MotoGP Czech Republic Crashes

[Eddie]

I haven't seem the whole race yet but run into this video today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twnrRdkUoEE&feature=player_embedded


So...it looks like Lorenzo cracked under pressure while Melandri got all pissed when knocked out by Kalio.

As far as the Lorenzo/Rossi business is concerned you know what they say when you mess with the best

[OreoGaborio]

Lorenzo just ran a couple feet wide on the entry, got onto the green pavement & tucked the front.... dunno if I'd call that cracking under pressure, the guy has shown he's able to win. I was pretty bummed for him, I was hoping he could pull it out.

[kb1]

Yeah I didn't get to see the whole race, but it looks like either Lorenzo is trying to make a pass on the outside or was running a little wide as it was, on the outer part of the track there it probably wasn't as hot/clean as the inner line. I don't think it has anything to do with cracking under pressure though.

[spydah]

Weird, when those guys fall, it usually seems to me like gravity momentarily stopped working. I just can't see what cause him to fall like that.

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah I didn't get to see the whole race, but it looks like either Lorenzo is trying to make a pass on the outside or was running a little wide as it was, on the outer part of the track there it probably wasn't as hot/clean as the inner line. I don't think it has anything to do with cracking under pressure though.

He was in front of Rossi for a while before that.... he just took a wider entry (maybe to get a better drive out?), got onto the green pavement while still on the brakes and tucked the front end.

[Eddie]

All right Oreo. Your right, Lorenzo is an excellent rider. I also do believe that he is set to be the next world champion (after Rossi clinches the 2009 season of course).

Regarding the Melandri Kalio affair....although I haven't seem the whole video it is evident that Kalio hit Melandri from behind. Could you believe that Kalio has been saying the Melandri was at fault?

[spydah]

Could you believe that Kalio has been saying the Melandri was at fault?

Sure, he was too slow!

[Eddie]

Btw, anybody know if Lorenzo is still sponsored by Chupa Chups? Haven't seem him wearing the Chupa Chups logo on his helmet or sucking on such lollypop this season (LOL).

[JohnnyV]

Yea I'm no racer myself but I don't see how Kalio was pissed an in Melandri's face about the whole incident. Didn't look like Melandri altered his line at all in an attempt to block Kalio.

[bluej511]

I watched the whole thing it was actually one of the best races this year. Ill tell you one thing its actually pretty neat seeing those Dainese airbag suits go off and work.

[bluej511]

Oh and idk who the guy in the red is im guessing thats Kalio on the Duc but looked like he was going for the apex and either didnt realize Melandri was there or Melandri was just a bit too slow in that corner.

[Eddie]

Yea I'm no racer myself but I don't see how Kalio was pissed an in Melandri's face about the whole incident. Didn't look like Melandri altered his line at all in an attempt to block Kalio.

I think that's what happened...he passed Kalio, stuffed it in his face in an attempt to shut the door while Kalio could not reduce his speed.

[seth399]

Melandri passed someone else likethat and it went fine...I think Melandri shoulda knocked him out when he got in his face aha.

As far as the lorenzo/rossi stuff...For what its worth, Rossi looked smooth and Lorenzo didn't look 'as' smooth when they started to dice, then like Pete said, he was just a bit wide off the race line and lost it...they are both so god damn fast

[bluej511]

They were both running identical lap times at one point and Lorenzo was running FASTER then rossi and set a new lap record. Edged out Stoners 08 record by almost a full second.

[Eddie]

I think that's what happened...he passed Kalio, stuffed it in his face in an attempt to shut the door while Kalio could not reduce his speed.

On second thought, Kalio deserved to eat dirt...too bad he took Melandri with him.

[OreoGaborio]

Yeah, I think Melandri was established up the inside and took away the line like you do with a proper block pass..... Kalio just ass packed him

[kb1]

Yeah, I think Melandri was established up the inside and took away the line like you do with a proper block pass..... Kalio just ass packed him

I'm no racer...but I agree with that assessment of it.

[tls25rs]

Thought the Lorenzo crash was funny. As soon as Lorenzo passed Rossi I said to my girlfriend that it was no big deal Lorenzo will crash before the end of the race and Rossi would win it. A few laps later and Lorenzo is on the ground and Rossi rides off into the sunset and the win.

I will agree with others that Lorenzo is FAST and that he is capable of winning races ahead of Rossi. What leasd me to make the statement about Lorenzo crashing is that Rossi is notorious for pressuring people until they crack and make a mistake that he takes advantage of and wins the race. Remember Stoner at Laguna, Rossi was slower by a good margin but he kept pressuring Stoner until he made a mistake and Rossi won.

The turn that Lorenzo crashed on, Rossi took a look up the inside causing Lorenzo to run it in further than he had been (pressuring him). This put Lorenzo out in the green pavement that Oreo mentioned which caused him to lowside and exit the race.

Rossi is the consumate intellectual when it comes to racing, his strategy is hard to beat, even if he has a slower bike, his tactics of pressuring other riders and picking up or slowing the pace of the race can't be touched.

Joel

[Eddie]

Thought the Lorenzo crash was funny. As soon as Lorenzo passed Rossi I said to my girlfriend that it was no big deal Lorenzo will crash before the end of the race and Rossi would win it. A few laps later and Lorenzo is on the ground and Rossi rides off into the sunset and the win.

I will agree with others that Lorenzo is FAST and that he is capable of winning races ahead of Rossi. What leasd me to make the statement about Lorenzo crashing is that Rossi is notorious for pressuring people until they crack and make a mistake that he takes advantage of and wins the race. Remember Stoner at Laguna, Rossi was slower by a good margin but he kept pressuring Stoner until he made a mistake and Rossi won.

The turn that Lorenzo crashed on, Rossi took a look up the inside causing Lorenzo to run it in further than he had been (pressuring him). This put Lorenzo out in the green pavement that Oreo mentioned which caused him to lowside and exit the race.

Rossi is the consumate intellectual when it comes to racing, his strategy is hard to beat, even if he has a slower bike, his tactics of pressuring other riders and picking up or slowing the pace of the race can't be touched.

Joel

Agreed.

In recollection to last year's Laguna Seca events, I loved it as Stoners was all offended by Rossi's advances whereas he stated to Rossi that his advances were dangerous and unecessary only for Rossi to respond "This is Racing" as he tapped on Stoner's shoulders. I loved that moment.

In retrospect to 2007, I remember how Stoner dominated almost every race as the Desmo was way ahead of the other machines in the way of straight line power and traction control technology. After Yamaha and Honda further developed their 800cc motorcycles these machines were then able compete with the Desmo (the factory machines anyway, with the exception of Suzuki and Kawi). As the factory motorcycles became more on par it is now up to the riders to prove their own worth.

In short, in terms of contest for the title when the bikes are on par:

1. Rossi is the man to beat;
2. Stoner is less competive, nonetheless a great rider and really the only one who tammed the Desmo;
3. Lorenzo is a threat but needs to chill and learn from the lessons of his 2008 crashes;
4. Pedroza, lots of potential here but I do not think he will be world champion;
5. All the rest are not really title contenders.

[OreoGaborio]

Wirelessly posted (Samsung Lube.... Er, Glyde: Mozilla/5.0 440x240 Samsung SCH-U940 NetFront/3.4)

I still don't see how Rossi taking a look up the inside frced Lorenzo wide on that entrance.... In fact I don't even think Rossi was on an inside line & taking a look, he was just to the inside of Lorenzo who was taking a wide entry as we already established... Lorenzo couldn't see what Rossi was doing and made what I consinder an unforced error, simple as that... The only pressure Rossi put on him was simply being Rossi... But I guess that alone is enough to make someone crack........ I dunno, guess it's semantics at this point. We don't know why Lorenzo was out there, we just know that he was.... a defensive line woulda been more inside

[BMFR6]

no, i don't think it was the pressure of Rossi being Rossi that caused the crash. it was the pressure of lorenzo has to beat rossi that caused the crash. it's silly season ladies and gentleman and jorge is running out of barganing chips. if he wants to be the number 1 guy, he's got to beat number 1. they were 15 seconds ahead of everyone else, they were on a micro-fine edge. if they were running the same pace as even pedrosa, lorenzo probably could have stuck that corner. but such is life.

little quote from rossi on the incident.
"For sure Lorenzo was a bit too anxious to beat me," Rossi told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I mean a lot to the other riders, I've been at the top for a long time and beating me would mean taking the number one crown off my head.

"When I ride I have a clear vision of what's happening, that's always been one of my strengths. With my form, and Yamaha's form at the moment, it's difficult to be quicker than me. At best you can be as quick as me."

[OreoGaborio]

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Yeah, that's partly what I meant by Rossi being Rossi.... Big pressure to beat him.

[BMFR6]

Wirelessly posted (Samsung Lube.... Er, Glyde: Mozilla/5.0 440x240 Samsung SCH-U940 NetFront/3.4)

Yeah, that's partly what I meant by Rossi being Rossi.... Big pressure to beat him.

ah. well be more clear next time. thanks.

http://www.motogpmatters.com/report/...e_for_the.html

long article, but the first half of it is a pretty good read on the lorenzo/rossi thing.

[ThisBitch]

My roommate was there. I hate him.

[tls25rs]

What I meant by pressure from Rossi in this particular instance is, Lorenzo knew that Rossi was on a tighter line and from what I saw tried to run it in deeper and brake later, squaring up the turn a little, effectively blocking the line that Rossi would have to take on the exit of the corner if Rossi were to make his line stick. By doing so Lorenzo wound up out on the slime line and tucked the front.

Often when watching the races you can see Rossi just putting himself out there so the other riders know he is back there and taking different lines then they are to see if he can make it by them. This goes on even if Rossi knows that his bike may not be capable of making a pass on the rider in front of him. What this does is affect the mental part of the other rider to the point where they make a mistake and Rossi capitalizes on it.

I agree with the statements about the pressure to beat Rossi being huge. Just the fact that Lorenzo can run with Rossi on the same equipment says volumes about Lorenzo's riding skill. There have been many riders that even given the "same" equipment as Rossi couldn't run with him.