MotoGP mid-February News Roundup
February 10th, 2009The dark days of winter are now lifting here in the Northern Hemisphere and, as the sap rises so does the expectation of the MotoGP season to come.
This is a roundup of MotoGPBlogs highlights of the news and PR spin that has begun to fly.
Kawasaki
Yawn. We’re all tired of the Kawasaki will they/won’t they story. In reality it would be very bad press for Dorna to fine Kawasaki for failing to show, and it is far from clear whether Dorna’s claim would stand up in court. Like most business contracts there is likely to be a force majure clause which
Team Green could use as a get out. Will Bartolomey manage to pull off a privateer Kawasaki team? In these troublesome times, it would be a super-human feat and although MotoGPBlog hopes he does manage it, MGPB thinks it unlikely. We’ll finally discover after the Phillip Island testing coming up.
Sepang Test
Stoner, still in pain following his off-season wrist injury, is very, very fast on his new Ducati GP9, the Itialian boffins having cooked up (literally) a carbon-fibre frame for the bike. A big risk for the red team, it appears to have paid off. The final (small, but significant) hurdle to overcome is whether it will withstand a race with the same performance. Hayden, meanwhile is complaining of the bike bucking like a bronco, unsurprising as he is trying to adapt to the new frame and to Bridgestone tyres. If anyone apart from Stoner can tame the Ducati beast, it’s Nicky Hayden. He’s set to improve steadily through the season.
Rossi has had his pre-season thrown into disarray by closing some curtains at home and managing to fall through a glass coffee table, the resulting injuries leading to him having stitches in his left hand and foot. He’s still out there, but with some discomfort. Lorenzo is also performing well, but perhaps with a bit less of an edge and much reduced cockiness from this time last year. He paid for his attitude with broken bones, so he’s a wise chap to ease up a little.
Elsewhere Elias appears to have the Honda technology edge over team mate de Angelis - part of the reason he agreed to ride for San Carlo at all. de Angelis is the only one talking about the differences, but the most obvious is the rev limit on his bike, no doubt there are other electronic differences too.
So, the early sparring has begun. The GP9 works, the Bridgestone tyres work, the Yamaha looks very competetive, and Suzuki are showing up everywhere they should.
The scene is set for a great season.
