dragking, lets pretend we have a young rainey , growing up in the spies era

I think Rainey has definitely more balls, lol

Money and education is to blame here (parents pampered their kids way too much)... money just kill the love, football, b-ball, racing etc all used to be blue collar jobs now with the money they turned white collar. A good example is Rossi who refuses to ride the Duc like Stoner did because he's a made man. I don't Rainey would have settled for that.

Gotta go test ride a 1000 RR and a 675 R but I took a quick look at motogp.com and it looks like the race was crazy, no podium for Spies or Lorenzo and Yam Tech 3 scored a podium!!!!!! Can't wait to watch that race.

assen

ouch, I saw the race but they didn't show that. Spies say his is the size of subway sandwich!!! OH, "Bridgestone is investigating"

In a perfect world all the major tire manufacturers would be in moto GP but money talks and somebodieS got bought. Bridgestone got 40% of the market and the rest is distributed among all the other manufacturers, they are the microsoft of rubber.

"Vittoriani Guareschi,Ducati team boss admits Ducati’s planned new engine as the ‘only hope’ to keep Valentino Rossi to stay at Ducati,after Valentino Rossi expressed his concern that there appeared to be no solution.
He said,that he wants to retain Rossi for the 2013, but admitted time was running out to convince the doctor to stay.He added, Ducati’s new engine was evidence it had not stopped moving forward – something Rossi implied prior to the Dutch TT – but admitted that it has been difficult to accelerate the rate of development given existing deals with suppliers.
Guereschi told Gazzetta dello Sport,”We have never stopped, as demonstrated by the fact that we are working on a reviewed engine that should be ready for Laguna Seca,”.
He continued,”We do our development programs at the beginning of the year, but to accelerate is difficult, because we design in-house, but production is done together with suppliers, over whom we have little chance of intervention.”Let’s hope the engine works, because that’s our only hope to convince Valentino to stay. We’d like to keep both him and Nicky, but there isn’t much time, because usually the market deals close at Brno.”
The comment of Guereschi come in the wake of renewed criticism of Ducati’s current situation from Rossi, who said he could see “no solutions” in the team’s immediate future.
In the Dutch MotoGP at Assen,Valentino Rossi, who finished 1.3s down on Casey Stoner in qualifying at Assen even before a rear tyre issue curtailed his race, said the fact Honda brought a new chassis to Holland highlighted the development problems at Ducati.
HRC,”Honda, who are already quick so in theory are less in need than we are, have nevertheless brought a new chassis because they believe a lot more work is needed, because they always want to improve,” he told Italia1.
“At Ducati, instead, there is no such plan. An engine with different characteristics is forthcoming, but as far as the real problem is concerned, which I’ve already explained months ago, I see no solutions on the horizon.
“It’s not a matter of time, there simply are no ideas to solve the situation. Obviously what we riders say is not taken into consideration.”I repeat: there’s no plan.”,asserted.
Valentino Rossi was cagey on whether top management should be blamed, Guareschi vigorously defended the role of Ducati Corse head Filippo Preziosi.
Guareschi does not know,”Is Preziosi under discussion? Filippo is everything for Ducati and I sincerely struggle to imagine a situation without him at Borgo Panigale.”
So,how is the continuation of Ducati and Valentino Rossi? Stay at Ducati? or have to move to Honda or Yamaha, as said by Dorna bos Ezpeleta.The time will answer…"

Wayne Rainey rode what are still Laguna Seca lap records as far as I know, on a 500cc 2-stroke GP bike that tried to spit him off every corner. Maybe someone finally broke his record, but my gawd man, look at how far technology has come in GP bikes! To not have broken it would mean today's riders are not as good as Rainey was in 1990.

He pulled 1 foot wheelies out of every corner, and slid through most of them. On purpose.

No traction control, no ABS, all BALLS and SKILL and COORDINATION and PHYSICAL FITNESS.

Rainey, same age as I saw him, same skills, time-traveled to today, would take a season to adapt to a current generation GP bike, and the next season he would win every single race and keep doing it for years.

Just like he did on a 500cc 2-stroke that made every bit as much horsepower as the GP bikes now, and went every bit as fast, without any electronics.

Its like Muhammed Ali. Clone him back to his prime fighting age and shape, and nobody could stay in the ring with him. There are greats and there are wanna-bes.

Wayne Rainey rode what are still Laguna Seca lap records as far as I know, on a 500cc 2-stroke GP bike that tried to spit him off every corner. Maybe someone finally broke his record, but my gawd man, look at how far technology has come in GP bikes! To not have broken it would mean today's riders are not as good as Rainey was in 1990.

Ducati wants Cal. They want somebody that is crazy enough to put his career on the line at every corner. It's just a bandage kiss. They should just take the loss now and suck for a while and maybe come back when they're ready to make a japanese bike lol Everybody rides on the same tire but they use a different chassis. It doesn't make sense!!!!
If Spies keep this up, I give him another year and they will kick his butt back to World Super Bike where he should excel pretty easily. This gives two options to Val (Honda not being one in my opinion): Yamaha factory or Yamaha tech 3. Lorenzo said he wouldn't mind having him as a teammate again. On Tech 3, he could get along with Cal/Dovi.
Honda will be getting Marc Marquez and I'm pretty sure he'll learn fast. Spies and Dovi performances are going to have huge influence on Val options.

Big call

the next season he would win every single race and keep doing it for years.

Rainey was a great rider for sure , Tyson may of taken the fight in his prime to any boxer just didn't stay on top for long, but for a short while there he looked invincible. so it is with riders all we can do is admire them and wait for the next best ever to come along.

Hope Rossi goes to Yammy would be his best bet

Hope cal stays at Yammy he's no Cassey Stoner and Duc have some soul searching to do, Cal is the same age as Stoner and Ben, needs some where to live out the next couple of years, take the money from Duc or the best ride at Yammy, end of Career for Cal this next contract maybe.

Speaking of Stoner, funny how a kid who is retiring at the end of the season still wins so easily and consistantly podiums.

He is not riding like someone who is afraid or doesn't want to take risks anymore. He is riding like a champion.

Remember a guy named Doolan.He broke his ankle so bad they rigged a rear brake on his handelbar.Michael Schumacer invited him to drive his F-1 Ferrari which he crashed.F-1 drivers are the best,at least Mike was.
Craig

Hayden from 2010;

You are one of the few riders who has a dirt-track background. Do you consider that an advantage or disadvantage?
It definitely gives you some advantages — it helps riding in the rain and when tires go off. But it used to be bigger, I think, a few years ago. Now that the electronics have become such a big part of the bike, as far as traction control, anti-engine braking, it’s more important that they really finesse and flow with the bike. Before, when the tires weren’t as good, the bikes were heavier, it was more about muscle. I would think now it doesn’t give me the edge it gave me five or six years ago.

alg8er, you have to wonder how much they turn the special effects up or down, remember Colin Edwards saying it was the thing that was slowing him down the most , although BMW are running there own system and is in development.some no doubt have it up on full, makes them go the same for the show

Nicky may struggle to keep his ride, be sad to see him go.

Next year it will be pick your spaniard, Marquez and Pedro and other midgets ,which of the flying flees will win.

Nicky and bigger boys will suffer .

"...and other midgets" loool Ethin!

Would love to see those guys in a ring: Pedrosa against Melandri. I'd put my money on Melandri, he looks more feisty!

Watched the German GP yesterday. Stoner and Pedrosa left everyone behind, and a few laps before the end Pedrosa snuck around Stoner. On the last lap Stoner was riding all out trying to pass him back, and low sides at about the halfway point around the track. Walked away, but guess who leads championship points now?

My guess is, Stoner was really angry at himself. Instead of being 4 ahead, he is now behind.

* Last updated by: privateer on 7/9/2012 @ 5:12 AM *

yeah I watched it live. I have mixed feelings! I respect Stoner for trying to get the number 1 spot but this is Pedrosa circuit and he had already crashed during qualifying. Lorenzo needs to step it up, his bike is great he has no excuse to explain why he was so far behind. Same thing with B Spies...If Dovi keeps this up he's going to take his ride. Cal Cutchlow was just riding beyond his skills. At the end of the day I can't complain. Pedrosa win and Stoner crash makes the GP more suspenseful.

BTW: Audi bought Ducati! Hopefully they're going to start spanking those Italians designers. Germans never put style before function so it'll be fun to watch. I hope they come out with an S1000RR killer. They definitely got the money to back the Italians up.

will go down to the wire this year, who stays on will collect the points.

Whats happened to Ben, to many crashes last year and bad start this year has stolen his confidence, was hopeing he would replace stoner as the one that takes to the Europeans, but will be lucky to get a tec 3 ride the way he's going.

I've got a lot of time for Ben I hope Yammy has two.

Yes, it is sort of sad to watch a MotoGP race and watch Spies get passed one by one until he is nothing but a mid-marker. He is a better rider than that.

Edwards is too, I cannot for the life of me figure out what his problem is, besides throwing the bike into the pea gravel way too much.

Clearly Stoner wasn't thinking right, it would have been a much better decision to stay in 2nd place, and to take a 4 point lead with a good chance to keep it, than throw the lead away trying to beat Pedrosa. He just let his youth and enthusiasm cloud good judgement.

He could take a lesson from Jimmy Johnson, who in the last couple of his championships didn't win all that often. A lot, but not always. Points are points.

So now, you are right, its all up in the air again. Anyone of 3 riders could possibly win the championship, right?

So now, you are right, its all up in the air again. Anyone of 3 riders could possibly win the championship, right?

Pedrosa has a golden opportunity. Stoner has some serious issue with the Honda. Actually his crash was reminiscent of his years at Ducati. Apparently, Lorenzo got his weaknesses also. If Pedrosa remain consistent and can snatch some number 1, he can win it. However, unless Stoner or Lorenzo suffer a major crash I don't see that happening. Time will tell.

So, Privateer, you're saying that Stoner's ambition out weighed his talent? I think I've heard that somewhere....

Mad

So, Privateer, you're saying that Stoner's ambition out weighed his talent? I think I've heard that somewhere..

attack performance is building a CRT MotoGP bike for this year Laguna Seca.
Attack

Spies gone
bye yamaha

^^^^ yep the guy says he quits but we all know Yam put the pressure on him. Moto GP is not for everybody. I'm thinking the 1000 didn't suit him at all. Ducati signed Nicky for another year so that's good news. They're doing everything to keep Rossi but looks like the guy wanna go play musical chairs at Yam, which would be a bad move. I would like to see Dovi take Spies spot and Rossi should seek redemption at Yamaha tech 3 or Honda Gresini.

I just watched Stoner going trough a corner hands off the bars and fastening his gloves: Those guys have so much talent!

Good race Casey.Fun to watch.
Craig