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good he was a whining crybaby, no doubt will be bleating that he doesn't get enough respect in V8 bumper cars.The fastest has gone fishing
He wasn't the fastest last year, if he was he would of won the Championship 😉
[i]i still cant believe people write Rossi off.[/i]
Agree.
There was a comment (by Whitham in the BSB coverage on Eurosport earlier on Sunday) about the styles of riding. About how Alex Lowes's differed to that of Shakey's. Shakey was quite sit-up whereas Alex hung off the bike.
And if you watched the Rossi/Marquez dual you could see exactly what Whit was talking about, as Marquez hung off and Vale stayed sat up.
Rossi has been around that long I'm struggling to remember when he wasn't racing, and I'm old enough to have watched the Roberts/Sheene era.
Did Lorenzo not beat Stoner to the World Championship last year?
But Stoner did miss races because of a broken ankle, effectively handing the title to Lorenzo!
I aggree that Lorenzo is fast, but he has never had to battle toe to toe to win his two championships. Each title was one at the missfortune of others. No. 1 was won when Rossi crashed at Mugello and No. 2 was won when Stoner broke his ankle missing a few races and DP crashing out alot.
I know consistancy is the key but this year it will be nice to see how JL fairs when he has to really battle, not only with VR but also MM.
I think it was a complete master stroke by Stoner - Rossi has done the mind game thing with two amazing riders (Gibbers and Biaggi) and ruined both their careers. Stoner proved a point when Rossi went to Ducati and couldn't turn it round in the 80 seconds or whatever Burgess said. Stoner left at the right time, he went out on top after proving his point. A moaner he might have been (and I didn't particularly enjoy watching him ride) but IMO he was easily the fastest out there.
Lorenzo is quick, of that there is no doubt. But for entertainment purposes he lacks something, a bit like he's trying too hard. I'm putting my money on Marquez to carry on after Rossi. He's clearly got talent and he doesn't mind knocking folk about, which is always entertaining. Rossi is and always will be the greatest though - the man is a legend
And if you watched the Rossi/Marquez dual you could see exactly what Whit was talking about, as Marquez hung off and Vale stayed sat up.
Maybe this is why Rossi failed on the Ducati- his style is different to Stoner. Remember Rossi wasn't the only rider to fail with the Ducati.
Casey is the fastest rider i've ever seen in over 35 years of following bike racing. He's not the best racer (that title is Vale's, and probably remain so for a few years yet) but he (Stoner) was unbelievable to watch.
Euro - Member
Casey is the fastest rider i've ever seen in over 35 years of following bike racing. He's not the best racer (that title is Vale's, and probably remain so for a few years yet) but he (Stoner) was unbelievable to watch.
+1
I used to regard Hailwood as the greatest natural talent. Who else could manage to come back from such a long retirement and win such an important race straight off?
If Doohan had stayed in one piece, who knows what he would have finally achieved?
But Rossi has transcended the old racers. He has only one thing left to prove - that it was the Ducati that was crap, not him losing his touch. For a brief moment I thought Dovi was going to prove him wrong - another wasted rider.
Gardner was the bravest - I still reckon that wet GP he didn't win was one of the best GPs I've ever watched, crash after crash, he'd get up and regain his position.
Rossi will be running up front with Lorenzo, so now we'll see Lorenzo pushed to his limits, and that will be great racing.
Pedrosa is no slouch and now he's got a point to prove with Marquez so they'll be hammer and tongs.
Crutchlow is the dark horse, and I pleased to finally see a UK rider who can run with the leaders.
And Brad Smith? I enjoyed watching him backing his Moto2 bike into the corners last year. he's got a riding style that's perfect for the bigger bikes. I'm expecting him to punch well above the weight of the bike he's on.
Interesting 1st practice times @ Austin
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 2m 8.756s
2. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 2m 9.009s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 2m 10.356s
4. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (GP13) 2m 10.665s
5. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Team (GP13) 2m 10.801s
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Yamaha Factory Racing (YZR-M1) 2m 10.828s
7. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini (RC213V) 2m 10.910s
8. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 2m 11.232s
9. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP (RC213V) 2m 11.929s
10. Ben Spies USA Ignite Pramac Racing (GP13) 2m 12.813s
11. Yonny Hernandez COL Paul Bird Motorsport (ART CRT) 2m 13.058s
12. Claudio Corti ITA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 2m 13.321s
13. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1) 2m 13.339s
14. Colin Edwards USA NGM Forward Racing (FTR-Kawasaki CRT)* 2m 13.694s
15. Aleix Espargaro ESP Power Electronics Aspar (ART CRT) 2m 13.970s
Marquez likes Austin- i'll put a tenner on him winning it 😀
Hopefully with Rossi and J-Lo elbowing him for the victory
Watching on Eurosport now, good god Marquez is quick around Austin. Get your money on him now. Feel a bit sorry for Dani as I can't really see him beating Marc anywhere this year.
Marc is awesome to watch on a bike.. I think its going to be a good race for 2nd place on sunday as if Marc keeps this pace up he will be winning by quite some margin.
Only worry with Marquez is that he'll start crashing as he does seem to be giving the bike a proper thrashing. Most riders seem to have a season of crashing when they move up to the top class. Rossi did it, as did Lorenzo and Pedrosa.
Visiting friends and watching practice from Austin, what a top track.
Moto GP - Marquez fastest in 3 out of 4 sections. I cant see by him for the win tomorrow.
Moto 2 - Redding for the Win.
He really needs to move up next year. Even with the extra minimum weight rules this year he's two kilos down on all his competitors at the front.
Redding on pole 🙂
Marquez... *speechless*
Marquez was pretty special.
He's a bit quick isn't he! Cal is showing up demigod Rossi at the moment isn't he!
How do u figure that out Tom?
He's outqualified him on an inferior bike twice in a row.....hasn't he got reduced factory support for the first three races?
Cal is on last years bike it is a satellite team, he will only get the newest upgrades when the factory have superceded them. As I have said before qualifying is willy waving, Rossi second in Qatar Cal was 5th. You score points in races not quali.
Good to have a bi of banter though, Honda benefit today because of the "seamless gearbox"
I thought I was going to miss the "OMG how does he make the bike do that" spectacle that was Casey Stoner but Marquez is doing a good job of filling the void!
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Learning the hard way...
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Also of notable mention has to be Scott Redding with his first Moto2 pole - that was by some margin - 0.689
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Apparently the Dunlop tyres are unlikely to hold on to their grip much past the 5th lap so it should be interesting!
It's rare that Moto2 isn't interesting!
Here's hoping Redding can get tp the top pf the podium.
Scott did really well last time out, getting 2nd on a slower bike. Let's hope he can win it today.
Is the motogp on television today?
Looks like the moto2 & 3 are on red button, but I can't see the motogp listed 🙁
bbc3 coverage 7.30pm race 8.00pm
I can't stand the BBC commentary... Steve Parish annoys me so much I bought a year pass on motogp.com 😆
Marquez... *speechless*
Tenner on him to win the race- he currently owns Austin!
(Not owns AN Austin) 😆
Oh and Come on Scotty!!!!
Pigface - MemberCal is on last years bike it is a satellite team, he will only get the newest upgrades when the factory have superceded them. As I have said before qualifying is willy waving, Rossi second in Qatar Cal was 5th. You score points in races not quali.
Good to have a bi of banter though, Honda benefit today because of the "seamless gearbox"
Vale & Jorge have the 'seamless' gearbox on the Yam.
Which gives them the added drive out of the corners that Cal so obviously lacked in Qatar.
Cal and Brad don't & probably won't for quite some time.
See this weeks MCN for further details.
As I have said before qualifying is willy waving, Rossi second in Qatar Cal was 5th. You score points in races not quali.
Cal was obviously cornering at a very similar pace to th'aliens at Qatar.
His lack of acceleration off the corners was the sole reason he couldn't challenge for a better result.
Remember the Team KR triple strokers?
Fastest through every corner speedtrap in qualifying, when they weren't being held up by everyone else.
No good in a race though 😀
Moto 3 has been red flagged- Big crash by Jesper Iwema 😯
Moto3 rerun was a cracker!
Salom reckoned his tyre's shot,should be interesting for the 600's..
How is the rider that crashed? Looked nasty.
Alex Rins- that was a great ride, seeing as he thought he'd already won it! Maverick didn't half come back into it!
Jesper Iwema is ok by the way 😀
Not going to plan for Redding. Pretty average race thus far.
Fantastic last lap to end a not so great moto2 race.
Some serious bike skills amongst the Edwards dynasty! He's still my favourite rider. What a bloody nice bloke.
Someone tell Kallio its moto 2 not speedway ffs 😀
He is without a doubt one of the most likeable men on the planet.
Do all country's do the national anthem before a race? Can't say I have ever noticed it before.
Someone needs singing lessons.
Commentator keeps questioning Marquez's ability to keep racing to the end, when Pedrosa has many times shown to have questionable endurance.
Awful anthem wasn't it!
Cal is going well-I hope he has a tyre left at the end though. Smith just doesn't seem cut out for the big bikes.
Someone needs singing lessons.
God it was awful!
When's Marquez going to overtake? Last lap?
We definitely have a new alien.
Not the most interesting of races but still better than F1, god I wish I had the balls to ride a motorbike!
Excellent ride from Marquez. Are we agreed that Cal is showing Rossi up yet? 🙂
Sales of elbow sliders rocket 8)
Not the most interesting of races
Pretty dull, just the tension of seeing if Marquez could win his first race.
Yeah, Pedrosa has rarely fought for a win, should be more exciting on tracks when honda and yamaha are more evenly matched. It will defiantly turn the heat up with Marquez fighting at the front.
Pedrosa put up a good fight, surprised Lorenzo managed to keep so close to the Hondas too.
I think Rossi was having understeer problems and is still readjusting to the M1, He will be back near the top as soon as they are in Jerez.
Good ride from Crutchlow! I thought he was going to end up battling with Bradl more.
Ive just booked my flights for the Catalunya race 🙂
Tenner on him to win the race- he currently owns Austin!
I claim my tenner- easiest tenner ever to be honest! Never doubted the boy for a moment 😉
We definitely have a new [s]alien[/s] G.O.A.T
FTFY
Maybe it's a bit soon but hey 😀
He will be back near the top as soon as they are in Jerez.
Also Rossi is not usually known to excel at new tracks.
Cal did indeed show his steel- he wasn't even at the Austin test...
Are we agreed that Cal is showing Rossi up yet?
Nope 😉 😆
I'm a Rossi fan, but Cal did indeed show Rossi the way around the track.
Yes, I wouldn't expect a GOAT candidate to have problems learning new tracks.
Rossi still isn't comfortable with the front end, from what I can see. Hopefully he'll get that sorted soon as he's normally really good on the front, especially under braking.
Damn I would have like to have seen Stoner and the boy Marquez dice!
Cal is absolutely riding the wheels of that Yamaha, Honda showed them up as a second rate team really.
Let Marquez get a couple of big class championships under his belt before he's up for GOAT status.
I thought all 3 classes were pretty tame yesterday, certainly the least enjoyable racing in a while. Watching Redding head backwards was like his 125 days all over again, though with a better finish. Kalio's block pass was fantastic to watch, on the limit for so long I thought he'd drop it.
What was Danny Kent doing so far down the qually and race sheet?
Rossi lost a chunk of one of his brake discs, its on the 'motomatters' website in Yamaha's press release. Thats why he was having front end problems.
Great ride from Marquez though, I can see him winning this at his first attempt.
Cal is going great, it'd be awesome to see him on a factory bike.
I thought all 3 classes were pretty tame yesterday
I agree- for once F1 actually was better than bike racing 😯
Perez V's Button was class!
Rossi still isn't comfortable with the front end, from what I can see. Hopefully he'll get that sorted soon as he's normally really good on the front, especially under braking.
[url= http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/190179/1/austin_motogp_rossi_defensive_sixth_lost_part_of_a_disc.html ]Here's the official excuse[/url]
It certainly looked like he had braking problems....
Bradley Smith and Ben Spies getting done by a CRT bike 😯
Moto2
I was disappointed for Redding. Cooked his tyres early on and paid for it by having to chang to a defensive plan in the second half of the race. His weight is a real penalty when attacking. Needs to move up this year I recon. His team mate raced a blinder yesterday showed his experience and was unlucky on the last corner.
MotoGP
Both Hondas looked to be in good shape yesterday, suited their top speed. Marquez is exciting to watch and could easily be in contention for the title.
it was Jasper Iwema who had the big crash in Moto3 that brought the red flag out. He was knocked unconscious but was otherwise unscathed in the crash. He reckons he has concussion, but how the medics could tell I don't know, as he never talks sense!
Scott knew his tyres were only going to last five or six laps, so pushed from the start to see what would happen. He knew that even once they'd gone he'd still have enough for a top six finish, so it wasn't such a big risk. Unfortunately, the tyre also span on the rim, which caused quite a bit of chatter.
The problem with the tyre was so bad that when they cut the rear open after the race, there was only 2mm of rubber left on the radial banding!
Fifth was enough to give Redding the championship lead after Polyccio crashed out, but he won't have been happy about being beaten by his teammate, who rode a great race apart from the last corner.
Marquez was phenomenal and Cal rode a great race to fourth. Bradl reckoned he was happy with fifth, which is surprising given he's on a near full-factory bike and got beaten by a Satellite Yamaha.
Smith and Spies wouldn't have been happy being beaten by a CRT bike, but at least the Austin circuit is long enough that they'd have had plenty of time to think up excuses on the slow down lap!
Bradley Smith and Ben Spies getting done by a CRT bike
Smith is a bit more understandable than Spies, though not great for either. In fairness Espagaro (A) is a class rider. He's in danger of being a perennial CRT rider though. He needs a factory ride.
Lots of talk about Redding and Espagaro (P) moving up to GP in 14 but you'd wonder where they would end up (Assuming MVDS doesn't move up for Scott).
The problem with the tyre was so bad that when they cut the rear open after the race, there was only 2mm of rubber left on the radial banding!
The quick shot of the top 3 rears after the race showed they didn't look bad at all. Terol's looked the worst. During the race, I started having flashbacks to Terol's championship year and how boring Moto 2 will be if he just rides away from the pack.
Really pleased for cal and will cheer in the Brits in the partisan fashion that we all should but does anyone else think he's in danger of sounding a bit too much like a certain retired MGP rider/Aussie bumper car driver?
I don't think Terol is going to be able to ride away from the pack this season, although he will be a championship contender.
The Suter suited COTA, because it doesn't use the rear tyre like the Kalex (the downside being it doesn't offer the same level of rear grip, either). The Kalex is still the bike to be on and Terol will need to work hard when the championship returns to Europe, starting in Jerez next weekend, if he's ;to keep the Suter in front.
Although the crashed out in Texas there's more danger of Pol Espargaro making the championship boring by riding away at the front than Nico TeroI I think.
Where does everyone think Cruchlow would be on a factory Honda?
[url= http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/190316/1/valentino_rossi_tests_nascar.html ]what a 7 times world champion does on his day off[/url] - he just can't help himself! 😀
Nice to see the #74 being carried on Marquez's bike
Cor blimey- a crashfest for Jerez qualifying. Two very second hand Yamahas.
What a steelie ride by Cal Crutchlow, in the gravel twice and still up to speed for a 4th place start. Good lad 😀
I would't be surprised to see a Yamaha 123 today, it's going to be a great race.
Season starts proper now.
M1llh0use - Member
Really pleased for cal and will cheer in the Brits in the partisan fashion that we all should but does anyone else think he's in danger of sounding a bit too much like a certain retired MGP rider/Aussie bumper car driver?
What? tells it how he sees it rather than utter preprocessed anodyne spin?
I prefer it.
Naughty naughty Marc 😆
oh well ... ha ha. Lorenzo knows he is in a race now. remember Simoncelli giving him grief....he shoulkd suck it up and get on with it. Hard move but leaving a marker out there for season. We know what he is like
Marquez doesnt give a toss does he!....haha, shades of a young Rossi.
didnt seem too bothered when interviewed....... ha ha.
bahahahaha that was excellent. Marquez was committed to getting past him on that last lap and he did. Poor Lorenzo's sensibilities have been hurt, but what's he going to do? Marquez will greatly enjoy any aggressive riding around him and it is not Jorges style so would throw him off his game.
I love this kid 😀 😆
[i]Naughty naughty Marc [/i]
Eh? George left the door open - he should've known better when there's a 20 y/o behind him at the last corner.
Behave Marquez went in way to hot, as he did a couple of corners earlier. I wonder what the fall out will be, makes for a very exciting season.
Marc's move was a difficult one. Yes I can see he left the door open but Marc was way too far back to make the move. Anyone could have done what he did and let the brakes off and bumped Lorenzo wide. It would have been fair if he got past without pushing Lorenzo wide and stopping him cutting back on the inside.
Not a good move imo-fantastic to see him having a go, but there was no way that he was stopping the bike without hitting JLo.
It was pure Moto 2- he's been doing that for a couple of years now, last person he shoved off was Pol Espargaro. "On the last lap i give it 110%" 😆
Those 3 Spaniards are in another class, Cal and Valentino had no answer to their raw speed. Cal can blame the bike at least, Rossi has to up his game.