Interested in MotoGP?

[roogazza]

Awesome, Greatest ever ?, debatable - but getting pretty darn close if not there already.
(Only to be beaten by someone else one-day of course)

yep, only one way from there isn't it . Gaz.

[denill]

Guys like West that stand out in the rain - have unique riding techniques. (they prepare very very early for the corner & are very very steady on the bike through the corner). - In the dry the fast guys are subtly shifting weight throughout the duration of any given corner & maximising front or rear grip (as required). Baylis is another guy that is very steady on the bike in the wet mid corner.

Mmmm, thanks for that Glen. You have nicely summed up an aspect of wet weather riding that has had me puzzled. A summation from a guy who has been there and done it. Cheers
Bill

[denill]

yep, only one way from there isn't it . Gaz.

Yep your man did great Gaz. His performance in those atrocious conditions was masterful.

[Badjelly]

Guys like West that stand out in the rain - have unique riding techniques. (they prepare very very early for the corner & are very very steady on the bike through the corner). - In the dry the fast guys are subtly shifting weight throughout the duration of any given corner & maximising front or rear grip (as required). Baylis is another guy that is very steady on the bike in the wet mid corner.

Thanks. That's the best explanation I've seen for why someone like West (and to a lesser extent Vermuelen) can be so much better in the wet than in the dry. Presumably the ones who do very well wet & dry (Rossi, Bayliss, Stoner) are the ones who can successfully change their riding style to suit the conditions.

[svr]

I used to wonder about Rossi when he was dominating during the `softer' post Doohan era, but he has certainly proven himself against the new batch of very fast protege's. IMHO he is the best since I've been following GPs since Sheene / Roberts - just shading Rainey - and I wouldnt have said that a year ago.
Its a little hard to discern a pattern regarding wet-weather specialists. `Smoothness' doesnt really capture it as no-one ever accused Bayliss or Fogarty of smoothness - its more `smooth when it counts' as Codgey points out. Kocinski was the best wet rider I've seen - silky smooth and always on the gas - `front endy' types are normally the strugglers (Mamola was known as an `understeer phobe' but loved the wet) . Also a mindset thing right? Get negative about the rain and you'll come last or lose the front somewhere you should have been on it.
All hail the King.

[Crasherfromwayback]

All hail the King.

Thanks!

[denill]

I used to wonder about Rossi when he was dominating during the `softer' post Doohan era, but he has certainly proven himself against the new batch of very fast protege's. IMHO he is the best since I've been following GPs since Sheene / Roberts - just shading Rainey - and I wouldnt have said that a year ago.

Yeah, I'm with that train of thinking too.

Rossi's Indy race was the race of a 'hard man'. He had to work hard for that. No one would have blamed him if he'd settled back and just rode for points. Don't tell Gaz I just said that!

[svr]

Thanks!

Hey Pete, King of the Lowside, whats happened to our Casey? To be fair that duke looks a pig in the rain huh?

[Crasherfromwayback]

Hey Pete, King of the Lowside, whats happened to our Casey? To be fair that duke looks a pig in the rain huh?

Lowside, highside...it's all the same to me mate! Well, apart from the highside dismount normally hurting more!

Dunno...Stoner won in Germany in the wet, the electronics do seem good in those conditions. Who knows mate...too many variables really.

[svr]

Probably felt like finishing a race without getting a helmet full of dirt, for a change, broken wrist and all. Fair enough.

[svr]

Anyone notice the coincidence that the yanks put the flag out when Hayden started going backwards...
Shades of the '84 Olympics.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Anyone notice the coincidence that the yanks put the flag out when Hayden started going backwards...
Shades of the '84 Olympics.

Nah it sounded like it was getting well dangerous mate. They all seem to agree stopping the race was the right thing.

I for one really hope Hayden goes well on the Ducati, as I think Honda's treatment of him has been shitty.

[svr]

Fair enough - but ruin a good angle whydontya?.
Actually just having the crash fencing blowing up in the air was reason enough to call it off.

Honda are a bit different aye? Hayden won them a championship but now that he's struggling he gets treated like shit.
Apparently Mr Honda sat a young Nicky down early in his GP career and told him that at HRC you either win or we don't want you around.
I guess HRC rider is the top job so it should be the most demanding.

[gav]

Fair enough - but ruin a good angle whydontya?.
Actually just having the crash fencing blowing up in the air was reason enough to call it off.

Honda are a bit different aye? Hayden won them a championship but now that he's struggling he gets treated like shit.
Apparently Mr Honda sat a young Nicky down early in his GP career and told him that at HRC you either win or we don't want you around.
I guess HRC rider is the top job so it should be the most demanding.

But the interesting thing with Hayden was even though he delivered HRC a world title and defeated Rossi, he was still treated as second best, as can be seen when they wheeled the 800 out for the first time. You think that bike was built for the reigning World Champ?

[Crasherfromwayback]

But the interesting thing with Hayden was even though he delivered HRC a world title and defeated Rossi, he was still treated as second best, as can be seen when they wheeled the 800 out for the first time. You think that bike was built for the reigning World Champ?

You said it. It was built for the Midget! But to a certain extent maybe that was Spanish money speaking. REPSOL.

Either way...pretty sucksville treatment from Honda.