I'm starting to wonder if it's not just the bike. Anathema to many of you I know.

Rossi may for the first time be unable to adapt to a fundamentally different machine. He's old enough now to find adaptation more difficult compared to when he was kn his twenties. And the process of the last year has actually destroyed his confidence. The GOAT is human. It was the bike at first, but it's him now.

Even with the Yammy frame, he's lost because he's lost his edge. I reckon the Ducati brought forward five years for Rossi what eventually happens to all champions.
If he can win again he will be proving to everyone his GOAT status is real.

This is a fascinating (and a bit sad) case of the Champions struggle. The inner battle must be huge.  It would be great if he could bookend his career with another championship.

All they need to do is steal a Yammie and slap on a Marlboro sticker.

Quote from: duccarlos on March 01, 2012, 02:32:43 PM
Yammie and slap on a [46] sticker.

maybe next year.

http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-noyes-notebook-crunching-numbers/

Quote from: duccarlos on March 01, 2012, 07:10:31 AM
The Ducs going backward... AGAIN!!!! 

I agree.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Mar/120301broman.htm

Quote from: fastwin on March 02, 2012, 09:32:26 AM
I agree.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Mar/120301broman.htm

Quote from: gm2 on March 01, 2012, 01:09:05 PM
oh, and rossi is pissed:  http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Mar/120301broman.htm

We'll see how well these guys feel after having to bully around the bikes. Whomever is in best shape will have the advantage at the end of the race at least the first few races.

Quote from: duccarlos on March 02, 2012, 09:52:44 AM
We'll see how well these guys feel after having to bully around the bikes. Whomever is in best shape will have the advantage at the end of the race at least the first few races.

yeah...especially with a public comment like Jorge's about how much a full race simulation took out of him....which is why I still have some hope for the Duc's, that while they may not be as fast...the lap times they are pulling out aren't 1 hit wonders sprint lap times with little consistancy...and Nicky and Val and the Ben are of the framework to have a little more to to manage that bike size under full race distance...

i'm a ben fanboy and blah blah blah.. but 'in the best shape', he wins.  or is the most/one of the most prepared, anyway.

Quote from: gm2 on March 02, 2012, 09:39:54 AM

How "derbyesque" of me.

Quote from: zooom on March 02, 2012, 09:56:59 AM
yeah...especially with a public comment like Jorge's about how much a full race simulation took out of him....which is why I still have some hope for the Duc's, that while they may not be as fast...the lap times they are pulling out aren't 1 hit wonders sprint lap times with little consistancy...and Nicky and Val and the Ben are of the framework to have a little more to to manage that bike size under full race distance...

The only people keeping consistant times, lap after lap, are Jorge and Casey(I'm talking podium pace).  Dani is under the 50% mark for laps "on the pace" and that percentage drops off from him on down.  I believe Lorenzo was the only person to do something close to a race simulation and I believe they said 78% of his laps were fast pace laps.  Considering he's dealing with testing traffic, I don't think "one hit wonder" applies.  Stoner doesn't do enough testing laps to really know, but even if he falls off the pace at the end of the race, he's already going to have a 5-10 second gap, so what does it matter to him?

http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201203016234/Guareschi-Rossi-could-go-faster.html

Quote from: OT on March 03, 2012, 06:59:03 PM
http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201203016234/Guareschi-Rossi-could-go-faster.html

Time to start worrying.

Quote from: duccarlos on March 06, 2012, 12:29:39 PM
Time to start worrying.

the latter portion of the article is written poorly/weirdly but i think you misunderstoood:

"...testing a large number of different setups and solutions.  It's normal that a rider wouldn't achieve maximum performance in this situation, when their priority isn't outright speed"

Quote from: gm2 on March 06, 2012, 01:37:59 PM
the latter portion of the article is written poorly/weirdly but i think you misunderstoood:

"...testing a large number of different setups and solutions.  It's normal that a rider wouldn't achieve maximum performance in this situation, when their priority isn't outright speed"

Yeah, unfortunately this is the same spin Ducati was trying to feed us last year when Rossi turned in a bunch of junk lap times on the Duc.  I'm not eating it this year.  Saying his priority isn't outright speed is just covering for the fact they are still short on solutions..... or possibly covering the decline of Rossi as an alien.  A less than 100% Hayden is essentially running the same times, and Hector is pulling his hot lap faster than Rossi on the old POS bike.  Granted Barbera isn't consistantly fast, but the fact he's faster on those few laps is ridiculous.  They can say they aren't worried, but I guarantee that garage is permiating with doubt.  Its a new bike, but people don't want to hear that.  I want to see Rossi at least compete during his twilight.  Not ride into the sunset on a dog.