The Racing Thread - THIS THREAD CONTAINS RESULT INFO

its always good to see the union jack flying above the podium "well done jt"

Watched the last World Suberbike rounds again on TV last night as there was nowt else on. I actually enjoyed as much as the first time even though I knew what was going to happen.

One thing I did notice was how sombre and dull the Japanese national anthem is, thats why I like to see the Ducatis win once in while, cos you get a good lively tune on the rostrum

Well boys and girls I was fortunate to be at Phillip Island for the weekend and it was bloody marvellous.

TB just took off in that first race, pity the tyres didn't hold up but he smashed that lap record that had stood for so long. The last race was a more calculated effort, you could see JT getting anxious and spinning up the rear regularly while TB was just smoothly following him around.

TC was so lucky with his off, nice shoulder roll to get off the track too.

It's going to be quite a season folks.

PeterM....What is Phillip Island like as a spectator track? I know all of the riders love it but just wondered what it was like for the track side public? Are there places where you can get a pretty much all around view ? Or is it more just sections of the track you would see from any vantage point?

I tend to sit near turn one. From there you can see the last bit of the straight, the start of turn one, the run into the fast turn 4 & Honda hairpin, round Siberia and the run up to the Hayshed. You then lose the bikes until they crest over Lukey Heights & run down to MG corner.

The good thing is that large screens get placed around the track so you can see what's happening out of your vision. The track is pretty undulating in some places, but not as bad as some. A great track to ride, certainly, and pretty good to view at.

peter henry this might be your year, just finished reading mcn and the ducati boys seem happy with the package this year, they may just lauch a surprise attack while the yamahas are complaining about chatter and the hondas well cant do anything with the 06 bike.

what do you all think about bayliss complaining about the lack of power? he has new lap records, race wins and is leading the championship? should ducati be allowed to run a 1200cc version? for years WSB were running 750 IL4s while ducati had it all there own way running the 996 they wasnt complaining then when the series was dominated buy duc's.

Kwak,

All very interesting isn't it? I have just finished reading the 134 page Moto GP guide provided in Motociclismo magazine here which was crammed with excellent info.

But oddly this led me to go and dig out last year's version also. Guess what? After Jerez pre season last year...Rossi was not at all happy with the Yamaha! The Honda boys too were doing plenty of grumbling!

Therefore much as I would love those Bologna Beauties to win lots of races,(I am convinced they can win several) Yamaha is still the machine to beat and with an unbelievable main rider.

However if studied carefully, each race should prove enthralling with other riders playing a lot more than bit parts this year. I am very excited and can't wait to jump on the bike to head over there next friday morning!

Some interesting snippets for you:

Did you know that HRC never wanted Nicky Hayden? They took him purely to appease America Honda who felt they needed a home boy in the Moto GP category.

The V4 Suzuki is a massive 20bhp down on both the Yamaha,Honda and Ducati!

With a quickly designed and crafted frame for their RCV the Proton team could provide egg on faces for some of the other teams. This is the first time the team has had a competitive motor and even Honda are said to be impressed with the KR team's frame design!

Just a week away and although the best performer in pre season for Honda, Dani Pedrosa has still not simulated a full race distance. He also is still not comfortable with both the handle bar settings or foot rests.

The GP6 Ducati has shed 4kg for this season, the frame has been stiffened to aid curve stability at the loss of some straight line speed. They have also worked big time to reduce engine friction in order to get more of the generated power on the track.

Did you know that Kawasaki's long term plan was always to have a competitive bike for the 2006 season? They look on target at the moment!

rossi is going to be hard to beat evan with square wheels! but the ducati boys will be there this year and if sete can keep a cool head who knows.

i hope the KR team do well this year, they need some good luck.