Rossi and Roberts

[marcus]

I have a couple of questions about V.Rossi and K.Roberts

firstly..why is valentino having such bad starts this year ..it is guarenteed that he falls back out of the top 10 at every race ...it doesnt seem to matter as his sheer brilliance gets him back to the front ..but is he having some real problems with the bike off the line or is he just having bad luck at the starts...Ive never seen him so bad at starting before like he is this year ??

and kenny roberts..is making pretty good starts but within 5 to 10 laps goes backwards at alarmingly fast speed..whats up with that ..is it the bike or the tyres or kenny just not up to scratch this year ???

anyone know the answers ????

[asha]

I don't think anyone knows the answer to teh Roberts riddle?
Kenny says its lack of power! (is there any problem that can't be solved with more power??)
Doohan says kenny can't ride when the tyres go off!

If anyone has a clue forward all answers to Team Telefonica MoviStar Suzuki, I'm sure there interested!

[elephino]

I'd say it's a combination of all of the above.

It could be Rossi just hasn't got the hang of starting this bike.

[Airhead]

Well I am guess ing but...

Kenny doesn't seem to have the bike sorted so it stays consistent during a race. It uses up it's tyres and he falls back race after race.

Rossi has learnt from the hand of the Master (thanks for that one Simon Craffar) Doohan would get pole. Fall to seventh of eighth on the first lap then gradually work his way forward with his tyres intact. Rossi has just got smarter. I believe it's a tactic.

[Wrex]

Your spot on Moff, it took me years to figure out how such a great rider like Mick Doohan could'nt start well, UNTIL I realised what he was up to.

Almost as though it were scripted, Mick would drop from pole to 7th or 8th, maintain that for 2 or 3 laps, then make his way to the front by lap 6 or 7. Then set 3 or 4 blinder laps to break the spirit of the poor sap behind him. Apart from tyre maintenance & avoiding going down in 1st corner crashes, it gave him information about where his strengths and weaknesses were to other riders, in case he could'nt shake them later.

Which team does Rossi race for again?

[3M_chix]

Originally posted by elephino
I'd say it's a combination of all of the above.

It could be Rossi just hasn't got the hang of starting this bike.

Or maybe he wants to avoid having jump starts...*shrugs*

~Sarah

[asha]

To answer your question Wrex. Rossi rides for Nastro Azzurro Honda.
Nastro Azzurro are a beer company that have sponsored rossi for a number of years. But Rossi is also sponsored by Repsol YPF (look along the underside of his bike), but I think this has more to do with the fact that Repsol is the offical factory team. What do repsol make anyway (oil?)?? world champions???

[elephino]

Yep, Repsol are a very large oil company.

[f1manoz]

Put simply, Rossi is a champion. In most races, he drops down to 10th or so and usually wins or finishes on the podium. In Spain, he dropped to almost last and still came back strong and won.

Having Doohan as a guide and mentor would also be a huge advantage. Combine this with Rossi's natural talent, and the guy is basically unbeatable unless there is something wrong with the bike. As for his starts, it probably keeps him occupied for most of the race! If he made good starts, the sport would be boring.

As for the Roberts part, the guy just doesn't cut the mustard to be honest. Last year he won the WC but had little competition all year. He's always complaining about the bike but considering they build it around him it appears it's his own fault. As for his pace, it could be the bike but I think he has something to do with it to. He goes backwards during the race and then plonks it in the grass or goes about his mediocre way. As for Sete Gibernau, don't get me started but let's just say Doohan (former team-mate) thought he was nothing special either.