MotoGP 2016

**pritch** · 20th May 2016, 09:51

So the press conference went well with all concerned being very diplomatic about the new signings.

Last night Twitter started out calm enough.

Lorenzo and Marquez are to have bodyguards at Mugello. The jury is out as to whether that's a Dorna overeaction or whether it's better to be safe than sorry. There have been bodyguards before. Degner had one after defecting to the west from East Germany. Biaggi once had a couple dressed as Roman gladiators apparently, and of course Simoncelli had a huge Police presence including bodyguards at Jerez after he'd received death threats.

Petrucci says his injury is still not healed but has the advantage that he can now forecast the weather by the pain in his wrist.

Casey Stoner popped up and said that Rossi should show sportmanship and ask his fans not to boo Lorenzo and Marquez. And the shit hit the fan.
Uproar in cyberspace. One of the anti-Rossi fans objected to the flak Stoner was receiving. So I had a look. It's huge. Some of it is genuinely funny but some is just nasty. Like me, many wonder when Stoner became an expert on sportsmanship. Some ask where this sportsmanship was when he punched DePuniet. Many suggest he should stick to fishing. (That's the polite version.)

For the record, Rossi in an interview in Italian had asked the fans to show respect to all of the riders.

That's it, I'm going back to read Stoner's mail.

**pritch** · 20th May 2016, 13:55

The latest Paddock Pass podcast is an interview with Pippa Laverty talking about life with a racer. She sounds as nice as she looks.
It can be heard here: https://motomatters.com/

**Crasherfromwayback** · 20th May 2016, 15:13

Originally Posted by pritch

Casey Stoner popped up and said that Rossi should show sportmanship and ask his fans not to boo Lorenzo and Marquez. And the shit hit the fan.
Like me, many wonder when Stoner became an expert on sportsmanship. .

Can't ever recall seeing him blame the other riders for siding with someone else to stop him winning the title I must say...

**Drew** · 20th May 2016, 15:33

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Can't ever recall seeing him blame the other riders for siding with someone else to stop him winning the title I must say...

Nah, he's been well upstaged in the poor form stakes.

Jorge reminds me of Stoner when he's not top step of the podium though. They can't give credit where it's due, and it grinds the fuck out of my gears.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 20th May 2016, 16:37

Originally Posted by Drew

Nah, he's been well upstaged in the poor form stakes.

Jorge reminds me of Stoner when he's not top step of the podium though. They can't give credit where it's due, and it grinds the fuck out of my gears.

Yeah. Looks like they're about to trip over their bottom lip.

**merv** · 20th May 2016, 16:46

I always found Stoner quite humble and to the point and he always talked about "we" to include his team. The "to the point" bit I think was the problem, the Europeans just didn't get his straight faced humour whereas to me as a Kiwi it was spot on particularly the "ambition outweighed your talent" comment which was valid and to the point in the circumstances, and meant to be a wind up, and no matter how insulting Vale's fans thought it was it sure as hell was true that day.

The same type of event occurred when Iannone went under Dovi and took him out - and who is supporting Maniac Joe on that? Nobody!

He would have fitted well back in the days when Croz raced as they could have been two straight talkers together.

**Drew** · 20th May 2016, 16:49

Originally Posted by merv

I always found Stoner quite humble and to the point and he always talked about "we" to include his team. The "to the point" bit I think was the problem, the Europeans just didn't get his straight faced humour whereas to me as a Kiwi it was spot on particularly the "ambition outweighed your talent" comment which was valid and to the point in the circumstances, and meant to be a wind up, and no matter how insulting Vale's fans thought it was it sure as hell was true that day.

The same type of event occurred when Iannone went under Dovi and took him out - and who is supporting Maniac Joe on that? Nobody!

He would have fitted well back in the days when Croz raced as they could have been two straight talkers together.

The day of the 'ambition' comment, was the only time I saw Rossi on form on the Ducati. He'd caught up a fuck ton the lap previous and was gonna get past Stoner who was having a shit time in the rain on the Honda. Rossi fucked up by coming from too far back, but he was gonna roost Stoner that day.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 20th May 2016, 17:03

Originally Posted by Drew

He'd caught up a fuck ton the lap previous and was gonna get past Stoner who was having a shit time in the rain on the Honda. Rossi fucked up by coming from too far back, but he was gonna roost Stoner that day.

Bullshit. Stoner was just waiting for the tyres to come in. Never seen what Stoner did to them at Silverstone in the rain mate?

**Reckless** · 20th May 2016, 17:06

Originally Posted by pritch

So the press conference went well with all concerned being very diplomatic about the new signings.

Last night Twitter started out calm enough.

Lorenzo and Marquez are to have bodyguards at Mugello. The jury is out as to whether that's a Dorna overeaction or whether it's better to be safe than sorry. There have been bodyguards before. Degner had one after defecting to the west from East Germany. Biaggi once had a couple dressed as Roman gladiators apparently, and of course Simoncelli had a huge Police presence including bodyguards at Jerez after he'd received death threats.

Petrucci says his injury is still not healed but has the advantage that he can now forecast the weather by the pain in his wrist.

Casey Stoner popped up and said that Rossi should show sportmanship and ask his fans not to boo Lorenzo and Marquez. And the shit hit the fan.
Uproar in cyberspace. One of the anti-Rossi fans objected to the flak Stoner was receiving. So I had a look. It's huge. Some of it is genuinely funny but some is just nasty. Like me, many wonder when Stoner became an expert on sportsmanship. Some ask where this sportsmanship was when he punched DePuniet. Many suggest he should stick to fishing. (That's the polite version.)

For the record, Rossi in an interview in Italian had asked the fans to show respect to all of the riders.

That's it, I'm going back to read Stoner's mail.

Seen all the first bit Pritch and watched the entire interview on GP.com but did see any stoner action?? When did this happen or did they cut it out??

**Drew** · 20th May 2016, 17:08

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Bullshit. Stoner was just waiting for the tyres to come in. Never seen what Stoner did to them at Silverstone in the rain mate?

Not what it looked like to me. Wets don't 'come in', on that track they would have been well optimal for turn one lap two.

I'm not saying he was no good in the wet, but that day it was far from coming together I think.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 20th May 2016, 17:15

Originally Posted by Drew

Not what it looked like to me. Wets don't 'come in', on that track they would have been well optimal for turn one lap two.

.

The wets I've raced on sure as fuck did. Mind you...I wasn't using tyre warmers! Rossi is no wet weather expert mate, despite what the fans think.

**Drew** · 20th May 2016, 17:23

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

The wets I've raced on sure as fuck did. Mind you...I wasn't using tyre warmers! Rossi is no wet weather expert mate, despite what the fans think.

I remember an interview with Colin Edwards talking about wets. He reckoned after the first lap, you knew what ya had untill the tyres wore out or the track dried.

My memory is that Rossi was only ever beatable in the wet for three seasons straight, because he was average as hell.

**pritch** · 20th May 2016, 18:25

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

The wets I've raced on sure as fuck did. Mind you...I wasn't using tyre warmers! Rossi is no wet weather expert mate, despite what the fans think.

Your memory is failing you there, Rossi had good results in the rain before he went to Ducati. You did better with the wets comment though.

There was an interview with Jeremy Burgess I think. Anyhoo, whoever it was pointed out that the tyre warmers don't do much in the rain. Riding around in the wet on the sighting lap undoes whatever the tyre warmers had done, and it normally takes about eight laps for the tyres to come back up to temperature.
The interviewee, whoever it was, pointed out that most of the fallers in the then recent wet race had fallen in the first eight laps.

**James Deuce** · 20th May 2016, 18:26

Originally Posted by Drew

Nah, he's been well upstaged in the poor form stakes.

Jorge reminds me of Stoner when he's not top step of the podium though. They can't give credit where it's due, and it grinds the fuck out of my gears.

Yeah, I agree - Lorenzo has been through a lot of shit to get to where he is including some major family upset that would be difficult to deal with without having to be competitive in MotoGP. I love his style of riding. He is smooth to a fault and his sweeping lines are a joy to behold.