MotoGP Merrygoround

[gav]

Confirmed Colin Edwards to be Rossi's teammate at Yamaha next year. Checa out, may end up at Ducati with Capirossi. Max Biaggi in HRC team with Nicky Hayden.

[jrandom]

Good. That's exciting stuff, keep the pot boiling.

CE might finally get some consistency going through a season, I wonder how much of the development work from Rossi's bunch will filter onto his bike. Presumably quite a lot.

I wonder why Biaggi switched.

[Kickaha]

I wonder why Biaggi switched.

He's still looking for team that will give him the best bike

[jrandom]

He's still looking for team that will give him the best bike

"All I ask is a bike that will be competitive. How can I be expected to win races with a rear brake lever of such unattractive shape?"

[merv]

With all the comments from Colin and Sete about their bikes and problems with set-ups it seems like the real hero out of all this might be Jerry Burgess. Once he left Honda with Rossi, no-one seemed to be able to set up the Honda properly. They have mainly blamed it on the tyres they are now getting, but what the heck. Edwards was turning far better times in pre-season testing, right up there with Rossi, when he was on last years bike. Its much like what happened at Ducati too - a great big backward step.

Jerry's comments about what he did to make the Yamaha competitive were interesting. He basically said all the previous attempts by crew chiefs were well down the wrong track with the CofG set too low etc etc. So has the same shit gone down at Honda that the other crew chiefs are just doing all the wrong stuff?

Quote from the Burgess interview:

"QUESTION: The beginning of when you started testing the Yamaha, what had to be done? What were the basics in terms of the frame, the handling of the machine, the braking, engine power and so on, what were the primary things you were chasing early on?

ANSWER: Certainly making the bike comfortable for a big bike rider. Because the bike had been developed around [Shinya] Nakano, Olivier Jacque, Marco Melandri, these guys are all guys who are top 250 riders in the world. The machine was not really how you would a set up a 500 or a MotoGP bike. Initially we had to create some feeling into the chassis and the suspension components, get some decent weight transfer onto the front for braking into the corners and transfer to the rear for accelerating off the corners. So without actually changing any major structural parts, the actual setting of the bike and the centre of gravity was too low in the past.

QUESTION: Does that say also that Rossi was better at working this out in conjunction with you and your team than the riders who had previously been on it?

ANSWER: I think it's a case if you don't know, you don't know. If you haven't had the experience or people around who can identify the comments you're making to then put that into a correction, it's very difficult to go forward. We essentially moved the bike out of the circle that any guy would logically work in but they were that far out that they probably didn't know they were that far out."

[Pwalo]

There was a remark from the commentators at the GP yesterday that John Hopkins would be leaving and possibly replacing Troy Bayliss at Ducati.

Guess that means that at least Bayliss, Checa, and Barros will be rather nervous at the moment.

[TwoSeven]

i didnt think biaggi would go to a factory team. I think he enjoys riding more now without the factory putting pressure on him.

[vifferman]

He's [Biaggi] still looking for team that will give him the best bike

Interesting to hear the commentators say that their theory was Biaggi spent too long on the 250s, and so his style was all wrong. Hence they're picking he'll never be World Champion. He's getting on a bit too.

They're also picking Pedrosa to move into the "prime class" before long and also do well, given he's still only 19 so not too set in his ways.
Their theory was that anyone that spends too long in any one class learns a certain riding style that doesn't translate well to another class, like 250 to 500s/MotoGP, or SBK to MotoGP. They also said that someone who moves through the various classes rather than switching from another arena seems to have a distinct advantage. That doesn't make sense when you consider their other pick for someone who will do well in future, which was Ruben Xaus.

Be interesting to see if Edwards does better next year. He certainly proved when he finished second to Gibernau that he can place in MotoGP. But did he spend too long in WSB?

[Marknz]

There was a remark from the commentators at the GP yesterday that John Hopkins would be leaving and possibly replacing Troy Bayliss at Ducati.

Guess that means that at least Bayliss, Checa, and Barros will be rather nervous at the moment.

Hopkins can go to Ducati if he likes... he's not gonna get any better results than Troy did this season. Troy doesn't have to worry about next year... he already has a deal on the table and when I asked if the new "green" and yellow helmet was any indicator of brand I got a wink and a "now buggar off". Checa and Barros should retire and let their sponsorship money go to some up and coming talent. Mick Doohan said that Pedrosa, while obviously a very very good rider, is too small to be able to handle a MotoGP bike right now... figures when you consider he is smaller than Loris and he really struggles on the Duke.

Should be a very interested few weeks as all the contracts get sorted and we see who has the not necessarily the best talent but the best sponsorship dollars to back up their ticket into a the MotoGP paddock.

But right now I suspect that next years championship will be dominated by one Valentino Rossi and the Texas Tornado on the Yamahas

[Motu]

Interesting quotes Merv,I know they cut the HP on the Yamaha hugely from the first attempt,as they said - so far out they didn't know where they were.So there's heaps more to come from the power plant,just getting it to the ground,same with the Honda I suppose really.It's all set up - will Colin step into a bike well sorted by others and turn himself around...or will he moan about all the problems of the Yamaha - that Rossi never has?

[Marknz]

but don't forget that it's not that long ago that Valentino and Colin ran the Suzuka long distance race together ( I think it was during the '02 season when they were both World Champions, but I stand to be corrected on that one ) and the only difference between their personal choice of settings for the bikes was one click on the front end. I know Vale has only committed to 2005 so far on the Yamaha, with a maybe for 2006. Colin has signed for 2 years and that will be the end of his career for sure. It's very possible that we'll see total domination of the class by these two for the next couple of years.

[Ghost Lemur]

but don't forget that it's not that long ago that Valentino and Colin ran the Suzuka long distance race together ( I think it was during the '02 season when they were both World Champions, but I stand to be corrected on that one ) and the only difference between their personal choice of settings for the bikes was one click on the front end. I know Vale has only committed to 2005 so far on the Yamaha, with a maybe for 2006. Colin has signed for 2 years and that will be the end of his career for sure. It's very possible that we'll see total domination of the class by these two for the next couple of years.

Rossi has publicly stated that he'll see his career out with Yamaha. There are comments from Edwards after seeing Rossi ride as team mates in Suzuka that go to show (in my opinion) Edwards knows he's not a Rossi and that Vale is something special.
IMHO - I think Edwards could be the perfect team mate to Rossi (think Schummacher and Barricello), in which case we could see lots of 1/2 finishes.

/deja vu (wrote half of this in a different thread too so if you read both, appologies )

[gav]

puhleese if Colin can't win on the Honda, how the hell is he going to do better on the Yamaha. He spent too long on superbikes and now can't adjust to the multitude of adjustment available on a GP bike to get the bike set up or communicate what he wants. He aint smart enough...Yamaha would do well to keep Marco Melandri, team him alongside Rossi for one to two seasons and let him take over the Rossi crown, why waste time on Edwards who has at most only two seasons left. Dont forget Edwards was right on the pace in pre season testing but come race time, hes been right off it, only some consistent finishes outside top five have given him a reasonable points tally. Would rather see a rider win a few and bin a few than the effort that Edwards has put in.

[cycosis]

I see alot of crap about riders and what they ride,I believe it goes-80%rider 20% bike.All those riders are dreaming of they think they can beat Rossi{WORLD CHAMP}again,He's got the biggest nads of the lot.Young and no kids,{HAND BRAKES}Look what he's done for yamaha.He's the man.Sure he lost a few races due to Yamahas lack of track knowledge,but wait till next year.The only way they'll beat him is to kill him or try putting him on one of those Proton thingys.He's A Legend.