[Shivank]

Originally Posted by fz_rider

Stoner will be missed ! His aggressive riding style only second to Vale ! Marco would have been a replacement , but ! I think Marquez will line up next year for Repsol ! He is aggressive , a match for Repsol !
On the other hand , it's hard to see where MotoGP is going . We lost Marco , Stoner is leaving , Vale on lethargic Ducati and grid full of CRT's and restricted prototypes !

Marquez is most likely not going to make it to MotoGP because of some 'rookie rule' or something. At least one more year wait for him to be riding the GP bikes. Don't know the future of MotoGP but Repsol Honda is surely having a tough time finding riders.

And, I'd rather say Rossi is an aggressive racer than Stoner, however, same can't be said about their riding styles. I find Stoner's riding style much more awe-inspiring. And what style he has got. Look at this picture for comparison:

Source-Scott-Jones Facebook Page

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Shivank

Marquez is most likely not going to make it to MotoGP because of some 'rookie rule' or something. At least one more year wait for him to be riding the GP bikes. Don't know the future of MotoGP but Repsol Honda is surely having a tough time finding riders.

And, I'd rather say Rossi is an aggressive racer than Stoner, however, same can't be said about their riding styles. I find Stoner's riding style much more awe-inspiring. And what style he has got. Look at this picture for comparison:

Source-Scott-Jones Facebook Page

This is the rookie rule you're referring to:

1.11.11 Riders who enter the Championship for the first time (Rookies) must be entered by a non factory team.

Rats, pity that Marquez will not be seen on a Honda next year. But I find this rule rather strange.

Stoner managed to get the best out of both the Ducati and the Honda. As you said, simply awe-inspiring riding. His power slides were just brilliant too.

[badri]

Le Mans...what a race!

While Lorenzo ran away at the front with a sublime display of wet weather racing, the fight for the remaining podium positions was the best that we have seen in the recent past.

The wet race showed that the doctor is far from being written off. Given a decent bike and favorable conditions, he is still the toughest nut to crack.

Pedrosa doesn't seem all that motivated. Considering his pedigree and that he has got the best bike on the grid, he should be up there fighting for the podium. The satellite Yamaha's were clearly outpacing him until they decided to take a trip to the gravel.

Should we hope for more wet weather races? I guess that would not be a bad idea...

[PAVAN KADAM]

The Top looked fantastic today

1) Jorge Lorenzo with his YAMAHA
2) Valentino Rossi with his DUCATI
3) Casey Stoner with his HONDA

What more can anyone ask

[megazoid]

great race. Vale in fine form keeping his promise of a fight if it was a wet race.
Found Stoner giving up once passed (by Vale) a trifle surprising. Heard him describe lack of grip as the reason.

[JVH]

It was only when I saw Rossi on podium I realized how I missed this guy all this time. Indeed refreshing to see him putting a fight on the much criticized Ducati. The Stoner-Rossi battle reminded me of the old times and was a tad disappointed when Rossi pulled away cleanly with Stoner not having a go at it in the end. How I wishes it rains in all the remaining races ;-)

Full marks to JLo for the first lap move over the Repsol Hondas. He sure is one hell of a determined racer. Not sure whats up with Pedrobot. That machine deserves to be ridden hard and it was disappointing to see him finish that way. It was only because Cal and Dovi crashed that he managed to get some useful points for the championship. But like always, I don't have much hope on him this year as well. It looks like Stoner v/s JLo battle all the way.

[Sheel]

JVH - I honestly feel that while Dani is one heck of a rider, he isn't a racer who can slug it out with J Lo, Casey, VR or others.

I would still wait for dry races to gauge VR's performance.

Spies has been a downer this season. I would be glad if he can keep his factory seat and that too at a time when Dovi & Cal are breathing down his neck.

[kunaldhami]

Great to see The Doctor back on Podium. I wish it rains in all races now onwards.

[JVH]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I honestly feel that while Dani is one heck of a rider, he isn't a racer who can slug it out with J Lo, Casey, VR or others.

I would still wait for dry races to gauge VR's performance.

Agree. His racecraft is questionable but what puzzles me is that in some races he is just magnificent and looks unbeatable. That raises the expectations and then suddenly he starts looking vulnerable. I guess consistency is a big question mark with him.

On Rossi's performance, that's why I said let the showers pour in. Honestly, I don't think with the existing set up he will go anywhere close to the top 2 and even 3 riders now especially on dry races. In fact if he ends up in the top 5, he may consider that as a slight improvement over last year. The Tech 3 Yamahas have made it tougher this year. Enjoy watching them - competing against each other and then scaring one of the 2nd-3rd positions - Brothers in arms ;-)

Not sure what's wrong with Spies this season. In yesterday's race, first it was the start and then I guess loss of grip. I hope he picks up in the season soon.

[fz_rider]

Good to see Vale back! It's races like these where rider skills matter , and the Doc showed it ! On the other hand , Rossi's podium finish reminded of Alonso's race win this season !

[five46]

The Doctor was probably fuelled by the news of Stoner's retirement. :-)
Jokes apart, his bike scraping with the Tech 3 Yams was super to watch.
During closing stages of the race his battle with Casey got me out of my seat and how! It was just awesome to watch. Though Casey complained about grip, me thinks he didn't want to witness another "ambition overtaking talent" move of Vale and risk his championship.
And yes, I'm also all in to the gang of all wet race wishers. :-P

[Shivank]

Originally Posted by JVH

Agree. His racecraft is questionable but what puzzles me is that in some races he is just magnificent and looks unbeatable. That raises the expectations and then suddenly he starts looking vulnerable. I guess consistency is a big question mark with him.

After what has been happening to him (crashes/injuries) in almost all of the GP seasons previously, I think he's playing it safe this time. He's definitely not in mood to crack another bone, then sit back home and watch the title go away from his sights. I have this strong feeling that towards the end of the season we will see the real Dani. ;-)

And keeping Casey's rants aside, even I feel Honda is having some technical issues with their bikes. They are not as dominating as they were in 2011. Did anyone see the condition of the tires post the race? Jorge's bike had lost little in terms of tread, whereas the ones on the Hondas were completely bald.

Originally Posted by JVH

Not sure what's wrong with Spies this season. In yesterday's race, first it was the start and then I guess loss of grip. I hope he picks up in the season soon.

He had clearly mentioned before the start of the race that he hates the Le Mans circuit. Never liked racing over there. Just hate it.

And then it rained, he had grip issues, so, wasn't expecting much from him yesterday. But so far in the season his performance's been terrible. He should atleast be competing with Cal and Dovi if not Pedrosa. Hope he finds his rhythm soon.

[badri]

Catalunya 2012:

What a race! After the qualifying performance, I was expecting Stoner to break away from rest of the field and take a comfortable win. It was surprising to see Lorenzo come out on top.

However, it was good to see Pedrosa pushing him though for most of the race. Hope his form continues and we see more thrilling battles like the one today. The battle for 3rd was equally thrilling and I was surprised to see Dovi hold off Stoner.

Talking about Stoner, I guess there's no other rider out there who can keep an elbow down at turn two of Catalunya like he does, hanging out from the bike with the back wheel spinning and the front facing away from the turn. Poetry in motion! Enjoy the show while you can folks..we are going to miss this guy..Here is a link..

Stoner slow-motion Catalonia 2012 HD - YouTube

[JVH]

I was delighted with yesterday's start with Pedrobot and Spies leading the way, the same riders whom I had critized a few weeks ago until ofcourse Spies got ambitious and went off track. I had a feeling Spies would have been a great competitor for top spot than Pedrobot. Anyway, next time buddy.

Jorge is clearly a man on a mission. His motivation and consistency levels are pretty high right now. Full marks to how he has developed over the years considering the number of times he crashed in his first season. The only chap who can compete with him right now appears to be Stoner provided he keeps himself motivated until the season. Good to see Dovi on the podium. The Tech 3 brothers-in-arms are a welcome surprise this year.

Great Moto 2 ride by Iannone. Luthi had almost had him until the last lap. BTW, any news on Esparago and Marquez incident? Esparago was picking well and could have made into podium if not for that incident.

[Shivank]

Originally Posted by badri

Catalunya 2012:

Stoner slow-motion Catalonia 2012 HD - YouTube

Doesn't matter if couldn't make it to the podium this time, but boy, does he have a riding style. Surely gonna miss him from the next season.

The race was pretty entertaining from the start till the very end. I was glued to the screen, every rider could be seen fighting with others (save for the Ducatis), even the CRTs.

I was rooting for Pedrosa on this particular track. He made a brilliant start as always, kept the lead, and even forced Lorenzo into making a mistake. But after that Lorenzo rode wonderfully, then Dani made a mistake and couldn't help but see the Yamaha flying past. Full credit to Yamaha and Jorge. They are looking strong in comparison to HRC.

Spies was running too hot too early? Loved his attitude but sadly he went down. Cal and Dovi did great job for Tech 3 as well.

And, one more thing, I am bored of Lorenzo, his flags and his jumps and the ever increasing self-conceited foolery. I would rather love to see a moaning Stoner at the top of the game than this kid's monkeynastix. Also, any idea what that foam thingy was?


@ JVH

The penalty has been lifted from Marquez after his team made an appeal against the decision made by the stewards. This is the only thing I know (via Twitter feeds) as I didn't watch the Moto2 race...