ok, holy shit, this was one of the best weekends of wsbk I have seen in awhile.... very surprising, and some KILLER battles...
first off, my earlier pro-Xaus smacktalk was clearly prescient, as homeboy was ON FREAKIN FIRE. Also, it looks like suzuki was prescient in signing German wunderkind Neukirchner, also. He is not yet very consistent, and has a LOT of rough edges, but when he is on it, he is amazing. He shot up from something like 11th ( terrible start ) in race 1, and effectively ended the AWESOME battling of Xaus, Corser, and Bayliss, by blowing by them with scalpel like precision to take the first for Suzuki ( the first time Suzuki has EVER taken first here, btw, and they rarely podium, as this circuit is a ducati love-fest, as race 2 was about to demonstrate )
so, most people know I am not a Biaggi fan, however, I must say, that he was in good form today, and could have easily done better in either race 1 or 2, but mixed it up in an outstanding fashion with the top 6, and REALLY kept the pressure on. After Fabrizio took him out when he lost the front tire, though, I knew the italian whiner would have to go on about it on the podium, which is so low brow in my book. People make mistakes, and it is MOTORCYCLE RACING, for christ's sake, so shit happens.
XAUS XAUS XAUS XAUS XAUS, holy crap, rode like a demon in both races, and i was honestly ecstatic that he took race 2, even though I am a hard core Bayliss fanboy.... Where Corser and Bayliss has strong sections of the track, Xaus seemed strong and consistent through all turns, and it was wildly exciting to watch...
Bayliss, despite great qualifying times, seemed to be trying to figure out the tires still, and honestly that had to be part of his challenge here. he went hard rear in the first race, and soft rear in the second... he didn't have enough traction and speed in race 1, and had traction issues in race 2. bummer, as it seemed like he and Xerox duc should have had a better clue on that...
all in all, though, it was Sterilgrada's weekend ( well, unless you are a suzuki fan ). hard not to root for underdogs, and the privateer team REALLY WENT HEAD TO HEAD with the factory team, and VERY successfully.... truly an awesome showing... i think i need to get another set of skins, paint them matte black and add the sterilgrada stickers there... unbelievable!
i'm off to watch MotoGP now, and i will not check back here until I have, as I don't want it ruined by any early results. I have the races saved, and I'm going to be protecting them, so let me know if anyone wants to catch them later in the week or next weekend...
Cheers,
Svoloch
OK, tell us how you really feel about the races. [cheeky]
ok, not much commentary after the GP race, but here's what I have:
first off, it was a bummer to see Rossi crash, and to see de Puniet taken out. Still, I think it would have really only meant that the battle for 2nd was Rossi/Pedrosa instead of just Pedrosa.... and Edwards probably would have smoked Hayden, if he hadn't had to stand the bike up to avoid Rossi/dePuniet. Edwards was pretty impressive fighting his way up to the podium ( even though he only took 3rd because Hayden's bike died a hundred yards or so from the finish line... ), blowing through everyone up to 4th. Melandri seemed to briefly provide some entertainment for Rossi rejoining the pack, which I hope Melandri clings to as a memory, once Ducati boots him sometime in the near future ( and late, btw ). He just has not made the adjustment up to the big boys... which makes it all the more funny that they blue-flagged him ;D
all in all, it was a joy for me to see Stoner just run off with it. I think it was generous of the team to turn off traction control and use only old tires for a few races, so that Stoner could drift lightly down the podium.... but now it seems it is back to the business of smoking everyone who dares set foot on the same track. Suck it up, Valentino, you did this to everyone years back, and turned Biaggi into the worlds biggest whiner... and once again, I will say, when Pedrosa figures out how to nail the start, and how to pit fight in the turns, it will be a good opportunity for Valentino to entertain his lifelong dream of opening up Italy's first Starbucks...
Fun on the podium, watching pedrosa and edwards with champagne, and, of course, Stoner with some sparkling cider ;)
Sachsenring! Laguna! My prediction is that despite Hayden's stated predilection for those tracks, he should watch out of old man edwards behind him, because he will not be able to keep sight of Stoner, Rossi, and Pedrosa....
later on, folks!
-Svoloch
QuoteSuck it up, Valentino, you did this to everyone years back, and turned Biaggi into the worlds biggest whiner...
Whiner? Just because his bike was a Dog last year? Should he just shutup and try to finish a race like he did last year? How about the tires? How many DNF he had last yeart with Michelin... Last year Michelin riders where way behind.. hell even Elias was in top5 last year with Bridges as well the Suzuki guys...
I wouldnt count out Valentino yet... Both Stoner and vale have 3 wins each
looks like i need to get downloading again on bittorrent....sitll haven't watched the motogp from a week ago...
I feel bad for Hayden; it looks like he was On the Limit everywhere and didn't make any mental mistakes. (That really wasn't a mental mistake from Rossi on Lap 1 was it? [evil] Yeah, I know, he's human too [laugh] But I would have loved to see him battle at the sharp end of the talent. In fact, I think there was a very brief "blooper" shot of Rossi on the cell phone while he was lining-up Melandri then they immediately cut back to a battle that mattered.)
Which brings up Melandri.
WTH? If you listened closely to the commentary, they were of a mind that the bike is so impossible Stoner is the only one who has cracked the nut... Wow. Is the Ducati THAT weird? And I don't know if anyone else got a giggle out of the commentator's observation that Sete Gibernau - who is currently a development rider with the Ducati GP Team - could be back in MotoGP in place of Melandri, maybe even BEFORE the summer break...
Seriously. I heard it. Someone check the tape [laugh]
And then there was Edwards - great to see him flogging the Yammie for all it was worth. I'm sure he'll "take" that podium but it's probably not the way he would have liked to have gotten there. But hey, points is points [drink] Great ride!
All in all a very entertaining race but not as entertaining as the two WSBK races at Misano - now there's some awesome Tivo material [beer]
Yeah, I loved Edwards run through the pack. The Texas Tornado at his best. Gee, I think things have gotten better for him since he went to the 2nd tier team than it was on Fiat/Yammy. More motivation maybe?? "Lorenzo my ass, I'll show ya'll fast!" says Colin!
Hope the Hopper is OK. Not a whole lot about it on the net. Sounds like a busted up ankle. Ouch. Sounds worse than Lorenzo's China ankle buster.
Melandri is a very good rider. He turned in some damn good rides on the LCR Honda. Maybe Stoner is jacking with the settings on Melandri's bike when no one is looking in an effort to make him look like the one, true king. [laugh] Just seems like the #2 Ducati riders on both the MotoGP and SBK teams have "issues". :-\ Doesn't seem to be a problem on the Sterilgarda/Go Eleven team!!! At least not this weekend!!! [thumbsup] Awesome!
And yes, Sete and his hair are the team's secret weapon! They mixed some of his mousse in the fuel and just look at the results!!! [cheeky] Even the tires stick better since the "mousse magic"!
Lastly... poor Nicky. :'( Once he works out all the bugs on the air motor and DNFs some more they'll give the race developed fast, unbreakable version to wonder boy and Nicky will start de-bugging their next goodie for him. I know it's another thread but THAT'S BULLSHIT!
Quote from: giannis on June 29, 2008, 10:51:26 PM
Whiner? Just because his bike was a Dog last year? Should he just shutup and try to finish a race like he did last year? How about the tires? How many DNF he had last yeart with Michelin... Last year Michelin riders where way behind.. hell even Elias was in top5 last year with Bridges as well the Suzuki guys...
I wouldnt count out Valentino yet... Both Stoner and vale have 3 wins each
not sure if we are on the same page here. I'm calling Biaggi a whiner. Why? because he whines all the time. My team let me down, Fabrizio wiped me out, the tires weren't right. Everyone has these problems, but most of the riders out there don't incessantly whine ( and on the podium, no less, Max! ) about the problems they have.
I NEVER count the doctor out.... I don't count him out this run either, he is razor sharp. Now, though, he seems more precise, while Stoner is riding now like Rossi was riding when he came onto the GP scene, like a bat out of hell, and like there is no tomorrow. Stoner does not slow down when he has a 5 second gap opened up. He is a madman, like the doctor used to be, and the doctor is now a bit more refined...
Quote from: The Svoloch on June 30, 2008, 07:41:13 AM
..... Stoner [is] like the doctor used to be, and the doctor is now a bit more refined...
A bit more
clinical perhaps?
Sorry, couldn't resist [evil]
When's the watch party at "The Svoloch" casa?
Quote from: bryant8 on June 30, 2008, 12:57:10 PM
When's the watch party at "The Svoloch" casa?
I "THINK" I got all the two WSBK races and the MotoGP. If you need to watch them you are welcome to swing by.
Swanny
Sunday was a very busy TIVO day. MotoGP, 250GP and both World SBK races! I suppose the World Supersport will show today like most Tuesdays after a SBK weekend.