Big MotoGP Race Tomorrow.

[rockyrider]

Jerez, Spain. Home of the most talented MotoGP racers in the world, and probably one of the most important in front of home town fans. All 3 home boys are right on top in qualifying, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, and Marquez. Will Marquez make another podium finish? possibly win? or will Valentino make a surprise come back like he has 8 times before.

 

[timn8er]

I'm thinking(& hoping!)that this race will be a battle for the ages. All the elements are thereedrosa wanting to prove he won't be the number two rider on the Repsol team, Rossi wanting to show he's back & erase the memories of the Ducati years, Lorenzo trying to regain his momentum , Marquez out to make his bones, & it being the home racetrack for three of the aforementioned riders...I know I'll be glued to my TV!

 

[phatmax]

I refuse to spend over 100 bucks a month on cable for the races. Is motogp.com worth the money so I can watch? If I recall it is about 110 bucks for a year?

 

[rojodiablo]

Finally, racing worth watching!

For too long, it has been riders who did not inspire much emotion with their time at the front. When Rossi was dominant, he MADE racing fun to watch. He made the show!
But alas, it has never, ever been the same since the Rainey/ Schwantz years. So many great riders overlapped, and were all capable of actually winning a race. Lawson, Rainey, Gardner, Schwantz, Doohan. THEN...
Doohan simply decimated, and dominated. Incredible displays of riding prowess yes, but other than the man at war with his own machine, it was not great racing for the most part. And between Doohan and Rossi, it was flat.

Now, there is once again a load of riders who have legitamite chances of pushing thru the barriers of their right wrist, and stealing the win" Crutchlow, Rossi, Marquez, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Bautista and possibly 2-3 other riders. But really; the top 4 riders, if they can stay healthy could make this finally a true spectacle of racing, rather than a display of individual rider talent/ motorcycle mechanical dominance.

Let's hope they burn the town down!!!

 

[rojodiablo]

I refuse to spend over 100 bucks a month on cable for the races. Is motogp.com worth the money so I can watch? If I recall it is about 110 bucks for a year?

Not really anymore. It was a LOT less money a couple years ago. Now, it is lackluster considering the high cost.

 

[timn8er]

I'm a BIG Doohan fan! If you can't tell by my avatar. When he was on & healthy he seemed invulnerable. When he retired & Rossi was with Honda I rooted for "The Doctor". The epic battles he had with Biaggi were something to see. I remember one race where Rossi was drafting Biaggi & Biaggi glanced over his shoulder to see where Rossi was & Rossi flipped him off. No love lost between them two. Rossi pretty much drove Biaggi out of MotoGP & into World Super Bike, it seemed like to me.

 

[BillyMagg]

Course I could show up on my K1 Gixxer 1000, if I did I would be the first fossilized Moto-GP dude, but I would have to change tires and run the valves first. I will miss it, I cancelled the "good" channels on my Direct TV, what a waste. I would say the "Doctor" is due for a come-back, but I did like seeing him on the Duck. So what are you gents currently riding??? I do have a sweet 01 Gixxer, I outsmarted myself and put Michy 2CTs on it and I DONT like them, the Pilot Powers I had on my 04 were absolutely HOOKED UP all the time. These dual compound kritters are sposed to get 10,000 miles as opposed to 4-5000, but they just do not inspire confidence at all...

The 01 is set up kinda loosey-goosey, it rides so much better, but I guess I need to keep crankin the screws down till I get both ends to hook up, my fork just feels kinda soft, it hooks up okay, but just doesn't feel like the 04, once I put the Pilots on that dog, I had absolute confidence that it would hold any line I was man enuf to hold myself. billy

 

[Smitty357]

If only we could have Stoner up in the middle of the mix.

Marquez has my vote for rookie of the year, lol.

I'm glad to see so many of you guys here also share a passion for 2 wheels. I gave up my 2 wheels and my track days just to spend more time at home with my family and help around our hunting camp during the summer. Now i sit home and enjoy the GP on the TV with my ole lady. It's a win/win situation no matter how i look at it.

 

[timn8er]

Course I could show up on my K1 Gixxer 1000, if I did I would be the first fossilized Moto-GP dude, but I would have to change tires and run the valves first. I will miss it, I cancelled the "good" channels on my Direct TV, what a waste. I would say the "Doctor" is due for a come-back, but I did like seeing him on the Duck. So what are you gents currently riding??? I do have a sweet 01 Gixxer, I outsmarted myself and put Michy 2CTs on it and I DONT like them, the Pilot Powers I had on my 04 were absolutely HOOKED UP all the time. These dual compound kritters are sposed to get 10,000 miles as opposed to 4-5000, but they just do not inspire confidence at all...

The 01 is set up kinda loosey-goosey, it rides so much better, but I guess I need to keep crankin the screws down till I get both ends to hook up, my fork just feels kinda soft, it hooks up okay, but just doesn't feel like the 04, once I put the Pilots on that dog, I had absolute confidence that it would hold any line I was man enuf to hold myself. billy

I've got a '93 CBR900RR, old school like me! Its gathering dust in my garage, unfortunately. When I first moved to the area I live in now, I searched high & low for some twistys & fellow middle aged delinquents without any luck. That bike isn't a whole lot of fun in a straight line. Its a rack! But it corners like a cat on shag carpet. My health took some interesting turns, so its been sitting a while now. Hopefully the carbs aren't totally gummed up! I hope to get it running again this summer. If I can, I'll put on my Arai Doohan Replica helmet & do a little cruising, & if I get a feel back for it, run some cloverleafs like I used to.

 

[LVSteve]

WTH!! My TV schedule says that Speed is not showing the MotoGP until TUESDAY!! What channel are you guys seeing it?

My buddies from England would be pleased to see some of the bikes you guys have. The UK view of the American biker is either a Hell's Angel on a Harley or a wannabe city slicker on a Harley.

We have quite a few crotch rocket bandits around Las Vegas. In fact a major surface street not far from me is a place where these loons regularly challenge LEOs to chase them in the early hours. On quiet nights I can hear them being wound through more gears with more revs than the 45 limit allows, that's for sure.

 

[timn8er]

I've got Dish, If it makes any difference, & the schedule Is showing MotoGP at seven AM. Moto 2 at four PM. Its on channel 150 here.

 

[BillyMagg]

I've got a '93 CBR900RR, old school like me! Its gathering dust in my garage, unfortunately. When I first moved to the area I live in now, I searched high & low for some twistys & fellow middle aged delinquents without any luck. That bike isn't a whole lot of fun in a straight line. Its a rack! But it corners like a cat on shag carpet. My health took some interesting turns, so its been sitting a while now. Hopefully the carbs aren't totally gummed up! I hope to get it running again this summer. If I can, I'll put on my Arai Doohan Replica helmet & do a little cruising, & if I get a feel back for it, run some cloverleafs like I used to.

I hear ya, I had a triple bypass nearly four years ago, my medical insurance ran out in Jan 13 thanks to BHO and his fabby plan, I'm half afraid to do to much, my gixxer is primo, and will prolly go down the road. I wish I had an old school Hans Mueth 1000 Katana, Norton, or even a clean GS 1100, or maybe a Ducati S4s Monster, or an Aprilia Touno, or an Auggie Brutale, well you get the picture, I even liked on of my buddies old Shovels that was set up like a real bike???? yeah
mine is a rack too, but I do have a set of Heli-bar risers and some blue anodized LSL bars, Huummh!

 

[timn8er]

I've got Heli Bars on my 900rr. They helped a lot, but its still a rack. The farthest I ever rode it at onetime was three hundred & seventy five miles, & I was in bad pain before I even got back to the house. Every time I hit an expansion joint or a little bump I was wincing. I got home & soaked in a hot tub for a couple of hours. If I hadn't I don't think I could have walked the next day. I had a Hurricane 1000 before the 900rr. I could ride that one for hours on end! A buddy had a Katana 1100, & we took seven or eight hundred mile day rides all the time. You couldn't corner the Hurricane too hard, but it was comfy & fairly quick for its day.

 

[LVSteve]

OK, found the problem. If I scroll through to Sunday the MotoGP is on at 0400 here. If I use the search function, it's not on until Tuesday.

 

[old bear]

Lorenzo, Pedrosa, and Marquez.

Who the Hell are these guys? The last time I followed M/C racing, Mike Halewood and Kenny Roberts were the hot riders. I also remember when the Norton Manx was still a decent ride.

 

[timn8er]

Who the Hell are these guys? The last time I followed M/C racing, Mike Halewood and Kenny Roberts were the hot riders. I also remember when the Norton Manx was still a decent ride.

Yeah, you've been a way for awhile. Mike the Bike & King Kenny were heroes of mine too. You ought to check out tomorrows race. It should be interesting.

 

[PWGUNNY]

I have speed on Verizon Fios. The MotoGP race is airing at 8am. MotoGP2 is 5pm. This year GP is the only racing I can watch. WSBK is on a channel I don't get. AMA just got picked up by a channel I don't get.

Marquez is awesome. I've followed him through his Moto2 season. He was incredible and a bit reckless. There was one race where he completely blew the start, he had his bike in neutral. Almost the entire field got past him before the first turn. As the race progressed, he was like a demon on fire, picking off riders left and right. He took the lead with laps to spare. The kid can ride. Lorenzo is great, but I think Honda has a better bike this year. Pedrosa typically gets a great start, but I'd go with
1.Marquez
2.Pedrosa
3.Lorenzo

I wish Spies were more competitive but not looking too promising there. MotoGP is looking great this year, much better than last year.

 

[BillyMagg]

I've got Heli Bars on my 900rr. They helped a lot, but its still a rack. The farthest I ever rode it at onetime was three hundred & seventy five miles, & I was in bad pain before I even got back to the house. Every time I hit an expansion joint or a little bump I was wincing. I got home & soaked in a hot tub for a couple of hours. If I hadn't I don't think I could have walked the next day. I had a Hurricane 1000 before the 900rr. I could ride that one for hours on end! A buddy had a Katana 1100, & we take seven or eight hundred day rides all the time. You couldn't corner the Hurricane too hard, but it was comfy & fairly quick for its day.

I rode a friend's Hayabusa for a while between bikes, until I got it all cleaned up and then it sold, the gixxer is kinda a pain in several ways, set up way to tall, but I would like to try an earlier Busa, I think it would be closer to your old Hurricane, but a little better through the twisty's. I went back to the 01 because I like to see my aluminum frame, the wheels are white and a pain to keep clean, it has an undertail and power commander, wifey won't ride this one???not cause she's big, just skeered, she has an idea just how fast it is. I love those old 900 RRs especially with the red/white/and blue paint, and those two bug eyes, kinda reminds me of an old Bug-eyed Sprite, has character.

One of the snappiest bkes I ever road was a Ducati 1098S Streetfighter, I was following some fast kids and when they took off I hit the hammer, next thing is a 35 mph zone and i had to clamp the front binders pretty hard to keep from hitting them, WOW! those Ohlins forks and shocks were something else, I got off of that and on a 700 Monster, total loser, it did make me want the Streetfighter though.LOL billy

 

[rojodiablo]

Who the Hell are these guys? The last time I followed M/C racing, Mike Halewood and Kenny Roberts were the hot riders. I also remember when the Norton Manx was still a decent ride.

Newsflash; the bikes now have valves INSIDE the engine, and not the exhaust!!!

My background: I used to ride Hondas; I raced the VFR, and the original Hurricane 600 in 1988. I crashed a hybrid RC30/ VFR at Willow Springs in 1990, and it was a pretty big get off. I lost some confidence and really never recovered. I switched to a Yamaha for the 1991 Daytona 200, but had front brake issues and retired from the race very early. (No fun when you can pull the lever to the stop at 177mph and the bike powers right thru it.... )
I now have a (Hold your seat for this BS story coming up!!!!) 2007 GSXR1000 that a guy I know in the Navy tangled with a car. Car pulled out in front of bike, bike was going 35mph, bike hit brakes, bike hit car, GSXR glass-jaw frame BROKE on the main frame spar weld. Broke clean thru, the whole thing. I picked the bike up for a whopping $400!!!!!
You ask what do I do for a living????? I, uh...... I weld aluminum a lot. I work for a pipeline/ refinery shop and I do the aluminum welding on all the equipment. So, what I am saying basically is I got a 175hp super clean bike with 4500 miles on it for $400.

It is so, SO much faster than my VFR was, or the Yamahas I raced. (It's a 1000, that makes it an unfair comparison to the 750's) I think about doing a track day with it, but in reality, I want a 1996 or newer TZ250 for a track bike. I still love the 2 strokes best of all.

 

[rojodiablo]

The kid can ride. Lorenzo is great, but I think Honda has a better bike this year. Pedrosa typically gets a great start, but I'd go with
1.Marquez
2.Pedrosa
3.Lorenzo

I wish Spies were more competitive but not looking too promising there. MotoGP is looking great this year, much better than last year.

I must agree about the Honda and Spies 150%. The bike is just so advanced; it's almost not funny. After losing the title last year to Lorenzo, all you had to do was look at the bikes' performance in the last 4 races to see that Honda had opened the 'official' Felix the Cat bag of tricks, and sent Pedrosa flying to the front. Too little too late. But the off season saw some serious development andvancement, and Yamaha has their work cut out for them.

In my opinion, it is time for Ben Spies to RUN, not walk back to WSB while he still can. He is tainting himself, and doing himself a major dis-service. The GP bikes are like no other machine on earth; they are the most fickle, and complicated to get just right. When the bike beats you? You are beaten, plain and simple. Ben could not win on the Honda now, even if his injured shoulder was 100%. He should follow Max Biaggi's lead, and go to a place where the bikes are not out to kill you 20 times every lap.

As to Marquez and the rest: Marquez is there to send Pedrosa to one of 2 places: the top of the podium, or the showers. I have seen the 'nudge' from Honda many times before, and poor Dani is riding around with a bulls-eye on his back. Marquez and Pedrosa escaped crashes today, and marquez has yet to feel the sting of the Honda projectile vomiting him into the stratosphere. He WILL have a big crash with his style of riding. There are 3 styles of riding: Ride like Marquez, where you hang off the bike and crank it over so far it's upside down. Ride it like Gary McCoy, and drift the bike so the tires are smoking before you even apex the corner..... and the third way to ride the bike: Like every winner of the championship has for the last 10 years. The place in between Marquez and McCoy. The 2 extreme stlyes of riding lead to very injury heavy crashes, and Marquez will either adapt, or be broken by his steed.
The Yamahas are well developed, and I feel their time will come when the series drags on, and the data is very complete on several circuits. The Yamaha has an incredible advantage; between Rossi and Lorenzo, there is no track other than Texas that the Yamaha has not won at with one of these 2 riders. Lots of data to mine there.