MotoGP Blog

Stoner is back in the groove. He hit the front part way through the first lap and nobody, but nobody, could get near him. Consistently faster than all the opposition, he simply stretched his lead lap after clockwork lap. When he is in this form, he appears almost robotic in the way he rides the bike - the same line, body position, lean angle - without variation.

Behind Stoner the two Repsol Hondas held the next placings, Pedrosa able to ride away from Hayden through the length of the race. One of racings cruel blows hit Hayden as he exited the final chicane on the last lap - he twisted the throttle and got no response. The TV pictures showed him wringing the grip again and again with no result then, in desperation, adopting as aerodynamic a position as he could to maintain his momentum. Hayden had run out of fuel after the bike’s fuel map and electronics misjudged the length of the race by 50 metres.

Hayden’s efforts were to be without success, as Edwards swept past him to claim the final podium slot. This acts as some sort of compensation for the Texan for 2006 when Hayden and Edwards went head to head into the last lap, and last chicane, Hayden coming of better by overshooting the corner and Edwards almost making the turn before high-siding on the astroturf. Despite this “compensation” I think Edwards would still take Hayden’s win in 2006 over 3rd in 2008.

Indeed, Edwards had a disastrous start despite a decent qualifying, finding himself 12 of 16 at the end of the first lap. With Stoner’s domination up front, much of the TV coverage was of Edwards’ march through the field, slicing through the opposition pretty much as he pleased.

The other focus, given the lack of a scrap up front, was Rossi’s recovery. Losing the back end through the first left hander, the left side of the tyre being relatively cold, Rossi low-sided and took out de Puniet. This was a great shame for the Frenchman as he was having his best weekend for a while - he’d managed to keep the bike upright and qualify impressively - and I don’t think I was alone in assuming de Puniet had gone down and taken Rossi with him at first.

It would emerge at the end of the race that Rossi had bent the handlebars and lost the pedal from his gear change lever and was having to use the stub of the lever to move between gears. Having then been able to post the 3rd fastest lap of the race was quite an achievement, and he later said he thought he could have challenged for the win today. However, the reason for his crash was that he was trying to make up time and places quickly following a dreadful start off the line; he appeared to be almost unprepared for the lights and very slow off the line, so a challenge for the win may well have
been out of even his grasp.

For the second race in succession, Melandri was passed by a rider who had fallen off early on as Rossi nipped past him at the final chicane on lap 19. MotoGPBlog thinks he has two more races to improve before he gets sacked. Today he again looked like a lost soul. I’ve never seen a rider plumb such depths as Marco is at the moment. There is no doubt he has talent, but there is also no doubt that Ducati have cooked up a bike that he just cannot get his head around. Marco should get out, back on a Honda, and back to putting in performances he can be happy about.

Lorenzo had a race of two halves - slow, then fast as he struggled to control the Fiat Yamaha when on cold tyres and full of fuel. He displayed this trait in Donington as well, and perhaps he has got himself into a bit of a headgame following on from his recent crashes, a headgame that is stopping him from pushing hard early on in any session - following that high-side on a cold tyre that damaged his ankles, it is very understandable. It is getting in the way of his podiums, however.

Today was Stoner’s day though. He will no doubt be pissed off at the coverage Rossi gets for his 11th place heroics, but he suddenly looks like he can close the gap on Pedrosa and Rossi, and at the half-way point in the season, the gap between the three is smaller than ever.

It’s cold, wet and slippery out there. Clear visors, anti-fog applied and full wets are the order of the day. Although not actually raining, there was little sign of a dry line appearing by the end of the 20-odd minutes they were on track. Stoner continues to head the timing sheets, wet or dry. Today his closest rival was Pedrosa, not well known for his wet weather performances, with Rossi a little further back. Hayden, too, was not far behind.

A ray of light at last for Melandri; he looked composed on the bike and managed a 1:49.6, 1.7 seconds slower than his team-mate, but still good enough for 7th fastest.

If it does not rain, there will be some difficult tyre choices to be made. At the moment, a rider could start on slicks, intermediates or full wets. The 125cc and 250cc races will dry the track a little, and if the clouds start to lift the sun will do the rest. Or, it could rain. A lot. Another race with changeable conditions through the weekend. Get ready for it.

For much of the session, it looked like the previous sessions here, and in the UK: Stoner, then everyone else some way back. The last ten minutes were to prove things to be rather different, dismissing this cliché before it established itself.

Stoner did, indeed, dominate after a mixed morning warm-up for all in the changeable conditions, establishing a 0.7 sec gap to Rossi before the final round of qualifiers. Suddenly, stunningly, Rossi found the pace he had been searching for and knocked Stoner back to second place. Back in the pits Stoner stood up, mounted the Ducati and just monstered it: 1:35.520, the fastest lap around this remodelled, neutered Assen track.

The excitement was not yet over, as a resurgent Pedrosa took up the gauntlet and flung his Honda into the curves with a determination and grace we have seen all too infrequently from the Spaniard. He looked like he meant it, like he cared. And he did; just 0.032 secs behind Stoner’s staggering lap and 0.1 secs ahead of Rossi, Pedrosa completed the front row. Blocked out by the title challengers, we can expect a joust tomorrow of gladatorial proportions. Stoner does not have the lead by the margin he did all weekend at Donington, Rossi and Pedrosa mean, and need, to establish a lead over one another of some substance. In many ways, it is the perfect front row for the halfway point in the season. Stoner later said he could have gone faster. I’m not so sure.

Hayden was the best of the rest, leading his team-mate for much of the session he came within a half second of pole, sparing his blushes by just beating de Puniet down to 5th on the LCR Honda. Edwards also put up a valiant show, out-qualifying Lorenzo on the factory bike (6th and 7th respectively).

Already a man down for the weekend, we lost another today as Hopkins slid out, dropping the bike in a high-speed low-side and colliding with a section of unprotected wall. He has fractured his left ankle and damaged his left knee, adding further misery to his already troubled season. The injuries may rule him out of the next two races. This means we’ll only see 16 bikes on the grid tomorrow, with Capirossi also missing the race.

Rossi won from 7th place last year. It will take another effort of this sort to repeat the win to fend off Pedrosa and Stoner. Pick a winner? Rather you than me.

Marco Melandri has made some astonishing statements recently, to go with his astonishing performances. Apparently happy to step aside if “there is someone better” this is hardly the attitude of the racer we are used to seeing. Seemingly broken by his inability to gel with the red bike, he may even have given up trying. At Donnington, Melandri was coming out of the Old Hairpin, changing up at Starkeys and then holding this gear through Schwantz. Stoner, meanwhile was short shifting between the Old Hairpin and Starkeys, pulling a gear higher through Schwantz and was visibly quicker up the hill. It smacks of a lack of confidence in the bike and his ability - the wet of Saturday must have been a nightmare for Marco.

The news that Gibernau is to test the Ducati GP9 again 1st - 3rd July will not have helped. However, Ducati maintain the faith in the young Italian and in recent statements, Livio Suppo seems to be willing to give him the Sachsenring and Laguna to recover some pride before making the decision whether or not to drop the axe.

Who would replace him - speculation is rife that Gibernau would be the one, but he would be mad to step into the red leathers again. All he risks is damage to his reputation, and a return to 2006 when he was out-ridden and out-psyched by Rossi. He also risks looking silly if he can’t match Stoner. So it is not likely to be Gibernau. Stick to the bike development Sete.

de Puniet? Not unless Ducati can afford big repair bills. Dovizioso? He’s Honda through and through so no dice. de Angelis? Not likely to do better than Melandri.

World Supers does not have an obvious candidate either, so Ducati have something of a quandry: Melandri cannot continue to lap at the back of the field, but Ducati can’t see an obvious replacement. Suppo is therefore right to give Marco Sachsenring and Laguna while the search continues; these are also tracks Marco favours. Perhaps he can get himself a stay of execution yet.

Stoner’s domination continues to the tune of almost a second - the revised Ducati electronics making all the difference to Stoner. The hell continues for Melandri - three seconds off the pace and the slowest bike on the track today. It is a bizarre circumstance, almost like he is riding to be sacked.

Aside from this, Hayden on the air valve engine out-performed Pedrosa, and Rossi and Edwards found some decent settings. Lorenzo looked cautious, unsurprisingly, and perhaps a little wary.

Guintoli looked like he was starting to master the Ducati, ahead of Lorenzo and well clear of Elias and Melandri. Could we see a satellite Ducati challenging the satellite Hondas this weekend? There will be a Ducati up front for sure.

Dorna have announced that Eurosport will no longer carry the MotoGP events across Europe. According to MotoGP.com this action is part of a strategy of working with free-to-air broadcasters to bring the racing to the largest number of people possible. Given that there will now be a number of national deals to be done, it is also likely to have the effect of lining the pockets of Dorna with a few million extra Euros.

It is not yet clear what will happen to the much loved commentary team of Julian Ryder, Toby Moody and Randy Mamola, but it is clear from the reactions on forums around the net that they are the (English speaking) fan’s favourites, and so will likely find a new home. Personally, I hope the BBC takes them on. Toby, Julian, Randy - you could always come and help out at MotoGPBlog…The pay is not great but we work for the love of it!

Making his comeback from a hand injury sustained at Catalunya, Loris Capirossi made a good start to the Assen weekend in the first session. In the second he lost the back end when changing down from 6th to 4th gear and the bike landed on top of him, the footpeg puncturing a large hole in his right forearm. He is still recovering from a broken right hand.

The press release from Suzuki makes it clear that Spies, even though he is present at Assen, will not replace Capirossi for the race on Saturday. At this point it is not clear who, if anyone, will.

125cc racing does not feature much in these pages - simply through lack of available time to cover the nip-and-tuck racing and do it justice. However, I witnessed a fine race at Donington, with a Brit winning, and not only that, but the youngest ever GP winner to boot.

Scott Redding dropped into second place early on in the race, Iannone taking the lead, and the pair outpaced the rest of the pack by some margin. Lap by lap, the 3 second gap between the two leaders became 2 seconds, then 1.5 seconds, then considerably less. Just six laps from the end, Iannone under pressure from Redding lost the front through Craner Curves. Suddenly the young lad was 5 seconds ahead and five more laps to complete. And complete them he did in fine style: not slowing, not tensing up but riding fast and smooth to the finish.

Well done Scott.

More coverage at The Biker Place and Armchair Bike Fan.

The race was like a flashback to 2007. Stoner/Ducati dominance from lights to flag, nobody could hold a candle to Casey all weekend. Fastest in Friday Practice, Pole, and then utter destruction of the opposition in the race with hardly a tyre out of line. Reports from the Ducati press room that the new electronic package, taming the power delivery of the bike and helping with engine braking, were to result in a more rideable machine were proven true - at least for Stoner. During the race the bike looked planted, in a very Yamaha fashion, and even the gusty winds of Donington could not upset it’s balance. Think back to Assen last year - Rossi wins over the dominant Ducati due in part to side winds making the Ducati a handful. No such leeway will be allowed for the Yamaha this year in Holland.

Rossi and Pedrosa duked it out in the middle of the race, Pedrosa passing Rossi at Redgate, before Rossi retook Dani at the Old Hairpin. Pedrosa pulled the same move again, only to mess up the Esses, allowing Rossi through again, and this is how the race would end. Meanwhile Stoner simply ran away with it.

Further down the order, Dovizioso had a blinder, battling with Pedrosa early on then Edwards and Hayden later in the race. Edwards’ team mate Toseland had a nightmare, falling at the first corner of the first lap, a symptom of trying too hard and over-riding the bike much as he did in qualifying. It would have been easy for him to leave the bike in the gravel and walk back to the pits, just a few steps away. He did not, and re-mounted to ride the remainder of the race and received applause from the crowd for battling on with each lap he completed. It will not be a day he wants to remember.

Another nightmare for Melandri, who seemed to hint he was ready to concede defeat to the bike with his pre-race comments regarding being willing to step down if someone better was available. Not the attitude his sponsors or team would want. He suffered the indignity of being passed by de Angelis, who fell off in the early laps, re-mounted and led Melandri home by the chequered flag by some eight seconds. The satellite Ducatis did not fare much better limping home in 11th and 13th.

Spies had a fairly average debut, slightly disappointing after his outstanding qualifying in the wet, getting beaten up in the early laps and never quite recovering. This weekend no doubt provided him with some valuable experience for Laguna: he now knows what to expect.

One final point which was not conveyed well in the TV coverage. There was a track invasion before the end of the last lap. Stoner, Rossi and Pedrosa passed by, then the crowd invaded at Starkeys and Craner Curves. This resulted in Edwards, Dovizioso and the rest of the pack arriving at corners at racing speed with people on the track. The temporary fencing put up for the race was pitiful, and the combination this with all-day drinking and a small number of idiots could easily have led to a serious accident. Dorna need to take action, as do the Rider Safety Commission to prevent this happening again.

MotoGP Stats View
The stats viewer for the Donington race (choose Race View, Gap, Team in the settings) shows us just how strong Stoner was, the gap to second place growing almost every lap apart from the last few laps. Rossi and Pedrosa were in a race of their own once they broke free of the rest of the pack. Look also at the comparative course of Hayden and Edwards through the race. Hayden gets a better start but Edwards is faster on each lap, passing the Kentucky Kid on lap 18.

Team by Team
Marlboro Ducati
Elation for Stoner matched with despair for Melandri. Marco’s time must be limited now, but could Ducati really bring Gibernau back to replace him? Stoner is back at one with the 08 bike, and despite playing down his chances of the title, Ducati have put the recent run of bad form behind them and look strong again.

Fiat Yamaha
Rossi’s run of podiums continues, and despite never matching Casey all weekend he has his head and his bike together now. Lorenzo never looked like he was up for the fight this weekend, but still produced a staggering 6th place with his battered and bruised body from a terrible 17th place on the grid.

Repsol Honda
One air valve, one not. Pedrosa (springs) looked strong until he seemed to lose power in the last couple of laps, suspected by MotoGPBlog to be his fuel map cutting in to conserve fuel and make sure he made it to the end of the race. Gave Rossi a fight but ultimately was outclassed by the Italian. Hayden will not be a happy man, beaten by a satellite Yamaha and Honda on a bike carrying the new engine. He needs to shape up or ship out.

Rizla Suzuki
Vermeulen did well in the wet qualifying but could not match the Yamahas, Hondas and Ducati for pace in the race. Spies brought it home without trashing it and at a decent speed, so Suzuki probably deem his debut a success. Nothing to write home about for the blue team this week however.

Kawasaki
West out-qualified Hopkins in the wet, then reverted to his slow form in the dry. Hopkins retired at Schwantz Curve, and practically threw his bike against the fence in disgust. Hopper is having a tough year getting the bike to do what he wants it to do, and must be feeling the pressure.

Tech3 Yamaha
The less said about Toseland the better, but Edwards had another barnstormer, just missing out on the podium and making sure he kept the young whipper-snapper Dovizioso behind him. Edwards continues to enjoy his racing and it shows.

Honda Satellites
Did de Puniet turn up? de Angelis fell then remounted and got past the sad figure cut by Melandri, but Dovizioso was the stand-out Honda rider, beating Hayden, Vermeulen and Lorenzo to the line. Is it time for his Honda loyalty to be re-paid by giving him a works ride?

Alice Ducati
No joy for the Alice team here, other than they were not dead last. Alice must be seeing the success of Tech3 and wondering what they have to do to get a rider in 4th place.