Moto GP - WSBK - 2014

[mania]

Dang ! I think that was the best Moto3 I have ever seen!

What a great race

Too bad about Vaz at the end

That Honda he is riding is fookin fast!

Clipped by Marquez & dropped to 10th then rode back to 1st awesome.

Too bad about that last lap with Miller but thats racing.

Vaz blinked when he should have held his ground

awesome Race!

[soihok]

Yes, great Moto3 and MotoGP (up to the point when Marc M disappeared - then it became a boring). I was hoping Vale could open up a greater distance when he was in front, but he couldn't pull it off.

Looks as if nobody can catch MM, I wonder if he can go all season with first places?

Well done to Jack Miller, that really was some race.

[mania]

Yes that MotoGP had some promise in the first few laps

Marquez even went off track twice...But as you said,,,,In the end the wiz kid caught them all out

Great race for Pol eh? He really hung in there! Dovi, Bradl etc all fell back but Pol stayed up there

Then Bautista.......Finally got one

Edited May 19, 2014 by mania

[soihok]

Yes, didn't Alvaro look happy.

[Overandout]

Moto 3 didn't disappoint then?

I actually felt bad for Fenati, I reckon he could have got 4th which would have kept the championship closer. Fenati for the win in Mugello I reckon!

Vazquez probably had the right to be annoyed, but yes, that's racing, lets not sanitise it too much.

Marquez reminded me of Rossi (I think in Australia, not sure which year) when he got a 10 sec penalty, so he just won by 12 seconds.... It just looks so easy for him, impressive but ultimately not good for the spectator.

I still can't work out if Bautista is lucky to have his place on that bike or if he's just unlucky with his crashes sometimes....

I was wrong about Pol then! He was so much farther ahead than Smith! I wonder if Pol was given the new "Rossi" frame by Yam. After all he is a Yamaha contracted rider.....

[Bluetongue]

Agree with all that re Moto3, Jack Miller had two spots where he could pass at will. Vazquez was probably faster but I thought Miller's racecraft was excellent and Vazquez's tap on his back was hopefully not a sign of worse tantrums to come, after all he is Spanish. I'm happy really to barrack for any one not Spanish, and no-one having mentioned Moto2 I was happy as Larry to see Kallio do it again, he is looking like a real pro.

Can't say anything about Marc, if I was a gambler I'd back him to win every race, hmm maybe I'll go and look what odds are on offer. And its a Dorna dream scenario, when or if Marc falters they have the veteran legend and promoter's dream to stand on

top, who'd a thunk it.

[mania]

A no-one having mentioned Moto2 I was happy as Larry to see Kallio do it again, he is looking like a real pro.

Yes I agree good one for Kallio

Moto2 I want to like & use to love it.

I did also watch this one but Moto3 was a hard act to follow action wise

Moto2 just has too much daylight between bikes & very little action

I do love their sound & watching them back into corners.

But after that it is just a Sutter vs Kalex deal & nothing much more.

Even Rabat just kinda sat the whole race in place moving up barely onto podium in the end

Edited May 20, 2014 by mania

[soihok]

Need scott Redding back in Moto2 to liven it up.

[Overandout]

Or perhaps open the spec to all manufacturers instead of keeping it as the CBR cup….

Sent from a telephone, which make and model is no concern of yours….

[Kwasaki]

Ok JL on top of FP3

Please let there be a real race tomorrow

Pleased for Bautista, JL was still positive in MotoGP review, we'll see next round.

Marc.... Vale.... Jorge.

[mania]

I use to think Marc is going down soon

But these days due to lack of competition he does not seem

so frantic

Although early in this race he did look his old self when having to move

thru traffic I saw him go off track 1 or 2 times.

But if his dominance at the front continues he may just walk

away with it all this year setting a few more records on the way

[Kwasaki]

I use to think Marc is going down soon

But these days due to lack of competition he does not seem

so frantic

Although early in this race he did look his old self when having to move

thru traffic I saw him go off track 1 or 2 times.

But if his dominance at the front continues he may just walk

away with it all this year setting a few more records on the way

Well JL talks about trying to change his riding style and VR too but the Yam still doesn't seem to get the better of the MotoGP Honda most anywhere on the track.

Without mishaps Marc looks to go on undefeated this year, personally I think it is good for him to mix it at the beginning, just running away doesn't seem to do a rider anygood in the long run IMO.

Maybe when tyres get changed back to which appears to be Mich as favorite at the mo, it may make a difference.

Also I guess probably more boring rule changes on the way too.

That said I think it would be fairer if some kind of overall weight rule was introduced.

And again the 12 - 15 mph difference from one Honda to another must really get on Nicky H's nerves.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Kwasaki

[soihok]

And scott Reddings.

[mania]

Yes Kwasaki I was just reading the Honda gets upgrades in 2015
But poor Hayden/Redding etc have to live with that for now.

If I were a team owner having shelled out a million euro I think
I may be unhappy with the bike as it stands

Major Upgrades Coming For Honda RCV1000R - But Not Until 2015

[soihok]

Pity Casey Stonor didn't speak his mind when he tested it out in Japan pre-season.

"Too slow" would have done Casey.

[mania]

Pity Casey Stonor didn't speak his mind when he tested it out in Japan pre-season.

"Too slow" would have done Casey.

Well cannot bite the hand that feeds eh?

[Overandout]

If I were a team owner having shelled out a million euro I think

I may be unhappy with the bike as it stands

Why?

They knew they were getting a de-tuned version, no pneumatic valves (hence lower rev limit) and no seamless box etc.

I agree with Kwaski's post in the most part, but note that it is only Hayden that is complaining. Perhaps we should consider that he is the one who's expectations of what this bike would be were just too high.

Top speed is not the ultimate measure of performance anyway, we have to ask why is it down on top speed?

Answers are complicated technically, but consider a lower corner speed due to non-factory suspension combined with lower revving engine and conventional box and you'll see that Honda has not ripped anyone off. The teams and (most of the) riders knew exactly what they were buying / getting.

And this comes from me, who has spent most of my time as a MGP fan berating Honda publicly for their forceful use of corporate sway in the MSMA to get the rules to go "to their advantage".

[mania]

Why?

They knew they were getting a de-tuned version,

Not sure but from reading that article the main point of contention seems to be

that they were told 0.3 sec diff during Honda's test between this & the RC213V

The reality has been 0.730 which is never going to be competitive

But of course this is normal as biggest $$$ always begets biggest

returns. Yamaha does seem to share something closer to their M1 with the open

guys. Not that it all matters at the end of the day but you could always see it

with Crutchlow & now Pol & recently Smith

Both fighting in a section of the pack well forward of the production Honda's

But that was also a complaint awhile back wasn't it? When Honda said they felt they followed the

spirit of the open rule & Yamaha did not.

So next year in a similar way to this year in Moto3 I think we will see Honda strike back

& make the production racers faster. But till then it is sad to see riders like Redding

say his main goal is to just beat Hayden or be the best of the 3 production Honda's.

Would rather he be mixing it up with the front 5

Edited May 22, 2014 by mania

[Overandout]

Why?

They knew they were getting a de-tuned version,

Not sure but from reading that article the main point of contention seems to be

that they were told 0.3 sec diff during Honda's test between this & the RC213V

The Motomatters article is very accurate when it says "reports of the bike lapping within 0.3 secs".

It was the press that reported that, but later it came out that the press had done what the press do, report sensationally...

The rider on the customer machine did indeed lap at 0.3 secs off the lap by the factory machine on one given day in testing.

When pressed on the matter HRC admitted that the rider that day on the customer bike was Casey Stoner, but that the rider testing the factory machine (who was only 0.3 secs faster) was an un-named HRC test rider.

The press reported it to sound like Casey had ridden both bikes and his lap times were only 0.3 secs apart, but that was not what Honda said or claimed.

We have no idea if the factory test rider on the factory bike was a competitive rider or not, but to expect that he was at Casey's level and for the lap times to be comparable is living in cloud cuckoo land!

[Overandout]

Also, while I'm on a ranting session!!!...

Does anyone else find it a bit rich that Hayden, who is most vocal in his criticism of the RCV1000, has not been the fastest rider on this machine in any of the 5 races this season so far?

I liked Hayden as a rider and was pleased when ho got a WC, but he needs to be careful to not turn into a whinger....

Edited May 22, 2014 by Overandout

[mania]

That is interesting info I had not heard about the testing Thanks

At the end of the day if I was lucky to be on a production racer with Honda I would

not worry too much.

Because while it of course can never be the RC at that price Honda

does not take being beaten at any level lightly & will surely provide

some boost next season.

They have the resources to do that better than anyone.

Also this was their first prod racer in the GP class so it is

not unreasonable

[Overandout]

I'm just hoping that Fox Sports Plus gets turned back on in time for next weekend!

[Kwasaki]

I think Scott is a bit peaved about the Honda too, so I think he will be happy to let Nicky to talk out.

[mania]

Hahah sorry to say it has been my biggest concern about this coup

Mugello this weekend!

please dont cut my internet stream

[Kwasaki]

Didn't bother anything for me with all the other ones so don't think a problem this time either but you can always catch up by downloading.

[Overandout]

Hahah sorry to say it has been my biggest concern about this coup

Mugello this weekend!

please dont cut my internet stream

Its next weekend mania.

Lets hope that by next Sunday we are still all in a position to have missing MGP as a prime worry!

[Overandout]

Didn't bother anything for me with all the other ones so don't think a problem this time either but you can always catch up by downloading.

I find that watching it live (or close to live) is much easier than trying to avoid knowing the result until geting your hands on a replay.

[mania]

Hahah thanks O&O dang for some reason I thought it was this weekend doh!!!

Like you I watch it live. Have had great luck this season with StopStream

But lately I watch a 2nd recording teh next day too as Moto3 has been worth a replay

Edited May 22, 2014 by mania

[soihok]

Back to Honda .......

A bit off that they spat out the dummy when they realised Ducati went from Factory to Open class as well as saw how well A. Espargaro was moving on the Tech 3 M1. So if the competition starts to get results they must face penalties

mmmmm....sour grapes and all that.

To give them some recognition, they have more or less kept Moto GP going as well as introducing Moto 2, but its not really cricket to do what they did as the season started.

I am intrigued to see how many poles/1st place podiums MM can run to - does Mick Doohan hold the record?

[mania]

Some Beautiful Tech pics & explanations

http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/05/23/motogp-racebike-technology-in-ten-photos-by-kevin-cameron/