Qatar....spoilers.

[Motu]

FP1...

1 5 Colin EDWARDS YAMAHA 1'56.665
2 27 Casey STONER DUCATI 1'56.745
3 46 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA 1'56.787
4 7 Carlos CHECA HONDA 1'57.095
5 65 Loris CAPIROSSI DUCATI 1'57.270
6 21 John HOPKINS SUZUKI 1'57.281
7 33 Marco MELANDRI HONDA 1'57.443
8 56 Shinya NAKANO HONDA 1'57.491
9 26 Dani PEDROSA HONDA 1'57.705
10 66 Alex HOFMANN DUCATI 1'58.021
11 14 Randy DE PUNIET KAWASAKI 1'58.238
12 24 Toni ELIAS HONDA 1'58.262
13 4 Alex BARROS DUCATI 1'58.315
14 71 Chris VERMEULEN SUZUKI 1'58.559
15 10 Kenny ROBERTS JR KR212V 1'58.774
16 1 Nicky HAYDEN HONDA 1'58.924
17 19 Olivier JACQUE KAWASAKI 1'59.598
18 50 Sylvain GUINTOLI YAMAHA 1'59.679
19 88 Andrew PITT ILMOR GP 2'00.587
20 6 Makoto TAMADA YAMAHA 2'01.495
21 99 Jeremy McWILLIAMS ILMOR GP 2'01.767

FP2 times:

1 46 V.ROSSI ITA FIAT Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'56.787 1'56.464
2 5 C.EDWARDS USA FIAT Yamaha Team YAMAHA 1'56.665 1'56.779 0.201
3 27 C.STONER AUS Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'56.745 1'56.839 0.281
4 21 J.HOPKINS USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'57.281 1'56.972 0.508
5 7 C.CHECA SPA Honda LCR HONDA 1'57.095 1'56.981 0.517
6 26 D.PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'57.705 1'56.990 0.526
7 33 M.MELANDRI ITA Honda Gresini HONDA 1'57.443 1'57.112 0.648
8 65 L.CAPIROSSI ITA Ducati Marlboro Team DUCATI 1'57.270 1'57.247 0.783
9 24 T.ELIAS SPA Honda Gresini HONDA 1'58.262 1'57.382 0.918
10 56 S.NAKANO JPN Konica Minolta Honda HONDA 1'57.491 1'57.574 1.027
11 4 A.BARROS BRA Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'58.315 1'57.620 1.156
12 71 C.VERMEULEN AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP SUZUKI 1'58.559 1'57.636 1.172
13 14 R.DE PUNIET FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'58.238 1'57.686 1.222
14 10 K.ROBERTS JR USA Team Roberts KR212V 1'58.774 1'57.738 1.274
15 1 N.HAYDEN USA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'58.924 1'57.922 1.458
16 66 A.HOFMANN GER Pramac d'Antin DUCATI 1'58.021 1'58.206 1.557
17 19 O.JACQUE FRA Kawasaki Racing Team KAWASAKI 1'59.598 1'58.523 2.059
18 50 S.GUINTOLI FRA Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'59.679 1'58.720 2.256
19 88 A.PITT AUS Ilmor GP ILMOR GP 2'00.587 1'59.930 3.466
20 99 J.McWILLIAMS GBR Ilmor GP ILMOR GP 2'01.767 2'00.125 3.661
21 6 M.TAMADA JPN Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 2'01.495 2'00.188 3.724


The Doctors in...

Good to see Edwards up there,Stoner lookin good,until he fades.

[Crasherfromwayback]

FP1...
The Doctors in...

Good to see Edwards up there,Stoner lookin good,until he fades.

It's gonna be fireworks! Great to see Hopkins up there even injured!

I think Stoner will pull off a surprise win!

[Babelfish]

yeah, think quite a few people backing rossi having some fire in his gut from last year. His times have been pretty hot in the lead up

[gav]

Why are qualifying times subjected to a spoiler thread title?

[Skunk]

Why are qualifying times subjected to a spoiler thread title?
Because someone, somewhere will get upset...

[MacD]

Yamaha again...

[Kornholio]

Quite interesting where Hayden is.......

[Ivan]

Its only practice its not racing nicky might have a shit time but mighr be faster on track and free practice times only show there best lap not all there laps,

Anyone can be fast on there first timed lap but can they keep the stamina and consistent times up the whole race pace.


Thats what makes the top5 so good is the fact to do bang bang bang consistent times each lap not 1 hit wonder times

[Motu]

Because someone, somewhere will get upset...

I'm surprised I haven't got a red rep for posting in the wrong forum,or had posts like this one shifted to drivel.Somewhere,sometime,somehow....someone will be pissed off with your thread.

[MacD]

Its only practice its not racing nicky might have a shit time but mighr be faster on track and free practice times only show there best lap not all there laps,

Anyone can be fast on there first timed lap but can they keep the stamina and consistent times up the whole race pace.


Thats what makes the top5 so good is the fact to do bang bang bang consistent times each lap not 1 hit wonder times

You're right, but both Pedrosa and Hayden were initially quite slow in the FPs (live timing on MotoGP.com), consistently in the lower half of the field.

Anyhow, they've moved up the field during QP and there's two Hondas in the top 5....

[Masterchop]

Hayden qualified 9th.

Quite the world champion isnt he.

[Cleve]

Rossi top speed 309k's
Stoner top speed 324k's

Whoa, quite a difference...

[Masterchop]

Shows who goes round the corners fastest doesnt it.

[MacD]

The Ducatis have the 3 top speeds in QP: (actually make that the 4 top speeds...)

2. Stoner: 324.7
7. Capirossi: 323.5
17. Hofmann: 322.6
15. Barros: 319.5

interesting comparison with the Yamahas

1. Rossi: 309.9
3. Edwards: 307.9
15. Guintoli: 309.2
19. Tamada: 310.1



Looks like Fiat Yamaha has sorted its front end problems, I guess we'll see in the race. Should make for some interesting passing tussles.

[gav]

Because someone, somewhere will get upset...
FFS, yeah, rather watch qualifying on TV......:innocent:
No problem at all with a spoiler tag on race results but on qualifying times is just a bit pointless isnt it?

[Matt Bleck]

I reckon Rossi is going to dominate this year! Go The Doctor!!

[Masterchop]

Yup, Rossi will dominate and Hayden will struggle to get in top 5 for the championship.

[Ivan]

we will see pre season testing means nothing its race day that counts

[Motu]

Well it's the checkerd flag that counts - if you don't crash,if the bike doesn't break down and if you save your tyres....then you get some points.Points is what wins the title....as Hayden showed us last year.No matter how good the rider,if the bike is not sorted until halfway through the year,then you won't win the title....Rossi showed us that one last year too.

[Crasherfromwayback]

FP1...

The Doctors in...

Good to see Edwards up there,Stoner lookin good,until he fades.

No fade there Motu.....the lap record was set by Stoner on the last lap.
And didn't he look like he'd 'pulled the pin' on that last lap!
Yes the Duck was waaaay faster than Rossi's Yamaha, but so was Pedrosa's Honda. Stoner was also up for a scrap in the corners.


It's gonna be fireworks! Great to see Hopkins up there even injured!

I think Stoner will pull off a surprise win!

What do I win for that?


Shows who goes round the corners fastest doesnt it.

Stoner wasn't slow through the corners though...it's just that Rossi was so desperate to try and hang onto Stoner that he had to enter the corners like a 'P' freak on crack to stay with him.


I reckon Rossi is going to dominate this year! Go The Doctor!!

I'm not so sure mate.


Yup, Rossi will dominate and Hayden will struggle to get in top 5 for the championship.

I think not....not this year.
I do think he'll win the title, but I doubt very much he'll have it all his own way.

[Drew]

My money, is on some rider, to win some races, and the other riders to win some other races. I'm also willing to put a thousand dollars, on them to be on motorcycles!

[SimJen]

Rossi is always a good bet for the title.
Stoner only has to win a couple more to equal the amount of races Hayden has won in his whole Motogp career. Stoner has had some bad times though with a few nasty crashes slowing him down in the past. If he keeps it together we should see some good action.
Interesting that Dani Pedrosa weighs 20kg less than Rossi (with the same bike weight) but is nowhere as good on the brakes........
The start/finish line shouldn't be at the end of a straight, lots of tracks have moved it to stop the last second slip-streaming deciding races.
Early days though, its anybodies title to win.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Rossi is always a good bet for the title.
Stoner only has to win a couple more to equal the amount of races Hayden has won in his whole Motogp career. Stoner has had some bad times though with a few nasty crashes slowing him down in the past. If he keeps it together we should see some good action.
Interesting that Dani Pedrosa weighs 20kg less than Rossi (with the same bike weight) but is nowhere as good on the brakes........
The start/finish line shouldn't be at the end of a straight, lots of tracks have moved it to stop the last second slip-streaming deciding races.
Early days though, its anybodies title to win.

Good post! Doohan said years ago....you can teach a fast rider to stop crashing, but..... Stoner will be a force to be reckoned with.

The finish line bit is a goodin too..... the way I see it is this.....a track with the finish line close to the corner will reward whoever gets out of that corner first. Is that any better to see than someone that plans a move perfectly over the line? I personally think the skill and timing of drafting is really exciting to watch. Some tracks have it close....some down the end of the straight. Sweet. Do we need all of the tracks to be the same?
Doubt it.

[Motu]

That was a good race from Stoner,he knew where he had the advantage,and made the most of it.The 800's are more like the 250's,so I don't think we'll see him lose the front as much this year,he sure gave his team mate a thrashing on his first outing.Kinda like F1 - set up for top speed or corner speed,Ducati went for top speed on a track with a long main straight,the gamble being could they maintain the advantage gained on the straight throughout the circuit....and it looks like they could.Pedrosa the best Honda by far,the rest are lost - it's his bike,and Honda will make it more so.Carlos Checa has lost 7 lbs and had the tank/seat changed on his Honda,but he's still too big for it,so is Hayden.Honda needs more little riders.....wonder if they would sign me?

[TonyB]

Arg! Damn you Prime! Damn you Sky! In desperation I managed to find a blurry 15 min vid, complete with Japanese comentary. What can you say- rossi rode the wheels off that Yamaha. looks like it's gonna be a great years racing!

[nudemetalz]

Looked like Rossi had a 600 engine in there compared to the Ducati on the straights. Just blitzed passed it !!!
He must have been so frustrated, because given same speeds on both bikes, I reckon The Doctor would have said bye, bye !!

[Matt Bleck]

For those that don't know, the race highlight's where shown on Primes BP Ultimate Sports Sunday which started at 2.30pm. I'd say this will be the trend for the year so if like me you don't have sky, then there's still the chance to see the watered down version.

Good on Stoner for showing some maturity.... the little c**t!!

[Toast]

Kinda like F1 - set up for top speed or corner speed,?

Is it really comparable to F1? Downforce makes a huge difference to corner speed and top speed of F1 cars, but obviously that doesn't apply to bikes.

It doesn't sound like it was a case of the Duc just being geared longer either, as it seems to have had better acceleration through the gears as well as the higher top end speed.

Sounds like the Duc just plain has a moster motor.

Awesome that Stoner has gotten his shit together. Another season as the crasher and he'd probably find it pretty hard to find a job next year.

[gav]

For those that don't know, the race highlight's where shown on Primes BP Ultimate Sports Sunday which started at 2.30pm. I'd say this will be the trend for the year so if like me you don't have sky, then there's still the chance to see the watered down version.

Good on Stoner for showing some maturity.... the little c**t!!
Yeah, they will, but will be a week after the race, Qatar is raced on a Saturday not the normal Sunday.

[Finn]

And who won the ugliest bike of the season award? Yip, you guessed it - Suzuki. I heard they bought an 05 Honda engine on eBay for the 07 season.

[Motu]

Is it really comparable to F1? Downforce makes a huge difference to corner speed and top speed of F1 cars, but obviously that doesn't apply to bikes.


The Ducati has better aerodynamics than the other bikes,this (as well as the motor) gives it the edge in top speed,but the fairing is much bigger than the others,I guess this would have some effect too.To pull a higher top speed,it is either geared higher,or pulls more revs for more top end punch - take your pick,but either one will not help it through the corners.Stoner was using Rossi to pull him along,then pulling out and just leaving him behind.Wait until we have a track with less top speed on the straights and we'll what Ducati does with it's extra ponies.There is no doubt the Ducati has more power,it's all about how they exploit that advantage.And it looks like Stoner knows what he's doing.

[Finn]

The Ducati has better aerodynamics than the other bikes,this (as well as the motor) gives it the edge in top speed,but the fairing is much bigger than the others,I guess this would have some effect too.To pull a higher top speed,it is either geared higher,or pulls more revs for more top end punch - take your pick,but either one will not help it through the corners.Stoner was using Rossi to pull him along,then pulling out and just leaving him behind.Wait until we have a track with less top speed on the straights and we'll what Ducati does with it's extra ponies.There is no doubt the Ducati has more power,it's all about how they exploit that advantage.And it looks like Stoner knows what he's doing.

You're wasting your time in that garage Motu.

[Motu]

Ducati colours are red - sponsored by the communists and the Labour party.

[Brian d marge]

The Ducati has better aerodynamics than the other bikes,this (as well as the motor) gives it the edge in top speed,but the fairing is much bigger than the others,I guess this would have some effect too.To pull a higher top speed,it is either geared higher,or pulls more revs for more top end punch - take your pick,but either one will not help it through the corners.Stoner was using Rossi to pull him along,then pulling out and just leaving him behind.Wait until we have a track with less top speed on the straights and we'll what Ducati does with it's extra ponies.There is no doubt the Ducati has more power,it's all about how they exploit that advantage.And it looks like Stoner knows what he's doing.

To add to the above , Windtunnels . I suspected and it was mentioned , and look at Yamahas new sponsor ,,FIAT ( who have access to a wind tunnel )
Time in these things is limited/expensive , and needed. Cant remember the name of the English Guy whose name was talked about ..but he is/was behind Ducati ...heard of him before ... yes Ducati did put some effort in to get the bike sorted ( Wonder if the Ducati windtunnel is the same as the FIAT one?? Pinna Farrina?? (sp))

Do Yamaha have a tunnel.. , I am not aware of one the only one I can think of is the one used for NASA ( jap version) ..

Anyway when you aint got the cc you have to slide through the air .. it will give you top speed for less HP ( Dustbin anyone??)

BUT Burgess is a clever cookie , and they have been working on corner stablity.. Now how many tracks use high /long corner speeds . Also as the season progresses , As the corner speeds are now high , ( not to much of the point and squirt ) ,,, Well I like Burgesses thinking ,,,stable in the last part of the race ...,,

Either way it going to be interesting

Go the Ilmor!!!!

Stephen

[Deviant Esq]

Arg! Damn you Prime! Damn you Sky! In desperation I managed to find a blurry 15 min vid, complete with Japanese comentary.
It was on Eurosport over here, which annoyingly I don't have... but I managed to find a good torrent and watched the whole race... just a couple of days delayed. ;) Good to watch though! Does anyone know the specs of each manufacturer's engine layout? I gather Yamaha: IL4, Ducati: V2, Honda: V4... but I don't know about Kawasaki or Suzuki. Anybody else? I haven't really followed Moto GP before, just World Superbikes. Pretty different I guess! UK Bike magazine did an article on Honda's RCV211V V5 engine and called it the best motorbike engine ever made. Interesting read.

[Matt Bleck]

Yeah, they will, but will be a week after the race, Qatar is raced on a Saturday not the normal Sunday.

Ahhh, true that.... bastard's!!!!:nono: