Excellent GP race. For now, the championship is tight. 3 different manufacturers have won in 3 races. Keeps things a little more lively but if not for Marquez trying to outdo himself, it would have been another snooze fest. I told my daughter (a MM93 superfan) that on lap 6 it looked like Marquez was going to lose the front in either t11 or t12, because of how hot he was running into them (and how shitty the track is). She told me "no way, he's the king of COTA". I just laughed when he biffed it.

Rins was having a good time and looked extremely relaxed while winning. SMOOTH was how he rode once he passed Rossi....hell, the whole race really. Good for him and Suzuki. Glad they have their shit together. Can't wait until Mir joins him at the front more frequently.

Dovi phoned that one in for sure. He knows there is no use trying to fight for a place on such a shitty track. No points for not finishing a race, as Marquez found out

Petrucci and Aleix Espargaro were the most vocal about not coming back unless they repave it. The track surface is completely fucked and an embarrassment to the country, state, and sport.

This past week was incredible, especially for Suzuki fans like myself. COTA WAS AWESOME!!! My interest in MotoGP started around 2013 when I bought a Suzuki SV650 and began watching MotoGP videos and Isle of Man TT races on YouTube. In 2015 when Suzuki announced their return to MotoGP my interest in the sport really took off.

Two days ago I did something I should have done a loooooooong time ago, I watched Hitting The Apex. I sat there 100% captivated and on the edge of my seat like a sponge soaking up the history and backstory of many racers I knew of but didn’t know much about. It was incredible and only left me wanting to know more. I understand better why so many people love Rossi, his enthusiasm, passion and sense of humor is amazing. He is an Italian national treasure. Hell, the documentary even gave me a new found appreciation for Lorenzo and Márquez. The interviews with Nicky Hayden and Marco Simoncelli really hit me. I wish I had been into the sport 10 years ago, I feel like I missed one hell of a show.

The golden days were the 500’s. You need to back further. Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Gardner, King Kenny, that bastard Spencer. Then Hailwood, Ago. So many. You should try and find the lap that Joey Dunlop narrated. He remains the King of the Island (IOMTT). Also look up Colin Edwards and his WSBk years.

My favorite time was when GP switched to the 998cc 4 strokes. We were all bummed and pissed about the 2 smokers going away. But then 2002 happened. Sideways into a corner, smoke off the tires during corner exit, and got no damn traction control. Nothing but the right wrist. Them were the days. Today the bikes are F1 cars with 2 wheels. Anti wheelie, anti-spin, slide control, traction control, torque-ductor, bunch of nannies that pros don’t need. These bikes used to slide all the way around the corner. McCoy was one of the best at it. Rossi won the last 500cc championship on the NSR. You can watch those 2001 races on MotoGP.com.

Agreed Prefontaine. I've been watching some races on YouTube and they are pretty spectacular, though there is no comparison to the content and video quality today.

I kind of started backwards from you stick. It's only been a couple of years for me, but I got hold of a copy of Hitting the Apex and I was hooked. Then I watched Fastest. Now, I am just trying to find copies of Faster (2003); The Doctor, The Tornado, and The Kentucky Kid; Road (2014); and TT3D: Closer to the Edge.

Speaking of IOMTT, Guy Martin was at COTA and I had a good laugh. There's a video of Neil Hodgson trying to interview him. That guy is on CRACK or hopped up on coke. What a character!

mutedblade, I saw that Guy Martin interview at COTA. He had to have been on something. Damn shame they didn’t have subtitles....I couldn’t understand much of what he was saying. I love his enthusiasm for the sport.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/Yify37XcMJY

Was he talking about the seamless gearboxes when he said twin selector shafts and preengagement? The technology behind those transmissions is pretty exciting. The ability to engage two gears simultaneously and have the tranny shift from one gear to the other seamlessly, without locking up and with zero loss of power is incredible. F1 was doing it first and he goes on to talk about Formula one so I think that’s what got him so jazzed up.

Pretty hard to follow Guy’s thought process and what exactly he was trying to say.

Stick

You are correct

I learned to speak Guy Martin from this disc.

I have a region free Oppo, and watch this once a year....



I have to have the subtitles on....LOL

Rainman, I’ll have to check it out! I honestly think the first time I go to a MotoGP race I will be just as excited and incoherent as Guy. I LOVE BIKES!


Hey, did you see what Dovi said about Bautista recently? Very kind words from one Ducati pilot to another. And how about those boys from Bologna in WSBK this year!! I was expecting the V4R to be competitive but holy smokes!!!! Bautista and Ducati are on fire!

Rainman, I finally got a chance to watch TT3D the other day. What a great documentary. You definitely need subtitles at times.

It's amazing what these guys put their bodies through. These guys are on a different level for sure and make those overpaid "ball" players look like the spoiled diva's they really are.

FYI stick, you can watch the entire movie on YouTube

Sweet! I know what I’m watching tonigh!

Will be interesting to see if the Petronas boys can hold onto their 1-2. First satellite team in a 1-2 since Gibernau/Melandri in 2005.

4 Manufacturers in the top 12 qualifiers. Also, only 0.634 second gap covers those 12 qualifiers. That is crazy! Gonna be a good one hopefully.

quote:

Originally posted by mutedblade:
Will be interesting to see if the Petronas boys can hold onto their 1-2. First satellite team in a 1-2 since Gibernau/Melandri in 2005.

4 Manufacturers in the top 12 qualifiers. Also, only 0.634 second gap covers those 12 qualifiers. That is crazy! Gonna be a good one hopefully.

Twas a snoozer for the most part. Feel gutted for El Diablo. He had that podium.

It was a pretty good race if you are a Suzuki fan. Rins is looking great on that GSX-RR!!!

I wonder if Maverick has any regrets over leaving Suzuki? I absolutely LOVED watching Rins pass Mav.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I wonder if Maverick has any regrets over leaving Suzuki? I absolutely LOVED watching Rins pass Mav.

Probably. He should have stayed. They’d have Viñales and Rins forming the second best team in the sport behind Repsol Honda. Yamaha hasn’t untucked themselves yet. Progress but still not there. Yamaha have won very few races over the last 3 seasons.

Generally not a fan of the Spaniards. They are hot tempered and always up their own ass. Rinzler is the first Spanish rider in quite a long time that is not like this. His feet are on the ground and he doesn’t have that typical Spanish asshole attitude. Happy to see him progress. Suzuki is lucky to have Davide Brivio. If you didn’t know he was the guy who got Rossi to leave HRC and come to Yamaha which was a coup. He was Rossi’s team leader for all his Yamaha championships.

YES!!! I learned that while watching one of the MotoGP documentaries. I was like “that’s the guy who is with Suzuki now! And I had to look him up online. He was a VERY good acquisition by Suzuki. I LOVED the interaction between Rins and Brivio right after he won at COTA. Brivio asked him how it felt to win a GP race and Rins began commenting on how loose the front was and Brivio responded with something like “yeah, but when the end result is this it’s ok”

Le Mans is up next. I can’t wait!! Le Mans is a track that favors the GSX-RR correct? I am absolutely LOVING all the attention Team Suzuki Ecstar and Rins are getting right now. It would be so great if he and Mir had a good race at France. Rins might have a shot at MM if he can qualify better and not have to work his way to the front.

I’m really hoping Mir has a good race at France. He looked so good at Qatar for a rookie.

Just watched the GP. It was indeed a snoozefest. I seriously dislike the track. It's boring. Too narrow to go 2 wide, much less 3. All it takes is getting out front and staying there. Was cool seeing 4 manufacturers across 1st through 4th.

El Diablo was a shame. Definite podium with 2nd place for sure. He'll be back. So far, he is impressing me the most out of this rookie class. Mir is doing his part too and I look forward to the battles that will eventually happen between them.

Rins is so SMOOTH. I can't say that anyone looks as relaxed as he does while riding, not even MM93 looks as relaxed to me, though he surely is. I'd like to see a bit of the vitals of these guys when they are going around the track...Heart Rate and oxygen levels and such.

Not much else to say other than I can't wait for Le Mans.

Dr. Costa put a heart rate monitor on Biaggi and Rossi back in the day. Biaggi’s heart rate was super fast, 180’s or something. Rossi’s heart rate was so low it was like he was walking down the street looking for a place to eat. Massive difference. I haven’t heard of them testing anyone else in quite a while.