pete_21 Wrote:

Numnut wrote:
I'm with you on the Lorenzo thing, I don't see the point - the
Ducati is one big risk. I thought Nicky Hayden was going to be
more up there this year as he is a talented rider and he is
having similar troubles to melandri.

I agree mate,fear this may be Hayden's last year with a top team and that's a real shame.People soon forget when a rider has a spell in the wilderness.That's team bosses,fans and sponsors,at this level your only as good as your last result.I like and rate Hayden too but think like Melandri,Gibernau & Checa before him he deeply regrets getting on the big red monster !.

Numnut wrote:
Maybe Yamaha should just chuck out Lorenzo for being awkward,
get Edwards in instead then Spies can have his slot in Tech3.  At least that way Edwards may get his first GP victory - which I think is well overdue!

Yeah,Edwards is ace,Donington this year was a reminder of just how good he can be.Remember his battles with Bayliss in WSBK ?,those guys were in a league of their own but not just that they truly respected each other off track as well.That doesn't seem to happen so much these days.Lorenzo can act like a bit of kid at times but at least he has a personality which many of todays sportsmen lack IMO.At first I thought he was cocky a*****e who was totally full of himself,but over the past year I have quite warmed to him.He always gives it 110% and is not afraid to speak his mind,I respect that.

Numnut wrote:
Don't know where that would leave Toseland though........I think
if he has a future in GP it is not on a Yamaha he just doesn't
seem to get on with it. I'm sensing a return to WSB!

Yeah,reckon you are right.In Toselands defence you do not win 2 WSBK championships with 2 different manufacturers by accident.Last year was promising but this year has been one huge disappointment.If he doesn't start banging in some big results soon I reckon he is on his way back to WSBK.Hope I'm wrong though.

Numnut wrote:
And going even more off topic ....Leon Camier is blitzing the
BSB championship......I wont be surprised to see him in WSB next year.

Camier has been great this year as in his defence he was still far from recovered from his huge Cadwell Park accident last year.I reckon thats why Shakey totally blew him away.Reckon it would have been much closer if they raced together now.

Numnut wrote:
All these brits doing well in different classes of bike racing -
Haslam, Byrne, Rea, then Crutchlow and even Bradley smith and Scott Redding  in the 125s - I'm surprised it doesn't get more  attention.

Couldn't agree more mate.We have a lot of guys to be proud of racing in all catergories.Tom Sykes is good as well IMO.

Numnut wrote:
Incidently, are you Eurosport or BBC?

BBC as I can't afford SKY at the moment :(

Have to say,this is ace having another bike racing fan on here !.May have to start our own thread instead of gatecrashing other peoples though ! :)

Yay,this is immense ! :)

For anyone wanting to watch World Superbikes you can watch the races for free up to 7 days after the event @ the official WBSK site : Here

Now going really off topic,I strongly recommend Valentino Rossi's Autobiography 'What If I Had Never Tried It' to anyone even remotely interested in the sport.It is the funniest most open and totally honest piece of non fiction that I have ever read.In private the guy is a million miles away from the total superstar that bike racing fans have all come to worship.

Just confirmed Lorenzo is staying at Yamaha for 2010 but the deal is only of one year : Here

Wise move,I reckon.But I think its interesting that he doesn't seem to want to commit to the team long term.Anyway,its great news for the series as his battles with Rossi this year have been fantastic to watch.

Numnut wrote:

Harsh, but with good reason.

Yeah,suppose so.My best mate bought one earlier this year which went down really well with me (not !).The first thing his wife knew of it was when she came home and it was on the drive !.

Numnut wrote:

Predictions for this weekend?

Aside from the usual suspects (Rossi,Lorenzo,Pedrosa) I'm expecting Edwards to pull something a bit special out of the bag,especially after his disappointing run at his other home race (Laguna Seca).He will really want to make up for that.Hayden flew around Indy last year but can't see him wrestling the Duke round in quite the same way.Be more than happy to be proved wrong though.

Numnut wrote:

Don't forget Tony Elias, he always does well toward the end of
the season!

Yeah Elias always speeds up at contract time ! :P

Numnut wrote:

Hopefully Toseland will continue with the better results too, a
top 10 or better should be enough for the negotiating table, but
more than anything I just want to see an interview with him where
he doesn't feel he has to apologise!  I think he at least
deserves that.

Yeah,I completely agree.I would love to see Toseland turn his season around as well.I know he had a couple of big crashes pre-season and he fell out with his team mate over switching pit crews or something,but I think its fair to say that he has disappointed everyone this year (including himself I think).Its been hard to watch him after some races this year as he has obviously rode his heart out and finished 12th or something.The guy obviously has talent as you don't win 2 WSBK titles by accident.

Threads been a bit quiet today.......!

I think the stoner thing is the most exciting thing going on at the moment now alot of the contracts are getting sorted. I don't think anyone would be making such a big deal if he'd broken a leg or something, it's just that his injury isn't that visible.

Stoner will return, I think(!), for estoril when he originally said,  once he has rested enough. From what I can work out he has had some kind of nasty virus which has just wrecked him - he seems fairly sickly anyway!

I know he gets a load of bad press, maybe he should just admit he was beaten by better riders every now and then rather than blame the bike, but I'm starting to warm to him. He must be one hell of a rider as the people who can't ride the duke arent exactly bad riders themselves. Would've been nice to see what Lorenzo did on one........

Still BSB and Moto GP this weekend, and I'm sure I read in the MCN that Guintoli is ready to race again.........

Suzuki just announced Capirossi to stay with them for next year :

Suzuki keep Capirossi for 2010

After apparently turning down a lucrative offer to return to Ducati :

Capirossi admits Ducati tried to resign him

Good news,I've always liked Capirossi.Not sure what happened with Vermuelen though.Looks like was dropped in favour of Bautista despite being the only rider to win on of their 800cc bikes.He has stated he desperately wants to stay in MotoGP,so it looks unlikely he left of his own accord,especially as he does not have a ride for next year.Hopefully he will find one as he deserves to stay in the series.Bautista is a strange choice to drop him for IMO,he has been very quick in 250's this year but has been pretty inconsistent,crashing more than any of the other top riders.His last lap crash where he ran straight in the back of Aoyama was a real rookies mistake and not something I would have expected to see from a guy ready to move to MotoGP with a factory team.

Regarding the Ducati situation,Pedrosa has also admitting to 'talking' to the team.Maybe they are not as 'sure' of Stoners return as they claim or have they already decided to give Hayden the boot at the end of season ?.

What a long post for 2 people 0_o

I wish I was a bit more into racing, I'm just not. I used to go "banger racing" with my dad when I was little for a while (my uncle or someone had a car or somthing to do with it) ^{See how vague I was?}

Other than that I just don't get it.

Like the look of bikes more than cars I'll admit. My girlfriends brother bought a new one the other day, cost him a fair fair whack, bout 6k I think. (Don't ask me what it is) He brought it over to his mums when we were all over for a BBQ, and as he was wheeling it around the corner to the garage, it just fell to one side. Massive scratch on the side 0_o

Yay !,2 more people have posted in the thread !,welcome guys.Although Warhunt isn't a MotoGP fan (yet),I believe this fantastic series will win him over in the end !.

Regarding the Rossi crash,I thought it was a very strange one.Reminded me of the crashes Biaggi used to have on the Yamaha a few years ago.He would be pushing and without any warning the front would just fold on him.I reckon the fact the track at Indy is new and unused contributed to Rossi's crash.It looked as though he was pushing like hell and once he had run offline arrived at the outside of the corner to find there was just no grip there.Over the weekend there were a few very wierd crashes in all 3 GP classes.Anyway,its closed the championship gap right up which should make the last few races interesting.

Yeah,Lorenzo will be on it until the end of the season for sure.Should be really interesting to watch.Ducati confirm Hayden staying with them for 2010.Really chuffed for him,deserved to stay IMO.He just needs to continue his very recent improvement in form,which I reckon he will.

Really enjoyed the racing yesterday, missed the 125s but caught the last half of the 250s.

Really thought someone would be off in the last few laps - glad they weren't - but great racing.

I agree with you Pete, Aoyama is going to end up in MotoGP - LCR was making noises hinting at a second bike for next year and Toselands' manager said something about a new team too, so I'd imagine there may be at least one bike next year for Aoyama.

The GP was good again - though I wouldn't want to be de angelis at the moment.

I really thought Hayden was going to floor him after that - I'm sure he thought about it! I think Lorenzo did well to hold on after his back wheel was clipped too, could have been a very different race.

At least 'the donkey' managed to do himself proud and put Lorenzo in his place again. Some good battles going on through the field as well. Thought maybe JT might have done a little better than tenth but being behind vermeulen, capirossi etc isn't anything to be embarrassed about.

I'm glad that Hayden is confirmed for next year too, was really disappointed for him that he didn't get to race yesterday.

Did anyone see the WSB yesterday, that was some close racing too. A bit of a controversial pass for the lead by our very own Jonny Rea too - who actually went on to win so it all worked out well.

pete_21 wrote:

> Numnut where are you man ?,missed you on here ! :)

Well deserved holiday mate, I meant to post something so the thread wasn't abandoned, but I ran out of time.....! glad to see you've kept it going though, you even managed to get Warhunt involved!

With what the BBC were saying about the tech3 ride over the weekend it sounds like JT will be in the dark until Ben Spies either wins or doesn't win the WSB title. If that's the case I think I'd cut my losses and just find myself a ride for next year. It doesn't seem very fair keeping him hanging on until its convenient for them to decide.

I hate to admit it but I forwarded through the Supersport race at the weekend, might still have it on the sky+ though so should be able to give it a watch.

I was a bit gutted for Camier in the BSB over the bank holiday - though I find it hard to believe a professional racer was confused about what a particular flag meant. Still you're right he does need some competition, hopefully guintoli will be back on form next race. Isnt' Josh brookes back too? Best all keep a look out over their shoulders!

Just read this,very interesting.

Pedrosa admits to chasing Yamaha ride

Obviously Lorenzo resigning killed any chance of that happening but I thought it was a strange thing for him to admit to.Obviously all is not so rosy behind closed doors at HRC when their star rider admits he tried to leave because the bike is simply not good enough.A few years ago Pedrosa was being hyped as the next big thing (no pun intended !) and he is without doubt one of the fastest guys in MotoGP but I think the fact he has not won a title yet maybe starting to get to him a little bit.

Thought this article was just as interesting :

HRC would welcome Stoner and Rossi back

Thought this was also a very strange comment to make.Not so much Stoner as he only had one year on a satellite bike but Rossi famously did his ball and chain routine when Honda tried to stop him leaving.There is a very interesting section on this period in Rossi's autobiography where he says he was sick and tired of life at Honda where the machinery got all of the credit and the rider was just made to feel like a component off the bike.I thinks its fair to say since he left the once dominant HRC have not enjoyed anything like the same level of success.Honda suggesting they would happily have him back is very interesting indeed.

Heard an interview with Nicky Hayden a couple of years ago,don't think much of it could be repeated on here though !.Although Hayden won the 2006 championship,remember him on the 2007 bike ?,he couldn't even fit on the damn thing !.Honda strenuously denied they had designed the bike for pint sized Pedrosa and when Nicky was asked about it he seemed to be pointing the finger in Puig's direction.Chief sponsor Repsol are a Spanish company so maybe Puig has some clout from that direction ?.Whatever,it does seem he is generally not a very popular person around the MotoGP paddock.

Regarding Pedrosa,I agree with you.Behind closed doors I would not be surprised of some toys being seriously being flung out of the pram when things are not going his way.I can imagine all the mega serious Japanese guys looking on bewildered as he spits his dummy !.But when that Honda is hooked up he can be bloody quick.

Guys (or just Numnut !),you have to see this video its mental ! :

Ben Spies Promotional Video

Absolutely brilliant,could you imagine an F1 driver or any other top sportsman making something like this ?.

Numnut wrote:

Thanks for this Pete, I will have a look later -got to do some work now!

No problem mate,its really good,i'm sure you'll appreciate it ! :)

I'll raise a ticket saying the clip wont stream properly on my Freeola account and demand a staffie tests it at once if you like ! :0

Guintoli's announced he's staying in BSB with Suzuki next year,but it looks like Camier's off to WSBK.Kiyonari has been nowhere at Croft so far,no idea what's going on with him,seems to have lost the plot at the moment ? :S.

Simon Andrews has had a decent year,which is good to see.I'm not surprised Camier is going to be bagged by a WSBK team either.he struggled a bit at the start of last year after his injury but this year he has been in a class of his own.If Spies goes to MotoGP,wouldn't be that surprised to see him on his bike (unless Toseland ends up there ?).If that happened I'm not sure where that would leave Tom Sykes though ?.

Numnut,did you get chance to watch that Spies clip ?,I thought it was genius.

Right off to work now,late as usual !.

'If I don't win,I don't get ma key chains',what a legend ! :)

On a more serious note,John Hopkins is out for the rest of the season following his nasty crash at the Nurburgring.Initial reports that he was relatively OK (apart from his shoulder and wrist) seem to have been a bit premature.He has been diagnosed with a type of 'head trauma' which looks like some sort of bleeding on his brain.He has been given a 6 week layoff which obviously means the end of his WSBK campaign for this year.Man,how much crappy luck can one guy have in a season ?.First he lost his MotoGP ride when Kawasaki bailed (at the 11th hour,leaving no available rides),then his monster bone breaking crash at Assen and finally this !.Hope he recovers,Hopper is a fantastic rider and a top bloke but I think its fair to say this hasn't been his year ! :(

pete_21 wrote:

> Numnut,
>
> Noticed there's a couple of interesting behind the scenes
> video's made at the MSS Kawasaki .......

Thanks, Good spot, will give those a look a little later.

> Stuart Easton won his (and Hydrex Honda's) first BSB race
> today,ace news !.

BSB was really good yesterday I thought, Camier did well getting through the field after nearly ending up in a ditch, bit disappointed for Simon Andrews - though he made a nice overtake on Josh Brooks which looked a little risky! Can't imagine those two are the best of friends.

And well done to Stuart Easton he's a good rider to watch and comes across as a nice guy in interviews. I think he may be on to bigger and better things at some point soon too.

I actually watched the Supersport race too, was like watching 125gp bikes, over taking all the time - Steve Plater ended up winning but he didn't get in front until the last lap or second from last can't quite remember! Either way it was good to watch. Should maybe make time for WSS now too!

I don't think it has been John Hopkins year for a while, didn't he have a big smash last year in GP which destroyed his season (not that the bike didn't do that for him)? Now two injuries this season in WSB, he's gotta be wondering what he has to do to get a break (that's a bad bad pun) this year. He's not on a bad bike either. Leon Haslam has been pretty convincing on it this year.

I'm sure I read something about Shakey Byrne's Ducati squad not finishing the season due to money troubles.....