2012 Moto3/Moto2/MotoGP Thread

[Tom]

This Rossi stuff has been discussed before. He can only go up, he can't afford to go down. Therefore, the only way I see is for him to go to SBK. Otherwise, he may retire..

WSBK is also becoming increasingly more interesting, that'd spice things up for sure.

 

[joetruckv8]

That god we get another round this week, more races equals more answers with less speculation'

 

[Conza]

This Rossi stuff has been discussed before. He can only go up, he can't afford to go down. Therefore, the only way I see is for him to go to SBK. Otherwise, he may retire..

An interesting idea, but I think he'll likely go to four wheels instead of a lesser two, not impossible though.

 

[joetruckv8]

An interesting idea, but I think he'll likely go to four wheels instead of a lesser two, not impossible though.

Maybe he'll get a NASCAR invite like everyone else'

I was re watching the tape, and I notice that Jorge's Yamaha turns into turns & goes thru the turns better than than Stoners bike, but that Honda transmission and power-band just pulls so hard out of the turns. You can really tell from the heli-cam. Yamaha is going to have to get tinkering with that transmission and find some acceleration for that boy!

 

[Prince.M5]

An interesting idea, but I think he'll likely go to four wheels instead of a lesser two, not impossible though.

Absolutely not impossible. He was in the Blancpain Endurace Series driving his Ferrari 458 Italia earlier last month in Monza and finished in the top-20. His driving wasn't bad at all considering it was a completely drenched Monza circuit. So yes, 4-wheels is pretty much his other route to go! 👍

 

[Earth]

Maybe he'll get a NASCAR invite like everyone else'

I was re watching the tape, and I notice that Jorge's Yamaha turns into turns & goes thru the turns better than than Stoners bike, but that Honda transmission and power-band just pulls so hard out of the turns. You can really tell from the heli-cam. Yamaha is going to have to get tinkering with that transmission and find some acceleration for that boy!

Honda has had an overall power advantage for a couple of years now. This appears to cause the tires to wear faster which has let Lorenzo steal a few wins from Honda late in the race

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Absolutely not impossible. He was in the Blancpain Endurace Series driving his Ferrari 458 Italia earlier last month in Monza and finished in the top-20. His driving wasn't bad at all considering it was a completely drenched Monza circuit. So yes, 4-wheels is pretty much his other route to go! 👍

Plus it was Rossi's teammate who spun the car and put them that far down the order. Rossi was running in the top 10 for his first stint (iirc).

I'd like to see Rossi move to four wheels now. I think he's done enough in MotoGP (being the best rider ever/the equal of Agostini) and there is nothing much left for him there, apart from taking the title with a third manufacturer.

 

[joetruckv8]

Honda has had an overall power advantage for a couple of years now. This appears to cause the tires to wear faster which has let Lorenzo steal a few wins from Honda late in the race

No wonder Jorge is such a lines man, he got to preserve those tires for the last laps to get a shot at Casey 💡

 

[Earth]

Ben Spies turned a lap late on a drying track to lead the first practice

Both Ducatis right behind him #2 and #3

 

[F1 fan]

Ah, the life of a #2 rider/driver in European racing

Perhaps he should be more careful not to wreck his bikes then. You can't expect Yamaha to produce another out of thin air. And why should they risk taking Lorenzo's spare bike away from him when he's leading the championship?

 

[Earth]

Qualifying is finished. Crutchlow beats both factory Yamahas

1. +.000 - C. Stoner
2. +.013 - D. Pedrosa
3. +.101 - C. Crutchlow
4. +.278 - J. Lorenzo
5. +.535 - B. Spies
6. +.729 - A. Bautista
7. +.755 - A. Dovizioso
8. +.818 - H. Barbera
9. +.871 - V. Rossi
10. +1.065 - N. Hayden

 

[hornet_burnout]

Well... Enjoyed the moto2 race, especially the last lap. Was bored by motoGp and pissed with moto3 with our local kid having mechanical issues right on the 3rd(?) lap.

Also not happy about them droping our race (or maybe not...). I know this a very Spanish driven sport but saying 5 iberian events is too much and have to cut 2? What's really going one is that they are sacrificing the Portuguese race so they can cut only one in Spain, instead of acknowledging 4 Spanish is too much and cutting it to 2. But anyhow... Apparently it's not a done deal yet, so lets wait and see.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Well... Enjoyed the moto2 race, especially the last lap. Was bored by motoGp and pissed with moto3 with our local kid having mechanical issues right on the 3rd(?) lap.

Pol had the pace to win, but was just a bit impatient and showed his lack of calmness on the last lap. He should have outdragged Marquez to the line - he showed on previous laps it was possible .

Good to see Zarco up there; and even better to see the hopelessly overrated Terol way way down the order.

I cannot stand Marquez, but just can't see who will run him close for the title. So far, apart from Pol, nobody has had enough pace in all races to be near him consistently.

 

[Tom]

Pol had the pace to win, but was just a bit impatient and showed his lack of calmness on the last lap. He should have outdragged Marquez to the line - he showed on previous laps it was possible .

Good to see Zarco up there; and even better to see the hopelessly overrated Terol way way down the order.

I cannot stand Marquez, but just can't see who will run him close for the title. So far, apart from Pol, nobody has had enough pace in all races to be near him consistently.

I was gutted that Fenati dropped it in Moto3, I'm really routing for his this year as I think that he could be the underdog of the season. Moto2 was great but the BBC's Red Button Coverage was poor, the commentators were beyond dull. Marquez will dominate and probably go on to win the championship but I'd love to see Smith and more hopefully Redding up there. MotoGP was the same old, despite a better result from Rossi.

 

[Neal]

Stoner announces retirement at end of 2012

*waits for Mike Rotch and Prisoner Monkey*

 

[hornet_burnout]

Only read, well just about that... He's leaving. No concrete reason still. Is the health/physical thing? If so, it's a shame. I like his speed and riding skill. A huge loss in my opinion...

 

[Mike Rotch]

Stoner announces retirement at end of 2012

*waits for Mike Rotch and Prisoner Monkey*

Casey Stoner a week ago: "People love making up stories (about retirement)".

Casey Stoner now: "I'm retiring".

Don't get me wrong, he is a good rider (has not demonstrated greatness like Vale, Agostini etc) but he is a total knob and I won't miss him much.

What is interesting is the musical chairs it may spark off. Marquez to Honda? Jorge to Honda? Vale to Yamaha to replace Jorge? Should be interesting.

 

[Neal]

He can certainly ride a bike fast especially when it's a widow maker but I also won't be sad to see him go. The musical chairs will definitely spice things up which is needed really as is Ducati sorting their shizzle out.

 

[Conza]

Casey Stoner is leaving MotoGP. While it will make any championship win more hollow, I hate to say it, it'll be nothing but good for the sport, and who knows, Lorenzo could go to Honda, or Rossi could go to Honda, throws everything up in the air (HRC have said that Rossi is a possibility now, in lieu of Stoner's decision).

EDIT: MORE hollow, not less hollow as I wrote (which'd be the opposite meaning) Casey Stoner is a force to be reconed with, on any Motocycle.

 

[hornet_burnout]

Ok, I think the character is a jerk, but he is also immensely gifted. The latter part I will miss.

But I agree the primadonna leaving will be good and will stir up every thing. I love that throw of the dice
---------------------------

Anyway, the action is on already in France

FP1 times

Moto3:

1 VIÑALES 1'45.437
2 OLIVEIRA 1'45.588
3 CORTESE 1'45.651
4 FENATI 1'46.480
5 VAZQUEZ 1'46.621
6 KENT 1'46.861
7 SALOM 1'46.940
8 KHAIRUDDIN 1'47.024
9 MASBOU 1'47.163
10 RINS 1'47.204

Moto2:
1 LUTHI 1'38.303
2 CORSI 1'38.458
3 MARQUEZ 1'38.727
4 REDDING 1'38.788
5 KALLIO 1'38.880
6 IANNONE 1'39.063
7 ESPARGARO 1'39.123
8 AEGERTER 1'39.162
9 CORTI 1'39.191
10 RABAT 1'39.308

MotoGP:
1 STONER 1'34.321
2 PEDROSA 1'34.908
3 DOVIZIOSO 1'35.065
4 SPIES 1'35.202
5 BARBERA 1'35.213
6 LORENZO 1'35.239
7 CRUTCHLOW 1'35.318
8 BAUTISTA1'35.336
9 HAYDEN 1'35.403
10 ROSSI 1'35.829

 

[hornet_burnout]

Qualifying over:

Moto3:
1 VIÑALES 1'55.865
2 VAZQUEZ 1'56.847 + 0.982!
3 OLIVEIRA 1'57.114
4 KORNFEIL 1'57.392
5 MASBOU 1'57.673
6 CORTESE 1'57.801
7 MONCAYO 1'57.846
8 FAUBEL 1'57.899
9 SALOM 1'58.000
10 KHAIRUDDIN 1'58.133

Moto2:
1 MARQUEZ 1'37.710
2 LUTHI 1'37.739
3 ESPARGARO 1'38.190
4 REDDING 1'38.369
5 IANNONE 1'38.399
6 KALLIO 1'38.574
7 DE ANGELIS 1'38.662
8 ZARCO 1'38.752
9 CORTI 1'38.795
10 ELIAS 1'38.826

MotoGP:
1 PEDROSA 1'33.638
2 STONER 1'33.941
3 DOVIZIOSO 1'33.976
4 LORENZO 1'34.104
5 CRUTCHLOW 1'34.178
6 SPIES 1'34.669
7 ROSSI 1'34.907
8 BAUTISTA 1'34.922
9 BARBERA 1'34.950
10 ABRAHAM 1'35.250
11 HAYDEN 1'35.291
12 DE PUNIET 1'35.694
13 BRADL 1'35.862
14 PIRRO 1'36.646
15 HERNANDEZ 1'37.202
16 ELLISON 1'37.666
17 ESPARGARO 1'37.760
18 PETRUCCI 1'37.767
19 SILVA 1'38.198
20 PASINI ITA 1'38.511
21 VERMEULEN 1'38.658

 

[Earth]

I'm not sure what's wrong with Spies, why he apparently hasn't progressed since his rookie season, which was, shockingly, his best motoGP season, him now being in his 3rd year

 

[hornet_burnout]

I'm not sure what's wrong with Spies, why he apparently hasn't progressed since his rookie season, which was, shockingly, his best motoGP season, him now being in his 3rd year

I thought 1st year in the official Yamaha was learning the ropes. Now I don't know anymore...

He looked strong a couple of times, but then had small moments and backed off. We all know a rider has trouble performing when he's not one with a bike, but this is hard to understand on his 2nd year on a factory team.

 

[Earth]

I thought 1st year in the official Yamaha was learning the ropes. Now I don't know anymore...

He looked strong a couple of times, but then had small moments and backed off. We all know a rider has trouble performing when he's not one with a bike, but this is hard to understand on his 2nd year on a factory team.

This whole season all I've heard him say is "Im working on getting my confidence up"

3rd year in MotoGP and 5 races into t he season and you are not confident yet?

And before almost race this year hes commented on how he doesnt like the track. I just dont get it...on his favorite tracks like Indianapolis or Assen he does well, but everywhere else...I dont know

 

[hornet_burnout]

This whole season all I've heard him say is "Im working on getting my confidence up"

3rd year in MotoGP and 5 races into t he season and you are not confident yet?

And before almost race this year hes commented on how he doesnt like the track. I just dont get it...on his favorite tracks like Indianapolis or Assen he does well, but everywhere else...I dont know

1st year in MotoGP he did very well even on tracks (almost all) he didn't know... His confidence is clearly not there as when his bike so much as twitches, he imediatelly slows the pace.


------
Moto3 race over, after heavy rain, many riders taken out... #44 Oliveira had a great weekend only to fall off the lead as well, and yet again

Moto2 race in 20m. Still very wet track...

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

Good job on staying on his bike for Louis Rossi, it's pretty cool that he won, he's a cool guy ^^

 

[Mike Rotch]

Pity Zarco dropped it after such a good ride from way back in the field. Great ride by West too, but by gosh he needs to change his colour scheme! Looks like a sunday racer with Omo white overalls!

 

[RX-7_FD3S]

Awesome job from my country driver, great job Luthi ! He's back to fight for the title, too bad for Zarco but he pushed a bit too much maybe. Great race, I was very nervous ^^

 

[hornet_burnout]

Awesome job from my country driver, great job Luthi ! He's back to fight for the title, too bad for Zarco but he pushed a bit too much maybe. Great race, I was very nervous ^^

I know what you mean... Nerve wrecking stuff. Congrats on Luthi, he's a great rider, well deserved!

Now for the main course! In 30m

 

[GTPorsche]

Somehow the Bugatti Circuit gained two corners that the track map isn't showing.

Nice mistake by whoever does SPEED coverage outside of the world feed.