MotoGP: Dry Lake (Hella Spoilers, dude)

But, we sell a lot of T-shirts.

Sunday:
1. Casey Stoner
2. George Lorenzo
3. Ben Spies, (A hope really heart says Nicky so Ducati Island isn't a morgue).
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BBoz, cuz the bike, tires and all will be more than he can do. But, it will still be cool to hear an interview.

Wait, Colin and BBoz in the same interview. Now, that could be YouTube gold right there.

Hayden will win or crash trying....

I think the Ducs will run better this weekend than most people obviously think it's not really an HP track and circuit knowledge counts for a lot. I think Nicky and/or Rossi would take a podium over a crash trying to win. Nicky's crashes are usually early in the race and Rossi can't afford another serious one. I wonder how Ducati feels about all of the $$$ spent to get him and the ahem' "lackluster" results they have seen on their investment he needs to finish on the box soon !

Has HP been the issue for Ducati? I would love to see Nicky on the box (especially in front of Rossi), but...

Hayden's quotes aren't especially filled with hope...

According to JB, Laguna is a shitty little track that favors the homeboys.
http://www.motomatters.com/interview/2011/07/21/jeremy_burgess_on_laguna_2008_how_valent.html

Nicky's stock is rising!

It's also a track chock-full of nasty oddball corners and the Duc has a numb front-end.

Does Laguna have a contract with MotoGP for next year?

http://www.rideontwo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1749&view=previous

If this is accurate, they signed a contract through 2014.

Back in the good old days when there was still steel guardrail on the outside of the entrance to the corkscrew. I remeber Spencer breaking his arm right here when he lost the front brakes on his Honda and had to go straight on instead of turning left!

I would say a HP track favors the Honda 1st, Yammie second and then a toss up (since Bautista's last ride) between the Duc and the Suzuki. So no HP hasn't been THE issue with the DUC but it will be a non-issue this weekend.

A man after my own heart: "It's a shitty little race track with low gearing and high RPM, and no rest at all..." - JB

Thanks for the link. Yet another great article in MotoMatters

No, it isn't. The myth that Americans have any more knowledge of Laguna by virtue of their racing a MotoGP bike there once a year, than the Euros do, by virtue of their racing a MotoGP bike at Laguna once a year, is a crock (JMHO - YMMV).

Laguna is over-rated as a difficult track to learn, if you are riding with others who have already been there. Sure, if you were raised by wolves and then dropped onto the Laguna start line all by your lonesome at age 21, and asked to go sort the place out, it might be a bit daunting.

But follow a fast guy around and it sorts itself out pretty quick. And blind corners are only blind before you have been through them a few times. I mean, it's not like they re-pave the track every lap so left becomes right. It ain't the staircases at Hogwarts.

At this level, and at the pace these lads ride, every track is tough to learn, and almost impossible to win on, the first time you see it.

But after you have been there twice, it all seems to even out, because as engines and gearboxes and suspensions and tires change, well, so does the track, so in that sense everyone is learning every year.What really counts are MotoGP laps, not the six-thousand times you went around the place on a tarted up streetbike.

1. Dani
   
   
2. Stoner
   
   
3. George
   
   
4. SpeezuhSSBobDovi (six-to-five and pick'em for who is on top of that troika at the flag, but my money is on Dovi)

I hope I am wrong about this being another dismal weekend for the Turnip Truck Twins, but Yooper is spot on: It is a nasty little place to work out front end issues. I will be very happy if everybody leaves in the same health they arrived, and then we can sort out the rest after the break.

PS - Hope Bautista has another good ride

PPS - Are Dovi and Simo really looking for jobs next year? If either is the case, Nicky's stock just got shorted, and CE better have that WSBK application filled out and mailed in

I am just hoping for Nicky to beat Rossi.

Nothing against Vale, it's just that Nicky gets no respect.

Vale appeared absolutely desperate to beat Nicky at S'ring.

By the looks of that seat, age is playing hell with Kenny's 'roids.


p.s.

Stoner seems to have the most trouble with rear tire management of the Aliens so far this year. I'm guessing he'll take pole but if he doesn't do a Mini Me and gap them by five seconds in the first half of the race I'm putting my money on Lorenzo with Dani top three (is there some point that Honda tells him to stop taking points from Stoner ).

Ben will beat Dovi for fourth.

Or none of this happens and Ben runs away with it.

p.p.s Kenny finishes in front of the Ducati's. On the 500 Yam

Having seen how tiny that bike is, I don't think I could fold myself onto it. I don't know how KRSR does at his age either.

edit: can you imagine going from the carbon brakes on the M1 to the brakes on the ol' 500?

It's good to be the King

Thanks for posting that

...and has more dead bugs on the RH side of the fairing than on the front

Hadn't thought about that for Nicky..might be best if he went to WSB and won there. Dovi or Simo going to Ducati and qualifying 9th - 12th might be the final nail in the Ducati marketing coffin...

ok just a little human interest, i guess.where does the motogp circus live/sleep/eat while here in the usa.the team members, riders and their wives/boyfriends