2007 MGP

Only 2 months and we are all go! Can't wait. Honda certainly have
compacted their bike this season, great for Pedrosa but how Hayden etc
will squeeze in to the bike remains to be seen.

I'm surprised some teams are using the same (well revised) frames as
the 990's, ie Yam and Suz, I thought the new 800cc engines would have
dictated a complete redesign but apparentely not. Certainly from early

testing Suz have benfitted from the downsize and the bike despite using

pretty much the same frame etc seems much more balanced and on the
pace, whether this will continue or the others will haul them in
remains to be seen.

It will be interesting to see how Stoner goes now he's on a factory
team and on Bstones, hopefully the front end will be more robust and
forgiving and with Capirossi as a team mate and possible mentor Stoner
may well have a good season.

This season will be interesting because of the new capacity, certain
riders will benefit and others not so. Exactly who that will be is hard

to predict particularly as the season progresses and riders adapt.

I think Pedrosa will do well on his pint sized Honda, Rossi will be on
the pace as usual, possibly Stoner and Cap and very hopefully Hopkins,
if the Suz is seriously on the pace then this really could be his
season, if anyone deserves a competitive season it's Hoppy he's a great

rider and I really hope things work for him this year. Hayden clearly
has the ability and talent but I wonder if the bike may not suit him,
have to wait and see.

Team Roberts are very optimistic this year too predicting regular
podiums, hope those predictions come true although I wouldn't hold my
breath too long.

The Seapang test is coming up and most folk think Yam (er read Rossi)
will be the fastest (MGP pole) then Honda, Suz are a distant 4th so it
appears punters aren't convinced the Suz's can maintain the early form.

Well I'm looking forward to finding out but I'm making no predictions,
just going to sit back and enjoy.

Bring it on.

Paul

 

it's not like the 990s were overweight, and the 800s are basically already
on the pace, meaning they need all the frame they can get...

The interesting thing about Stoner will be whether he matures quickly
enough. He certainly had shown the talent, speed and cojones. He has to show
more smarts - the latter is a key requirement in the league he is playing in
now.

I doubt Capirossi is much of a mentor. And this year may be Loris last
chance to get a championship in MotoGP. Capirossi has the speed, and if the
800s indeed reward 250-styles, well, Loris was one of the best 250 riders
ever, little doubt about that. Biaggi may then be left kickuing himself in
the butt for burning bridges before his riding style truly would have come
full circle...

I think given engineering progress chances are the displacement difference
will not really make that much of a change.

Hayden rode smart last year, and he will ride smart in 07 again. Among a
field of riders that seem to try out and win too hard, Hayden seems a
shoe-in for another top result, chancy adversity permitting. Pedrosa was way
too irregular last season, which indicates an immaturity the bike can not
overvcome. Rossi showed that he may have suffered reverse-Schwantz
syndrome - trying to win too hard when he had a chance to run the pace,
which is a liability unless he corrects it. It undoubtedly cost him the
championship. I have a feeling this season will be fought among Hayden,
Rossi and Capirossi - provided the factories come up with decent bikes.

Unless it rains a lot... ;-) They have an underrated ride in Roberts Jr, who
is mature enough to know when not to push, yet capable enough to exploit
opportunities. It would be fantastic to have an off-team steal the
championship... but it feels far fetched...

The Yamahas were worful machines in 06, as evidenced by Edwards' poor season
(I think he is a better benchmark than Rossi, honestly), so I am not sure
why the Yamahas would be expected to run great now. The inline 4 seems
conceptually not as refined as competing concepts, and perhaps what we saw
last year was the limits of the unimaginative Yamaha approach.

Indeed. I sense the key to this year will be a balanced machine and a mature
rider that settles for consistent yet good results. hayden showed how it's
done. And honestly I think Hayden and Capirossi may be the strongest in the
field in that regard. Rossi showed *too much* drive to win in 06 (along with
bad luck, yeah), so it will be interesting to see whether Yamaha can provide
a better machine in 07, and whether Rossi then does not make the mistakes he
made.

I am also curious about Nakano on the Minolta Honda. I do not expect Pedrosa
and Stoner to be title candidates in 07, they seemed to need more time to
mature. I think Melandri has shown signs of peaking. Hayden is one to watch
with the security of a title. Capirossi given the fact he could have
probably done much better last year without adversity. And Rossi given the
fact he has the pace every time he has a good bike... but can he adjust to
an era where others can give him a run for his money and he has to settle
for positions?

....pablo

 

I would be extremely surprised if they all don't have different stuff from
what was shown earlier..

Really, this time of year would really suk if it weren't for the great
weather! (here anyway;-)






*Nothing, or no one is as obnoxious as a Gator with both titles*
*T3*

 

I agree, and he did end up not too bad, and history has shown he can
be a robot (his 250 days) so I expect much less falling this year.
Plus the new bike is tailor made to the guy so I wouldn't rule him out
of the fight. Stoner too me looked way more out of whack, I expect
it'll take at least another year or two before he is a contender.

falling while *not* leading


Bruce

 

What is the time frame to go from concept to drawing board to production on
a new bike like the 800? Yes, the teams have had several years to work on
them, but going into last year one of the big questions was whether Pedrosa
had the strength to handle the bigger bike over full race distance. Since
the season didn't begin until the end of March, where he finished 2nd and
the second weekend in April for the second race (where he finished 6th), did
Honda have a regular and small versions of the 800 in the works? Or upon
seeing Pedrosa's success on the big bike, wad up plans for a conventionally
proportioned bike and replace them with a diminutive version once it was
clear that smaller riders could handle the larger bike, but would benefit
even more from a more compact package?