I can't wait!

Jerez practice.
Lap Times:
1.Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’39.411
2.Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’39.663
3.Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’39.776
4.Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’40.416
5.Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’40.468
6.Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’40.570
7.COLIN EDWARDS (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’40.721
8.Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1’40.732
9.Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’40.750
10.VALENTINO ROSSI (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’40.907
11.Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’41.134
12.Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’41.208
13.John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’41.208
14.Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1’41.380
15.Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts, 1’41.673
16.Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) D’Antin Pramac, 1’41.761
17.Alex Hofmann (GER) D’Antin Pramac, 1’42.034
18.James Ellison (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’42.686
19.Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati, 1’42.759
20.Tadayuki Okada (JPN) HRC, 1’43.513

Day before
1. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’40.047
2. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’40.544
3. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’40.791
4. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’40.839
5. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’40.859
6. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’40.915
7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’40.943
8. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’40.954
9. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’41.105
10. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’41.110
11. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1’41.254
12. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1’41.561
13. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’41.745
14. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts, 1’42.127
15. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) D’Antin Pramac, 1’42.593
16. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’42.636
17. Alex Hofmann (GER) D’Antin Pramac, 1’42.647
18. James Ellison (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’43.797
19. Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati, 1’43.846
20. Tadayuki Okada (JPN) HRC, 1’45.622

And the day before that.
1. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’40.910
2. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Ducati Marlboro Team, 1’41.176
3. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’41.477
4. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’41.499
5. Toni Elias (SPA) Fortuna Honda, 1’41.680
6. Colin Edwards (USA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’41.730
7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’41.732
8. John Hopkins (USA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’41.740
9. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Camel Yamaha Team, 1’41.861
10. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki Racing Team, 1’41.915
11. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda Team, 1’41.984
12. Marco Melandri (ITA) Fortuna Honda, 1’42.106
13. Kenny Roberts (USA) Team Roberts, 1’42.328
14. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Konica Minolta Honda, 1’42.558
15. Chris Vermeulen (AUS) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP, 1’42.938
16. Alex Hofmann (GER) D’Antin Pramac, 1’43.274
17. Vittoriano Guareschi (ITA) Ducati, 1’43.417
18. Jose Luis Cardoso (SPA) D’Antin Pramac, 1’44.501
19. James Ellison (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha, 1’44.953
20. Tadayuki Okada (JPN) HRC, 1’45.930

Jerez Lap Record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 – 1’40.596

Jerez Best Lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 2005 – 1’39.419

I know it's totally different once they're elbow to elbow but this kid's got talent. And I never thought I'd say this but I'm happy that Vale's having some tuning problems.. maybe the race will be closer then

Pedrosa, Melandri, Puniet, Vermeulen. Young bucks to watch for this season

 

practice laps in MotoGP are like spring training in baseball. It doesnt mean a bloody thing since changes are being made in the ike to get it setup right.


Im excited to see Rossi lose. Yes I know its a pipe dream, but a guy can hope cant he?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BDiddy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">practice laps in MotoGP are like spring training in baseball. It doesnt mean a bloody thing since changes are being made in the ike to get it setup right.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

huh?

 

I would like to see if Melandri has or will improve this season. Excited to see Pedrosa too

 

I think Pedrosa is the real deal and will at least get podiums this year. I really wanna see Nicky win though.

One thing that is going to shake things up a lot is the tire wars. Bridgestone and Dunlop are coming on strong so you could very well see teams like Camel Yamaha and the Honda teams take a pronounced step backwards (at least at some tracks). In that event Ducati is going to be the strongest team.

I think in the first 1 to 3 races you might not see Nicky contesting for the win since the 2006 RC211V doesn't seem to be sorted out yet. However, it seems HRC believes in the ultimate potential of the 06 bike so it most likely has a lot of the speed left on the table.

 

Pedrosa also hasnt completed a full race distance in testing either, and only has one day of wet testing. He's still got alot to learn and get up to speed with, and he is on an updated 2005 RC211 rather than the 2006.

I think he is the real deal, after watching him set up shop in the 250cc races the same way that Vale does in GP. He will start to come on strong with some podium finishes about halfway through the season, I predict he gets 3 or 4 podiums, and he'll get some race wins next year.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScareyH22A &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

huh?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Preseason testing is just that, testing. Teams are collecting information, doing tire testing, and working on setup. I doubt you will see Suzuki and Kawasaki at the top of the grid come the first race weekend - its one thing to get a qualifying tire on and put down a good laptime in testing, but to hold that top pace for a full race distance is another.

 

Why does Suzuki suck @ MotoGP?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Preseason testing is just that, testing. Teams are collecting information, doing tire testing, and working on setup. I doubt you will see Suzuki and Kawasaki at the top of the grid come the first race weekend - its one thing to get a qualifying tire on and put down a good laptime in testing, but to hold that top pace for a full race distance is another.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I disagree. Testing can give you a good idea of where teams are at relative to each other as long as you know who set fast times on Q's. If a team is 2 seconds off pace in testing they're not gonna magically make it up when the flag drops.

Sure preseason lap times may mask things like people who can set a fast lap but can't preserve their times over a race distance but if you're paying enough attention to them you can get a good idea.

Motorsports preseason testing is not like baseball spring training at all because in baseball only 2 teams play in a game so you can't tell how good a team is until they've played other teams in games. With motorsport, test times can tell you relative competitiveness.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ross R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Why does Suzuki suck @ MotoGP?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Up to now they weren't putting enough resources into it. For 2006 they should look significantly better, assuming the other teams haven't taken a huge step forward, and assuming that Bridgestone comes through for them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JMU R1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I disagree. Testing can give you a good idea of where teams are at relative to each other as long as you know who set fast times on Q's. If a team is 2 seconds off pace in testing they're not gonna magically make it up when the flag drops.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is true - If someone is 2+ sec off the pace, they're not going to be in the hunt for race wins. But if you've got 10 guys separated by 1-1.5 sec at a test, the race results could be completely opposite of the test results, and also its hard to know what each time is working on for each day or each test. Ducati came on very strong at the first few tests - they were not at the front the last 2 tests, so maybe they are dedicating resources to other goals rather than the speed? Its all a big game, and teams may even be sandbagging on engine power and other things. Rossi was not at the front in preseason testing last year, but the race results are what matter.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JMU R1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Up to now they weren't putting enough resources into it. For 2006 they should look significantly better</TD></TR></TABLE>

I would like to see some podiums and a race win for Hopkins

 

With Rossi last year he was running race simulations the whole preseason so that's why he didn't have the fastest times at a bunch of the tracks.

This year with the Ducatis setting fast times I think a lot of that is due to the Bridgestone vs Michelin difference. That was certainly the reason they were able to log two decisive wins last season at Motegi and Sepang.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Its all a big game, and teams may even be sandbagging on engine power and other things. Rossi was not at the front in preseason testing last year, but the race results are what matter. </TD></TR></TABLE>

this is pretty much what i was thinking. if you know you are fast and competitive then setting fast times in the preseason testing doesnt mean too much. they are mainly trying to work out bugs and get the feel for the bikes and the updated equip. when it is time to get down to business, Rossi will still be in the front.

and what the hell is with the roberts team? kenny Jr is in the back and i didnt even see kurtis roberts. they might as well have daddy get back on the bike, maybe then they can get some decent results and actually get some development done.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Racer28 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
this is pretty much what i was thinking. if you know you are fast and competitive then setting fast times in the preseason testing doesnt mean too much. they are mainly trying to work out bugs and get the feel for the bikes and the updated equip. when it is time to get down to business, Rossi will still be in the front.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really. Systems checks happen early in the preseason, after that they are trying to find out how to go fast and win races. There's no real point in sandbagging in series like Moto GP and F1 unless you want to hide a technical advancement you've developed.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and what the hell is with the roberts team? kenny Jr is in the back and i didnt even see kurtis roberts. they might as well have daddy get back on the bike, maybe then they can get some decent results and actually get some development done.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Make no mistake the new KR bike is much faster than before. The reason they didn't show well at the last test is probably due to tires. Notice that all of the Bridgestone runners did well except for Hopper.

Kurtis isn't riding anything this year. Kenny Jr is certainly still fast and hopefully he'll get to show it this year. To be honest I was hoping he could've gotten a ride on Sito Pons' team but that didn't work out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Preseason testing is just that, testing. Teams are collecting information, doing tire testing, and working on setup. I doubt you will see Suzuki and Kawasaki at the top of the grid come the first race weekend - its one thing to get a qualifying tire on and put down a good laptime in testing, but to hold that top pace for a full race distance is another.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I disagree, I really think Kawasaki Will Towards the front of the grid come The first race and most likely the whole Season, They almost had the package last year, Kawasaki made some changes and are making the power now and I really feel they made a large step in being competitive with Honda and Yamaha.

Suzuki has made alot of changes, I really think they may get a Podium finish or two, just not in the beginning!

You can never count out the Top Dogs (Hayden, Sete, Rossie, Malandrie) No matter what practice/test times show they will work there way to the front with pure skills. I just would really like to see some new faces on the Podium this year!

Eric

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rainmanEK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I just would really like to see some new faces on the Podium this year!

Eric </TD></TR></TABLE>

I couldn't agree with you more. I love Vale but I want him to be challenged. Who like watching blowout games? I sure don't. I love nail biting action!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by rainmanEK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I disagree, I really think Kawasaki Will Towards the front of the grid come The first race and most likely the whole Season</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'd bet a benjamin they dont get more than 3 or 4 podiums all year - and thats being generous.

I think you might see them up there once, maybe twice if there's a rain race (like what happened last year)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I'd bet a benjamin they dont get more than 3 or 4 podiums all year - and thats being generous.

I think you might see them up there once, maybe twice if there's a rain race (like what happened last year)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Shinya Nakano will Finish Higher in the season points then Pedrosa... I dont think Pedrosa is the real deal, He is not the Next Rossi!

Pedrosa is going to be in Haydens Shadow all year!

Out of the Rookies, I am going to be Watching Casey Stoner and Randy De Puniet


Eric