Will there be a "next year"? Doesn't make much sense from a business point of view. Audi may have one of those.
Probably not but that's the sad part, if they'd of developed a bike over a couple of seasons with a less high profile rider where dreamy expectations weren't as high then they'd of been given grace and more slack. I reckon they should put together a 4 year package for Redding & Luthi and simply build around new talent, everybody will know the score and it'll be a damn site more worthwhile spending money on those two boys with longer futures I wouldn't care if they didn't podium for 2 years, as long as Ducati supported them both and paid them well it'd be a far better business plan than what they've just done IMO
Good step for Ducati/Rossi, they seemed happy. Stoner might be annoying but watching him race is awesome
That was a total snoozefest. I nodded off several times. Just about needed matchsticks to see it through to the end. Unlike the Moto2 race.
I'm not so sure. An event-free race where he wasn't held up at all, and he still finished 25 seconds adrift. But they certainly seemed happier, as you say. Still work to do, but new bits on the way. Who knows...
The new bits will come eventually. They have to get the leathers made to fit a new rider.........................next season I reckon.
Wouldn't surprise me. But I kinda think on one hand Rossi should bail out, but on the other hand he should stay and finish the job. Money, of course, will be the deciding factor.
One podium is all we should hope for. Taken that there will be a quantum leap in development. The problem is that ducati knows one 1 thing thouroghly: Trelly frames.. the carbon bolt on is still in development and the ally frame is something they know shit about.. they never made one.. So they either can take trelies some jumps forward, take the carbon one to new heights or they will be learning the aluminium chassis for the next 15 years. this against teams who now as much about alu frames as Ducati knows about trelly-frames. I agree with Damodici that VR and co have had them make him an Yamaha look-alike and as they do not know how, they are now both in the doldrums... Does this mean that the GP12 can win? Or that the GP11 could win? No way imho.... Probably only if they would give the engine to Repsol, have honda make a bike around it and let Stoner ride it.. Then VR could get into the battle and show us all his heart is still in it... which i stonlgy doubt... but hey, that's just me.. From what we saw this weekend, my top team would be Marquez and Crutshlow... Marquez reigned supreme when pressured over the limit... and you got to love Cal.. the only one with a Marco 58 heart! grtz
Motogp should be concerned about the future of the whole race series if that is the best they can serve up. A waste of 45 minutes of my life. Where is the actual racing?
It's been like this for a while, too. The same three riders/bikes hitting the podium every race. To be honest, the sooner the factories take their toys away, the better. There's a whole raft of CRT teams lining up to sign for next season, and the more the merrier I reckon. And control tyres ain't working, either.
Only Stoner could ride it so thats why they employed VR to turn it into a bike that will attract young riders etc. I do think they are looking at the bigger picture post VR and that wont be untill the end of 2014. He's not going to give up on the bike, That's according to his team who imho are the ones who really know whats going on. New engines to test monday and poss tues weds. Both NH and VR complained today that they cant get the power down and need a milder (yam and honda) type engine. When VR was racing close today with Batistuta on the factory honda you could see that on the brakes and up to apex he matched him but on corner exit the duke just ran wide.
That was the only exciting part of the race. :redface: Hopefully this "milder" engine will bear fruit
It is interesting how many of the VR fans have gone deaf, when the word "settings" comes out of Vales mouth. It's a race by race event now. In days gone by when our world champion was wringing the neck out of his D16 he would often be criticised for not finding the right setting. He was of course "moaning". Maybe VR and crew should have a read at this Stoner's secret? "He doesn't lean After all, it is 80% the rider, except when it is Stoner, when it is tyres, electronics and horse power.
I apologised to the other two and meant it sincerely. But I reserve the right to call other people idiots. And you ain't the only one who's ridden a gp bike; I rode a Harris YZR500. Don't make my opinion any more valid though.
A saw a great tweet from Jeremy Mcwilliams. "Even when Stoner wins he keeps moaning, when will he say something positive about the honda". Sounds like other riders now see him for what he is!!
Can't fault the guy for being a perfectionist. He also praises the team and says when the bike is working great - you just need to listen :wink:
