The Sepang Moto GP Weekend Thread

[jhansen]

Five races to go! Sepang starts a run of three straight fly away races. The title race is heating up. Hayden leads Pedrosa by 25 with Rossi 38 points back and Melandri a further 40 points adrift.

The riders know the track well, so it should be a good weekend. Definitely a Capirossi track, but I'm guessing Pedrosa and Rossi will go well here also. That leaves Hayden with his back against the wall.

Let's go racin!

[DavidStHubbins]

I'm hoping that Hayden has a DNF, one without injury of course. And for Rossi to win. That will bring about five riders to almost equal points for an end-of-season Royal Rumble.

Melandri, Capirossi, and Rossi have all been out injured, had freakish misfortune etc. Pedrosa is a rookie. Now the excuses have gone and it's time to hunt down the tortoise! As jhansen said, Hayden had better watch his back because the hares are coming.

[jhansen]

Originally Posted by DavidStHubbins

I'm hoping that Hayden has a DNF, one without injury of course. And for Rossi to win. That will bring about five riders to almost equal points for an end-of-season Royal Rumble.

Melandri, Capirossi, and Rossi have all been out injured, had freakish misfortune etc. Pedrosa is a rookie. Now the excuses have gone and it's time to hunt down the tortoise! As jhansen said, Hayden had better watch his back because the hares are coming.

Well now, there's a sporting thought. Put the hex on the leader! LOL! Well, I do believe that the tortoise won that race against the hare.

[BootsOntheSide]

Should be great entertainment, but I agree that from a championship perspective it would be good if the other guys could close in on Nicky even further. If Pedrosa wins every remaining race he's the champion, which is symbolically a key moment for Nicky's reserves on the mental side, especially as he isn't realistically likely to have another chance to be world champion.

[DavidStHubbins]

Originally Posted by jhansen

Well now, there's a sporting thought. Put the hex on the leader! LOL! Well, I do believe that the tortoise won that race against the hare.

An irony I noted when writing, and I think that's what'll happen. Hayden's lead is healthy. He'll most likely win this year.

I keep on saying it though - as much as I like Hayden the dude I don't think he's done enough to be seen as a champion. I'd like to see him win the title one day but I'd like to see him win lots of races, sticking it to Rossi et al on a regular basis. He hasn't done that. Instead, he has finished all season thanks to a reliable bike, the best bike, and all his rivals have been injured and suffered freakish (not to say somewhat dodgy) technical failures (what is with Rossi's tyres?)

Regardless of nationality you must see my point jhansen eh?

[DavidStHubbins]

And I don't believe Hayden has been playing the percentage game either. He wants to win every race he goes into - Assen showed that - but he can't. Melandri, Capi, Pedrosa, and Rossi are all more likely to win races than Nicky.

If Nicky wins every race to the end of the year then I'll take my hat off to him. 'Fair enough' I'll say

[jhansen]

Oh I'm sure nationality comes into it a bit. But if he wasn't on the grid, I wouldn't defer to Hopkins or Edwards. But I agree, it would be good if he won a few races down the stretch. Although, not a good start here so far.

Incidently, Pedrosa took a bad fall in FP2 and is in doubt for tomorrow. Deep cut to his right knee and a hurt left foot.

Combined Friday times:

1 Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team 2min 1.711 secs
2 Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team 2min 2.021 secs
3 Kenny Roberts Jr USA Team Roberts 2min 2.563 secs
4 John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2min 2.710 secs
5 Casey Stoner AUS Honda LCR 2min 2.847 secs
6 Makoto Tamada JPN Konica Minolta Honda 2min 2.918 secs
7 Valentino Rossi ITA Camel Yamaha Team 2min 2.970 secs
8 Sete Gibernau SPA Ducati Marlboro Team 2min 2.981 secs
9 Marco Melandri ITA Fortuna Honda 2min 3.049 secs
10 Shinya Nakano JPN Kawasaki Racing Team 2min 3.100 secs
11 Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team 2min 3.174 secs
12 Colin Edwards USA Camel Yamaha Team 2min 3.355 secs
13 Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team 2min 3.418 secs
14 Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 2min 3.432 secs
15 Carlos Checa SPA Tech 3 Yamaha 2min 3.706 secs
16 Toni Elias SPA Fortuna Honda 2min 3.908 secs
17 Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP 2min 4.706 secs
18 James Ellison GBR Tech 3 Yamaha 2min 5.403 secs
19 Jose Luis Cardoso SPA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP 2min 5.958 sec

[Dani Filth]

Bridgestone track . but if it rains as it rains right now .. who knows what can happen

[jhansen]

Well, we have a bit of controversy. Qualifying was rained out, so the race director decided to use FP3 times to set the grid. The problem is a few riders chose to practice with a qualifying tire and thus benefitted a bit. There is also a question if this was legal under the rules. Rossi, Hayden and Capirossi on row 1.

[Knowlesy]

Worst qualifying session ever!

[Bleu]

Huge crash early in 125cc race. Pasini fell and Iannone rode over him - similar accident as crash involving Lüthi last year at Motegi.

Race was stopped and started again with original grid positions. Bautista won, Kallio 2nd.

[Dani Filth]

wow .. what a race.. what a race ..

[Knowlesy]

By no means the best this year by a long chalk, but an entertaining end. Good scrap!

And what about Pedrosa? That was pretty damn impressive.

[DavidStHubbins]

The Motogp was pretty boring...





















UP UNTIL THE LAST FEW LAPS!!!!

Yoweee, what racing.

Thumbs up to Rossi, Capirex and Pedrosa of course.

[Hazza]

That was great. Go Rossi, but i magine if loris had torpedeod him at the end!

And double well done to Pedro. And suck it Nicky.

[Knowlesy]

[nihil]

Originally Posted by Hazza

That was great. Go Rossi, but i magine if loris had torpedeod him at the end!

Or the other way round - very forceful move by Rossi in the last half of the last lap, but it was a joy to watch the pair of them sparring like that. Neither of them could afford a do-or-die attitude to the championship, but each seemed to know exactly where the line was between racing and binning it. Beautiful, really beautiful....

[djb]

for me it was the respect between the two of them that is nice to watch, in a Villeneuve/Arnoux sort of way, a little wonky/bonky at times but never mean spirited. (makes me think of what Alonso said about Schumacher the other day and everyone got all pc about it, when it was the truth!)

yup, that 125 crash was downright scarey, can't imagine how the flying fellow came out of that one. That wouild give ya nightmares for a long time, seeing that bike right in front of you and KAPOW. Anyone know how the rider fared?

cheers

[Dani Filth]

Originally Posted by djb

yup, that 125 crash was downright scarey, can't imagine how the flying fellow came out of that one. That wouild give ya nightmares for a long time, seeing that bike right in front of you and KAPOW. Anyone know how the rider fared?

cheers

i think in this case . no news is good news ..
I was afraid of spinal injuries

[DavidStHubbins]

I think he was OK considering... despite landing on his ass with absurd force.

A quote from moto-live.com

"In the early stages of the 125 race at Sepang, Andrea Iannone hit Mattia Pasini's bike lying on the track after a crash, and fractured the base of the first metacarpal of his left hand and more seriously, crushed and fractured his third lumbar vertebra without any neurological involvement.

Andrea was referred to hospital for further checks and a probable corset cast. Pasini got away with multiple contusions, particularly to his right ankle and left shoulder, promptly treated at Clinica."