year with 4 wins to his name. The 250s did the processional thing, with Simoncelli leading them home. Kallio lost the front and dumped his KTM out of second: a less than auspicious finish to his 250 campaign. Next year he'll be in MotoGP, on a Ducati. Bautista provided the most interest - as is often the case - charging throgh the spread-out pack after a fairly dismal start to end up third, some way behind Takahashi who also moves up to MotoGP next year. The MotoGP race itself was largely formula. Pretty much according to the script for every race this year. Stoner didn't decide to fall off, so he won, leading from pole position to flag. It was Pedrosa's turn to be second, which meant Rossi had to settle for third place. Some other people came in a long way behind them. Edwards did quite well in sixth (still contract time, presumably). Hayden's last Honda outing netted him fifth (Ducati next year) and Dovizioso was fourth (moving into Repsol Honda to take Hayden's place for 2009). Bridgestone are definitely on for single-make tyres next year. Be interesting to see if that improves the safety aspect or brings lap times down. I suspect neither will be the case, but we'll see...
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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