MotoGP

 So Stoner gives Ducati another win. Great. Biggest 800 news in Pedrosa
crashing out and somewhat doubtful for his home race in 2 weeks.

Let's talk about Bradley Smith, who seems to finally be coming into
his own. He had a somewhat disappointing entry into 125 after the
early promise he had shown, but now he is fighting with a lot of grit
and truly showing his colors in what may well be -despite the usual
outcry- the most entertaining class around in motorcycling these days.
Best race of the day. I hope Smith brings this game to MotoGP in a few
years, and I think there are a couple of awesome riders coming up
through the ranks, and that 4 years down the line very few of the
riders that have been mainstays in MotoGP will still be around.

 
Compared with all the others he reminds me of Pedrosa and Stoner. Very,
very fast on his own but confused by traffic. Scott Redding is almost
the complete opposite. He hasn't yet got the outright speed or at least
his team/bike hasn't, but his ability to fight and take unconventional
lines and get away with it, is a fun to watch.


250s were fun to watch as well, so was WSS at Miller, and BSS at
Thruxton. The MotoGP, WSB, BSB all had their moments but really were
technically interesting rather than edge of seat stuff.

--
Julian Bond  E&MSN: julian_bond at voidstar.com  M: +44 (0)77 5907 2173
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                            10 Items Or Less

 
"Julian Bond" wrote

Isn't that the nature of the beast, though? Racing at the highest level on
the fastest bikes is always more of a technical matter, it's rarely the
multi-bike chaos that you see in support classes where the bikes are slower
and simpler, and the riders as well. The WSS race was certainly a close one,
but I didn't find it massively compelling (in fact I made a run to my car
during the race), although part of that is probably due to not knowing the
riders and teams as well as in SB. But even with four guys at the front
there wasn't all that much passing. And the ending left me wanting as well,
although I was pulling for Sofluoglu to win it - that pass was a ridiculous
hail mary, sort of in the Rossi-on-Gibernau or Capirossi-on-Harada school,
there was no legitimate passing opportunity there at all. So Laverty got
screwed, and it's really the kind of thing that I think should result in a
minor penalty, he was just a sitting duck there.

 Mark N wrote:

I have to disagree on that, Laverty left a little room, and Keenan stuffed it
in, but it was nowhere near the crap the Rossi pulled. there was Contact when
Laverty tipped in, but Keenan held hsi line and would have made that corner
fine without the contact, in Rossi's case there was no way he could hold his line
through the turn and it was the richochet off Gibernau that got him around.



Bruce

 Bruce Hartweg wrote:

line

I don't agree with that - I was sitting in the stands right in front
of that corner, where I've sat for quite a number of races since they
started coming to Miller several years ago, and I have seen a number
of passing attempts in that corner, few successful. It's not a very
good passing spot because there's a left-hand kink on the straight
going into the corner, guys turn in at fairly decent speed and trail
braking, so getting up the inside sufficiently to claim the track
isn't easy at all. Down the straight I assumed Laverty had it won
because Kenan simply wasn't close enough, but then I saw him lay off
the brakes and just go for it, and I assumed he'd blow right by
Laverty and probably go right off the track onto the paved runoff
there, likely losing 2nd in the process. But instead he ran right into
Laverty, who got knocked off his line and nearly off the track, and
that contact was the only reason Sofuoglu was able to get it stopped
and turned, using him as a berm. It was clearly a desperation move and
something that shouldn't be allowed to go unpenalized, because it just
encourages that sort of thing, in my opinion. Not a DQ, but at least
something like a five-second penalty imposed, enough to take the win
away.

Laverty handled it pretty well in the post-race Q&A in front of the
fans, but I'm sure he hadn't seen footage of it yet, and had had some
time to cool off as well. Who knows if anything else will come of
it.