MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

I am really surprised he didn't mount a challenge to the Repsol boys. I don't doubt he had the package and ability to go faster than he has. Perhaps taking a more measured approach to the season?

I'd be blown away that Ben Spies leads JL by 3 tenths....

Not much sleeping is going to happen @ Ducati between now and the final test and race in Qutar. Not a good test for Duc

I love how things are looking so far.

I won't rule out anything yet, but if you look at the times of each bike. It is as though the results are repeatable. All 4 of Hondas top riders are running consistently fast pace. It could be Honda playing the intimidation game and putting what they have on the table. I would say turned up engines could do it but being that Honda destroyed the competition on Longevity its not likely they are worried about turning it up.

Yamaha, I too would be thrilled to see Spies where he is except that he is 5th JL 6th and CE 7th. The yamaha is apparently very solid and also repeatable. just like last year its easy to ride and simple to go pretty fast on. Race manners are in Yamaha's favor though Honda appears to have that under control as well. Now take into effect that this is the last year of the 800 and it could be slightly assumed that the M1 of T3 and the works squad are identical or very very close "not that they weren't supposedly last year". And there are few secrets kept at this stage of the game.

Ducati - This is scary from a Rossi/Duc fan. Hayden and Rossi are physically different and ride different. They ran the same time, it leads me to believe that something in the bike, Chassis, rider, setup is flawed, drastically, for 2 riders of Championship caliber to land an identical mark. Assuming both pushed and pushed means they are at the potential limit of themselves and the machinery given. That can be a very bad scenario especially with only 1 test left, and if a semi major change is in order, IE frame, Fork, Swingarm what could be worse is if subtle tweaks of each part are done and they go in the wrong direction. Ducati doesn't need to do homework they need to go back and study. From a development standpoint its great to have consistency but if you are changing things and nothing is helping something is wrong. And if you are a full second off pace (going off the last record lap, testing times are a soso measure) (mind you with the guy that held it) there is a problem.

Now Duc's have a hard time at Sepang, Rossi's Shoulder is weak, he was sick, the crew is learning a new bike. They are all good excuses and we will not see a solid answer to Qatar race night. My guess is the first 4 races are going to be a 2-3 way battle with the Honda and Yamaha riders I don't think Simon, and Dovi will be as solid then. I don't doubt Ducati will find some answers but if there times don't move up 3/4-1 sec in testing its going to be a tough season starter.

Good Luck and I can't Wait.....

Good comments Buzz!

There is something going on in the Yamaha camp that I can't put my finger on. Lorenzo's times raise my suspicion. He did not improve much, if at all, from the last test. I found that hard to believe. Spies got faster but I don't want to use him as a bench mark just yet. I don't think they are showing all their cards yet.

But the Hondas...they are flying.

Ducati still have time to improve. The problem is that the goal post is moving as well.

I'll wait for Suzuki in the first race. I've been disappointed too many times before.

If things stay the same I see Stoner setting a lot of new lap records this season.

Looks like it could be a long season for the rest of us Ducatisti...

just read Rossi's comments and it's not pretty.. Big probs with the ducati, I'm baffled that they are still using the cf frame it appears to be the cause of all their woes, and it's got worse(based on Caseys results) each season they have tried to improve it. Like above I've no doubt Rossi is competitive, he's won 2 of the last 3 but he needs the basic tools like everyone else. Maybe it will click maybe no and as above new frame needed but they should have considered it before now. Time is off the essence. Go Rossi!!

As for the Hondas and Yams, I don't think the Hondas will find it quite so easy come race day as both Jorge and Spies are proper sunday men..

These times are crazy! I've often wondered if riders sandbag in testing in order to keep their true potential secret. I can't imagine JL doing that. He's almost 1.4 secs off Stoner and behind Spies and CE. I find CE's times interesting. If memory serves me right he's done well in testing the last few years, but disappointed in the actual races. Ducati, who know what they need to do. Maybe they need to go back to a trellis frame and see what happens. As someone mentioned above, having 2 riders like Rossi and Nicky that far off the pace isn't good and may mean major underlying issues with the whole concept of the bike

...don't have the "belle of the ball" anymore. I think there's a snowball's chance in Hades that Jorge, Ben, and Colin were sandbagging. No, I take that back. It's more like a SNOWFLAKE'S chance in Hades. Jorge has stunningly artful racecraft, but Yamaha's machete is starting to look a little insufficient compared to Honda's H&K MP5.

If David Emmett says that Honda's and Yamaha's times are the real deal, and that the Honda really is that dominant, then I believe him.

The only worth saying about the Ducati is that I find it odd that they removed their cooling "wings"...at Sepang, no less! Any ideas, David?

It's the biggest critism against test riders - bikes don't perform a second or two off the pace as they will when they're pushed to the limit.

They need to be pushed all the way to the limit or the test produces no useable feedback/data.

At the first test it's understandable to not go for lap times - but just less than a month away, it would not be intelligent to hold anything back.

Running flat fast is required to get the tires and chassis working. Sandbagging by riders is likely not happening. It would make testing a waste. Also yamaha may have some "works" parts they now see necessary to develop as Honda ha brought its game and may get faster as the season moves on. Last year Yamaha said they were not changing the M1 for 2011, and they were focusing on the 2012 rules change. They do need to bring their engines up a notch in the top speed department.

What can be assumed is the riders are not at the brink of wasting a bike (IE crashing) so in race conditions there maybe a few tenths in the yamaha or any bike for that matter.

Now Honda, they had a lot to prove, and Pedrosa has a reason to fear his job now. It was stated that he gave little feedback to engineers in the past and that his developing skills stunk. Honda told him he had to help instead of saying "its all S**t" last year and now with CS sharing a stall he has to work harder to prove himself. I'm not saying he is worried but friendly competition is a good thing, as long as its friendly in any work environment.

(side note) Fighting usually doesn't help teams DP's personality does not lend to that. Stoner is a big deal in the garage, and both can glean a great deal from one another. history shows the following (Hayden and Biaggi, Rossi and JL, Hayden and Honda (DP showed up) Honda hasn't been competitive since)).

Its to early to throw away 2011 for Duc's they shocked the world in 2007 with CS and there is still time to develop a bike.

I am going to throw this out there too, I wouldn't doubt a team with so much on the line as duc. wouldn't go ahead and fire up the bike in a faraway place to do some developing with its riders. Lets be honest racing is a measure of who is fastest and who can stretch the rules the furthest. There has got to be some pretty big warehouses in Italy with some pavement in them. I'm just saying I would push the luck as far as I can as the MC world starts pressing down on the Ducs.. if not they will look like a flock geese before 2012.

No matter what its going to an interesting departure to the 800 so long and good riddance.

Also remember Pirelli maybe moving in for 2012. So all Hondas gains could be for Naught.

Having been a round the traps...
riders and teams these days run many splits on the track with there own computers.

They will go out do half a lap really fast then slow a little, next lap they do the first half a little slower and the second half flat out, they can gain a fast lap time from joining the two halves or quarters of the track and there for not giving the other teams real times to work with.

Sand bagging... would not put it past Ducati or Yamaha

I know Elias is working on that theroy!!! hahaha and he still did it in the last motogp race he was in.

before in many years of following this has it been so interesting pre-season. Speculation ends in Qatar - bring it on!

The trouble with qatar is it's a whole test for one race..and one race that can provide little significant data for the rest of the season... Fully expect Casey to win no matter what he's on, really goes well there.

I've seen that myself flat tracker, Rossi as much as anyone, I do worry though that the duke problem wasn't that simple to fix(struggled for 3 years) and 1.8 is a long way of, having the said the best lies are always the most implausable, it is surprising just how close the dukes are to each other though how you sychronise that I've no idea.
Add to that from recent interviews it seems apparent that Rossi, Furasawa and Burgess spent a lot of time discussing the ducati and what is or isn't needed, and it's hard to believe between them they got it totally wrong.

Good luck all at Qatar and especially ducati as they need to be up there with the yams and hondas..