Moto GP, Round 5 - Silverstone

[jhansen]

I'm looking forward to this. I really hope the track is mega. Judging from the comments so far, the riders are expecting it to be a very quick circuit, which is exactly what Silverstone should be. With Rossi out and no replacement, we will have a meager 16 bikes. Given the nature of the circuit, I'm expecting a Lorenzo-Pedrosa battle. Hopefully the real Casey Stoner shows up.

Anyone from the forum going to the race?

[frostie]

Originally Posted by jhansen

Anyone from the forum going to the race?

Wish I was going, should be a great weekend. I think I read somewhere that there are 60000 heading to it so while the crowd won't be anything like the size of an F1 crowd it's a good building block for the next few years. I did up a preview for another forum so thought I might as well post it here too:

******

The British Grand Prix returns to Silverstone for the first time since 1986 when Australia’s Wayne Gardner won the 500cc race for the Rothmans-Honda team.

This race will see one of the first international races to be held one Silverstone’s new Arena circuit layout. The new track has been praised by all who have sampled it including the Rizla Suzuki riders Loris Capirossi and Alvaro Bautista. The expectation is that this will be one of the fastest and most spectacular races of the season with numerous potential overtaking positions.

The home fans have no one to follow in the top class but with Bradley Smith showing a return to form in recent weeks in the 125cc class the expectation is that the 19 year old from Oxford could compete for a third career victory. It has been a challenging start to the year for the young Briton due to reliability issues as well as a lack of top speed at Mugello but racing before his home crowd has brought out the best in him in the past with pole position last year at Donnington a prime example.

The Circuit

Like most circuits in Britain Silverstone is located on what was during the Second World War an RAF airfield. As a result the land is mostly flat but it is also incredibly fast. The new layout features many of the previous corners that have helped make Silverstone a favourite for racing drivers as well as motorcyclists. Opening the lap with the fearsome Copse corner riders are then pressed into action with Beckets and Maggots before taking a breather down Hanger straight. All this is identical to the old layout of the track but once riders exit the slightly reprofiled Club corner they enter the new section.

Whereas in the past the Abbey chicane was a slow left-right chicane it is now one of the seasons most fearsome challenges with riders facing a very fast right hander that leads into the Arena section that is quite technical and sure to challenge the setup of the bike with the rear wheel constantly losing traction. This section of the track will be a challenge for the MotoGP bikes but the smaller classes should be fantastic through here.

Once the Arena is tackled the riders are then onto the back straight which leads into the ever tightening Brooklands before Luffield and the fabled Woodcote curve take the riders back to the start of the lap.

Who will be the contenders for MotoGP victory on Silverstone’s return to the calendar?

With the injury enforced absence of MotoGP’s biggest star, Valentino Rossi, there is one less front runner to worry championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. The Yamaha rider will start as the clear favourite but Ducati’s Casey Stoner is always strong on fast circuit such as the new Silverstone and the 2007 world champion will be looking to put his miserable start to the year behind him. As a former British Championship racer Stoner feels at home in England and perhaps crucially is the only rider to have raced at Silverstone in the past.

The main challenger to Lorenzo though should come from Mugello winner Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa clearly has the Honda dialled in more to his liking after struggling with the bike at Qatar. With his slight frame and powerful Pedrosa should dominate the top speed charts and with so many fast corners the triple world champion will be confident of closing the gap to Lorenzo at the top of the title table.

It’s unlikely that anyone else could challenge for victory in the dry against Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner but in the wet of Donnington last season Andrea Dovizioso emerged victorious to take his first premier class win. The Italian has shown good form this season and knows that with the paddock increasingly certain that Stoner will be a Honda rider next season the next five races before the summer break are crucial if the Italian hopes to keep his ride for next year.

Who will be the challengers in the smaller class?

Outside of the top class the battle for victory is difficult to predict. The last Moto2 race featured the first dominant victory in the new class with Andrea Iannone dominating at Mugello. It is difficult to see a repeat performance this weekend. The difference between a lap that gets a rider to the front of the field and one where he is left in the midfield is tiny and the one thing that this year has shown so far is that anyone can challenge for the honours on any given weekend.

Even so it is tough to overlook the form of Toni Elias this year and with reigning world 125cc champion, Julian Simon, gaining increasing confidence in his new bike it would not be unexpected for them to battle it out at the front. The hometown hero will be Scott Redding in this race with the young Englishman performing before an expectant home crowd. The youngest ever winner of a GP has struggled since taking the flag at Donnington in 2008 but he has the ability to challenge at the front once more and the fact that he is at home again makes him impossible to underestimate. It has been a trying start to the year for Redding but he has the ability to turn his season around, starting this weekend.

In the 125cc class Smith will be one of the favourite but the Derbi riders will be very tough to beat. Even though the Derbi and Aprilia bike are now all but identical, in each race Derbi has been shown to have the fastest bike in terms of top speed. This is due to a different exhaust configuration on the Spanish bikes and Marc Marquez will be confident of adding to his first career win from Mugello with another great result at Silverstone.

His teammate Pol Espargaro has shown that when all things are equal he is the outright fastest rider in the class and with the new found maturity in his riding the tough Spaniard will be looking to take the title lead away from Nico Terol, winner of the opening race in Qatar.

Everything points to a great weekend of racing on the newest circuit on the GP calendar and while the absence of Rossi casts a shadow over the paddock the action through the weekend should be enough to illuminate it once more.

[Alan]

I'm there for the weekend and really can't wait for the race. I've been to quite a few at Donington but expect Silverstone to be much better. No doubt like many others on this forum, I've spent hours trying to get out of the car park afterwards - Silverstone is much more organised.

[gomick]

Lorenzo quickest from Stoner & Dovi in Friday practice - 16 bikes, pfft!

Ant West 2nd quickest in Moto 2 - guess it was wet...

[jhansen]

Lots of positive comments from the riders in regards to the track.

Really looking forward to the race, hope it's dry!

[BootsOntheSide]

It's hard to get excited about MotoGP now, but Lorenzo and Pedrosa might be able to put something on. The support classes should both be awesome, maybe Bradley can prevent another Spanish whitewash in the 125s.

Are the British Superstock races getting any Eurosport coverage? I can't see them in the schedules.

[GORDON STREETER]

I hope that Pedrosa is OK to ride otherwise it realy is getting poor to watch,.
The Spanish TVE have shown all the warm ups yesterday and the whole day from early this morning . I doubt if it hardly gets a mention in the UK !

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I doubt if it hardly gets a mention in the UK !

What probably hardly gets a mention?

[gomick]

Stoner - no good?

15 bikes if no Pedrosa??? Cancel the series & chuck'em in Moto 2 & run 2 races a round

[skells22]

I have news on that front and we still got 16 as Pedrosa has declared himself fit.

[grantp]

I hate to say this because I have really enjoyed watching (occasionally) MotoGP or whaterver it was called over the last couple of decades BUT with 16 bikes out and 60k (I read somewhere) spectators expected I think I would be quite disappointed if I were Silverstone management.

I have no idea what the economics are but from memory of reports for Donington 60k would be an unimpressive year. Average at best. Not good for a new track with a lot spent on it to satisfy the MotoGP organisers?

I also note rider comments about 'bumps'. I hope that is just a set of prepared excuses rather than real problems.

[Tazz]

Originally Posted by skells22

I have news on that front and we still got 16 as Pedrosa has declared himself fit.

His bike proved it can run by itself very well, before crashing into that wall. So Pedrosa is just optional

Anyway, i just hope he is able to keep up with Lorenzo...

[gomick]

A Randy de Puniet win would be something special - hope he can do it....

[Dani Filth]

that would almost stop chundie's heart

[Dani Filth]

Pedrosa dropped it again in warm-up .

[chunder]

Bumps, bored, no riders even more bored, Ezpeleta, what have you done you cretin!

[Dani Filth]

bumps?? .. what bumps??

[gomick]

Jeremy Burgess was on the pre-race show in Oz & had some interesting things to say, among them, Toni Elias is a journeyman & winning moto 2 dont mean a big moto gp team will pick him up & that moto 2 is not a feeder class to moto gp, but 250cc was. Saying that, he has enjoyed the moto 2 racing...

[Dani Filth]

apparently the same thing was said by de Puinet ... feeder class thing .. not Elias being a journeyman

[gomick]

Also reckons Moto GP should be 600cc machines from all the factories as most entry level racing in most countries is 600cc Superstock & it would close the gap between moto 2 & moto gp...

Getting back to Moto 2 race, not bad at all, congrats to Cluzel on the win, always been fast, but tagged as a crasher i think...

[Dani Filth]

70k spectators .. it's rather ok I believe ..

[gomick]

Didnt that grid look bare at the start - poo start by Stoner....

[Dani Filth]

pretty good race .. from 2nd down
congrats to Spies for podium

[gomick]

Yeah, wasnt bad the battle for P2... Half that field of riders are not in the best riders in the world!

[chunder]

Just had to sit thru a race commentated on by Cox saying how much Stoner was struggling and this is all down to the bike

The berk never ate humble pie at the end when Casey nearly nicked a podium!! Saying he was waiting for tyres to warm up when he just got a bum start, and having it in for the kid all race every time he was mentioned!

Fair play to Spies and feel so sorry for Hayden!

De Puniet did what I expected, was quick brave, but ultimately riding with your balls never beats riding with yer brains!!