[Ducati] Motogp spoiler

[Jules]

On 4/22/07, Peter Bonner <dsi at swcp.com> wrote:
> If you did not find the first lap of this race to be exciting, you are
> either a BMW rider or a Kawasaki rider.

??? not sure what that means...

> The thrills didn't quit after that however, except for any drama about who
> would win the race, which was obviously going to be Stoner. Casey Stoner
> showed exactly how much he has paid attention to the teachings of Capirossi,
> and Capirossi himself has returned to the business of racing, after the
> birth of his son.

do you really think casey stoner is learning from capirossi?  i don't
see that at all.  watch the two of them ride.  they look totally
different despite both being quite small.  stoner is cold as ice,
capirex is a man possessed riding a wild stallion.  they are both
great in their own right.  but very very different.  stoner's move to
ducati was brilliant.  all he needed was front end feel and he got
that from the bridgestones.

> Most of all, it was absolutely great to see the factory Japanese teams all
> fall outside of the top 4, and have 3 of the top 4 racers be Ducati riders.
> It was also interesting to watch how Casey Stoner pressured Rossi into a
> mistake on the first lap, just as Hayden did when he won the championship.
> Rossi...... maybe he should have stuck with Honda......

really?  why?  you think he enjoys cake walks?  and in 2007 i don't
know if i'd want to be on a honda...

> Colin Edwards demonstrated how fast a good qualifier can move backwards,
> before being eliminated from a race which probably would have been an
> embarrassment given how fast he moved back in the first lap.

what a load of crap!  bad starts happen to everyone.  i guess we'll
never know.  my guess is colin would have finished ahead of rossi :P

> but what a
> great job by Vermulin to remount and pass Rossi.

great indeed except the part where it's wrong.  rossi finished 10th
and vermeulen 11th, about 8 secs back.  granted, 8 more laps and cv
would have caught vr for sure.  but then did you see what rossi's rear
tire looked like?  NASTY.

> Most of all, I am impressed by the tuteledge that Capirossi has provided to
> Stoner

where the hell do you get this from?  what tutelage??

> And for Barros to be the second privateer in the top 4! Why didn't someone
> give him a chance before.

they did.  he has been with some great teams in the past including
West/Pons, HRC Repsol.  He's a great rider and a great racer and it
was just a matter of time before he challenged for the podium on the
Pramac D'Antin bike.

> Rossi is a great rider, one of the best of all time, perhaps the best. But
> at least two times, when it counted, he wilted under pressure. One of course
> counted for last season's championship, when Hayden showed  his stuff. But
> today, the first lap pressure got to Rossi so quick, that he had a very bad
> result. Out for the season? I think not, but Rossi has something to think
> about, especially how Hopkins (and others) may not show that much deference
> when passing.

Lets not forget the 59 times he was under pressure and went on to win
the race...  He seems to be the only rider out there not allowed to
make a simple mistake.  He didn't fall in Valencia simoply because of
pressure.  He fell because the bike wasn't working as expected and he
pushed it too far (like he did in China and Le Mans and probably
Laguna Seca last year).  Standard rider error.  And that corner in
turkey is TREACHEROUS.  there were several trips into the astroturf
during the 125 and 250 races the same day.  especially when you're not
yet in rhythm and have no one to follow.  First lap is always the
hardest.

I'm not trying to stand up for Rossi, but your "analysis" is so wrong
on so many point, in my not so humble opinion, that i had to pipe up.

Stoner was *incredible* in the 250s and only Puig's influence in the
paddock kept him out of the Pedrosa limelight.  Puig is well aware
that there are two riders in motogp who are young and just as talented
if not more so than Dani Pedrosa and he's jumped through hoops to keep
them down.  They are Toni Elias and Casey Stoner.  Stoner played a
smart smart game by moving to Ducati.  He knew that Livio Suppo and
Federico Minoli are going to have a great package for 2007.  He knew
that Bridgestone has the tyre he needs because he loves to push the
front of the bike around.  He's a no-bs, lets just get it done type of
dude, a lot like his countryman Doohan.  He doesn't play any drama
games, he doesn't waste time in the garage, and he's ice cold on the
track.  No one has ever shaken him; even when he fell it was because
*he* pushes himself too far.

If there's anyone I'd like to see beat Rossi this year it's Casey
Stoner and Ducati.  And it's not a pipe dream.

Ciao

-- 
j u l e s @ p o p m o n k e y . c o m
http://www.popmonkey.com/jules