A place for all things Moto GP related.
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Watch it. Makes F1 look like a kiddie car race.
HJ
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Absolutely! Far more entertaining.
Be interesting to see if any of them run out of fuel under the new rules.
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Don't tell me you guys and gals missed it. Four overtakes on the last lap. Race decided at the final corner. Rossi and Gibernau don't like each other. And they battle again at Estoril next weekend. Forget everything else. Stuff mother-in-law's lunch. Cancel the christening. Dump the girlfriend/boyfriend. WATCH IT.
HJ
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"Don't tell me you guys and gals missed it."
I didn't, but it was too exciting to write about for some time! I thought John Inverdale's comment "if only F1 could be like that" summed it up nicely.
All the commentators seemed to be taking care not to apportion any blame for the bump on the last corner, but it seemed to me that Gibernau was the author of his own misfortune, trying to cut into the space that Rossi was already occupying. Amazed he didn't take them both out...
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Brilliant last lap, Gibernau must be sick!
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If that was F1, there would be several legal challenges, DNA analysis, drug tests, pretentious post race yap yap and loads of people who never actually saw it, talking about it in their local pub whilst wearing Ferrari jackets.
I just happened to be flicking through the channels when I stumbled across it about 5 laps before the end.
It was fantastic!
Just a thought... has there ever been "mixed" racing with cars and bikes. Now that would be good.
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fantastic race watched on eurosport 125 race also very good 250 race a bit of a procession hope it keeps like this for all the races.
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Great race, though it really annoys me as to how Parish and Watts cannot bring themselves to acknowledge that Yamaha have a bike as good or better than the Honda. It seems that since the beginning of last season if Rossi wins it is because he is the best, if a Honda rider wins it is because he is on a Honda, rather takes the edge off the PR benefits that Yamaha should gain from winning, in the UK at least, if I was Yamaha's PR man I would be writing to the BBC this PM.
Incidentally I have no axe to grind, I have a Kawasaki (ZX7R 750 superbike), two Yamaha (av and hifi amplifiers) and a Honda (lawnmower) all great machines!
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That was certainly a great race - all the more watchable without effing adverts every few minutes!
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Much of last years races were similar. Don't mention it to Bernie but they overtake on bikes. Glad to see it's being taken up by mainstream TV - all they need are some decent commentators. Sorry, I'm a Eurosport fan, even if they have adverts.
Martin
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If the Yamaha were a better bike than the Honda surely there'd be other regular Yamaha podium finishers other than Rossi?! I thought that was the whole point about how great a rider Rossi is and how much better MotoGP is than F1 in that a good (or great) rider can make the difference on inferior machinery..
Agreed though it's hardly the best advert for purchasing a Yamaha over a Honda!
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PhiL
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Oops forgot to mention my agreement - AWESOME final lap! :o)
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PhiL
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If the Yamaha were a better bike than the Honda surely there'd be other regular Yamaha podium finishers other than Rossi?!
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There were other Yamahas on the podium last year, even though there were less than half as many Yamahas on the grid Yamaha won the manufacturers title as well as Rossi winning the riders title!
I thought that was the whole point about how great a rider Rossi is and how much better MotoGP is than F1 in that a good (or great) rider can make the difference on inferior machinery..
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Yes to some degree though Rossi would not have won 9 races last year if his bike had been truly inferior however good he is. And Yamaha would not have won the manufacturers title with an inferior bike because this was not just down to Rossi.
Hence my issue with the line that Parrish and Watts seem to persist in taking re Honda "superiority".
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That last lap has to be the most exciting racing I have seen in a long time.
The look Gibernau gave Rossi in the pits afterwards would have curdled milk.
He didn't want to talk about the last lap to the ITV pit reporter either - very sour grapes?
I did think that Rossi was playing cat and mouse with him and had enough in hand to win quite comfortably if he had not made that mistake on the last lap to let the Spaniard through .
Rossis tactical awareness and bravery was awesome - there was just no way he was going to lose.Thats why he is world champion
But this is proper racing - not the circus that is F1.
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I missed it,
but I didn't miss the Touring cars shown later. Equally good racing, with loads of mirror and door handle kissing going on.
And it was the Astra sport's debute, both on track and on the road yesterday.
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I saw a bit of it, exciting enough but Jason Platos whingeing and blocking tactics were enough to send me off to clean the car.
I do fancy one of them Integra Type R's though....
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Is it me or was the BTCC grid looking a little sparse this year?! Only 12 cars competing, and six of them belong to two manufacturers teams (VX Racing and Seat)!
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PhiL
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Those of you with EuroSport can watch it as it happens. The rest of us will have to wait until the BBC2 delayed coverage at 17.10 on Sunday. Fingers crossed there should be some real excitement. Paticularly if it rains at Estoril because Sete Gibernau is tipped to be better in the wet than Valentino Rossi. Please, Eurosport subcribers, no discussion until the rest of us have had a chance to watch it.
HJ
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"Please, Eurosport subcribers, no discussion until the rest of us have had a chance to watch it."
Also avoid all news reports including teletext, because someone's bound to mention it.
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I think even Eurosport is showing a recording of the race as it is live at the Amstel Gold cycle race.
I can live with that, but I am p'd off with the beeb for giving priority to the It's A Knockout style event where people run 26 miles dressed as chickens.
I would echo HJ's comments, please don't give away the result. I am going to ask SWMBO to hide the remote control from me and not to give it back even if I beg, incase I can't resist teletexting.
My tip, watch out for Biaggi. He was suffering after a Supermoto crash last week and didn't do himself justice. Honda have given him a full works bike this year and his career is under threat if he doesn't deliver.
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Dunno about the free analog Eurosport, but the $ky one is live (or I will complain bitterly!)
10:00 Live MOTORCYCLING Masters of Endurance Le Mans 24 Hours France
10:45 Live MOTORCYCLING Grand Prix Portugal Warm-Up
11:15 Live MOTORCYCLING Grand Prix Portugal Introduction
12:00 Live MOTORCYCLING Grand Prix Portugal 250cc Race
13:30 Live MOTORCYCLING Grand Prix Portugal Moto GP Race
15:15 Live MOTORCYCLING Grand Prix Portugal 125cc Race
Video set just in case as well.
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"I can live with that, but I am p'd off with the beeb for giving priority to the It's A Knockout style event where people run 26 miles dressed as chickens."
At least It's a Knockout had some entertainment value.
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Not as excting as last week, as I said then the Parrish/Watts Honda bias is really annoying, today Troy Bayliss dropped his Honda into the gravel, got the marshalls to push him, what did the commentator say? "very easy to start those Hondas". Come on give Yamaha (and Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki) their due.
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Wonder what freebie bikes they ride home on? ;o)
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PhiL
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Pleased that Parrish and Cox finally gave Yamaha their due praise today! Also a good race.
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Racing at it's best. Pit lane gossip say's Rossi will be in Formula 1 in 2007, possibly taking over from Schumaker at Ferrari. It would be seen as the ideal move by both parties, a top Italian name in an Italian car.
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And with Le Mans 24h car race in mind (June), Aston came 1 & 2 in the FIA GT today at Silverstone. That's 2 wins from two outings. Let's hope Le Mans in June is the third.
tinyurl.com/detrl
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Aside from Mike Hawthorn, I can't think of any bikers who have successfully transferred to racing??
It doesn;t seem a particularly logical move to me.
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That money talks I cannot deny
I so often hear it say goodbye
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Just compare the entertainment value of this weekend's Le Mans Moto GP with last weekend's Spanish GP. Okay, maybe the Shanghai Moto GP wasn't quite as good as the Imola GP, but bikes still leave cars standing for edge of the seat excitement. And especially when you have a real battle between two giants. Rossi rates Gibernau. See that bike to bike handshake.
HJ
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John Surtees was world champion on bikes and F1. For Hawthorn read Hailwood, who also transferred to F1, though he never threatened to win the championship.
Rossi has nothing left to prove on bikes, he has shown that he can win without the Honda empire behind him and still being young a fresh challenge would be entirely logical. You don't get to be that good without having a burning ambition in your make up.
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Bikers to cars, add Johnny Cecotto (spelling?) and Aaron Slight.
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Bikes were good - but Suzy is exceptional!
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Tom Shaw said,
"Pit lane gossip say's Rossi will be in Formula 1 in 2007, possibly taking over from Schumaker at Ferrari. It would be seen as the ideal move by both parties, a top Italian name in an Italian car."
While not deriding Rossi's skills, F1 is a completely different sport. Not only that Ferrari have been dragged to the top of the heap by the sheer will of Herr Schumacher ( I am not a fan by the way). Would an F1 rookie such as Rossi be able to keep them there? I would expect a decline once Schumacher goes, although it is early days, the seeds of that decline are plain to see. Renault, McLaren and possibly BAR are all capable of seeing off Ferrari, would not Rossi prefer one of the latter three?
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Another good race from Catalunya ..., Catalanua ..., er that place in Spain.
Yet another win for Rossi/Yamaha though Parrish and Watts are back to there talking up Honda ways, harping on about how the Honda's have more power, the "Honda lane" on the straight etc. At one point just as a comment was made about Honda wonga on the straight the screen flashed up the top speeds and Rossi's Yam was 1.4k's faster than the Honda's around him, even when he repassed Gibernau at the end of the straight with a few laps to go there was no comment from P & W about the Yamaha's speed.
I have no axe to grind, I ride a Kawasaki and am certainly not anti Honda, I just find what appears to be Honda bias very annoying, as must Yamaha who's PR and marketing benefits from winning Moto GP races reduce with every such comment from the commentators!
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You'd find the same "bias" if you watched on Eurosport, cheddar. The fact is that the Honda is a better bike, the V5 accelerates faster than the four cylinder Yamaha and has a higher top speed as shown at one stage when Rossi was having trouble holding Gibernau's slipstream. Rossi has to rely on passing on the brakes for his overtakes.
We can be thankful for that, as the races would be no contest if Rossi had stayed with Honda. He is so far ahead of the rest in terns of ability that on equal machines he would walk it every time.
Great race, though. And the Canadian GP was good viewing too, pity about JB's encounter with the wall.
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The fact is that the Honda is a better bike, the V5 accelerates faster than the four cylinder Yamaha and has a higher top speed as shown at one stage when Rossi was having trouble holding Gibernau's slipstream. Rossi has to rely on passing on the brakes for his overtakes.
Now you are starting to believe the nonsence spoken by these guys, it is complete rubbish to say that that the Honda is a better bike, the Yamaha is more nimble, accelerates harder out of corners, is a match for the Honda's top speed, if fact Rossi was a k or two up on Gibernau in Spain (only the Ducatis are faster), and it is not just Rossi that is making the difference, look at Edwards competitive 3rd place at Mugello.
Also if you have the race recorded have a look at how easily Rossi pulls up on Gibernau before his last overtaking move.
It has been said that Rossi won the championship for Yamaha last year, yes he is certainly the best though the bike had to be good as well, also everyone seens to forget that Yamaha also won the manufactuers title, that was clearly not all down to Rossi.
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We'll have to agree to differ then, cheddar!
One thing I didn't quite catch on the commentary, who is supposed to be developing a six cylinder engine that should debut this season?
Or did I mishear?
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One thing I didn't quite catch on the commentary, who is supposed to be developing a six cylinder engine that should debut this season? Or did I mishear?
I think it is WCM, not sure about this season, sounds to ambitious for a small team.
Have you heard about the regs changes, 800cc from 2007, bigger budget teams will make higher revving engines that are just as powerful though harder to ride, though it will be tough for the small teams.
Would be intersting if F1 and MotoGP could share technology (though it would play into the hands of Honda and perhaps Ducati/Ferrari), F1 are due to go to 2400cc V8 engines, if they were allowed to develop V12's a V4 800cc MotoGP motor could be based on the same architecture perhaps reducing costs.
Did you see any of the IoM TT coverage, the winner of the Senior TT averaged nearly 125mph with a fastest lap of over 127!
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I thought I'd heard it as Blata/WCM going for the 6 cylinder.
Can you imagine the howl of a V6 at 21000 rpm as suspected when they drop to 800cc !
Earlier F1 involvement in motogp was a bit dismal - couldn't get the weight down (was it last year? or year before?).
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