AMA at Daytona Road Race and Supercross **SPOILERS**

[motodog650]

Enjoyed the race. Other than that first lap incident no red flags and best of all NO PACE CAR. It was good to see standing starts for this class.

Good race. Seemed more normal (in a good way) than last years fiasco.  SBK & SSP races were apparently great as well (will watch tonite). Looking forward to attending the Road Atlanta round next month...

[veefer800canuck]

Her face book update indicated she lost at least a nail.  

"Apparently the time has come and gone... Good news is my manicures should be 10% off. Ugh"  

OUCH! Ripping off an entire nail is painful! No wonder whe was holding her hand.  

[Busy Little Whiner]

The 848 is NOT a big bore V2.  It is a good comparision.  The 1198 is a big bore V2.  The Buell is a big bore V2.

Personally I think Danny was riding conservatively.

big bore as in boring...

[Mr Sunshine]

big bore as in boring...

That bike was not boring.  Damn it was fast!

[Busy Little Whiner]

That bike was not boring.  Damn it was fast!

Long and ponderous engines are boring besides the 848 was never designed to be a race bike...

[stk0308]

Personally I think Danny was riding conservatively.

Right up until he body-checked poor Ricky Orlando?

[Blunder]

Right up until he body-checked poor Ricky Orlando?

Ricky Orlando! That dude's been racing forever, man.

[Mr Sunshine]

Long and ponderous engines are boring besides the 848 was never designed to be a race bike...

Uh?  Yes it was.

[st2sam]

I watched all the races and gotta say I was pleasantly surprised, better than I expected.

A few of my observations,
          Nice to see 6 bikes capable and dicing it up for a win, pretty much on par with WSB.
          Tommy Hayden, why does he think he has to look like a clown, give the Halloween look a break.        
          I'm now starting to think, maybe Matt Maladin deserved all his number one plates, better rider than I gave credit for. (not all the bike)  
I'm really anxiously awaiting to watch the next race, IMO it should give a better picture of whats ahead for the rest of the season....

[veefer800canuck]

     
          I'm now starting to think, maybe Matt Maladin deserved all his number one plates, better rider than I gave credit for. (not all the bike)  

Don't forget, they changed the rules too, so Tommy's Suzuki isn't the same bike as Mladins. They're almost supersport-spec bikes now, not the full-on Superbkes of yore.

[keepergale]

JUMP START     No axe to grind here with eslick but who are they kidding.
His tire jumped out of the box while the camera was zoomed in on it.
He stopped again and then they got the green flag.  

[Busy Little Whiner]

Uh?  Yes it was.

Negative... the 848 was designed for the middleweight sport bike class... where as the 1198 is solely
designed for rigors of WSBK racing...


Quote Ducati:

848
"Iconic features from its bigger brothers, such as the twin under-seat silencers, single-sided swingarm, Trellis frame and beautiful race bodywork, are all part of the 848's DNA. Its family resemblance assures that it is equipped with all the performance advancements of the Superbike family, while adding its own particular refinements to the middleweight sport bike class."

1198
The 'R' is a race bike, pure and simple. Its competition specification and superior components together with advanced electronics and race-proven chassis technology deliver a level of performance that empowers with confidence and capability. On the road, it distinguishes you as a connoisseur of high-performance motorcycles. On the track it instantly promotes you to a higher level of skill.

The road-going 'R' version is as close as it gets to Ducati's factory race bike. The 1198 R is not a replica – it's the real deal. An incredible 180hp L-Twin Testastretta Evoluzione engine in a race-winning Trellis chassis set-up weighs in at 1kg (2.2lb) less than last year to become an unbelievably light 164kg (361.5lb) and is equipped with Ducati Corse's World Championship-winning traction control system.

[DogBoy]

JUMP START     No axe to grind here with eslick but who are they kidding.
His tire jumped out of the box while the camera was zoomed in on it.
He stopped again and then they got the green flag.  

Last year they were using video monitors on the first several rows and calling jump starts if there was the slightest "pixel movement" when reviewing the video according to what I've read. It was controversial and unfair because a) they didn't have enough equipment or people to apply this system to the whole field and b) how do you define "pixel movement" anyway?

The rules were changed for this year to only call a jump start if the bike moves before the red light goes off and continues moving forward. Of course, there is vague "AMA Pro Racing will decide" language in the wording.  

Eslick did stop moving forward and did not gain any advantage. He was fifth into the first turn on that start. I'm in the no harm, no foul crowd for this incident. Besides, if there is a red flag before the two laps are complete, the whole race is started again at full race distance. The red flag came out before the first half lap was complete. That lap never officially happened so there isn't much to penalize.

[DogBoy]

Negative... the 848 was designed for the middleweight sport bike class... where as the 1198 is solely
designed for rigors of WSBK racing...

So none of the 600 supersports are designed to be race bikes either?  

[Mr Sunshine]

Negative... the 848 was designed for the middleweight sport bike class... where as the 1198 is solely
designed for rigors of WSBK racing...

So that 848 spec racing series in Germany doesn't exist eh?

[Mr Sunshine]

JUMP START     No axe to grind here with eslick but who are they kidding.
His tire jumped out of the box while the camera was zoomed in on it.
He stopped again and then they got the green flag.  

The rule isn't to stay in the box.  The rule is:

http://admin.amaproracing.com/assets/AMAPro-2010-RR-Rulebook.pdf
Page 20:
"Anticipation of the start is defined by the motorcycle moving
forward and continuing to move forward while the red lights are
on. AMA Pro Racing will decide if a penalty will be imposed."


Danny STOPPED before the lights went out so he is ok.

[DJStevieB]

Admittedly, I'm not an expert on moto-racing but....

1. I thought start jumpers had to come in for a manditory pit lane drive-through? So AMA Pro is not the same as the rest of the world?  

2. Why are the little bikes running the 200 and not the Superbikes?

3. Why are they running at night?

4. Why is this AMA crap so ass-backwards than everybody else?

Another AMA Pro racing FAIL!  

[Blunder]

Admittedly, I'm not an expert on moto-racing but....

1. I thought start jumpers had to come in for a manditory pit lane drive-through? So AMA Pro is not the same as the rest of the world?  

2. Why are the little bikes running the 200 and not the Superbikes?

3. Why are they running at night?

4. Why is this AMA crap so ass-backwards than everybody else?

Another AMA Pro racing FAIL!  

1. It's up to the AMA. It was decided there was no penalty.

2. It's been that way for about 4 years running now.

3. To hide the empty grandstands in the darkness.  

4. It has always been thus.

[DJStevieB]

OUCH! Ripping off an entire nail is painful! No wonder whe was holding her hand.  

Her blog says she ground down her finger to the second knuckle!  

[squeezer]

Last year they were using video monitors on the first several rows and calling jump starts if there was the slightest "pixel movement" when reviewing the video according to what I've read. It was controversial and unfair because a) they didn't have enough equipment or people to apply this system to the whole field and b) how do you define "pixel movement" anyway?

The rules were changed for this year to only call a jump start if the bike moves before the red light goes off and continues moving forward. Of course, there is vague "AMA Pro Racing will decide" language in the wording.  

Eslick did stop moving forward and did not gain any advantage. He was fifth into the first turn on that start. I'm in the no harm, no foul crowd for this incident. Besides, if there is a red flag before the two laps are complete, the whole race is started again at full race distance. The red flag came out before the first half lap was complete. That lap never officially happened so there isn't much to penalize.

I really appreciate the explanation. I was pretty cranked about the no call while watching -- not because I thought his one foot move had any effect on a 200 mile draft fest, but because it looked like another example of DMG's arbitrary rule book.

So, okay, it wasn't. The rule was specified ahead of time. My anger is assuaged.

On the liter bikes: I've always liked rooting for Zemke. I figured his career was pretty much over. That was really fun to watch.