British, World, Super Moto GP

Originally Posted by Jelster

A couple of podiums from Vermulen as he struggles in his first year of GP.

Nah. The Suzuki isn't up to it, even if Vermulen is. He should have stayed in WSB, or waited for a decent ride in MotoGP.

Originally Posted by Peter Henry

Basket....Sete crashed once early on last season this was in a wet race when he screwed up on braking. He pulled up early at Valencia due to his HONDA motor going BANG!

Peter IIRC in Malaysia did Sete not crash at the final corner on the first lap taking Nakano down in the process.

H62

You know I dont recall that? Will check later.Mind you he was on a dodgy Honda at the time wasn't he?

Well here goes my 2 penneth worth:

Rossi...Determined to go out with a bang,not sure his focus is going to be there but he is the ultimate competitor.Difficult to bet against him but it will be close.

Melandri...Will win races and be there or there abouts.Can still make dangerous mistakes when in a group,particularly early on.

Hayden....Yeah he is ok counter clockwise and is very fast.However he does not have the fighting spirit to win in a close battle.He will lose his Honda ride at the end of the season.

Elias...Very,very talented and will for sure feature in the Spanish races. Afew podiums a big possibility.

Pedrosa...Oozes class and brains. No way will he be seen to be trying too hard. He is very laid back over the first season but that is difficult to maintain with his winning mentality.Several podiums and a couple of wins I think.Will be a top 6 runner all season.

Capirossi...Fearless and no respecter of reputation. If the Bridgestones are sorted then he will be very close to being champion.

Gibernau...Crazy as this might seem I think that it will go down to the wire between him and Rossi once again. Last year there was as big a problem with Honda mentally as there was with Rossi. He feels valued and appreciated at Ducati and this will see him return to his form of 2003/4.

Stoner....Still very raw and this will probably be a very tough season for him.He is very quick though and has that typical no quit Aussie mentality.

Edwards....Will continue to be a hod carrier for Rossi but likely to finish out of the top 6. He will be off to WSB when the season is done. Replaced possibly by Jorge Lorenzo.

Frankly I do not see enough anywhere else in the field that would make you consider the above main contenders.

Colin Edwards role at Yamaha is to be Rossi's wingman and that's it.

I think the Yamaha is behind it's rivals and Rossi can compensate and Edwards can't. Also Rossi gets the best and Edwards the rest.

He's seen off wsb rivals like Xaus and Bayliss and is still there.

Just shows you how good you have to be to compete at this level.

H62....Yep your right fella.He did not finish that race and so your memory serves you well.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by The Basket

Colin Edwards role at Yamaha is to be Rossi's wingman and that's it.

I think the Yamaha is behind it's rivals and Rossi can compensate and Edwards can't. Also Rossi gets the best and Edwards the rest.

He's seen off wsb rivals like Xaus and Bayliss and is still there.

Just shows you how good you have to be to compete at this level.

From what I've read Colin attributes his perfomance woes down to his riding style. He developed a very weight over the front style from riding WSB I think it was the SP2 that encouraged him to ride that way. He's been talking alot about changing his style on the bike which will make him faster. He was third fastest at the Sepgang tests IIRC correctly, If not I am sure Peter will correct me

Colin always performs well in the tests, he did on that dog of a Honda he used to ride. It is a pity he can't convert that to race results- He spent too much time in WSB and is missing the skill needed to set up a prototype that has no limitations as to what you can do to it. With less fine tuning available on a WSB machine, you can get away with imperfect set up.

I think Vermeulen has made the right move for the above reasons and even though the Suzuki has been a bit of a dog, it now no longer has KR jnr as the lead rider/developer and he and Hopper may surprise us. Or bring attention to himself from the other teams. With Hayden/Edwards looking ropey if they don't produce results this year you never know.

Originally Posted by Scooby Drew

I think Vermeulen has made the right move for the above reasons and even though the Suzuki has been a bit of a dog, it now no longer has KR jnr as the lead rider/developer and he and Hopper may surprise us. Or bring attention to himself from the other teams. With Hayden/Edwards looking ropey if they don't produce results this year you never know.

Certainly has...Vermeulen knows where the money and the glory is and wants his feet under the table. Like Ellison, you need to meet the right people and grease the right wheels and then doors open.

If Ellison impresses on a old Yamaha then who knows?

Originally Posted by The Basket

If Ellison impresses on a old Yamaha then who knows?

Basket, isn't he on the same spec as Rossi, just with Dunlop tyres? And surely the Dunlops are going to have to come good with a bit of development from the right team?

Originally Posted by Scooby Drew

Basket, isn't he on the same spec as Rossi, just with Dunlop tyres? And surely the Dunlops are going to have to come good with a bit of development from the right team?

Er.... er.....Hmmmm.....er.....I must have read something wrong....er....it is a 2006 spec bike....er....

I'll get my coat.