Losail, Qatar | MotoGP 2015 (Spoilers)

I can't say for sure id he'd be concerned or not, but lack of power, and excess fuel consumption have never been problems for Ducati in the past. My guess is that he'd like to continue engine development for as long as he can.

 

So whats the deal, one more 1st or 2nd place and Ducati goes down to 20L, loses the softer tire, and only 5 motors for the rest of the season?

 

Casey may not have been as complete a racer as El Joker, but he's still one of the most naturally fast dudes to ever throw a leg over a motorcycle. He hasn't been out that long. I don't doubt he could still qualify for the front row at a track he's been to before. Don't know about COTA though.

Awethome. I see what you did there.

 

This is an older article, but as far as I can tell, what Moto GP race director Mike Webb said here hasn't changed. Ducati will be able to run 12 motors this year no matter what, and they will only lose the soft rear if they get three dry track race wins.

http://www.mcnews.com.au/ducati-motogp-concessions-clarified/

 

I don't speak Spanish but I think did it wrong. It's Pedrosa, not Pedroza.

 

The fuel is a non issue because next year everyone will be using 22L. So they will never have to worry about using 20L.

As far as engine development, that is open to them for the entire year no matter what. Even if they do have to freeze next year (I'm not sure what the specific rules are on this for everyone), they'll be fully caught up with R&D by the end of this year and a competitive motor will be one of their last concerns.

No matter what, I am just glad that we now have 6 bikes that are contenders on any given Sunday. Ducati may not win the title but they will undoubtedly have an impact on who does!

 

They already have.

-jim

 

That was a different Rossi post-race. One I've personally never seen before. No goofyness, no calculated comments, no mind games....just pure, unrestrained elation.

What a great thing to witness.

 

Q-Tar was AWESOME because:

1. Yamaha wins.

2. Rossi wins.

3. The Italian Mafia defeats the Spanish Armada.

4. New faces on the podium.

5> HRC is nowhere to be seen.



That Kick ass! :up:

 

Rossi's elation is understandable. It's the first time he's lead the championship since 2010, and he's been through some rough times since then.


COTA should give a good indication of how much Yamaha has improved their weaknesses in the past 12 months. They were way behind in Austin last year.

 

I don't know, I'm sure he hasn't kept the same level of fitness that he did when he raced. Look at Lorenzo last season, he admitted he wasn't in the best shape at the beginning of last season and he struggled.

 

Give the ride tom the other person that's won a championship for HRC (that's still in GP).... Besides Stoner....Guess who that is

I'm sure he could do well on top equipment! Then give Pedrosa his open seat.

 

I don't know about that. His wrist is about as shagged Pedrosa's forearm. Hayden has also gone under the knife for arm pump himself, so his fitness may not be up to it anymore either.

 

Most of the racers have undergone some form of arm pump surgery. I think in a marketing standpoint it would be huge for Honda to put Nicky on that seat. Plus when he was on the same equipment as Rossi and dovi he was doing just as well...

 

I think we would all love to see Hayden get that ride, but I think we have better chances of winning the lotto.

Honda has A LOT of riders in the pipeline/at their disposal already:

-Jack Miller and Michael van der Mark both have contracts directly with HRC.
-Aoyama is probably one of the most competitive test riders out there
-Little Marquez in Moto2
-Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Navarro in Moto3

If Pedrosa actually ends up missing races, I think Honda will sit the first race out. Then we'll see Jack Miller stand-in on the Repsol bike and Aoyama comes back on Millers bike in the LCR squad. (Caveat: HRC wants to test specific parts over race distance so they put Aoyama directly on the Repsol bike).

 

I think Honda should put Nicky on it for the COTA round just from a marketing standpoint. Hell ride by passport for the season. Americas=Nicky, Asian=Aoyama, PI/whatever=Jack, etc etc

 

But what about the new broad on After The Flag?

 

I thought Nicky hated HRC since they shit on him even as he won a championship? Would he even take that seat if it was offered?

Obviously it's the best bike and would likely come with good money, but I thought it was a pretty miserable experience for him from a personal standpoint.... and he would go into it knowing that it would be a gig for a MAXIMUM of one season (and not even a full one at that). If there is a 1% chance they'd even offer the seat to him, there is a 0% chance they'd keep him on as the #2 rider for 2016.

 

28 pages later and Hayden is still being brought up?