MotoGP Indianapolis ***SPOILERS***

[motodog650]

What the heck, lets get this thang rolling !!

MotoGP: American on the podium for the 4th straight year ?
              Can Lorenzo / Spies hang with the HRC boys ?
              Will Rossi / Nick be any better after Brno test ?

Moto2:  Three (North) Americans entered. Jake Gagne & JD Beach along with regular Kenny Noyes.
             And AMA regular Martin Cardenas.
             Can huge turn 2 pile-up be avoided this year ?

125GP: Will Terol bounce back for 2nd Indy win ?
             Will Zarco finally bag his first win ?
             Will Paris be on the grid ?

XR1200: Will Disalvo, McWilliams & Barnes along with other notables gain H-D some respect in the GP  paddock outside of the Indy Mile ?      
                

[DogBoy]

I'm fired up about seeing Cardenas, Beach and Gagne in the Moto2 field.  

[mugwump58]

Yup, you guys beat me to it. Here's the full list anyway No 'mericans on the 125s though, which is kinda sad

[DredheadV2.0]

NOTE. NO 73 JD BEACH IS A PERMANENT REPLACEMENT FOR NO. 24 TOMMASO LORENZETTI

Yowza!  Good job, JD!  

[motodog650]

I was hoping they would. Best looking bikes out there !!

As part of Yamaha's ongoing 50th Anniversay of Grand Prix racing celebrations, Yamaha Factory Racing will again run the special red and white livery at Indianapolis.

Ben Spies
“I’m really hoping to be completely fit for this weekend. I’ve still got some numbness in the arm but it is better than it was at Brno. We’ve been working hard to get it right and we will of course give it 100% as always. I’ve been looking forward to this race all year; it was pretty crazy last year as a rookie to take pole and a second in the race. We’re going to put on a good show for all the home fans and see what we can do.”

Massimo Meregalli
“I’m hoping Ben’s physical condition is better for the weekend; I’m hoping that he will be 100% because it is his home race and expectations are quite high. The team are going to use some new updates that we tested in Brno; these will help both Ben and Jorge challenge for the front. Last year both riders finished on the podium so we are confident for this event.”

[Capirex]

FP1

1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha Factory Racing 1m 43.260s  
2. Casey Stoner AUS Repsol Honda 1m 43.552s
3. Colin Edwards USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 43.574s  
4. Marco Simoncelli ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 43.582s
5. Nicky Hayden USA Ducati Marlboro 1m 44.236s
6. Valentino Rossi ITA Ducati Marlboro 1m 44.362s  
7. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Repsol Honda 1m 44.551s
8. Hector Barbera ESP Mapfre Aspar 1m 45.026s
9. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Yamaha Factory Racing 1m 45.065s  
10. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda 1m 45.192s  
11. Alvaro Bautista ESP Rizla Suzuki 1m 45.249s
12. Cal Crutchlow GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1m 45.368s
13. Randy de Puniet FRA Pramac Racing 1m 45.577s
14. Hiroshi Aoyama JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m 46.159s
15. Loris Capirossi ITA Pramac Racing 1m 46.484s
16. Karel Abraham CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 1m 46.643s
17. Toni Elias ESP LCR Honda 1m 47.507s

Interesting start.  Times seem to be about 3 seconds slower than last year's QP.  I guess they need to get some rubber down on the new tarmac.  It will be interesting to hear what they have to say about it.  
Wish I was there.  

[DredheadV2.0]

Capirossi's sandbagging.

[nater]

FP1 results:

1 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 313.1 1'43.260  
2 27 Casey STONER AUS Repsol Honda Team Honda 319.0 1'43.552 0.292 / 0.292
3 5 Colin EDWARDS USA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 312.3 1'43.574 0.314 / 0.022
4 58 Marco SIMONCELLI ITA San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 315.9 1'43.582 0.322 / 0.008
5 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 315.6 1'44.236 0.976 / 0.654
6 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 311.5 1'44.362 1.102 / 0.126
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Repsol Honda Team Honda 317.6 1'44.551 1.291 / 0.189
8 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team MotoGP Ducati 317.4 1'45.026 1.766 / 0.475
9 1 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 312.9 1'45.065 1.805 / 0.039
10 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 314.4 1'45.192 1.932 / 0.127
11 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP Suzuki 313.5 1'45.249 1.989 / 0.057
12 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 311.8 1'45.368 2.108 / 0.119
13 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 311.2 1'45.577 2.317 / 0.209
14 7 Hiroshi AOYAMA JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini Honda 312.8 1'46.159 2.899 / 0.582
15 65 Loris CAPIROSSI ITA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 310.5 1'46.484 3.224 / 0.325
16 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 306.1 1'46.643 3.383 / 0.159
17

[DogBoy]

Yup, still FP1.  



Moto 2 FP1 is complete. Like MotoGP, times will drop and tighten up considerably as the track gets some rubber on it.

[McHack]

Re:  Moto2 -  WHOA,  Stefan Bradl is 16th???

[Tyrroneous]

Really hoping Ben can bag a win here...so far, it looks promising.  

[motodog650]

Really hoping Ben can bag a win here...so far, it looks promising.  

Spies said today during the Riders for Health event that his arm is still giving him problems but that he'll still be giving it 100%. Apparently a result of his Silverstone crash. Edwards was hilarious as usual...

[nater]

Yup, still FP1.  

I was a little late on the draw, it seems....

[nater]

With the FP3 results in, Edwards and Spies are still looking good!  Hope Edwards can find a bit more speed in qualifying.  Rossi continues his insufferable year on the unfriendly Duc.  He will have to stick out his leg even farther than usual to drop some time.  Maybe he should try sticking out his arm as well since nothing else seems to be working.

[DogBoy]

MotoGP Grid.

Stoner on fire. Spies looking really good. Rossi had a crash early and didn't get much track time. Edwards puts a good showing for sixth.

[veefer800canuck]

Big Cheese Spies AKA: the Texas Tamale' in P2 for the start!  

Looking for a good race ahead!
 

Ducati is really having a time of it. Looks pretty awful.  

I mean, they make up fully 35% of the grid. If it wasn't for Nicky, then..........  

[crashtech]

Hope it is a great race. Would love to see an American take the win but like stated earlier Stoner is on fire. Hayden made it to the 1.39's this morning but like usual he will probably use his tires up trying to hard in race...Rossi is still hating life in the 1.40's. I thought it was funny after qualifying yesterday he was shaking his head on the cool down ....Ducati has so much work to do

[crashtech]

Big Cheese Spies AKA: the Texas Tamale' in P2 for the start!  

Looking for a good race ahead!
 

Ducati is really having a time of it. Looks pretty awful.  

I mean, they make up fully 35% of the grid. If it wasn't for Nicky, then..........  

I must say off topic your viffer makes me want to get one and paint it like that!!

[DogBoy]

Qualifying broadcast on SPEED was good thanks to Leigh Diffy. He does his research and stays on top of the action, even cutting off Russell when Scott rambles too much.

Still too much camera time in the garage on the bike Rossi was not riding ( ). Still plenty of room for improvement but what a difference one decent announcer can make. Greg White even did a good job asking Stoner a decent question and letting the rider give a complete answer. Add Jason Pridmore in the booth and I would be happy to never hear the phrase "absolutely flying" again.

Actually looking forward to watching the race without cringing.  

[crashtech]

Glad to see Jorgay will NOT get a second championship this year ....Stoner is an inferno!!! I dont think anybody can catch him. OMG Ducati!! Just start over and build a competitive bike . They were dropping like flies !!! Sure hope next year will be better. I dont know how the riders keep there cool about how sorry and uncompetitive it is . Sure is a testimony to Stoners raw talent!!

[st2sam]

 OMG Ducati!! Just start over and build a competitive bike .  

IMO - don't worry to much about Ducati, next years bikes will be 1,000cc's.. (1,100cc for Ducati?)
I enjoyed the race, great fun rooting for Ben. It's a shame he got such a bad start...

[motodog650]

Go ahead and pencil Stoner in for the champ unless he gets injured. Great weekend of racing but I have to admit, the XR1200 races were the best of the weekend...

[DogBoy]

"Interesting start. Some good racing back in the pack. Spies came on strong after a bad start. The crushing victory made for kind of a boring race. Too bad about the Ducs." Just plug those comments into any MotoGP race thread this year. They're all the same.  

Seriously, it was fun to watch Stoner wheeling off that ridiculous curbing and he made a hell of a save on the front end in Turn 1. He's a freak.    Enjoyed watching Spies progress and the good, hard passes between Dovi and Hayden. I hope Bautista had fun because it looks like a lot of work to get a good placing on the Suzuki. Dude can ride. Don't know what to say or think about the Ducatis. Hopefully, this is the low point.

SPEED's coverage was decent. Diffy was good and its such a huge step up from the awful job they did at Laguna.

Can't wait to watch the XR1200 races.  

[tomek]

Got back from the Speedway 1 hr ago , the key is parking on someone`s yard on the West side of the track . I`ll be on I-465 pronto .

Fantastic weather , Dog Boy has covered the rest .

I`m starting to become annoyed but ridiculously bad starts by Spies , WTF is wrong with him ?    

[phoenix]

SPEED's coverage was decent. Diffy was good and its such a huge step up from the awful job they did at Laguna.

they need to get Scott Russel the hell out of the commentary booth. Homigawd. He was rambling away when there was some excellent action to be watching.  

[MK96xj]

Seems Stoner had two good saves this weekend.

That front end save was ridiculous. And in practice he spared a groundhog. I have never seen a groundhog leap in the air like that

[black hills]

Hada great time! Amazing to see it live,very impressive.

[cjohns]

I gotta say it was pretty dissapointing, and in the end, a very sad, sad display of attrition.  Barbera's crash was the cap for me.

I liked the start and maybe the first 5-10 laps.  Then  

A disaster for anyone but the front runners.  A complete disaster for Ducati

Full factory GP teams being unable to finish?!?!  Riders giving up?  A world class track with ONE racing line, and NASTY POOR grip anywhere else?

Anyone feel the same?  

[crashtech]

IMO - don't worry to much about Ducati, next years bikes will be 1,000cc's.. (1,100cc for Ducati?)
I enjoyed the race, great fun rooting for Ben. It's a shame he got such a bad start...

What will that matter...The chassis is supposedly the new one from the GP12??? All the power in the world wont help if they cant get the thing to go around a corner....All the riders dont complain about the motor just the shitty chassis and lack of front feal....

[crashtech]

I gotta say it was pretty dissapointing, and in the end, a very sad, sad display of attrition.  Barbera's crash was the cap for me.

I liked the start and maybe the first 5-10 laps.  Then  

A disaster for anyone but the front runners.  A complete disaster for Ducati

Full factory GP teams being unable to finish?!?!  Riders giving up?  A world class track with ONE racing line, and NASTY POOR grip anywhere else?

Anyone feel the same?  

Yes I thought the same....Ducati needs to just start over....shocking to say the least!!!

[mugwump58]

It's not the chassis

[tomek]

Ducati needs extra 20 % of displacement . It seems to be working in WSB .

Honestly , I feel sorry for Rossi and Hayden becouse in 2012 Ducati most likely is still gonna suck .
If they cannot get that thing to turn with 800 engine 1000 motor ( heavier crank , etc , longer and taller powerplant )  is only going to make things worse .
In meanwhile 1000cc Hondas and Yamahas - in rather early stages of development -  are already lapping faster then  800 bikes . ( Brno test )

Now , the question , will Rossi go back to Yamaha in 2013 ?  I`m starting 2012 silly season  ,,,,,,,

[garry]

I wonder how much of it is the bike and how much is Rossi being past his peak? Maybe he's simply not an alien any more and the bike is making matters worse...

[mugwump58]

Just watched the race on Dorna, Nick Harris said 62K in attendance. Wow, what a drop from last year! It sure looked it in my section too.

Neil Spalding's "MotoGP Technology" an official licensensed book of 2006 hints at some to the problems Ducati still seems to be having. I say the 90^o engine needs to go. Kenny Roberts had a 65^o V. The 90^o engine restricts moving it around to help with weight distribution.

Disclaimer: No one has ever said that I know what the hell I'm talking about.

[motociclista]

I got home today from Indy, and while there is a lot of good that can be said about IMS, and while even the worst day of MotoGP racing is better than a good day of most other things, I have to say I'm really not feeling it like I would want to.

This is the second year I've been to Indy and I've yet to see a competitive battle for the win (except the XR1200 class). Not just in MotoGP, but also 125 and Moto2, which are usually decided at the finish line. It's probably not fair to lay that blame on the track, though the one-line nature of the repaved racing surface may have contributed to that somewhat this year.

The facilities are nice, the scale of the place is impressive, and there are plenty of options for viewing the race even if you just buy a general admission ticket. But the choices seem to be one of the spectator mounds, where you see bikes roar by (probably in first gear) for a few seconds or one of the stands where the bikes are so far away they're mere specks. Binoculars are a big plus at Indy. And those huge aluminum stands are like a big solar reflector, so you get grilled by the sun from above and below.

I hate to sound like such a whiner, and I admit my bias is strongly in favor of natural terrain road courses with elevation change. But I'm just not in love with the Indy experience.

May be a moot point, since MotoGP may not be back next year.



 

[mugwump58]

Indianapolis traditionally does not release crowd numbers but DORNA released these numbers this afternoon:

Friday 30,340

Saturday 40,275

Sunday 64,151

Total: 134,766

[tomek]

Those numbers are similar to those from last year .

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=45828

In any case , I don`t care as long as the race comes back to Indy , 60 K is a good crowd for m-cycle race in U.S and I appreciate the fact it does not feel like a stampe .
You can walk around with no problems , no lines , etc .

NW Vista ( general admission )  offers good view but the track is just too far , sections around turn 1 ( reserved ) are much , much better  .
They were pretty full on Sunday .

 

[veefer800canuck]

I must say off topic your viffer makes me want to get one and paint it like that!!

Thank you Sir.

IN other news, Big Cheese Spies got totally chewed up on the first lap. The onboard footage was telling.

Oh, and I did not watch the SPEEDtv version, got the Eurosport feed instead.  
Posted on: 30-08-2011, 00:23:00

Ducati needs extra 20 % of displacement . It seems to be working in WSB .

Honestly , I feel sorry for Rossi and Hayden becouse in 2012 Ducati most likely is still gonna suck .
If they cannot get that thing to turn with 800 engine 1000 motor ( heavier crank , etc , longer and taller powerplant )  is only going to make things worse .

I had heard that Rossi is running the 2012 motor in the GP12 chassis, but it's destroked to give 800cc's.

[DredheadV2.0]

Thank you Sir.

IN other news, Big Cheese Spies got totally chewed up on the first lap. The onboard footage was telling.

That first lap was not kind to Bens Pies.

However, I kinda think he ended up where he woulda ended up regardless.  Maybe he could have managed 2nd, but Casey was unstoppable.

I have to appreciate Nicky Hayden taking a gamble he mus have known would ultimately fail, just to gie his fans something to cheer about for a few laps.  It was good to watch, but as soon as Spaulders confirmed the "tyre" choice we all knew he was going to drop.  Had no idea it would be that far  But those first few laps were fun.  Nice to see him mixing it up again.  Maybe someday he'll be on good equipment again, and we'll get to see it all season.

[kendenton]

I've been to Indy every year, and I think this year was my best experience at the track yet. I even managed to find a great new spot from which to watch the action!





Lucky enough to get in front row for Friday's Charity Auction:



Here, Jorge was asked how he felt about the new track surface:

[DogBoy]

Thanks for the pics Ken.  

[kendenton]

Thanks for the pics Ken. 

I'll post bunches more once I get them all sorted.

The first XR1200 race was mayhem:

[Blunder]

Beer run?  

[st2sam]

It's not the chassis

+ 1
I'm thinking with the added displacement next year will be better for Ducati.
OH, and I hope Kawasaki will return...  

[motodog650]

A couple of of my pics made the first round of Soup Army fan photos over at Superbike Planet. One of them is Rossi holding a picture while Toby Moody auctions it off and the other one is of me exalting the Pagoda in my Superbike Planet t-shirt:

http://tinyurl.com/3tm4txs

[kendenton]

A couple of of my pics made the first round of Soup Army fan photos over at Superbike Planet. One of them is Rossi holding a picture while Toby Moody auctions it off and the other one is of me exalting the Pagoda in my Superbike Planet t-shirt:

http://tinyurl.com/3tm4txs

Nicely done!

[motodog650]

Nicely done!

Thanks Ken. Enjoying your pics as well. Hate it I missed you by just a few minutes at the ST.N meet up ( Prubert, you & I   ).

[Prubert]

H-D Ride-In Dance Party in the Repsol Corner!!

[kendenton]

I like how yellow is using white as his knee puck:



Didn't work out for him, but amazingly white shrugged it off:



(my apologies for the crappy pic quality - we were up in the stands for this race so there's lots of cropping)

[squeezer]

H-D Ride-In Dance Party in the Repsol Corner!!

Out.