Qatar Predictions?

M

monster_998

New member
Anybody want to make a podium prediction for Qatar?

  1. Stoner - the last 5 years have shown that this is his race to lose.
  2. Lorenzo - could be a strong contender
  3. Dovi - usually strong at this track

Over to you........
 
:dunno: Don't really care, the real action is gonna be in the lower classes. The new Moto 3 bikes are already as fast as the 125s and they have yet to be race developed, as for Moto 2 there are a lot of young riders for whom this is a make or break season Smith and Redding being two that spring to mind.
 
Mr Burns said:
Smith and Redding being two that spring to mind.
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Smith has a two year Tech 3 MotoGP deal tucked into his leathers. If the press is to be believed, Redding is on the radar of a number of teams, including Ducati. I can't see this season being make or break for either.

Great to see Cal going so well in testing and in the last two days' practice. Hopefully he'll do a great qualifying and carry that pace into the race. For what it's worth, here's my prediction:

1. Lorenzo
2. Stoner
3. Spies
4. Crutchlow
 
centurysup said:
Smith has a two year Tech 3 MotoGP deal tucked into his leathers. If the press is to be believed, Redding is on the radar of a number of teams, including Ducati. I can't see this season being make or break for either.
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That's as maybe but top flight motor sport is about MONEY and if you aren't performing up front you're not getting tv coverage that's bad for major sponsors, riders now need to bring shed loads of money into a team to get a ride and tearing up a contract is no probs for top flight lawyers if there is a better prospect available...............so I stand by my statement PERFORM or get PASSED OVER it's the same in any professional sport or business for that matter.
 
I'm sure Tech 3 knew exactly what Smith could bring when they put him on the two year MotoGP deal, and there's no indication he has any Dovi-esque performance related clauses in his contract. A team may well decide to "tear up a contract" but they'd also have to pay off any money due to the rider, something most teams can ill afford to do.

Go Brits!!! :D
 
Looks like Rossi is lulling them into a false sense of security by starting from 12th place... :lol2:

Good job I've also got Checa in my fantasy team :thumbs:
 
I can't say i have the most comprehensive knowledge of racing bikes - but listening to Stoner yesterday he was talking about chatter - other than the voices in his head what is this ???
 
Andrew H said:
I can't say i have the most comprehensive knowledge of racing bikes - but listening to Stoner yesterday he was talking about chatter - other than the voices in his head what is this ???
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I'm no suspension expert either, but I think it's when the suspension (usually the front) isn't reacting fast enough due to the damping settings and is getting out of sync with a series of bumps... caused by too much compression or rebound damping.

In the case of rebound damping it would be... you hit the first bump, the forks compress and rather than re-extending when you are over the bump, this happens too slowly and they just finish extending in time to be fully extended for the second bump, which it reacts too slowly to and so on. The opposite (too much compression damping) would be the forks failing to compress fast enough when they hit the bump and giving a feeling of "skipping" over the bumps.

In both cases it will transmit too much "bump" to the rider and make the bike feel less stable.

Kinda hard getting one perfect suspension setup if a track has a variety of bumps on (some big individual ones, some small bumps in a series). What they need is active suspension - which will adapt the damping as they go (and could even be set by GPS), but I think this is banned in MotoGP (it certainly is in F1).
 
Casey
Jorge
Nicky

I think Nicky could have a good race. Pedrosa has his mind elsewhere and I think Cal will drop off, as he usually does. I do hope he finishes top 6 though.

As for Valentino, what a shame his career looks like it is ending with a real downturn.

Goes to show what a star turn Casey is and what he achieved on that bike, and the current Honda come to think of it.
 
Its probably between Lorenzo & Stoner for the win, love to see Crutchlow on the podium, as for Valentino Rossi ?????? has he lost the desire or have the rest upped their game, either way I wouldnt put a tenner on him to finish top 4, just hope theres competition for wins over the season.
 
748kr said:
Its probably between Lorenzo & Stoner for the win, love to see Crutchlow on the podium, as for Valentino Rossi ?????? has he lost the desire or have the rest upped their game, either way I wouldnt put a tenner on him to finish top 4, just hope theres competition for wins over the season.
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Since Hayden qualified 5th, this looks like the situation at the end of 2011, perhaps he's having a bit of a huff because something isn't going his way? Guess we'll find out in the race... I still maintain a tiny molecule of hope somewhere :rolleyes:

As you say, it's Edwards behind him on a CRT Suter, although there is a second between them, it bodes well for the CRT teams.

One thing it for sure, I wouldn't like to be sitting on a warehouse full of #46 Ducati merchandise at this point in the proceedings, they could be looking at landfill options at this rate...
 
Hayden doing so well as he is a flat track rider. The big 1000cc engine assisting his style at the rear wheel. Wee Vals front wheel riding does not help with the 1000cc engine. He needs to ensure the bike is set up properly. BUT, I could see him in the 5th-6th slot today.
Stoner, Lorenzo & Carl.
KING CARL is the man right now. Respect :)
 
Chiz said:
Hayden doing so well as he is a flat track rider. The big 1000cc engine assisting his style at the rear wheel. Wee Vals front wheel riding does not help with the 1000cc engine. He needs to ensure the bike is set up properly. BUT, I could see him in the 5th-6th slot today.
Stoner, Lorenzo & Carl.
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Didn't seem to be an issue when he was riding Honda 1000cc motoGP bikes (or Yamaha 1000cc bikes)...

KING CARL is the man right now. Respect :)
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Who's Carl? :dunno: Foggy's still in Yorkshire, although Ducati might have him on standby... ;)
 
miloVanMultistrada said:
Didn't seem to be an issue when he was riding Honda 1000cc motoGP bikes (or Yamaha 1000cc bikes)...



Who's Carl? :dunno: Foggy's still in Yorkshire, although Ducati might have him on standby... ;)
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:twak::twak::twak::twak: Carl Crutch. Dont make me slap you again.
You get back to your task of keeping this site up & running :):)
 
Haha you pair are nuts thanks for cheering me up:D
It is getting harder to see light at the end of the Rossi Ducati tunnel but as a fan of many years I keep the faith. Hoping for an improvement.
You don't just follow a rider just because they are winning then drop them when they aint.............so its Rossi for me all the way.He has given us many years of his talent and his personalty which is more than some who just have the talent(naming no names).
As for the merchandise it will still sell as he has many many fans and always will.
I don't see a failure here i see somebody willing to take it all the way till he is able to get from the bike what he wants.He could just have said F**k it after last year but he didn't .
As for the winner today i think Lorenzo.
 
Duke O' Tinto said:
Goes to show what a star turn Casey is and what he achieved on that bike, and the current Honda come to think of it.
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In fairness, Stoner won both his championships in his first year at Ducati and Honda so would have had limited input into the development. In both cases he was able to ride the wheels off what he was given and while I believe this to be his greatest strength it could also be his biggest disadvantage.

It was said after he announced his move to Honda (unfortunately I can't remember where) that Ducati were not investing in development of the bike - but why would they when he was getting the results?
 
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