Posted by Mark N on April 8, 2006, 9:46 am
A few quick impressions on the race:
Rossi - up. Needed the win in the worst way, and he got it done. Not a
runaway, but maybe the bike/tire issues just wouldn't allow it. But he
did what he needed to do, and probably the only disappointment was that
the kids didn't finish between him and his real challengers. But the
bike-kissing act is getting a bit old...
Hayden - up. A fighting 2nd, still putting points on the board despite
his bike problems (I liked Pete Benson's comment when his interviewer
asked him about Nick's chances late in the race with Rossi's chatter
problems - "Well, we all have our problems"), and now six straight
podiums. Pretty close to having to say Nick's fully established himself
as among the elite of the elite now (even if Julian says he can't pass).
They get that bike fully straightened out and start squeezing out some
of its potential, and he could get very tough to beat.
Capirossi - up. A very big podium for him, although the question was
more the tires than the rider or bike. Still leads in points, and the
first two races point toward Loris being in the fight all year.
Gibernau - even. Hey, he finished, and hung close all the way. But he
didn't make any noise this weekend and was consistently slower than his
teammate, if only marginally.
Stoner - way up. No win, no podium, but he hung in there all the way and
a fighting 5th is damned good for him at this point. A huge weekend that
tailed off just a bit at the end. He needed to clear off to get this
win, as he wasn't likely to come out on top in a last laps fight with
these guys. Couldn't make that happen, though.
Pedrosa - even. Not quite like Jerez, but a solid job and a good finish
after a poor start. He really got all the points that were available
after that, with the top five clearing off. And it's clear that he's
still the commercial darling for Dorna, with the camera regularly
switching to Dani and Marco during the final laps and the fight for the
win...
Melandri - down. No solution to his problems this weekend, but he got
his usual great start and then hung for a decent handful of points. He's
fighting, but losing ground all the time. Another race or two like this
and he's pretty much toast. But Istanbul has fond memories...
Elias - even. A solid race after a good qualifying run, maybe dragged
down by his condition a bit today. He's establishing himself among the
faster guys right now, so he mostly just needs to keep himself in that
company for now.
Edwards - way down. Given his qualifying position and his usual starting
problems, he wasn't in bad shape early on. But then he faded instead of
coming on, and finished 23 seconds behind his teammate, a full second a
lap. And at what has been one of his very best tracks. Pretty much a
disaster for Colin, and not an encouraging sign.
Roberts - even. Another top ten, after making noises on Friday. A bad
start, it appears, and he worked his way through some after that. But
still more than 30 seconds off the winning time, so they have real work
to do yet.
Tamada - way, way down. 14th and a minute ten back. Time to make better
use of that bike - give him a ticket home and give Max a call...
Suzuki - way down. Both bikes blow, after problems all weekend. Yamaha
may use Valentino kissing their bike in their ads, but I'm guessing
Hopper's trackside display will stay in the vault...
Bridgestone - up. Another hurdle cleared, and I think we can say they
will help keep Ducati in the fight all the way (even though they can't
possibly help Suzuki ansd Kawasaki enough). This was another big one for
them.
The venue - even. Still a truly absurd round, but maybe I'm just getting
used to it. No real disasters this weekend - bikes weren't melting, no
camels loose on the track, war didn't break out, no prayer call stoppage
during the race. I do think it would be a topper if they ran it at night
though, the coup de grace on a race which disconnects racing from its
roots in every other way...
Posted by T3 on April 8, 2006, 10:40 am
Mark N wrote:
> A few quick impressions on the race:
>
> Rossi - up. Needed the win in the worst way, and he got it done. Not a
> runaway, but maybe the bike/tire issues just wouldn't allow it. But he
> did what he needed to do, and probably the only disappointment was that
> the kids didn't finish between him and his real challengers. But the
> bike-kissing act is getting a bit old...
Yeah, he needs some new material...
>
> Hayden - up. A fighting 2nd, still putting points on the board despite
> his bike problems (I liked Pete Benson's comment when his interviewer
> asked him about Nick's chances late in the race with Rossi's chatter
> problems - "Well, we all have our problems"), and now six straight
> podiums. Pretty close to having to say Nick's fully established himself
> as among the elite of the elite now (even if Julian says he can't pass).
> They get that bike fully straightened out and start squeezing out some
> of its potential, and he could get very tough to beat.
He passes everybody except Vale...
>
> Capirossi - up. A very big podium for him, although the question was
> more the tires than the rider or bike. Still leads in points, and the
> first two races point toward Loris being in the fight all year.
The Duc's are real and so are the 'Stones...
>
> Gibernau - even. Hey, he finished, and hung close all the way. But he
> didn't make any noise this weekend and was consistently slower than his
> teammate, if only marginally.
A solid performance, much better than the last few...
>
> Stoner - way up. No win, no podium, but he hung in there all the way and
> a fighting 5th is damned good for him at this point. A huge weekend that
> tailed off just a bit at the end. He needed to clear off to get this
> win, as he wasn't likely to come out on top in a last laps fight with
> these guys. Couldn't make that happen, though.
Waaay cool...
>
> Pedrosa - even. Not quite like Jerez, but a solid job and a good finish
> after a poor start. He really got all the points that were available
> after that, with the top five clearing off. And it's clear that he's
> still the commercial darling for Dorna, with the camera regularly
> switching to Dani and Marco during the final laps and the fight for the
> win...
Haven't seen how he held up in the heat yet...
>
> Melandri - down. No solution to his problems this weekend, but he got
> his usual great start and then hung for a decent handful of points. He's
> fighting, but losing ground all the time. Another race or two like this
> and he's pretty much toast. But Istanbul has fond memories...
Was last year just a flash in the pan?
>
> Elias - even. A solid race after a good qualifying run, maybe dragged
> down by his condition a bit today. He's establishing himself among the
> faster guys right now, so he mostly just needs to keep himself in that
> company for now.
So, so...
>
> Edwards - way down. Given his qualifying position and his usual starting
> problems, he wasn't in bad shape early on. But then he faded instead of
> coming on, and finished 23 seconds behind his teammate, a full second a
> lap. And at what has been one of his very best tracks. Pretty much a
> disaster for Colin, and not an encouraging sign.
He's lookin' more done all the time, it might be getting close to fork
time...
>
> Roberts - even. Another top ten, after making noises on Friday. A bad
> start, it appears, and he worked his way through some after that. But
> still more than 30 seconds off the winning time, so they have real work
> to do yet.
And speaking of being done, he's well...
>
> Tamada - way, way down. 14th and a minute ten back. Time to make better
> use of that bike - give him a ticket home and give Max a call...
I'd bet that won't happen...
>
> Suzuki - way down. Both bikes blow, after problems all weekend. Yamaha
> may use Valentino kissing their bike in their ads, but I'm guessing
> Hopper's trackside display will stay in the vault...
Those guy's are as twitchy as a parking lot attendant in Baghdad...
>
> Bridgestone - up. Another hurdle cleared, and I think we can say they
> will help keep Ducati in the fight all the way (even though they can't
> possibly help Suzuki ansd Kawasaki enough). This was another big one for
> them.
Absolutely...
>
> The venue - even. Still a truly absurd round, but maybe I'm just getting
> used to it. No real disasters this weekend - bikes weren't melting, no
> camels loose on the track, war didn't break out, no prayer call stoppage
> during the race. I do think it would be a topper if they ran it at night
> though, the coup de grace on a race which disconnects racing from its
> roots in every other way...
Night would be good...
Posted by Julian Bond on April 8, 2006, 12:50 pm
>Hayden - up. A fighting 2nd, still putting points on the board despite
>his bike problems (I liked Pete Benson's comment when his interviewer
>asked him about Nick's chances late in the race with Rossi's chatter
>problems - "Well, we all have our problems"), and now six straight
>podiums. Pretty close to having to say Nick's fully established himself
>as among the elite of the elite now (even if Julian says he can't pass).
Hats off to Hayden for giving Rossi a hard time and not letting him
through that easy. And for passing him as well. That's what we want to
see.
--
Julian Bond E&MSN: julian_bond at voidstar.com M: +44 (0)77 5907 2173
Webmaster: http://www.ecademy.com/ T: +44 (0)192 0412 433
Personal WebLog: http://www.voidstar.com/ skype:julian.bond?chat
*** Just Say No To DRM ***
Posted by sweller on April 8, 2006, 12:47 pm
Julian Bond wrote:
> Hats off to Hayden for giving Rossi a hard time and not letting him
> through that easy. And for passing him as well. That's what we want to
> see.
It was an exciting last few laps. Shame Hayden got raggerdy and lost
ground on the last lap.
Stoner seemed to be holding his own then got a bit raggerdy himself.
bike, tyres or impatience/inexperience?
--
Simon
Posted by PaulB on April 8, 2006, 3:29 pm
sweller wrote:
> Julian Bond wrote:
>
>
>>Hats off to Hayden for giving Rossi a hard time and not letting him
>>through that easy. And for passing him as well. That's what we want to
>>see.
>
>
> It was an exciting last few laps. Shame Hayden got raggerdy and lost
> ground on the last lap.
>
> Stoner seemed to be holding his own then got a bit raggerdy himself.
> bike, tyres or impatience/inexperience?
>
Stoner was great considering thats his 2nd ride in the class, he had the
flu too and seems to still be in the final recovery stages of a shoulder
operation so all things considered he's amazing. He never seemed to
give in either, each time he was passed he tried to keep up, once the
team and him get to grips with the bike and pacing a race he may well
win races in his debut season and even finish well up in the championship.
Paul
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>
> Rossi - up. Needed the win in the worst way, and he got it done. Not a
> runaway, but maybe the bike/tire issues just wouldn't allow it. But he
> did what he needed to do, and probably the only disappointment was that
> the kids didn't finish between him and his real challengers. But the
> bike-kissing act is getting a bit old...