I'm in awe of both sides of the fence, 2 and 4 wheels. I loved the conditions in Austin, you could really see how much they were having to feel for the grip, particularly skilful moves from Verstappen, Sainz & Ricciardo, plenty of talent and enough for me to class them as 'real men'. Thinking about it though, I think Marquez is behaving more like a boy than a man at them moment. 

Yeah, he's a right knob when he's not winning.

 

I mean, he's not even the fastest rider on a Honda at the moment.

 

The new improved Dani is giving him a proper pasting right now.

Rossi appeals penalty  at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

 

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121573

Edited 30 October, 201510 yr by camelspyyder

and loses it.....................

 

So he will start from the back of the grid.  Well he has done that before and whilst I cannot remember if he won or not he finished on the podium.  I suppose Lorenzoe could have a bike failure.  Another problem for Rossi will be the fact that there are no fewer than FIVE wild cad riders out on Sunday so more traffic and loons to get past!

 

Shame to see it go this way and whilst I am a massive Rossi fan he has himself to blame for this.  I don't believe he kicked Marquez and think the incident was made worse by Marquez tipping back into Rossi but I would have expected someone as calculating as Rossi to have dealt with it better.  I think it shows the amount of pressure he is under to win his tenth title and as frustrating as it must have been dealing with it on the day he is now paying for it in spades.

 I don't believe he kicked Marquez and think the incident was made worse by Marquez tipping back into Rossi

 

The tipping back in bit was down to rossi pressing his right handlebar down with his foot. If your on a lean angle approx.30° then it takes a Knat's fart of pressure to collapse the front. Im a big rossi fan and I think Marquez is wreckless and dangerous but there is no doubt in my mind that it was a kick from rossi that caused Marquez bike to fold.

I was hoping for rain on Sunday to give Rossi a chance. Just checked the weather.....20 centigrade and dry. Drat!!!!

You could well be right Scribbler but I still don't think it was a kick as such.  Contact was made however and it shouldn't have been.  I think Marquez was wrong it what he was doing but Rossi should not have reacted in that way and as such has left himself in a position where even if something happens to Lorenzo or his bike it will be a hollow victory as there will always be the question mark over it all.

 

Such a shame because Rossi has shown himself to be a real contender again this year.  Marquez should not be interfering with the battle and he has spoiled what could be a truly epic last race.

Wow! Talk about edge of your seat stuff!

I am drained now though. Didn't quite know how to feel at the end of it...

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I think Karma had its work cut out and didn't know which way to influence so stayed the hell out of it. Great recovery through the field for Rossi but he only had his self to blame for not being 10 time world champion. Feels really wrong that Lorenzo is over half way to eclipsing Rossi's Legend though.

I will put what I put in a discussion in the RATS facebook group.  I am a massive fan of Rossi BUT his actions in Sepang put him in that position.  Had he not looked at Marquez and just run him wide he most likely would have got away with it but it was obvious he intended to do it.  He has played games with many others  over the years and won and he is much wise than that so should have dealt with it differently.

 

Having said that it is easy for us to sit in or rooms watching being wise after the event without the immense pressures that we could only guess at.

 

I don't like Lorenzo because of his arrogance but he is a very skilful and talented rider and at the end of the season he had more points than anyone else and that really is the end of the story.  I do not think it right that racing fans should boo him but then he doesn't exactly endear himself to the fans either.

 

Rossi had a tremendous ride from the back and yes OK riders didn't fight him for positions (unlike Kent's teamate) which made his job easier in many ways.  Pity he had to rely on the Honda pair to do the job for him. 

 

It was a great pity that Rossi did not secure his tenth title but he will be back next year and the whole game will have changed.

:( :'(

Brought about by Rossi himself, but Lorenzo's title will go down in history as one of the most hollow victories ever, bearing in mind the alleged support he had from his fellow countrymen

That few seconds of 'red mist' will haunt Rossi for the rest of his life. Real bloody shame as it's been a cracking season. I suspect though that if Rossi had been in second following Lorenzo round Marquez would have done anything to get in front of him. There was no way the Honda's were going to pass Lorenzo. Never really been a huge fan of Lorenzo and his attitude but for some reason this season I was warming to him but his antics and sticking his nose in in Sepang soon put a stop to that.

 

Thank christ Kent finally managed to grab the title as well. 

My view is that even without the incident happening, there was no way that Rossi had the pace to stay with Danny and Marc.

On the other hand I do believe that Marc could've got past Jorge today.

There are so many sides to the end of this season.

I feel it all goes back to Assen when Rossi and Marquez came together with Rossi being the victor. Since then it really has developed into quite a big rivalry.

Whatever way people look at it, there's no denying that next season is going to be extremely interesting. Plus the sport has never been more popular thanks to all this.

I'm a long standing fan of Formula 1... but these boys on the 2 wheeled machines have blown it out of water big time!

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Vale doing his stuff in his own WRC car (You've possibly seen similar vids of him doing this). Apparently he won this 2015 exhibition event thingy. Wish he'd give rallying a go again

 

Vale WRC Fiesta

Yes he is not too shabby at that is he?

Casey fastest at Sepang and Maverick fastest in open GP testing at Philip Island...

 

New tyres and electronics may just shake it up a bit.

Edited 21 February, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

Looks like being a special season,for me always great and never miss it now paying for Moto GP app,plus all the technical stuff and testing.

Add in maybe a bit of agg factor after last years shinnanigans,must still be some nagging resentment there I reckon.

Will see in a few weeks,can't wait.

Looks like being a special season,for me always great and never miss it now paying for Moto GP app,plus all the technical stuff and testing.

Add in maybe a bit of agg factor after last years shinnanigans,must still be some nagging resentment there I reckon.

Will see in a few weeks,can't wait.

 

Well just to start getting a taster of motorcycle racing the WSB start this weekend coming at Philip Island.

 

And of course you do not have to be freakishly small to be a WSB rider and do OK compared to MotoGP where it seems essential to be close to 60 Kgs or less.

 

Hence the averagely bigger Brits do better at WSB rather than the Spanish and Italian who dominate MotoGP.

 

Be interesting to see how times compare of those circuits they both race at although I gather WSB are getting some electronics and tyre changes which will not help times. 

 

Mind you I do find many Superbikes quite small to ride too.  Moto2s are bigger than MotoGPs it is said.

The Goat is not short is he???

The Goat is not short is he???

 

Rossi is the relative giant at 1.8M (and 65 Kgs) but most the other riders are around 1.7M and Danni P is not much more than 1.5M and 50 Kgs.

 

Some around Rossi were worried that he was trying to get a couple of kilos off and at 65Kgs he is already thin for his height.

 

Like Moto3 (though that has an all up weight with bike) I would like to see a dressed up weight of around 70Kgs or circa 200 Kgs for the bike/rider combo so we do not get a dangerous dieting scenario for taller riders.  

 

Same happening in F1 with Hulkenburg suffering with these rules which basically mean half the male population cannot do F1 or MotoGP due to their size!  

 

Perhaps the Titles should be World Champion of those at or below average height? (Above average height or overall champion unknown as untested, try Rallying, IoM or the like if tall). 

Edited 23 February, 201610 yr by lol-lol

Well done the Brits in the WSB season opener at Philip Island.

WSBs bikes only a couple of second slower than MotoGP round the track per lap.

Article on Crash.net a couple of years ago....

How big is too big for MotoGP?

The news that Aspar backed away from a MotoGP deal with Loris Baz, apparently due to his height, has brought the question of rider size back to the surface. World Superbike race winner Baz is 1.92m (6'3”) tall and, although a preliminary agreement was signed to place the young Frenchman on an Open class Honda, the Aspar team subsequently raised concerns that Baz would lose too much time on the straights and even struggle to fit on the bike. Barring the obvious question as to why Baz's size was not raised earlier, the Aspar team already has a tall rider on this year's RCV1000R in the form of Leon Camier, replacing the injured Nicky Hayden. Camier is widely considered to have done an impressive job under the circumstances and, at 1.89m (6'2”), is only slightly shorter than Baz. So what's the problem? “I don't want to say this to put a negative on Baz, but I think that I'm on the limit,” Camier said. “On the footpegs I'm only 10mm further than Nicky and that's where Baz would be. But the handlebars are 10mm further forward and that's the problem he'd have. From his arse to the front of the screen. “You can't go any further with the handlebars because you'd hit the fairing. I'm on the limit and I think he'd struggle [to fit].”

Height can also be a drawback in terms of aerodynamics, with the associated weight increase a disadvantage during acceleration and braking. “Riding the bike I feel really comfortable and can get tucked in, but your weight doesn't help,” Camier continued. “I'm surprised that there isn't a [combined] bike and rider weight limit because it definitely makes a difference. When you're trying to stop 15 or 20kg more than them it matters. At flowing tracks it doesn't matter as much but at stop-start tracks it definitely makes a bit of a difference. “I think that there's more of a disadvantage to being big, but you can still peddle around out there! It's not the end of the world.” But the height/weight situation is even more critical for Factory class Yamaha and Honda riders, who have four litres less race fuel than the rest of the MotoGP grid. The tallest of those is Movistar Yamaha's Valentino Rossi, who is 1.82m and weighs 65kg. “Being tall is very good for playing basketball but for riding in MotoGP it is a big problem,” said the Italian. “I am quite tall, but I'm lucky because my weight is not so high. But I always have to fight to not be more fat, because when you pay already five kilos you lose a tenth at the end of the lap. This is true. So to arrive at the same level you have to be better in some other areas. “I think that I am at the limit for MotoGP, but like Baz or Camier is a big disadvantage. Also with the fuel. When you have more weight you use more fuel, so automatically the bike becomes slower and slower. It is a problem for the tall guys.”

Hope is on the horizon for bigger riders, with the mandatory control ECU for 2016 set to raise the Yamaha/Honda fuel limit. Rossi believes it will be a big boost and credits the fuel saving work of the Yamaha engineers as playing a significant part in his 2014 rejuvenation. “This year our bike doesn't change a lot [from last year] but the engineers at Yamaha did a huge work to save fuel. For me personally it is a big advantage. We are 5-6 km/h faster on the straight than last year,” Rossi explained. “Last year I also ran out of fuel in two or three races after the flag. The problem with 20 litres is that if you are more tall and heavy you pay double the disadvantage. So for tall riders it will be a lot better with more fuel in 2016.” Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo is only one kg lighter than Rossi, but nine centimetres shorter. “If Baz takes a Honda, which is more or less the smallest bike, it could be a problem,” said Lorenzo. “But he is very talented and can compensate what he loses on the straight and acceleration in the corners, as Marco [simoncelli, 1.83m] was doing in 2011. I don't know. I think they should give him a chance.” Ducati World Superbike star Chaz Davies has raced in all three grand prix classes. The Welshman is 1.83m tall and weighs 70kg.

“Size is an issue here in MotoGP because in the past manufacturers built bikes for specific riders who were pretty small. I think that for a sport like this it's a bad way to go, but it's nothing new,” Davies told Crash.net at Misano. “There are benefits of being taller but I think that there are a few more benefits of being smaller. Maybe not for guys as small as Dani but maybe for someone the size of Marquez or Lorenzo.” Dani Pedrosa is 1.60m and 51kg, with Repsol Honda team-mate and reigning world champion Marc Marquez 1.68m and 59kg. New additions to the Factory class Honda/Yamaha line-up for 2015 will be Scott Redding (1.85m, 78kg) and Cal Crutchlow (1.70m, 69kg).

Read more at http://www.crash.net/motogp/feature/208952/1/how-big-is-too-big-for-motogp.html#XHrHKrYUtCsoAKT0.99

Edited 27 February, 201610 yr by lol-lol

Good weekend for Brits in the main in wsb. Very close racing with top half a dozen. Hope motogp is a exiting when it eventually starts.

Just going to bed haha,watched part one last evening,race 2 coverage started at 02.30 Portuguese time,where I am now so got up and watched it again,then race 2 live,even better,good for the Brits ,good for Nicky Hayden,good start to the season!!

Just going to bed haha,watched part one last evening,race 2 coverage started at 02.30 Portuguese time,where I am now so got up and watched it again,then race 2 live,even better,good for the Brits ,good for Nicky Hayden,good start to the season!!

WSB-Philip Island - 27/28-2-16

 

Very well done Nicky, nearly a podium.

 

Shame for Chas.  

 

Good result for Yamaha on their return.  

 

Where was Suzuki in all this??