Who said MotoGP isn't exciting?

[Tassie Devil]

The hills are alive with the sound of conspiracy....

http://www.powerslide.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=14144&st=0
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/170493/1/rossi_to_race_gp12-inspired_ducati_gp111_at_assen.html

Show time Gents...

Rossi is going to blast back into contention with a 2012 frame and a new clutch.... or not...

I'm all pigged out on pop-corn just reading the correspondence. Assen this week-end my friends.... Hope you have your video passes ....

This sure beats local politics..
Cheers,

JQ.

[DarthRider]

Who said MotoGP isn't exciting?

John Quincy, I think that may have been me. Matter of fact I'm sure it was!
But I never said MotoGP isn't exciting, only much/some of the racing. I have to (gleefully) admit, this year has been better, for the most part.
Quite the bold move, to bring a theoretical motorcycle into the fray at this point, I really hope it works well and soon. No shot at the championship for sure, but I also believe racing is very much more than championships.
Also I think The Doctor may need this season's humility lesson to re-set his reality meter. Even Colin Edwards said the other day that he thinks it's time for Rossi to adapt to the motorcycle like everyone else, rather than the other way around. I guess he hadn't heard about V11.1.
In any event, the drama level has been ratcheted up in M-GP and the season may get even better!
Kudos to Ducati for "taking lemons & making lemonade". "This season is in the crapper, let's start working on our 2012 title bid!"
I hope there is some benefit for Nicky in all this.

[vintagemxr]

I'll bet Stoner is laughing his butt off over Rossi's travails with a bike Stoner won on.

the other Doug

[DarthRider]

I'll bet Stoner is laughing his butt off over Rossi's travails with a bike Stoner won on.

the other Doug
You know it!
But by now I bet Casey wouldn't recognize it.

[Sir Limpsalot]

Back at the start of the year Rossi said "I've given Ducati clear and concise instructions about what needs to be done for the second part of the season".
The V11.1 is simply arriving bang on schedule.

Having a bike that only one rider can win on is plainly stupid - witness what happened when Stoner went off sick.

By the time Rossi has finished, it will be a bike anyone can ride and (hopefully) win on. Well, anyone except Colin..

My own view, which is worth nothing at all, is that untill Ducati swallow their pride and rotate their trademark "L" four back a few degrees - so the front cylinder head and front wheel are no longer fighting for the same space - they'll get nowhere. "V" fours rule!

Si.

[Tassie Devil]

Has anyone seen what the new 1000 looks like?

The Ducati "L" has always laid back a little in street bikes. Laying it back a little more makes sense.

Today is Thursday .... nice weekend coming up.

Cheers,

JQ.

[DarthRider]

Has anyone seen what the new 1000 looks like?


No, Vale is not finished with it yet...:)

[Sir Limpsalot]

JQ, the only pics I've seen of the new 1000 - the GP12 - (if only!) are the action pics of Vale and Nicky which, obviously, had fairings fitted. Rotating the engine back would let them run a shorter wheelbase and/or a longer swinging arm. Of course if a dumb arse wanker like me knows that, then you can bet that their designers do too.. :)

This is what Vale said..

“We struggled at the start of the season and the results were not good enough. I pressured Filippo (Preziosi) for new changes, especially for the back of the bike, and with an eye on the Mugello race. From this he got an idea: we already have a new bike - why not try it with the 800cc engine? After the Mugello test, he asked what I thought about the proposition. I thought there might be risks, but I immediately agreed with him, especially since the GP12 feels more like my bike, while GP11 was a bike made by others. With this move I think we’ll be more competitive while at the same time moving forward for next year.”

“Personally, I don’t see it as a last resort; we’ve reduced development time and I've seen in testing I can be faster. Now the question is to see how it goes with the 800cc engine. We don’t know whether we can beat the Honda, but I'm sure we've taken some steps forward.”

Race weekend, remember boys it's Assen so race day is Saturday.

Si.

[vintagemxr]

I think lots of people were hoping Rossi would work an immediate miracle with the GP11, but realistically, 2011 was likely to be a development season in prelude to 2012 and that seems to be how it's playing out. I keep thinking back to the old Yamaha boss's comment (forgot his name) that the carbon fiber chassis has some inherent problems in being too rigid when heeled over.

the other Doug

[Sir Limpsalot]

Indeed, Doug. Certainly Casey's results became more eratic from the introduction of the carbon fibre chassis. It seems to work quite well on some tracks and very poorly on others. You often see that sort of thing, instead of admitting they made a mistake in trying something new that didn't work, designers just keep digging a bigger hole..

[vintagemxr]

Interesting interview with Colin Edwards over on the Indy MotoGP (http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/redbullindianapolisgp/news/show/43492-a-conversation-with-colin-edwards/) site. Seems he had some 'splainin' to do to Mrs. Edwards about certain comments he made regarding someone's girlfriend. :twak:
In between the usual Edwards rambling is some good technical insight too.

the other Doug

[Boxerboy]

Another interview with Colin Edwards. He is an Ozzie y'know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqTMPwjqR8

[DarthRider]

Another interview with Colin Edwards. He is an Ozzie y'know!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqTMPwjqR8
I'm telling you Steve, there are more similarities than differences in Ozzies & Texans!