MotoGP - 2003

**Coldkiwi** · 17th June 2003, 13:03

now now, don't be bashing Aprilia to quickly! They only started making bikes within the last decade remember!! Give them time and they will come to the fore... they have done exceptionally well for such a young company and will undoubtedly pick up their game as time goes on. As for Colin riding for Honda... if they weren't so pig headed, he still would be! I think his controlled style will be great for helping Aprilia develop the RS3 while Haga tries to convince them that drift riding is the way to go!

And leave my beloved greenies alone!

I don't know why they suck so much in the GP but I'm sure they will improve. its a sexy looking bike anyway!

but I can't say enough about Rossi!! the guy is a very very well oiled machine! How demoralising must it be for Biaggi, Gibernau and the other two (this cold has claimed half my memory today) to just get whipped at will when Rossi decides he wants to get past? that was incredible... more so than Capirossi/Ducati winning their first (full credit to them too tho) race

**Nouseforaname** · 17th June 2003, 17:02

Is anybody going to Philip Island this october? im thinking of going over, just depends on cash :-)

**andy1** · 17th June 2003, 18:27

yea, im heading over. I cant wait, ive been saving for a long time. Also Rossi is a god of motorcycle racing!!! amazing rider on road and track. I heard that he is banned from riding in aussie on the road, i think he was riding a sp2 over 200km, anyone know about that???
ciao ciao

**NhuanH** · 17th June 2003, 21:43

Coldkiwi,

It was Careless Chucker (aka Carlos Checa) and Shinya Nakano that joined Gibernau and Biaggi as the privileged bunch of riders standing still as Rossi smoked on by.

Andrew Pitt has claimed responsibility for furthering the Kawasaki DNF/low points streak and collecting poor old Jezza McWilliams along for the ride (literally!) with him. Not bagging the green K, but they have 2 Australians as their factory pilots

'Nuff said.

I'm interested in making the pilgrimage to Philip Island in October - again that evil capitalist requirement is the limiting factor (when isn't it though?)....

**SPman** · 17th June 2003, 23:30

I was - but now it looks like the I O M next year may take precedence. Its one or the other - not both unfortunately - Id sure like to hear those GP bikes for real - they're meant to sound real nice....

**Coldkiwi** · 23rd June 2003, 12:49

See! The kawkas are coming back!

anyone watch the Supersport race last night?

good too see the green machines in ascendancy! Go Fabian Foret! Hard to beleive he made it round though... doesn't seem to have any concept of slowing down once he's got a good lead!

How about the RSV catching fire in spectacular fashion at the start of the WSB?

**Dave** · 23rd June 2003, 13:00

That was some excellent racing.Felt soooo bad for Frankie.
I think in the interests of good racing,Hodgeson should be eliminated from all further racing this year.

**bluninja** · 23rd June 2003, 14:00

Well Hodgson, still only managed second in the second race....so he is human after all. As for the Green machines.....what was it the commentators said? He's riding the wheeels off that bike, but he can't pass through there. This is one of the parts of the track where you can't overtake, just setup for the next straight....oh ! well...Foret can overtake there....

TTFN

**NhuanH** · 23rd June 2003, 14:25

Originally posted by Coldkiwi

How about the RSV catching fire in spectacular fashion at the start of the WSB?

Dodgy, 'dem Aprilias. The pilots are just as volatile...the one's we know around here

Also, not that I'm a Kwak blagger, but returning to MotoGP as the topic of this thread, Foret still can't help Mssrs Pitt, McCoy or Yanagawa, especially when he (Pitt) runs across the line on the first bend and poleaxes some poor Irishman. Hell it even made mainstream TV coverage on Howard Dobson's plays of the week on TV3.

**bluninja** · 23rd June 2003, 16:31

Volatile? Is it someone I know? TTFN

**SPman** · 23rd June 2003, 18:15

OK, the Hondas are top dog in GP at the moment, with Ducati biting at their nads, and we know the green machines are fucking hopeless

, but whats the pecking order among the rest? Yamaha, Aprilia, Suzuki, Proton?

With the Protons probably going to catch up and overtake Suzuki fast, as they get some race miles on them.?

**wari** · 24th June 2003, 00:43

I'm interested in going over for the GP ... having trouble saving the dosh though

**Dave** · 24th June 2003, 11:14

Kawasaki's got a new team boss and they've been testing recently-seen pic's on the motogp site that they've got the whole-rear wheel smoking up at 200km/h thing going on.
Those 4 strokes must be pretty forgiving cos doohan was the only one that seemed to be able to smoke the rear on a 500 and get away with it.
Read a test by alan cathcart of doohans 500, He was saying that as the bike started to spin up, Doohan would hold it wide open until it revved out and went flat again,rather than backing off.
Is that ballsy or what!

**Skunk** · 25th June 2003, 19:53

The Kawasakis are behind the 8-ball in MototGP for sure. They're developing tyres, engine and chassis all at once. As Suzuki found out this is very hard. Suzuki went back to Michelens to sort the chassis out, but I can't see Kawasaki doing this.
How can you tell what's affecting the set-up when the tyre and the chassis change at the same time and you're testing is the practice for the race?!
They won't be competitive for a year or two if they're lucky...

Good on Pitt, McCoy, Hoffman and Yanagawa for hanging in there.