Germany Qualifying

Hayden gets it, but you have to go 15th posistion to find the first guy
1 second slower, thats close racing!!!

Rossi 4th 0.188 off pole and Biaggi 6th 0.269 off pole, basically
qualifying isn't representing whose going to win but rather who managed
to eek out a fraction of an advantage, the race tomorrow could be a
cracker, lets hope fine weather, and can Rossi win?? Yeah I think so
with Barros and Biaggi on the podium, will Gibs crash again?

Paul

 

Very close indeed. Once more, the Honda contingent seemed to have a
significant, .5s plus advantage leading up to QP, but then Rossi and Edwards
reduce it significantly. I am not one to look at the partial lap analysis,
but when it's this close... and even in there the differences are minimal,
however it seems that Rossi would have won the QP if it was about an
addition of all the best partial rounds. Makes any race prediction just a
wild guess, but my gutfeel would be that the Hondas' early advantage will
count again. Hayden seems strong, and last time he seemed strong he made it
count - I predict Hayden, Rossi and Biaggi podium. Barros seems to be
falling off too often riding at the other guys' pace. We'll see how Gibernau
does, but he's got to be somewhat mentally screwed up by now. He should
focus on points for the season's No 2 spot fr a few races, given the way
things are going sheer consistency will count for a lot there... and that
perhaps explains why Biaggi, the old fox, is not being spectacular anywhere
and yet still strong in the running for number 2. And perhaps that'll make
it a Hayden-Gibernau-Rossi podium.

Barros seemd to have nothing extra up his sleeve, because he seems to be
falling off every other session. The interesting thing is how many crashes
there have been, it's either the heat making the circuit impredictable, or
it's everybody being very aggressive because going forward it's all about
some wins for perception and bargaining power at the negotiation table.

Could make for some spectacular racing tomorrow.

....pablo

 

What planet are you on?
Rossi struggled during FP(including a rare crash) and pulled out a flyer on
a qualifier, I expect he will march backwards, not forwards, during the
race.
6th or 7th is where he will end up, barring a bunch of people falling off at
the front. Scraping on to the podium is about the best I see for him.
But considering how much of a lead he has in the standings,scoring points
and staying healthy has got to be his goal this weekend...

 

Rossi will be in front by the end.
With a good race for second between Hayden & Gibernau if both stay aboard.
Checa to crash (eh, Pablo?)
Barros??? - another podium?

Bummers

 

Planet earth, damn, Biaggi didn't get on the podium and Gibs didn't
crash that compromises my tipping competition standings but Rossi wins
again, oh well, ho hum.

Paul

 

Rossi will be in front by the end.

Sheesh, good call, man.

 

LOL That's what I get for replying before I read the post qualifying
remarks.
Rossi said they found the race setup during the Q session.
But Gibs choke on the last lap is what did it for Rossi.
And it put the kibosh on any last lap move by Hayden. Would have been
interesting if Sete had rejoined after Nicky rather than in front of him...

 

Is Hopkins OK? That looked like a hard fall...

 

They talked to him later on during the BBC coverage. He did say that he
thought that he had broken his foot "properly" now.

Cheers,

Ross-c

 

What planet are you on?

Not SpasticLand like you

Rossi struggled during FP(including a rare crash) and pulled out a
flyer on
a qualifier,

*** I expect he will march backwards, not forwards, during the race.***

L/O/L "QUOTE OF THE YEAR!!"

6th or 7th is where he will end up, barring a bunch of people falling
off at
the front. Scraping on to the podium is about the best I see for him.

L/O/L AGAIN!!

Be humble and proud, you are watching THE GREATEST racer of all time

NEXT!

But considering how much of a lead he has in the standings,scoring
points
and staying healthy has got to be his goal this weekend...

 

Hindsight is 100% Look at where Melandri (5th) & Edwards (the other Yamaha,
7th) finished. Does 7th and 8th mean anything?
Rossi found the race set-up in qualifying. In FP he was 9th, 12th and 8th. Q
tires often Band Aid the situation.
If Gibernau hadn't messed up, Rossi probably wouldn't have won. In fact he
might not have taken second ...

Greatest? Dude, I've watched Roberts (SR), Lawson, Gardner, Spencer, Rainey,
Schwantz, Doohan etc... ride.
Rossi is damn good, but the greatest is a stretch...
It is the combination of Burgess and Rossi that is so superior to the other
guys out there today....
If you don't think so, why did Rossi steal him away when he left Honda? And
has a clause in the contract making sure Burgess will be with him at least
until 2007?

 

Do the names Carruthers or Kanemoto mean something to you? It's always been
about a strong team, even though the racers tend to get all the credit. But
nothing about the Rossi-Burgess alliance is different from what's always
lead to GP dominance. Yes, Rossi is one of the great champions, equal in
stature at least to the guys you mention before, and probably along the
lines of the Hailwoods and Agostinis. It's easy to get bored with his
superiority, but then again one has to acknowledge the fact he's the best
out there, and has been for a while, without any shadow of a doubt. The way
he's turned a bike that hadn't won crap (Yamaha) into a winning bike is a
success story that can not be argued with.

Because he isn't stupid, and knows he needs a stong team to win. But Burgess
doesn't ride the bike, just like Carruthers and Kanemoto or many others
didn't. Key factors to success they were and are, but champions they aren't.

....pablo

 

The stat I find unbelievable is 76 GP wins from 150 starts. Better than
50%. Maybe somebody can come up with podiums from 150 starts. It must
be over 100, maybe 110, 120?

So what's the next record? Doohan and Agostini for most wins in the
premier class?

 

I'd stay out of the prediction business if I were you

 

I watched all those guys too. Now, obviously the "greatest of all
time" argument can never be resolved, but I reckon Rossi is the
greatest of the modern era (since 1980, say).

 

Key factors to success they were and are, but champions they aren't.

111 according to motogp.com

 

A thought about Rossi. His huge strength at the moment is braking and
corner entry speed. He's getting enough drive and top speed to stay with
the Hondas but he was making up 2 or 3 bike lengths on Sete at the end
of the pit straight. He was even outbraking Barros which is supposed to
be hard. And while everyone else was trying to get a classic late apex,
he was curving in early on a line that you would normally think was
defensive. Except that that corner goes on and on so early or late apex
makes no difference.

The trust in his front tyre and setup and hence the braking and corner
entry are what makes it apparently effortless for him to pass people.
But it also did Sete's head in. Sete is now making up a story that he
was distracted by his pit crew leaping up and down. Actually, he had to
brake later on that corner than he had all race to try and keep Rossi
out knowing that Rossi could pass at will. Hardly surprising that he
blew it.

The contrast in lines between Rossi and Hayden was even more marked.
Over and over again, their lines through the corners were not inches but
yards apart.

So where does that braking and corner speed come from? Surely not the
experience of 125GP and 250GP?

 

If Hayden had showed such a generic skill he'd have more than *one* GP win
to his credit. Thus far, Rossi has shown he's better almost everywhere than
anyone else.

....pablo

 

anyone else.

Well, you were talking about both Rossi and then about Hayden, thus one had
to wonder if you were comparing the "strengths" of the 2.

As to Hayden, I don't think it's as clear cut. There are twisty circuits he
does not too great in. Check his Jerez result, for one. That should be a
twisty specialist's dream. I think Hayden is a great all around rider, just
like all great riders need to be, and that his issue is still mostly related
to his ability to guide the bike's development and setup. Honda -as you
yourself noted- has the too many cooks preparing the soup syndrome, and one
must wonder whether what sets Rossi apart from the other guys is his ability
to provide input to bike development. I think that is the big Honda
contingent problem.

....pablo

 

Mark, that kind of braking and most of all passing on brakes has been the
trademark for Rossi for 4 - 5 years now. After a bad start he easily passes
1 - 3 bikes each turn on the first lap(s). On the other hand, starting has
been one of Edwards problems this year. If he's not in the front group in
turn one he has problems geting there.
It seems quite clear to me that on the level these bikes are they are what
the rider/team make them to be. Look at how Rossi tweaked the Yamaha at the
beginning of last year maxing out the adjustments and you get my point.

That is true and kind of strange. Could it be that he feels more at home on
small tracks?

And it sure does, doesn't it

/MBE