MotoGP 2013

[stiffsimon]

Go Cal. Good news indeed and Rossi is right up there.This looks as though it's going to be an awesome season and would love to see Rossi get his tenth world championship

Opening practice for the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar saw three Yamaha bikes in the top three positions.

Reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo topped the timesheets, beating Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow by the narrow margin of 58 thousandths of a second.

Rossi led the way for much of the session and eventually finished just 13 thousandths behind Crutchlow, meaning the top three were separated by less than a tenth of a second.


1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing YAMAHA 1'56.685 16 16 341.7
2 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'56.743 14 17 0.058 0.058 338.5
3 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Yamaha Factory Racing YAMAHA 1'56.756 18 18 0.071 0.013 338.2
4 93 Marc MARQUEZ SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'57.276 15 18 0.591 0.520 344.7
5 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Ducati Team DUCATI 1'57.538 11 15 0.853 0.262 343.0
6 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA GO&FUN Honda Gresini HONDA 1'57.601 14 16 0.916 0.063 340.4
7 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR Honda MotoGP HONDA 1'57.670 15 16 0.985 0.069 343.5
8 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team HONDA 1'57.749 17 17 1.064 0.079 344.4
9 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 1'57.843 14 15 1.158 0.094 325.3
69 Nicky
DUCATI 10 HAYDEN USA Ducati Team 1'57.926 17 17 1.241 0.083 341.7
11 38 Bradley SMITH GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YAMAHA 1'58.369 18 18 1.684 0.443 328.5
12 29 Andrea IANNONE ITA Energy T.I. Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'58.559 16 16 1.874 0.190 340.5
13 11 Ben SPIES USA Ignite Pramac Racing DUCATI 1'58.575 16 17 1.890 0.016 341.0
14 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Avintia Blusens FTR 1'59.608 12 13 2.923 1.033 319.1
15 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 1'59.633 4 16 2.948 0.025 323.2
16 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing ART 1'59.758 15 16 3.073 0.125 324.3
17 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward RacingFTR KAWASAKI 2'00.341 13 17 3.656 0.583 320.6
18 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Paul Bird Motorsport ART 2'00.426 12 12 3.741 0.085 317.6
19 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN Avintia Blusens FTR 2'00.563 13 16 3.878 0.137 311.4
20 71 Claudio CORTI ITA NGM Mobile Forward RacingFTR KAWASAKI 2'01.227 13 14 4.542 0.664 321.0
21 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project IODA-SUTER 2'01.438 10 10 4.753 0.211 317.7
22 67 Bryan STARING AUS GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR HONDA 2'01.942 7 15 5.257 0.504 317.9
23 52 Lukas PESEK CZE Came IodaRacing Project IODA-SUTER 2'02.079 14 15 5.394 0.137 317.2
24 70 Michael LAVERTY GBR Paul Bird Motorsport PBM 2'02.135 12 15 5.450 0.056 318.3

[Deano]

Be good to see crutchlow up there. Didn't know staring got a ride

[DCRacing]

Yeah sort of punting for Crutchlow, looks like Yamaha is the thing to be on tho.
Finally starting to get keen about the GP again.......

[TurboKat]

would love to see Rossi get his tenth world championship because I'm a closet HOMO.

Punch yourself in the face a few times then watch channel 1 'sarvo at 5 pm for the WERD.

[stiffsimon]

COMMERCIAL BANK GRAND PRIX OF QATARMotoGP Qualifying Nr. 2 Classification 2013



Doha, Saturday, April 06, 2013

1	99	Jorge LORENZO	SPA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	335.9	1'54.714
2	35	Cal CRUTCHLOW	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	334.7	1'54.916	0.202 / 0.202
3	26	Dani PEDROSA	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	339.8	1'55.151	0.437 / 0.235
4	4	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	ITA	Ducati Team	Ducati	336.4	1'55.160	0.446 / 0.009
5	6	Stefan BRADL	GER	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	340.0	1'55.477	0.763 / 0.317
6	93	Marc MARQUEZ	SPA	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	339.0	1'55.645	0.931 / 0.168
7	46	Valentino ROSSI	ITA	Yamaha Factory Racing	Yamaha	337.7	1'55.711	0.997 / 0.066
8	19	Alvaro BAUTISTA	SPA	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	Honda	338.5	1'55.870	1.156 / 0.159
9	38	Bradley SMITH	GBR	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	333.9	1'56.315	1.601 / 0.445
10	29	Andrea IANNONE	ITA	Energy T.I. Pramac Racing	Ducati	339.8	1'56.523	1.809 / 0.208
11	69	Nicky HAYDEN	USA	Ducati Team	Ducati	337.9	1'56.667	1.953 / 0.144
12	41	Aleix ESPARGARO	SPA	Power Electronics Aspar	ART	318.8	1'57.064	2.350 / 0.397

[TonyOW31]

Notice Rossi is behind his old bike

[stiffsimon]

Nah can't see that at all, ahem

[fimpBIKES]

yess!!!!

[DCRacing]

Woohoo what a cracker..........

Maybe the old fart can ride a bike when it suits him.
Pity about cal,
Marquez has got the first one out of the road...... Going to be interesting

[JDinOZ]

yeh what a race! Although if Stoner had still been in the GP im sure he'd have been fighting it out with lorenzo..
Awesome start of the season though

[DCRacing]

Yeah i don't think Lorenzo would have been so cool on the line then.....

[stiffsimon]

Fantastic race. Well impressed with Cal Crutchlow but at least his little mistake didn't lose him a position.I think though that if Stoner hadn't move to V8's I'm not so sure he would be as competitive with Rossi back on a competitive bike being that Rossi always was Stoners Achilles heel.

[OLD SKOOL BANDIT]

Well worth getting up early for. Rossi rode like the champ that he so obviously is, (Pains me to say it). If he'd had a better start Lorenzo may have had a battle on his hands. Rounding up the top 4 after rattling Bradle was a massive undertaking and with only 7-8 laps left to get within 5 or so seconds was huge. Great race, gonna be an epic season.

[TurboKat]

Hmmm, it seems The Chipmunk can still ride... bummer Shame Dovi couldn't keep the pace up on the Wogmobile, it looked promising for the first few laps.
It looks like we're back to the days of big top speed advantage for the Honda too.

Casey would have won that race by a train length.

[stiffsimon]

Casey would have won that race by a train length.

That's the thing though isn't it. He's past tense now, playing with the V8 boys and no longer an elite MotoGP rider. I would quote a few lines from Monty Pythons parrot sketch but you get the drift

[TurboKat]

18 February 2013

Honda has said it would give serious consideration to offering Casey Stoner the opportunity to step out of retirement and race in at least two MotoGP rounds in 2013.

There has been speculation that Stoner could ride a factory Honda RC213V machine in a bid to extend his phenomenal winning record on home soil at Phillip Island, while also taking part in the Japanese round at the Twin Ring Motegi later this season.

Stoner is undefeated in the Australian Grand Prix since 2007 and were he to confirm a wild card entry for the Phillip Island round on October 20, it would be a huge boost for race organisers who would be instantly assured of another bumper crowd.

HRC would also be keen on having Stoner wild card in its all-important home race at the Twin Ring Motegi a week later, which was the track were Stoner clinched his first MotoGP crown with Ducati back in 2007.

The rumours surrounding Stoner’s wild card appearances in MotoGP emanated in Australia, where the double MotoGP world champion is preparing for his debut in a Red Bull-backed Triple Eight Holden in the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series, which is a feeder series to the main V8 Supercar championship.

But while HRC has said no agreement is in place with Stoner at present, should he express serious interest in making selected appearances, the Japanese factory would attempt to honour any request.

[Deano]

why would he do that? everyone would have moved on and he would be luck to be top 5. i would love to see him ride again and all but i don't want to see him as a wild card at the back of the grid struggling with unfamiliar team etc etc

[TurboKat]

Don't underestimate the power of Casey young Deano, with his excess of skills he'd be able to pick straight up where he left off I'm reckonin.
If he decided to do a wildcard at the Island (on a factory Honda of course), I'd bet the farm on him getting pole, winning the race & doing the fastest lap... he's that good.
If the Victorian Major Events Committee had any brains they'd kick Casey half a million to race in the Aust. GP this year, they'd make a shitload off his back & keep the profile of the event up there in the eyes of the public.
Fuck it, I'm gunna get into politics, Vote 1 TurboKat, not only will I get Casey back, I'll get a legends race going as well, with The Lord, Magoo, Beattie, Corser, Bayliss, Gobert, Crafar, Slight, Gardner, McCoy, Mladin, Vermeulen, Craggil, Brookes, etc all on identical ZX10s

Or am I dreaming?

[Deano]

Not sure about 'dreamin' but it is a long shot, I would get your staffers onto it first thing in the morning but just remember like every good polli you must keep receipts for your expenses and cab charges. You don't want to be the first to rip off the system/tax payer do you?

His fitness or lack of will play a big role in his result as well. I guess if they give him some laps leading up to the Japan event on the 'test bike' then I guess he could do ok. Best to kick Marquez in the nuts before the race.

Man that guy gets off the bike. He was nearly dragging his elbow everywhere not just on the ripple strip

[davo]

Marquez is the new breed,been watchin his style for a long time.And TK...go for it,i can werd up Gaz,Vermuelen and Archibold if that helps your campaign