First practice over -

Stoner 1.35.4

Edwards 1.35.4

De Angelis 1.36.1

Lorenzo 1.36.3

Rossi 1.36.4

Good to see Edwards back at the sharp............. equalled Stoners time too!!

There's something like a thousanth of a second between them (CE & CS)

We all know how much first practice hasn't meant so far this season though. I fully expect CE to drop back to his usual come qualifying.

2nd practice,

1 1 Casey STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'34.806 269.865

2 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.224 271.016 0.418

3 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.377 269.662 0.571

4 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP Honda 1'35.620 266.732 0.814

5 7 Chris VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 1'35.743 264.317 0.937

6 48 Jorge LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team Yamaha 1'35.766 269.259 0.960

7 15 Alex DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'35.861 264.965 1.055

8 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'35.913 270.880 1.107

9 56 Shinya NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 1'36.100 269.730 1.294

10 52 James TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha Yamaha 1'36.105 269.528 1.299

11 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.189 273.141 1.383

12 2 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1'36.219 276.639 1.413

13 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP Honda 1'36.356 266.469 1.550

14 24 Toni ELIAS SPA Alice Team Ducati 1'36.425 273.694 1.619

15 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team Ducati 1'36.619 273.972 1.813

16 33 Marco MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team Ducati 1'37.096 274.250 2.290

17 13 Anthony WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki 1'38.239 268.656 3.43

3rd practice done........just qualifying to go BTW Stoner has a fractured hand!

1 C. STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1'34.365

2 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.711

3 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.795

4 C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 0.997

5 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.060

6 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team + 1.155

7 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.169

8 S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.184

9 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 1.263

10 A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.374

11 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 1.437

12 T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team + 1.488

13 J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.682

14 S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team + 1.724

15 N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team + 1.838

16 M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team + 1.908

17 A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team + 2.592

18 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 2.981

BTW Stoner has a fractured hand!

Must have done it throwing his toys about:rolleyes::D;)

Looking forward to Qualifying:thumbup:

practice, qualifying, it's all irrelevant, Rossi is going to win because he's the best!

practice, qualifying, it's all irrelevant, Rossi is going to win because he's the best!

Thats what I like, a well balanced, reasoned argument.:rofl:

Good qualifying session.

Thought Lorenzo was going to get pole. Then Rossi beat his time! Then Stoner beat Rossi's time.....all in the last 5 mins!!!

Looking forward to the race tomorrow!

Good qualifying session.

Thought Lorenzo was going to get pole. Then Rossi beat his time! Then Stoner beat Rossi's time.....all in the last 5 mins!!!

Looking forward to the race tomorrow!

After finally getting the remote off the Mrs, I've just finished watching the qualifying.............and as Jon said, it was good and all a bit tense towards the end.

Rossi was definitely quicker in the first split, with Stoner & Lorenzo pulling the time back, plus more in splits 2 & 3.

These 3 off the front row should make for a good battle tomorrow (today),

1 C. STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team 1'33.378

2 V. ROSSI ITA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.510

3 J. LORENZO SPA Fiat Yamaha Team + 0.586

4 R. DE PUNIET FRA LCR Honda MotoGP + 0.858

5 T. ELIAS SPA Alice Team + 0.944

6 D. PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team + 1.020

7 C. VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.083

8 S. NAKANO JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.116

9 J. TOSELAND GBR Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.274

10 C. EDWARDS USA Tech 3 Yamaha + 1.417

11 L. CAPIROSSI ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 1.548

12 S. GUINTOLI FRA Alice Team + 1.583

13 A. DE ANGELIS RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini + 1.775

14 A. DOVIZIOSO ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 2.003

15 M. MELANDRI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team + 2.040

16 N. HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team + 2.206

17 J. HOPKINS USA Kawasaki Racing Team + 2.602

18 A. WEST AUS Kawasaki Racing Team + 3.669

12 laps to go in the 125's and B Smith is at the front.................go on Smith:thumbup::thumbup:

2nd for Bradley Smith.........top ride:thumbup:

Stoner's fallen off whilst leading again!

He really needs to learn to ride a bike under pressure

Edited 31 August, 200817 yr by Ants

Yep, good win for Rossi.

Stoner needs to get his act together. That's 2 in a row now his gifted to Rossi, plus the win in the USA.

Can't take anything from Rossi though, he can only race those that are upright.

This plus Celtic getting ammered by Rangers...........what a shy't day for me.

Barring a disaster for the gay one, the title has got to be his.

Lance

Way to go, Vale

Bit disappointing - was hoping there'd be more of a battle, alas Stoner seems to like kitty litter when under pressure

Good to see Toseland upright and back in the top 6. Lorenzo back on form too.

So Dani is going to be on Bridgestone at Indy?

Especially good to see Lorenzo back at it, he looked so promising in the first few races and I'm sure he's going to be a future champion.

Looking forward to Indy, AFAIK it's a new track for all of the riders.......should be very entertaining. I do hope that Ducati have the stablisers ready by then.

So Dani is going to be on Bridgestone at Indy?

Please explain:confused:.....I must have missed something. If he is going to Bridgestone I reckon he will be far more competitive.

Yep testing tomorrow on Bridgestones. He also has the benefit that Honda are already running a RC212V with Bridgestones by Nakano so it will not be a complete unknown unlike Rossi at the beginning of the year.

But what is happening to Stoner. Look I am a Rossi fan, but I want to see edge of the seat , nail biters. Stoner is fast but is he to fast? He goes at 110% from day one. Alot of the other riders build up speed through the weekend. Hayden being interviewed nailed it on the head he said " I'm supprised he hasn't crashed more" you don't get points for free practice.

I'm confused about the bridgestone thing too - would have thought it would be against some rule or other, but apparently not.

But what is happening to Stoner. Look I am a Rossi fan, but I want to see edge of the seat , nail biters. Stoner is fast but is he to fast? He goes at 110% from day one. Alot of the other riders build up speed through the weekend. Hayden being interviewed nailed it on the head he said " I'm supprised he hasn't crashed more" you don't get points for free practice.

Actually this makes a lot of sense, Toby and Jules are always on about Gerry Burgess 'finding' an extra little bit of pace in Rossi's setup for the race, and Stoner setting his stall out so early each meeting gives them a target to aim for I'd think.

Apparently, Stoner's crew were setting up the bike for a little less lean angle...........but obviously it didn't work today.

He goes like a bat out of hell from the off.........maybe he's trying too hard now as he know's Rossi can match his pace???

I was a little disappointed to see Stoner go down, as I wanted to see if there was going to be a Stoner/Rossi/Pedrosa/Lorenzo battle.

Good to see JT finish 6th again. Thought he was going to get 5th but Vermulen had the quicker pace.

Stoner needs a wiser head on such young shoulders. A little more patience and a calmer attitude methinks.

Rossi has the experience to know that 1 or 2 tenths a lap is sufficient to steadily catch the man in front or to further extend an advantage, Stoner appears to go for a second or two a lap, every lap.

Lance

Stoner needs a wiser head on such young shoulders.

Agreed. He had it all his own way last year but the rest of the field are catching up (although at the moment its seems only Rossi). He is FAST but needs to control it. Lorenzo has had to learn this painful lesson. Bar any disasters by Rossi this season is over for the championship. Lets hope some good races to finish and look forward to next year and all fit and on competative bikes and tyres and give us what we all want good racing.

Stoner needs a wiser head on such young shoulders. A little more patience and a calmer attitude methinks.

Rossi has the experience to know that 1 or 2 tenths a lap is sufficient to steadily catch the man in front or to further extend an advantage, Stoner appears to go for a second or two a lap, every lap.

Lance

Agree.......and when things don't go his way, the toys are well & truly out the pram!