The Racing Thread - THIS THREAD CONTAINS RESULT INFO

Kwak wroet:

edwards needs to try and secure his camel ride for next year.

Funny I was thinking he might be riding something similar next year too rather than the Yamaha. :P

Edwards is WSB for sure...

yea but WSB where? i love this time of year

I suspect WSBK on a yamaha left vacant by one of the slow japanese riders, possibly in yamaha france or something? Thats if anyone goes.

Either that, or a Honda WSBK ride (Klaffi honda maybe? since Barros has been offered a Ten Kate ride?)

Matt

Kenny is doing fairytale stuff. Making everything that much more interesing. Can't help it but cheer the guy on. I'm sorry that Pedrosa got himself injured though. Little CapiRex is doing great stuff on that Duke and I'm expecting his team mate to do almost as good as him now that he's better. I think Capirossi will finally loose Rosi the championship! Rossi needs firsts only to win him the Championship this year.

Rossi is going to lead in the race tomorrow.
I've read this on www.speedtv.com

Valentino Rossi won the lottery when he was awarded pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix in bizarre circumstances at Sepang today.

A torrential tropical downpour forced the cancellation of the one hour qualifying session with Race Direction allocating grid positions according to free practice times.

This decision gifted pole to Rossi who had used a soft qualifying tire to blast out a super-fast time in the morning free practice session -- in hindsight a clever move.

As a monsoon swamped the 3.44 mile circuit, creating rivers of water and dangerous conditions, race officials had little choice but to cancel the session, especially with leading riders urging for caution.

Safety commission members Rossi, Kenny Roberts Jr. and Loris Capirossi consulted with fellow riders as they made it clear they ere reluctant to ride.

Rossi was awarded pole based on a compilation of the three, free practice sessions -- two on Friday and one on Saturday morning.

The Italian, still in pursuit of a sixth MotoGP crown, was joined on the front row by championship leader Nicky Hayden (Honda) and Capirossi (Ducati).

Rossi’s fastest lap in practice, a 2’00.605, was 1.1 seconds inside Capirossi’s pole time from 2005. It was only Rossi’s third pole of the season.

“I don’t know if it is harder to go and ride in those conditions or stand around waiting for two hours in your leathers,” Rossi said.

“But safety was the most important issue and at two or three points it was like a river on the track so I spoke to Race Direction and the other riders and we all agreed to cancel qualifying -- the riders have more power than ten years ago.

“On a dry track this morning I was able to ride at 100% and the bike can now make better use of the tires, I have a good rhythm for the race. And I suppose it was lucky I used a qualifier in the morning session.”

Roberts heads the second row from fourth position, ahead of an injured Dani Pedrosa (Honda) with Sete Gibernau (Ducati) to start sixth.

Pedrosa was the big winner out of a bizarre day induced by a two-hour rainstorm. The young Spaniard will race with five stitches in a deep, and uncomfortable, flesh wound to his right knee which he suffered in a violent crash on Friday afternoon.

Pedrosa’s knee hit a corner curb before he was flipped, high-side, from his Honda. For Saturday’s final free practice session Pedrosa limped to his bike and completed 18 painful laps -- finishing 19th and last on the time sheets, six seconds slower than Rossi.

But in the final compilation of times, Pedrosa’s impressive Friday effort -- a 2’ 02.021 -- counted, so he starts fifth. But his chances of a podium finish and maintaining his championship assault are in doubt.

“Today for the first time in my career rain brought me some luck,” said Pedrosa whose weakness is wet tracks.

“I could not imagine starting from fifth in a dry qualifying session, this was a big present.

“In the morning I tested my fitness, I was feeling so-so, but able to change gear although I have some pain in both legs -- in the morning I will make decision if I have to use painkillers.”

For this race Hayden will race using an updated chassis, which he tested successfully at Brno last month. Although the new bike lacked traction and front-end feel in practice, set-up changes have convinced Hayden not to switch back to his regular bike.

“We’ve still got some work to do to be right on the race pace but I’m happier than yesterday,” Hayden said.

“If I’d have been ninth I’m sure I wouldn't have been so happy, so perhaps we need to have something in the rule book to make things clearer (for grid positions) in this situation.”

In terms of race pace it was Capirossi who looked strong in free practice with string of fast times, in the hope of repeating his win in this race one year ago.

“I ran 12 laps under the lap record on race tires in morning practice so I’m ready for a dry race and if it rains, then it is the same for everyone,” Capirossi said.

Both the Kawasaki and Suzuki teams will use upgraded engine parts here and their respective riders report small, but noticeable, increases in top speed performance -- critical on the long straights here.

American Suzuki rider John Hopkins starts from eighth on the third row while Texan Colin Edwards (Yamaha), troubled by set-up problems, faces a fight thru the pack from 11th on the grid.

The decision to use a practice compilation for grid positions did provide one strange outcome, which made Australian rookie Casey Stoner (Honda) less than happy to be starting tenth.

“It’s ridiculous that I am starting tenth when I never finished as far back tenth in any session,” Stoner said.

“This morning riders in front of me used a qualifying tire and I was sixth until they went faster. So now I’m starting on the fourth row when I should be on the second row -- I was fifth at the end of Friday when everyone was on race tires.”

Loris will have no fears of Rossi on this track after beating him to top step of the podium last year and I believe he and the Ducati are the one's actually in form. Valentino is definitely being flattered by the pole position. Little Dani will race but will not be a contender tomorrow in if Repsol HOnda had any sense they would stand him down and allow him to recover.

I have a gut feeling that the Boy from Kentucky will see his title chance blown apart if he does not at least podium finish tomorrow. The reason I say that is if both Valentino and Loris finish ahead of him you will more or less have to Italians in with a good chance of winning the title. Then we will see a real battle all the way to and including Valencia.

Whatever people say casey Stoner will not sign for Yamha as reading between the lines they have p+ssed him off and let's face it he will not be short of suitors.

Very dissapointed in James Toseland opting to take the easy option by resigning for Ten Kate in WSB. Does he realise that Moto GP does not come knocking twice?

He has now blown it as some real hot boys will be stepping up to Moto GP in 2008.


*Please remember that grid positons are much more spaced out for the first time in Moto GP. Pole to 3rd place is significantly longer than ever before.*

[fizzwheel]

Yamaha wouldnt promise Stoner the same level of bike as Rossi, therefore he told them he didnt want to ride on lesser machinary. A wise move IMHO.

As for JT, well I think hes made a wise move. Look at the previous riders for D'antin they have all done diddly squat due to lack of funds / finance. I remember Neil Hodgson saying that they didnt have enough money to buy tyre warmers that actually worked. Thats no way to go racing.

Another year with Honda in WSB won't do him any harm and if he impresses at Honda he may well get a decent Moto GP seat later on.

I agree Edwards really needs to improve his results or he's WSB bound. Mind you watching him and Bayliss battle it out again would make for good racing.

Fizz in relation to D'Antin Team you miss a vital point. They are to be supported more on the financial side that is not an issue anynmore at all. The important fact is that they will at the start of the season be riding the exact same out of the crate bikes as the official team will have. It will only be as the season progresses that the advantages available to the full works team will tell.

Ok D'Antin dont use Bridgestone's either but it is my personal opinion that if the offer was actually there Toseland should have taken it. Better being in the shop window in the same category than hoping someone is keeping an eye on you in WSB? Perhaps he believes in himself that he has not got what it takes? I dont think that Hoffman riding for D'Antin has done his profile any harm as he got the call twice to step in during Sete's absence?

Another year in WSB and Toseland will get a Moto GP call? I lay money that will definitely not happen. they will look to the young boys coming through who are already used to the GP circuit mentality and method.

Of course all that I place here could prove to be complete BS! :P

[fizzwheel]

Well if it was me I would be wanting to go to a MotoGP team that have a proven track record of wining or getting podiums...

i.e the Marlborough Ducati team along side Capirex or maybe one of the Satelite Honda squads, would make much more sense.

I also don't think he's ready. He needs to start beating Bayliss regularly before he'll get the opportunity with one of the top teams.

Fizz..Totally agree he's not ready, but it is in his mind. I think he is good enough. For him to get one of the Honda rides or a Ducati Dream Team ride is too fancifull for words to be honest. That will never happen.(Well not for someone coming from WSb I assure you.)

Reason being there are no proven WSB winners that have made the move to Moto GP and been a success.