I saw on the AMS website just now that they're hosting another race watch party November 8th, 4pm. It's the last MotoGP race of the season - should be another "cracker" [laugh]
I'm there [thumbsup]
I'm interested. Is it BYOV (bring your own Valpolicella)? [wine]
I'm interested. Even though the season is kind of a wrap I won't miss the race broadcast. Would be fun to watch it with a crowd. Missed the mention of lunch being served but I try to eat lunch every day. [thumbsup] If this is really happening then count me in.
I'll be there! (Missus in tow, she has gotten into motogp and wsbk quite quickly)
Quote from: ato memphis on November 03, 2009, 07:45:31 AM
I'll be there! (Missus in tow, she has gotten into motogp and wsbk quite quickly)
You're one lucky b@3tard too! [thumbsup]
AMS site says 4pm, on the front page.
Yep sure enough; 4pm. Blog still has "starting at noon" :-\
Oh well... There's GOT to be some good spaghetti and Valpolicella lunches somewhere in this town on a Sunday... I'm jus' sayin' [evil]
Which blog? http://www.texasducati.com/ (http://www.texasducati.com/) hasn't been changed in a Loooooong time I thought.
http://amsducati.blogspot.com/ (http://amsducati.blogspot.com/)
Will try to make it... free food is calling!
I'm having second thoughts... not that anyone would care. I'm thinking of riding rather than watching other folks race on TV. I can always watch it later on my DVR. Ya'll have fun! [thumbsup] [drink] [popcorn]
Oakie's will be coming down to watch [moto]
those living in Oklahoma meet at 3:30 at Beall Bank parking lot on SW corner of Tollway & Legacy.
See you guys there.
Even though my ride today isn't going to happen after all I still might not make it. No spoilers here but I'm pretty disappointed with the results in both races. Oh well, now begins the nuclear winter of the off season. It's been a good year for sure, especially in the WSBK series! MotoGP was predictable with the 4 aliens pretty much the whole show and the controversy of Stoner's three race sabbatical. Obviously he proved the naysayers wrong with his strong season ending charge. Hopefully before next season he and his docs will have a handle on it and he can put in a full season of hard racing. Kudos to Nicky for giving it a valiant effort all year despite the disappointments and being punted off the track a few times by yahoos. As usual he took it all in stride and kept plugging away, which is his style. He's a trooper and that good placing in Indy sure helped him in getting signed up for another year! [thumbsup]
On a somewhat sad note I really hate to see the final 250GP race take place. The new champion is not my favorite at all but he is the last of his kind. Really sad to see 60+ years of 250cc Grand Prix history come to an end. The list of champions over the years is f#@king amazing!! One of my personal favs is Fast Freddie's awesome double win in 1985!! Won both the 500cc and 250cc championships! The fact he pulled it off in modern times against fierce competition makes it one of the greatest championship wins ever. Not just my opinion. But there are just too many other good ones to mention. I hope Moto2 doesn't fall on it's face. It will never be "250GP good" but I hope it's at least competitive and entertaining. I wish them all luck. Guess I'll have to get my smoky premix fix with the 125s!! [laugh] [moto]
So between now and the end of next February I guess I had better get my Zoloft refilled and bust out the On Any Sunday dvd!! I hate it when the seasons come to an end but there is always next year and with all the rider changes in both classes it looks to be another great year of racing!! [popcorn] Until Phillip Island... [moto] [drink]
I don't know Brian. Moto2 might end up being better than 250's. You won't have the performance gap of the Aprilia's or even the more established teams anymore. Everyone is running the same engine, the same power, so aside from chassis, there is no excuse for anyone to be flat out running away from the "lesser" teams. I think its going to put tremendous pressure on the riders and could end up being amazingly competitive. The cream of the crop will really rise, rider wise. There are good riders stuck on crappy 250 teams. Next year everyone starts on a somewhat level playing field.
Hey, did I hear right that 250cc GP bikes could still compete next year in Moto2? Seriously, I swear I read that somewhere but it may have been last year when they were announcing the end of 250GP and what Moto2 would be like. I may be wrong but it seems I read that but I haven't seen anything about it this year. Anyone know for sure?
Jester, yeah you could be right. I am hoping it's kick ass racing for sure. I'll just miss the storied six decades of 250GP racing history. It's been one of my favorite classes of GP bike racing forever. Whether 500cc, 990cc or 800cc (and maybe back to 1000cc for 2012!!) the big boy class has been good but I just have a real soft spot for the 250s. Plus it will be weird seeing brand names like Gilera or Aprilla on the side of a Moto2 racebike when it has a Honda motor. Let the new class history begin! [clap]
Maybe Aprilia will start making 600cc v4 scooters off it's race investments
Quote from: fastwin on November 08, 2009, 01:21:59 PM
Hey, did I hear right that 250cc GP bikes could still compete next year in Moto2? Seriously, I swear I read that somewhere but it may have been last year when they were announcing the end of 250GP and what Moto2 would be like. I may be wrong but it seems I read that but I haven't seen anything about it this year. Anyone know for sure?
Yeah 250's can compete if they wish, but remember how well that worked when 500's were racing against the new 990's? Not too well.
Good to know it's not just old fart delusional thinking... then again. :P Doubt we will see much of it but just wanted to clear that up. Guess a lot of those 250s will end up in collections and national championship teams. Hey, at least they can be raced somewhere unlike the 990cc GP bikes. I still think they should promote "vintage" GP bike racing much like the huge vintage race car scene. As cool as it was to see Schwantz do a couple of "hot" laps at Indy on his '93 winning RG500, how about a pack of 1990-2000 500cc GP bikes buzzing around? Of course it probably would just end up being re-named "the high side festival"!! [laugh]
Quote from: Jester on November 08, 2009, 03:11:08 PM
... remember how well that worked when 500's were racing against the new 990's? Not too well.
+1. 250s have to carry a lot of corner speed to make fast laps. The four strokes can come into the corner hard on the brakes and then point and shoot their way out on the throttle. That mix of cornering styles could increase the potential for mid-corner collisions.
Good to get out on the scooter today and watch some racing. Thanks to AMS for hosting the race watch party [thumbsup]
Y'all have a great week!