2016 MotoGP...

[GORDON STREETER]

1
20 March Qatar Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar Losail International Circuit, Doha

2
3 April Argentina Gran Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo, Santiago del Estero

3
10 April United States Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas Circuit of the Americas, Austin

4
24 April Spain Gran Premio bwin de España Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera

5
8 May France Monster Energy Grand Prix de France Le Mans Bugatti, Maine

6
22 May Italy Gran Premio d'Italia TIM Mugello Circuit, Mugello

7
5 June Spain Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló

8
26 June Netherlands Motul TT Assen TT Circuit Assen, Assen

9
17 July Germany Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland Sachsenring, Hohenstein-Ernstthal

10
14 August Austria Austrian Grand Prix Red Bull Ring, Spielberg

11
21 August Czech Republic Grand Prix Ceske Republiky Automotodrom Brno, Brno

12
4 September United Kingdom British Grand Prix Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone

13
11 September San Marino Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano Adriatico

14
25 September Spain Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón Motorland Aragón, Alcañiz

15
16 October Japan Motul Grand Prix of Japan Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi

16
23 October Australia Australian Grand Prix Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island

17
30 October Malaysia Shell Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix Sepang International Circuit, Selangor

18
13 November Spain Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia

Calendar changes
The 2016 season will see the return of the Austrian Grand Prix to the series' schedule after 19 years absence. The race will be held at the Red Bull Ring, which was the venue of the last Austrian Grand Prix, when the track was called A1 Ring.
Having been on the calendar since 2008, the Indianapolis round has been discontinued.
For the first time in the history of the Dutch TT, the races will be held on a Sunday.
All bikes to run on Michelin tyres.

[Dani Filth]

i've modified the thread title and did a sticky on it.

regarding 2016 .. can Rossi come back? .. at least as good as in 2015?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Dani Filth

regarding 2016 .. can Rossi come back? .. at least as good as in 2015?

Normally in life the older you get the wiser you get, and you don't tend to take those "do or die" moves when you are trying to prove how good you are (or not) !
The thing is that the top guys and bikes are pretty close and I can't see anyone having a "runaway" in 2016 like Marquez did previously.
However until the first couple of races take place it's anyone's guess but as has been proved in the past you can never rule out the "old boy" !

[chunder]

The ONLY thing people will be concerned about this year is tyres.

new tyres mean a total redevelopment of the bike.

the Michelin front is nowhere near as edge grip awful as the Bridgey, so the chassis will need work, but the rear tyre is far, far better.

You are going to see tons of front end crashes and guys like Marquez will lose some of their edge until their computers can ride round it for them again.

[Dani Filth]

should give Rossi an edge then .. at least for the beginning for the season

[canamman]

Kinda expecting the same battles if everyone stays healthy.
I would like to see Pedrosa come forward a bit more this season.

Are there any rumors of Stoner coming back?

[chunder]

I think Stoner might do a one off at PI, can't see him doing much else.

Not sure really why he would leave Honda, and go back to a team he left as they did not make him feel welcome after his health issues, can only presume the dollar is insane!

[gomick]

A 1-off at PI would be a waste of time - need some race miles under your belt you would think!

[chunder]

I do not really think Stoner needs any more knowledge of how to get around PI.

He would probably be fast enough to podium there, Sepang or Motegi where he has done most of his testing

[GORDON STREETER]

Apart from tyres that will favour some teams more than others a single ECU "should" bring the field closer together, and what with Ducati dropping out of technical concessions Suzuki should be the most competitive machine with it's seamless shift gearbox at long last.
Aprilia could well up the anti with engine mods and more testing allowed for this season so roll on the 20th of March !

[Graz]

Rossi is the master of adaptation so the new electronics and tyres will play into his hands for the opening few rounds at least. I think Lorenzo might be worst affected of the main guys - they changed the front Bridgestone last year (or before?) and it ruined his corner speed which is what he needs. Until they changed back, he was off the pace.

There is no way Stoner will rock up at PI and podium. He's 3 years and counting away. I don't care if he's been testing, it's not the same thing. Is he really going to beat one of Rossi/Marquez/Lorenzo/Pedrosa and that assumes no other bolter from the pack like Iannone for example. If Stoner gets top 8, he'll be doing well.

[chunder]

It is Marquez that will suffer the most from michelin, as he does things with the front tyre noone else does, as was proved many times by him running the harder compound.

Rossi does adapt, but not as quickly as he used to, his main thing is experience of Michelin, something only really Pedrosa has and Dovi too. But that was before the complex electronics they use now and insane edge grip the current bikes are designed for, that will all change as the front Michy is nowhere near as edge grip focused but the rear is superb, always has been always was.

[GORDON STREETER]

Now that Dorna have also agreed a rule change to the 2016 regulations to increase the wheel size from 16.5 inches to 17 inches I would have thought that Michelin have had a good look at tyre compounds for the coming season !

[GORDON STREETER]

The Michelin test circuit at Almeria just up the road will obviously be used a few times for testing as it always is before the seasons start every year, I have seen most of the top teams there over the years but I have a fair bit of work back in the UK and it looks like I'll miss out this year.

[jodi]

RE Stoner: I read somewhere that when you are granted 'Legends' title, you are no longer allowed to race full time within GP. I believe wild cards are allowed but would he loose his 'Legends' title if he was to make a come back?

[chunder]

I also read today that Stoner thinks someone in the Marquez camp was responsible for not allowing him to replace Pedrosa!!

I somehow doubt that, but knowing how Puig and Alzamora worked, I can see it!

I imagine the Soup anti Stoner haters will love this one!

[jodi]

Originally Posted by chunder

I also read today that Stoner thinks someone in the Marquez camp was responsible for not allowing him to replace Pedrosa!!

I somehow doubt that, but knowing how Puig and Alzamora worked, I can see it!

I imagine the Soup anti Stoner haters will love this one!

Really?! I think HRC would of done their own thing if they wanted to replace Pedrosa.. Stoner is marmite to me - incredible rider, not so incredible personality. It would be great to see him back on the bike for some wild cards, but back in the paddock full time.. I think we have enough catty drama at the moment

[chunder]

I used to feel the same, until I read both sides of the Laguna/Rossi incident.

That turned me a little more in favour of Stoner who was never a dirty rider, and saw those kind of things as what they are, pure dirty riding.

The biggest issue with Casey is he picks and chooses who he talks to press wise. Would talk to Matt from BBC all day long, but other guys he was indifferent to. That makes certain pressmen hate him as they did Lawson and Doohan. Of which Casey is most like.

However, he was great for a story, if you would him up he would let go with some beauties! And that is something lacking in most current riders other than perhaps Cal, Dovi and Vale. Again so were Lawson and Doohan if you asked them at the right time.

The Valencia race last year was it for me, you had Ezpeleta forcing the press not to talk about Sepang and the Marquez/Rossi thing. Anyone with any sense knows that when that kind of thing happens, it is dynamite, and here is this controlling little cretin trying to push the attention on some boring Spaniard winning again and making every race he wins look like a Scalextric fest, when ALL we want to know is the rumblings and hate stuff between Marc and Vale.

It is dumb ass decisions like that, that make me question everything Dorna does. Most sports would DIE for that sort of scramble.

[jodi]

Oh I completely agree. That incident with Marquez and Rossi.. You can look at it from so many different angles, each one says something different. It's hard to really pin point the exactly 'blame' or 'cause'. I personally, hold my hands up and will say, I don't think Rossi kicked him.. I'm a fan of both, a huge fan of both - therefore I was quite disappointed if the accusations were true.

However Dorna, they seem very biased to me. It's become very political, which is one reason why I believe Formula One has gone down hill. There are some great riders further down the grid, some in which have incredible potential and talent - yet are rarely seen or shown light.

[Dani Filth]

anywhere i can find the official test(s) calendar?

[canamman]

Originally Posted by Dani Filth

anywhere i can find the official test(s) calendar?

See if this works for you:
http://www.totalsportek.com/motogp/2...eason-testing/

[Dani Filth]

works real good

[gomick]

Originally Posted by chunder

I do not really think Stoner needs any more knowledge of how to get around PI.

He would probably be fast enough to podium there, Sepang or Motegi where he has done most of his testing

It is not about track knowledge, he knows most tracks world wide aswell as PI, he did leave Oz when he was 12yo - race pace fitness perhaps is what he will need which will take a few races to build up...

[GORDON STREETER]

Ducati test riders Casey Stoner and Michele Pirro were on track ahead of the official MotoGP™ test.

Casey Stoner was back on track with the Ducati Desmosedici GP for the first time since the Valencia GP in 2010. The 2007 and 2011 World Champion completed 54 laps of the Sepang circuit, temperatures reaching about 40°C. The Australia ran on the GP15 as he acquainted himself with the new machine as well as the vastly different Michelin tyres and spec ECU. He reportedly set a best time of 2’02.1 during his last stint of the day. With the change in technical rules and tyre supplier, there are no other times to compare Stoner’s lap to around the Malaysian track.

While much of the attention was on Stoner, Michele Pirro debuted the GP16 with a focus on testing fuel consumption.

Casey Stoner: “It was a great experience today with the Ducati Team. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but the whole team was fantastic: I was welcomed in the best way and we worked well together. I still need a little more time to return to a competitive level and find the right feeling because I haven’t ridden a MotoGP bike for a year and haven’t been on a race bike for six months. But it was a positive first day, we immediately found a good feeling with the bikes and tyres, quicker than I would have expected. We have many things to try and I still have to get used to the bike, but overall I’m happy. The Desmosedici GP has great potential and I hope to be able to give the right feedback to Gigi and the Ducati engineers to help the two Andreas get some good results this year. I’m happy and a bit surprised with my lap time and I hope to improve it further tomorrow. It was great to be working with Gabriel Conti again together with Marco Palmerini and Gigi Dall’Igna, who have all proven true professionals today.”

Michele Pirro: “Today I only did a few laps because the program was focused on testing electrical components and fuel consumption, once my work was finished the team focused on the debut of Casey. Tomorrow we will do some finishing touches before the three-day official test on Monday. The sensation was good and already on Wednesday we were able to do a good job. I am convinced that we can achieve a good result.

[gomick]

Jorge has done a 2:00.8 in testing today... Read Stoner was meant to be testing again with all the big boys, but his name isn't on the timing sheets for today. Pirro's is, so maybe Stoner takes over tomoz...
Imagine the talk if he did set fast times