Rossi fastest FP3 Sepang

[SimJen]

FP3 has just finished.
Rossi 2'00.605
Hayden 2'01.043
Capirossi 2'01.167

Rossi pulled a good one out of the bag, new circuit record.
Looks like it'll be a good one.
Shame Pedrosa's not in it though, but then the little runt has an unfair advantage being 20kg lighter than most of the riders......did someone say "weight limit" (like F1 etc, he should at least carry ballast or everyone else should start becoming anorexic).

[Ghost Lemur]

Don't write off Pedrosa too quickly, he pulled back to fifth at the end of the session.

Also he's already shown his determination and ability to ride through injuries, remember his broken arm last year?

No matter what, expect him to race tomorrow and attempt to salvage as many points as he can.

Qualifying is in an hour. Should be interesting.

EDIT: Oh snap, went to watch the quals for the 125's. It's bucketing down at the moment. This could make things very interesting. Looks like none of them are out qualifying yet either, all sitting in their garages.

[k14]

Yeah just seen that qualifying for motogp has been delayed by 1 hour due to the monsoon. Wonder if it will have stopped raining by then.

[Ghost Lemur]

Looks like it's been delayed to 8pm our time. Then they'll make a decision whether to go out or cancel.

Most of the track looks ok, but there's 3 or so corners that are seriously submerged.

Anyone else watch the safety car doing laps? Seriously wet.

[k14]

Well looks like qualifying for motogp has been fully cancelled. The grid will be decided on the combined free practice times. Now thats a new one for ya.

[TonyB]

What time is the racing on Prime?
(yeah yeah I know- can't be arsed looking it up)

[k14]

Around 1130 or 12 monday i believe.

[SimJen]

Delayed coverage or you can watch the live timing on Motogp.com for free I think.

[vtec]

SimJen, being that light and small was thought initially that he wouldn't be able to handle the MotoGP bikes, and even now he is only just competitive. It's harder to throw the bike around when you are 20 kgs less. Body weight definitely helps to stabilise the bikes.

Just imagine you trying to ride your bike if it was 20-30% bigger than it is now... scary huh.

[SimJen]

SimJen, being that light and small was thought initially that he wouldn't be able to handle the MotoGP bikes, and even now he is only just competitive. It's harder to throw the bike around when you are 20 kgs less. Body weight definitely helps to stabilise the bikes.

Just imagine you trying to ride your bike if it was 20-30% bigger than it is now... scary huh.

I wouldn't exactly say he is ONLY JUST competitive......did you actually see the race? He could hardly walk due to his injuries but still beat his 100% fit team mate (one of the best riders on the grid) and still got a podium. He's competitive alright, just not as experienced as some of the other riders.
Honda is investing in tiny guys if noone has already noticed. A lot of the guys in the satellite Honda teams are all tiny, perhaps this has something to do with the 800cc switch where the weight will play an even bigger part.
Stoner, Elias, Pedrosa etc

[gav]

Don't forget Pedrosa nearly won his first GP and ended up second to Capirossi. Only just competitive? yeah right.....

[vtec]

Hmm, I've missed the last couple of MotoGP races, it sounds like he is doing better.

[Ghost Lemur]

Hmm, I've missed the last couple of MotoGP races, it sounds like he is doing better.

Couple of races sounds like you've missed the whole season. First MotoGP race ever he got a podium. He's got two wins under his belt, one more and he'll have as many in his first season as Hayden has managed in 4 seasons. Besides Rossi he's by far the most talented rider out there.

Oh and time and time again this myth of size (bigger is better, no no smaller is better) has been disproved in relation to motorcycles. When you're dealing with one horse power size matters. When you are dealing with 200 size is irrelevant. Riding skill and race craft is everything.