Motorcycle Obsession

Inaugural race = Edge of your seat

2010-04-11T17:01:00.003-04:00

100% entertainment - and then some. The first race of 2010 under the lights at Qatar certainly set a high bar for expectations of the rest of the season. Seventeen bikes and riders started, only 13 finished....

The biggest surprise - Casey Stoner, who crashed out of the lead relatively early on.

The biggest disappointment - Alvaro Bautista, who washed out in the last turn on the last lap of his first ever MotoGP race.

Mika Kallio and Aleix Espargaro also crashed out about half way through the race in unrelated incidents.

Cruising over the line to his first victory of the new season was none other than Valentino Rossi. Although not a flawless win for Rossi, he did manage to pull a fairly comfortable lead during the last two laps. His extra push may have come from Andrea Dovizioso who steadily made his way through the pack to overtake teammate Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden before a short-lived game of cat and mouse with Valentino.

Ultimately, Dovi eeked out a spot on the podium - eleven THOUSANDTHS of a second ahead of (or, beside, as it were) Nicky Hayden. Nicky ran an absolutely amazing race. He came out of the box strong and maintained a masterful grip on that big red Duc that has given him so many problems over the past couple of years. He held a podium position for most of the race, which made the final lap damn near heart breaking to watch. Great start to the season for him nonetheless - he's got to be happy with that one.

Second place went to Jorge Lorenzo who fought his way up from fairly deep in the field. It's not so surprising to see Jorge on the podium - he seems to have made that quite the usual protocol since his MotoGP debut - what is surprising is that he did it while riding with a rather significant right-hand injury. Respect.

Marco Simoncelli managed to stay up-on-two throughout the race after two confidence-shattering crashes during the practice sessions - hopefully that will give him a boost going into the next round.

All in all, a fantastic race (that had me screaming at the tv like an idiot)... just the way we like em'. Oh, and I can't forget to lend praise to Dorna for stepping up the broadcasts to HD - New season, new bikes, new riders, under the lights, on the big-ass flat screen, in high definition....

I need a moment.....

Until next time (Motegi - 2 weeks)

Rubb'er Down!!

Kristen

Finally... the 2010 MotoGP season has begun!

2010-04-09T17:24:00.002-04:00

The first free practice sessions have concluded under the lights at Qatar. The eagerly awaited Moto2 class had a very drama-free session with only one mechanical issue out of the 3,468 bikes on track. I jest!!! But WOW!! are there a lot of riders out there?!?! Another FP session tomorrow, followed by qualifying and then we finally get to the meat of the action on Sunday.

The big boys came out to play today too. Although not quite as uneventful as the Moto2 session, everyone seemed in good form and beyond ready to start the season. Casey Stoner topped the boards followed by Jorge Lorenzo - who smacked down a righteous time before duffing the bike in the last few minutes of the session - and Valentino Rossi, who dropped his own proverbial hammer.... without the wipe-out.

Rookies Ben Spies, Alvaro Bautista and Hector Barbera all ended up in the top ten today - rock on fresh meat!! It's going to be a good year indeed.

Bikes and riders all looked to be in top form for the debut. Loris Capirossi was an unfortunate victim of a rather high-speed low-side, but handled it like the veteran he is. The cameras cut to a shot of his wife, Ingrid, in the garage as Loris was tobogganing into the gravel pit. She, much like Loris, is such an old-hand at the sport she didn't even bat an eye, but rather gave an almost disgruntled look - as though she had just caught him walking in the house wearing muddy shoes. Classic!

The only eyebrow raised so far (for me) is at Pramac Ducati. I have NOTHING but respect for Ducati as they are a staple in the racing community, maintain top talent to jockey their uber-fast machines, and support their racers with everything they can muster - that being said... the day-glo lime(ish) green paint scheme - not the most aesthetically pleasing livery. I understand the color choice was to celebrate "going green" which is, in a word, awesome. But there are so many alternative shades of green that could shout their "green initiative" without looking like a safety vest rocketing around the circuit at 200MPH.

Again, Ducati, NOTHING but repsect.... but I'll be eagerly awaiting a new paint scheme :)

Okay, off to assure the beer is at optimal temperature for viewing the inaugural race of 2010 - this will require testing, lots of testing.....

Until next time,

Rubb'er Down!!!!

Kristen

Ben Spies gets a taste of the Premier Class

2009-11-06T10:24:00.002-05:00

First off, congratulations to Valentino Rossi (and his fully-geared chicken) for securing his NINTH World Championship title in Sepang.

Priceless...

Now on to the final race of the season in Valencia. The championship may have been decided in Sepang, but the last race still holds a lot of excitement - in the form of one Ben Spies. Sterilgarda Yamaha have prepared a fine-looking one-off livery for Ben and are about to shove him out amongst the sea of seasoned MotoGP riders for his first trial-by-fire in the Premier Class. He was originally scheduled to sign on in 2011, however his contract was bumped up, and he will be competing in the 2010 season. Once again, MotoGP has snagged some incredible talent.

2010 will no doubt be another exciting year

Until Next Time.....

Rubb'er Down!

MotoGP News - Estoril qualifying and 2010 Teams

2009-10-03T11:40:00.009-04:00

The boys of MotoGP are back in action this weekend in Estoril - even Casey Stoner who appears to be in top form after his "medical leave".

The qualifying session this morning went swimmingly, leaving us with the comfort of the usual front row qualifiers, Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner - Pedrosa took first chair in the second row. Just as it should be.

Fiat is taking brilliant advantage of it's sponsorship of the top two riders in the world by running a one-off livery design to announce the unveiling of it's new 2010 Evo Punto car.

The bikes (as well as Rossi and Lorenzo) are clad in a classy silver and white design, inspiring Lorenzo to top it off with a special helmet painted in the theme of Neil Armstrong's astronaut helmet.

Now on to the line-up for 2010....

Every season's end brings surprises, disappointments and smatterings of hope for MotoGP fans, teams and riders, and this year is no exception. Although not quite as cliff-hanger-esque as the last couple of seasons, there are a few surprises and indeed, a few disappointments.

One surprise that played out a little earlier than planned is Ben Spies step-up to MotoGP. Originally sited for the 2011 season, Ben and Tech 3 Yamaha have bumped up the timeline and signed a contract for the 2010 season. But, Ben will not wait until 2010 to make his first appearance in the premier class. He will ride as a Wild Card in the Valencia race, the last race of the year, and he will be racing on track with James Toseland.... the man he is poised to replace. Juicy... I know :)

James Toseland will cross back over to SBK for 2010 along with Chris Vermeulen, who's Rizla Suzuki ride is being taken over by Alvaro Bautista.

San Carlo Honda Gresini has given both of their 2009 riders the boot. Alex de Angelis and Toni Elias are floating at the moment without a confirmed ride for next year. Toni seems to be calling his own shots thus far and is waiting to decide his own future in MotoGP. He will reportedly wait until after Sepang and Philips Island to pin-down plans for next year. According to him, top six finishes in both sessions will mean MotoGP for 2010, and sub-top-six will result in a switch to Moto2. His options for a ride in MotoGP are down to Scot Racing and Pramac Ducati.

San Carlo will have a fresh pair of riders in their camp next year - Marco Melandri and Marco Simoncelli.

FB Corse is reportedly working on a bike for a new MotoGP team next year. This looks to be Alex de Angelis' best bet for a ride. The team is building a bike around the engine designed by BMW for their MotoGP efforts... which turned into a SBK campaign, and the engine was thus abandoned. Being an all-Italian effort, FB Corse will likely seek an Italian rider. Alex fits the bill.

Pramac Ducati has confirmed Mika Kallio for 2010, and I believe Aleix Espargaro has signed with them as well. Niccolo Canepa has made this his first and last year in MotoGP. He will not race the premier class next year. He is allegedly entertaining several offers from SBK as well as the Moto2 series.

Here it is in a less-confusing layout:

Repsol Honda

Dani Pedrosa
Andrea Dovizioso

Tech 3 Yamaha

Ben Spies
Colin Edwards

Rizla Suzuki

Loris Capirossi
Alvaro Bautista

LCR Honda

Randy De Puniet

San Carlo Honda Gresini

Marco Melandri
Marco Simoncelli

Ducati Marlboro

Casey Stoner
Nicky Hayden

Pramac Ducati

Mika Kallio
Aleix Espargaro (not confirmed)

Fiat Yamah

Valentino Rossi
Jorge Lorenzo

Scot Racing

Not confirmed

Until next time.....

Rubb'er Down!!!!

Kristen

San Marino dominated by "The Donkey"

2009-09-06T12:40:00.000-04:00

Valentino Rossi, in a characteristic show of humility, wore a special lid for the Misano race today, with a big donkey painted on the top - his opinion on crashing out at Indianapolis. In a fantastic show of support, his crew greeted him in the winners circle, wearing gigantic donkey ears..... which Rossi confiscated at proceeded to wear during the podium presentation.

Jorge Lorenzo landed the one-two punch for fiat Yamaha today, following Rossi over the line to take second place. Dani Pedrosa took third, and in a surprising show of humor after his Repsol machine ran out of gas and left him stranded on the track, thumbed a ride from Toni Elias back to the garage.

Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards were savagely taken out in the first turn of the first lap by an over-zealous Alex de Angelis - extremely disappointing for them. Nicky was clearly upset as he picked himself up and took a couple of shots at Alex. A short while later, he was interviewed back at the garage, and had simmered down and returned to his diplomatic, southern gentleman demeanor.

Other than that, it was an uneventful race with Rossi taking the lead by midway and maintaining a comfortable 2 second lead until the end.

Until Next time

Rubb'er Down!

MotoGP Indianapolis extravaganza

2009-08-31T08:33:00.002-04:00

An astounding race in Indianapolis this afternoon. Pedrosa snagged pole for the start of the race, and came into it on fire after breaking the track record in qualifying. He led the race for the first couple of laps, and looked as though he was poised to give Rossi and Lorenzo a run for their collective money..... right up until he crashed. He did recover, and ended up with a well-earned post-crash 10th place spot. Several laps later, it was Lorenzo leading Rossi after a smooth overtaking by the Spaniard. Rossi was left to do what Rossi does best.... pressure from behind. This time however, it backfired on him. He tried to make up the gap with a hard drive into the corner and tapped the brake - I was a little - nay, a LOT - surprised to see him make such a rookie mistake. He went down hard, but managed to get back on his faithful Yam and return to the track..... only to retire a few laps later after being passed by Pedrosa, due to the effects of the crash on the bike. The irony was palpable as we viewed Rossi and Pedrosa swapping licks for 16th position not 2 minutes after they were swapping for the lead - and off rode Jorge Lorenzo with a 10 second lead over the rest of the pack... to victory.

Nicky Hayden did very well as he carried not only himself, but the weight and nerves of his entire family and gaggle of friends that attended this race with him. He made us all proud as he held up under the pressure of Dovizioso's barrage of attacks and ended up with a 3rd place spot on the podium. By the way, props to Nick who wore a specially designed "Make a Wish" helmet that will be auctioned off after the race for the benefit of the Make a Wish Foundation - solid charity and a solid show of character from Nicky.

Alex de Angelis claimed second place and ran a fine race indeed. Marco Melandri - who by the way snagged a contract with Gresini Honda for next year - suffered a spectacular crash near the end of the race. He made a fine mess of his Hayate machine and was not able to rejoin the race. His moment of enlightenment was clearly visible as he walked up to his bike and discovered that he did such a thorough job of crashing it, the back tire came off. Niccolo Canepa did not finish the race either. It appeared that he had a mechanical problem with his Ducati.

All in all, a very good race with very unexpected results.... just the way I like 'em :) A couple of last-minute mentions before I conclude my ramblings, Chris Vermeulen is now seeking a ride after Rizla Suzuki confirmed the signing of 250cc super star Alvaro Bautista for the 2010 season, and Jorge Lorenzo put rumors to bed about his contract, by signing another year with Fiat Yamaha.

That'll do it for me.

Until Next time

Rubb'er Down!

Incredible Donington finale lands Dovizioso his first premier class victory

2009-07-26T16:27:00.000-04:00

In an incredible farewell to the Donington circuit, the men of MotoGP put on a show that will not soon be forgotten. The final podium order is void of the top three riders, and yields the first ever MotoGP victory for Andrea Dovizioso as well as the first podium finishes for 2009 for Colin Edwards and Randy De Puniet.

The race was declared wet as the riders were set up on grid. The only team to strap their bullets with a wet set-up was Ducati, all other riders were strapped with slicks. As the lights ticked off, Toni Elias rocketed to the head of the pack and held an impressive lead for the first two laps.

By lap 3, Andrea Dovizioso had taken over the top spot trailed closely by Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. By the end of lap 3, Rossi had fallen into 5th position, behind Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias who he immediately overtook to claim 4th position. Confusing?? Well, brace yourself because this will conitnue for the remianing 27 laps of the race!

Lap 4 - Lorenzo, Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Rossi, Elias.....

Lap 7 - Lorenzo, Rossi, Dovizioso, Elias, Pedrosa.... Tonis Elais crashes out when he nicks the white paint of the rumble strip.

Lap 8 - Lorenzo crashes out after nicking the white paint of the rumble strip

Lap 11 - Rossi, Dovizioso, De Puniet, Pedrosa - Pedrosa and De Puniet swap positions several times during this lap..... where's Casey Stoner? He has just been passed by Nicky Hayden who overtook him for FOURTEENTH position.

Lap 12 - Seizure-inducing game of leap frog between Pedrosa and De Puniet... leaving De Puniet ahead as they move into lap 13

Lap 13 - Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden have become lap traffic as Rossi and Dovizioso pass them while continuing the battle for first place.

Lap 14 - Rossi and Dovi find themselves 13 seconds ahead of the volley for 3rd - which is still being masterfully played out between De P and Pedrosa.

Lap 19 - ROSSI CRASHES OUT and Dovizioso takes the lead leaving De P and Pedrosa to now battle it out for 2nd. Rossi manages to pick up his bike and get back out on track.

Lap 22 - Loris Capirossi and Marco Melandri and Chris Vermeulen give in to the wet conditions and switch to their "water bikes" which have been warming up in the pits since lap 12.

Lap 24 - Mika Kallio trades his slicks for the wet-set. The running order is now Dovizioso, De Puniet, Edwards, de Angelis. Rossi has clawed his way back up into 6th place and settled in behind James Toseland.

Three laps to go and Colin Edwards and Randy De Puniet begin the battle for 2nd which ends up being an absolutely brilliant display of wet weather riding talent - on slicks. Randy doesn't want to give it up, but Edwards manages to overtake him in the last turn before the flag to finish the podium order - Dovizioso, Edwards, De Puniet.

Rossi manages to overtake Toseland for an overall 5th place finish... which still increases his points lead in the championship standings.

This was certainly an edge-of-your-seat race - for all 30 laps. MotoGP bids farewell to the Donington circuit for at least 5 years, as Silverstone will take over hosting the British round in the mean time. The riders will enjoy an extended 3 week break before resuming the season in Brno on August 18th. I will personally use this time to un-scramble my brain after what I have seen today!

1	A. Dovizioso	Honda
2	C. Edwards	Yamaha
3	R. De Puniet	Honda
4	A. de Angelis	Honda
5	V. Rossi	Yamaha
6	J. Toseland	Yamaha
7	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
8	N. Canepa	Ducati
9	D. Pedrosa	Honda
10	M. Kallio	Ducati
11	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
12	G. Talmacsi	Honda
13	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
14	C. Stoner	Ducati
15	N. Hayden	Ducati

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Rossi eeks out 0.099 second win over Lorenzo in Germany

2009-07-19T10:15:00.001-04:00

The boys of MotoGP did not disappoint today in Germany. The race was a battle among the top four riders in the championship series - and there is no doubt why they are the 4 fastest men on two wheels. With only 28 points seperating first from third in the standings and half a season of racing to go, the claws are coming out.

Casey, Jorge and Rossi each shared the pressure of leading the race today at some point. Rossi led off the start and was eventually overtaken by Stoner, who volleyed the lead back to Vale, only to have Jorge Lorenzo swipe it again. Dani Pedrosa held his ground like a champ and ended up with the third place position over the line. Casey was remanded to fourth.

The last three laps of the race were a balls-out battle between Rossi and Lorenzo which ended in Rossi claiming victory with Jorge only 0.099 seconds behind him - or next to him as it were. It was indeed 30 laps of full-on entertainment.

Nicky Hayden got shut out and swallowed up at the start, backing him up to 13th position at the end of the first lap. He battled his way up to 8th by race end.... with some very impressive riding and aggressive overtakes.... looks like the Nikcy of yore may be on his way back. Yesterday during a wet qualifying session, Nicky suffered a tremendous high side and took Nicola Canepa out from behind.... with body to body contact. If you can find the clip, it's worth watcing. Canepa said later that he had no idea what hit him - I guess not!

Randy De Puniet made a brilliant start, finding himself in 4th position for nearly a whole lap before he duffed it. If you blinked, you missed it... one second he was right there behind Pedrosa, and the next second there was nothing but sparks and parts.... no Randy. Amazingly enough he didn't take anyone out with him.... and everyone else remained on two for the rest of the race. Andrea Dovizioso retired from the race early due to a tire problem.

The drama will continut next weekend in Donington followed by a short summer break. After the first half of the season, these guys will certainly be looking forward to that.... if for no other reason than to heal their wounds.

It's RUMOR season!!!

2009-07-17T10:44:00.001-04:00

Mid season for MotoGP is here which means we are ushering in the Festival of the Signing of Contracts. This is the time of year when rumors start to circulate through the paddocks about who's riding for who next year and who will not be riding at all.

This morning's discussion during the first free practice session at Sachsenring proved to be interesting indeed. Practice, by the way, went swimmingly - except for Chris Vermeulen who suffered a devastating high side after hitting a wet patch on the track. He clearly injured his left foot/ankle, but left on the back of a moped as opposed to in the back of an ambulance, so hopefully he'll be alright and back on track tomorrow.

Anyway, on to the meat of the post.... First off, Grupo Francisco Hernando has terminated it's season with MotoGP, leaving Sete Gibernau rideless and MotoGP with only 17 bikes and riders. The "economic crisis" is to blame for the abandonment of their MotoGP program, according to them. It was good to see the Gibbers come out of retirement - therefore, it goes without saying, it sucks to see him go.... again.

Gresini Honda has it in the works to make some big changes for 2010, starting with signing on 250cc superstar Marco Simocelli. It appears they are eyeing up Marco Melandri as well to complete the team.

Jorge Lorenzo is rumored to be suffering from a case of the wandering eye... and contract. It seems he has expressed some discontent over the amount of money he feels he is worth as opposed to what Fiat Yamaha is actually paying him. There have been talks between he and Repsol Honda over a possible contract for 2010. Recent press releases may have come off as a little humiliating to him as well, as team Fiat stated in more than one publication that they need Rossi to race and help develop the bike, and Lorenzo.... they just need him to race. Telefonica Movistar is contemplating a comeback to MotoGP, and there has been spotty chatter leading some to believe that they too may entertain Lorenzo for a contract.

So, if he leaves, who will take his place? Possibly Colin Edwards (again). Ben Spies is eyeing up MotoGP for 2010, or adversely, MotoGP is eyeing up Ben Spies.... in either case, a new rule that prevents rookies from riding for factory teams their first year out would seat Ben with Tech 3 Yamaha. The possibility of Colin moving into Fiat in the case of Lorenzo moving to Repsol would leave a spot in Tech 3 for Ben. Even if Colin doesn't make a move, the possibility of a Spies Tech 3 ride exists through the further rumor that if James Toseland doesn't produce better results at Sachsenring and the upcoming Donnington race that he's going to get the boot. On the other hand, Dorna is enjoying the representation of a British rider in the championship series - their holding interest could indeed be a feather in Toseland's cap.

De Angelis will most likely not be riding MotoGP next year, and lastly, Toni Elias looks to be planning to leave the Honda camp.

My head is spinning with all the swaps, cuts and rumors of new rookies. It will be very interesting to see how this all pans out. In my personal opinion, the biggest mistake to be made at this point will be with Fiat and Lorenzo. I don't think they should let him go to Repsol just yet. I say get off your wallet, Yamaha, and show him some support.... at least for another year.

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Technorati

2009-07-13T23:28:00.001-04:00

z25nuja8p9

Pedrosa breaks dry spell for Repsol

2009-07-06T14:11:00.001-04:00

Very uncharacteristic of the European flat circuit terrain, the Mazda Raceway succeeded in tossing a lot of riders over the weekend. Many that rode on Sunday were riding injured from their tangles with the track during free practices and qualifying. Several riders feel victim to the track during the race on Sunday as well. Andrea Dovizioso, Sete Gibernau and fresh-meat G. Talmacsi all went skittering off into the gravel traps. Loris Capirossi didn't finish the race, however, his DNF was chalked up to mechanical problems, and James Toseland was "excluded" from competition for a refusal to take a ride-through as a penalty for jumping the start (which even on the replay.... in slow motion.... I did not see).

Dani pulled well away early after a perfect start, and maintained his lead throughout. There was a fantastic last-lap rally by Rossi, who ALMOST overtook him on the last turn before the line. In the post race interview, Dani admitted to being a little too comfortable with what he thought was a formidable lead - until he heard Valentino's bike. As he came to the realization that Rossi was a fraction of an inch off his six, he tipped his Honda in a hair earlier than necessary to close the gap and ran like hell for the line. I must say, it was amusing to see his reaction - equivalent to that of a fourth grader that got caught napping in class. Nice save Dani - and a well-deserved win.

Nicky Hayden with his fantastically festive Ducati and leathers, once again bettered his best, finishing 5th. He rode a spectacular race - who knows.... we may even see him back on the podium before season's end. Mika Kallio did not participate in this weekend's race due to a severely injured finger as a result of last week's untimely crash on the last turn at Assen. He will be back for Sachsenring.

Over all, it was a good race. Aside from the crashes, Jorge's hail Mary pass-attempt on Rossi (which damn near took them both out of the race) and Rossi's last minute sneak attack on Pedrosa kept it interesting. In two weeks, everyone should be healed from the beating inflicted by the infamous US circuit and back in form to entertain us with what will no-doubt be a close race at Sachsenring.

1	D. Pedrosa	Honda
2	V. Rossi	Yamaha
3	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
4	C. Stoner	Ducati
5	N. Hayden	Ducati
6	T. Elias	Honda
7	C. Edwards	Yamaha
8	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
9	R. De Puniet	Honda
10	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
11	A. de Angelis	Honda
12	N. Canepa	Ducati

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Flawless victory in Assen marks 100 Grand Prix wins for Rossi

2009-06-27T13:57:00.000-04:00

Valentino Rossi, once again, gave the master class in Grand Prix racing, as he dominated the Assen TT and brought home his 100th GP victory in classic Rossi style. The first two laps saw 3 different race leaders with Rossi, Stoner and Lorenzo teasing us with another epic battle, but it was not to be. Rossi pulled ahead and enjoyed a pressure-free race leaving Lorenzo and Stoner well spaced-out to claim 2nd and 3rd respectively. A full 23 seconds separated Rossi and Stoner - evidence of the total domination displayed by the Italian uber-racer.

The real action today was the race for 6-12. James Toseland, Randy De Puniet, Mika Kallio, Nicky Hayden, Toni Elias and Loris Capirossi absolutely battled for position - bumping, grinding, swapping paint and pushing one another off track several times. I think every rider in that group suffered an off-track excursion at some point during today's race. The biggest disappointment was Mika Kallio who rode an outstanding race, swapping licks with James Toseland for 6th place, which would have been his best finish yet in his MotoGP career..... had he not crashed out on the last turn before the finish line. Nicky Hayden bettered his best by finishing 9th this session - maybe he's finally getting a handle on that big red Duc.

Repsol Honda had a disastrous day starting with Dani Pedrosa crashing out on the third lap and finding themselves out of the points all together as Dovizioso followed suit several laps later. Bad luck for Repsol, but no injuries reported so we will be seeing them next week at Laguna.

All-in-all, it was a race for the books - not a head-to-head battle, but a smooth, effortless, landmark victory for Valentino Rossi - a man that has landed himself amongst the ranks of the legends and proven himself the best Grand Prix racer the world has ever seen.

1	V. Rossi	Yamaha
2	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
3	C. Stoner	Ducati
4	C. Edwards	Yamaha
5	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
6	J. Toseland	Yamaha
7	R. De Puniet	Honda
8	T. Elias	Honda
9	N. Hayden	Ducati
10	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
11	A. de Angelis	Honda
12	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
13	S. Gibernau	Ducati
14	N. Canepa	Ducati
15	Y. Takahashi	Honda
16	G. Talmacsi	Honda

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Epic shoot-out yields victory for Rossi at Catalunya

2009-06-14T13:54:00.000-04:00

In a race that will no doubt be included in highlight reels for years to come, Valentino Rossi eeked out a win over Jorge Lorenzo at Catalunya in a last second, last corner overtaking that had over 90,000 fans on their feet and at least two announcers on the floor of the booth.

Today is what MotoGP racing is all about. Lorenzo and Rossi put on a superb show that will not soon be forgotten. Veteran Valentino swapped licks with rookie Jorge Lorenzo until the bitter end - landing Rossi in the top spot with only .095s of a margin over Lorenzo - and making his 99th premier class victory well-earned and hard fought.

Casey Stoner who had been ill over the past few days, nearly rode himself to death wrestling the big red Duc over the line for a third place finish. Visibly weak from what was reported later to be severe dehydration, Casey stepped off the bike and was immediately escorted to the garage and tended to by the circuit physician. I believe it took all the strength he could muster to make it to the podium ceremony.... where he looked like he could drop at any moment. Good on ya Casey..... once again, a lesser rider would have hung it up or not even started in his condition, and he still pulled out a third place finish. The list of adversity this kid rides through seems to grow with every race, and yet he has not fallen out of the top three in the overall standings. Impressive.

Andrea Dovizioso ran a superb race and found himself right on the heels of the big dogs again, coming in fourth. Teammate Dani Pedrosa ran a brave race on painkiller injections for his hip, in which he has seperated the muscle from the bone. He finished an extremely respectable 6th.

Loris racked up another top ten spot for Rizla Suzuki finishing 5th with teammate Chris Vermeulen rolling in just outside in 11th. Colin Edwards finished a solid 7th followed by De Puniet in a slightly-better-than-typical 8th postition. Mika Kallio smacked down some talent and found himself reaping the satisfaction of a 9th place finish, and Nicky Hayden scored his best finish so far this season for Marlboro Ducati rounding out the ten fastest riders on the track.

Yuki Takahashi had another disappointing DNF after crashing out on the first lap. There are whispers of concern over his fate with Scot Racing Honda Team - especially after the last-minute addition of Hungarian rider Gabor Talmacsi to their paddock. Gabor is apparently quite the accomplished 125cc rider (7 years if I remember correctly - and yes, I am too lazy to look it up right now) who landed in the 250 class and was subsequently sh*t canned a month ago by Balatonring. Although further chatter reveals that Honda is not likely to release it's only Japanese rider, me thinks Yuki better nail it down for a few races.

Bridgestone debuted their first line of asymmetrical, dual compound "tyres" at Catalunya. Very interesting concept and apparently quite effective as well. The circuit has 8 right hand turns, and only 5 left hand turns, which prompted Bridgestone to wow us with a crooked tire that would result in more consistant wear. Genius in it's simplicity.

Okay, this is getting out of hand, and it's nearly Beer : 30 - feast your eyes on the results. If you haven't already watched the race, watch it... then watch it again... and I bet you'll wanna see it one more time after that (consecutively of course...cause it was that good!).

The Assen TT will run on June 27th - with a THREE WAY TIE for first place in the championship standing among Rossi, Lorenzo and Stoner - we will no longer be on speaking terms if you miss it.

1	V. Rossi	Yamaha
2	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
3	C. Stoner	Ducati
4	A. Dovizioso	Honda
5	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
6	D. Pedrosa	Honda
7	C. Edwards	Yamaha
8	R. De Puniet	Honda
9	M. Kallio	Ducati
10	N. Hayden	Ducati
11	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
12	A. de Angelis	Honda
13	J. Toseland	Yamaha
14	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
15	S. Gibernau	Ducati
16	N. Canepa	Ducati
17	G. Talmacsi	Honda

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Wet - Dry Victory for Stoner in Mugello

2009-05-31T11:22:00.001-04:00

Mugello began as what looked like a nightmare repeat of Le Mans as the sign was held up at the flag stand declaring it a wet race. However, it seems the Kings learned their lessons two weeks ago and were much better prepared for what was to come.

Jorge Lorenzo suffered the idignity of crashing out on the sighting lap, so he began his race on his back-up bike with quite a shot to his confidence (and dirty leathers). Dani Pedrosa was riding with yet another physical compromise as he somehow managed to tear ligaments in his hip resulting in a sudden loss of feeling at one point yesterday, and a subsequent crash during the race today. He was rendered completely immobile after becoming unseated and was removed from the gravel trap on a stretcher.

The race was indeed an exciting one. The switch to dry set ups went rather smoothly (as opposed to Le Mans) however the conditions created quite an interesting mix of race leaders. We even saw Loris Capirossi lead the way after overtaking Valentino in a power-move that seemed to stop the Suzuki garage in it's tracks - it's entertaining to see a team surprise themselves. Marco Melandri was podium bound for several laps too as he made a triumphant come back from a 15th place start. Ultimately, my favorite pseudo-Saki jockey was swallowed up by the pack and remanded to 11th place by race end.

Andrea Dovizioso put on quite the show by taking the lead for several laps as well. He turned out to be quite the formidable opponent, running with the "big dogs" for enough laps to prove he meant it, and finally just missing the podium as he crossed the line a hair off Rossi's back tire - fantastic effort by the rookie!!

Jorge Lorenzo found his confidence, his pace and his way back to the podium finishing second. But it was Casey Stoner who stole the show in Italy giving Ducati their first win in the Mother Land - and making it all happen with a burned out clutch. Dammit boy!!

Feast your eyes on the results posted below and get ready for some hard core racing in Catalunya in two weeks time. Casey is back on top in the championship standings after today's win. With Rossi and Lorenzo nipping at the heels of his Alpinestars, nobody is running away with the championship so far..... which means it only gets better from here!!

1	C. Stoner	Ducati
2	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
3	V. Rossi	Yamaha
4	A. Dovizioso	Honda
5	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
6	C. Edwards	Yamaha
7	J. Toseland	Yamaha
8	R. De Puniet	Honda
9	N. Canepa	Ducati
10	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
11	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
12	N. Hayden	Ducati
13	M. Kallio	Ducati
14	T. Elias	Honda
15	A. de Angelis	Honda

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Pedrosa snags pole at Le Mans

2009-05-16T16:51:00.001-04:00

Dani Pedrosa will start closest to the finish line in tomorrow's Grand Prix De France. Joining him on the front row are Fiat Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo and Ducati Marlboro superstar, Casey Stoner. Where's Rossi?? Never fear, he qualified fourth and will share his second row start with Andrea Dovizioso and former teammate Colin Edwards - who by the way was brilliant in both FP rounds as well this week.

FP1 was marred by rain on Thursday and ironically cut short after being bumped back up to an hour-long session. FP2 was run for the full hour, and probably very exciting, although I missed it, so I can only report to you that Sete Gibernau suffered yet another collar bone fracture as a result of a one-for-the-books high side and is subsequently out of the race tomorrow . Here's to the fast and flawless [recovery] Gibbers - we'll miss you tomorrow!

Randy DePuniet qualified in the 10th position as a result of today's round. He is coming in strong after a fourth place finish in Motegi, and may have pushed just a little too hard amidst the cheers from his hometown crowd. He lost the front end of his Honda coming out of the finish line stretch into the fastest corner on the Le Mans circuit. They estimated he went down at nearly 160 mph. His bike was reduced to confetti, but his recovery was amazingly graceful. He never stopped his forward motion from the slide, got his feet under him, ran for the bike, abandoned the bike (after a .0005 second assesment of the damage), jumped the tire wall and made his way back to the garage where his back-up bike was waiting for him.

Marco Melandri washed out in the same corner on his pseudo-Kawasaki Hayate racing machine. He too got back on and finished the round, resulting in a 9th place start for tomorrow. It sucks to see man and machine hurdling off the track at triple digits - what sucks worse is the fact that Melandri and his pit crew have to salvage as many parts as possible from the downed machine in order to be able to continue racing - due to lack of factory support. I'll stop there before this gets ugly :)

Rizla Suzuki's pair, Chris Vermeulen and Loris Capirossi made the top ten today and will start 7th and 8th respectively. Mika Kallio slapped down some very impressive times early on in the session, but was only able to finally eek out a 14th place start on the grid - still watching that kid (I'm sayin'..... mad skillz.... seriously).

Nicky Hayden is working with a new crew chief. The paddock chatter reveals that this should lead to better communication and overall improvement for Nick - aaaaand GO!

Okay - before this write-up shotguns itself any further into the depths of asshattery, here is the official starting order for tomorrow. I'm off to find some trouble to get into - cause that's what I do best!

1	D. Pedrosa	Honda
2	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
3	C. Stoner	Ducati
4	V. Rossi	Yamaha
5	A. Dovizioso	Honda
6	C. Edwards	Yamaha
7	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
8	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
9	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
10	R. De Puniet	Honda
11	T. Elias	Honda
12	J. Toseland	Yamaha
13	N. Hayden	Ducati
14	M. Kallio	Ducati
15	Y. Takahashi	Honda
16	N. Canepa	Ducati

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Jerez qualifying results

2009-05-02T10:14:00.004-04:00

It was an interesting finish to a wind-swept qualifying practice in Jerez. Nothing too drastic in the crash-and-burn department - no devastating agricultural excursions to speak of. I guess we can start with the absence of Valentino Rossi on the front row for tomorrow's race. He will be starting on the second row of the grid with Randy DePuniet (YAY Randy!) and MotoGP veteran Loris Capirossi bringing it home for Rizla Suzuki.

Tomorrow's battle will begin as a duel between the Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo (pole) and Dani Pedrosa - not the "best of friends" as it were. Casey Stoner and his Ducati complete the front row line up as teammate Nicky Hayden sits back in 16th position. The next fastest qualifyer for Ducati was Sete Gibernau who will start 12th - the rest of them 16th (Nick), 17th (Kallio), and 18th (Canepa) - che cosa succede Ducati???

Casey's bike did appear to be all over the place this morning, rowing violently out of the corners. He's certainly not opposed to riding a spastic machine, exciting, yes, but it does not usually bode well for winning races.

Randy DePuniet gave a smashing performance hitting the board in 5th - as Randy many times does - during QUALIFYING. When do we get to see him repeat the performance on race day? With Le Mans coming up in a couple of weeks, it would be nice to see him buff up his race-day performance for a shot at the podium at home.

Once again, we are in for an interesting race tomorrow. Hopefully by then the winds will have died down so we can see a race unchallenged by weather conditions - hell, the 125's were drilling holes in their fairings to keep from being blown off track.

Here are the full results of qualifying -

1	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
2	D. Pedrosa	Honda
3	C. Stoner	Ducati
4	V. Rossi	Yamaha
5	R. DePuniet	Honda
6	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
7	C. Edwards	Yamaha
8	A. Dovizioso	Honda
9	T. Elias	Honda
10	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
11	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
12	S. Gibernau	Ducati
13	Y. Takahashi	Honda
14	J. Toseland	Yamaha
15	A. de Angelis	Honda
16	N. Hayden	Ducati
17	M. Kallio	Ducati
18	N. Canepa	Ducati

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

MotoGP News - Motegi Results

2009-04-27T15:43:00.000-04:00

This is what MotoGP racing is all about! What a fantastic showing by the Kings... hard-core, exciting racing. I decided not to run a spoiler on this race - only because it deserved to be watched first hand. If you watched it, I'm sure you'd agree - and, you're welcome :)

Yuki Takahashi bulldozed Nicky Hayden on the first lap... tragic!!! It was a rookie mistake by Takahashi, and Nicky took a righteous hit. He suffered a concusion and both were (obviously) out for the rest of the race. Colin Edwards' crew spent the race in "Time Out" after incorrectly mapping the bike.... oops. He ended up claiming the 12th spot at race end.

Honda!! There you are! After some initially dismal performances, the Honda paddocks have returned to the boards - two in the top 5, led by Dani Pedrosa who turned in a brilliant performance earning himself a well-deserved podium spot. Andrea Dovizioso pulled off a 5th place finish - solid display of skills.

Casey Stoner - out of the top three!?!? It boiled down to a problem with the front brakes - a setback that may have seen a lesser rider out of the top ten or retiring from the race all together, but Stoner soldiered on and pulled off an impressive 4th place finish.

Jorge Lorenzo.... WOW! He was on fire! He turned in an absolutely flawless performance and helped to make this one of the most exciting races we've seen in a long time. He and teammate Valentino Rossi held on to the top two spots for Fiat Yamaha. Good luck pulling this guy into the Repsol camp, Honda. There's no doubt that if he keeps on turning out races "Motegi Style", Fiat is not going to be willing to part with him.

Of course, I have to mention Marco Melandri and Hayate Racing. He finished a strong 6th with glimpses of the podium along the way. Good things will come to him - and so it is written :) I also have to throw in Mika - he finished a very respectable 8th this weekend - seriously, keep your eye on this kid.

One more thing.... John Hopkins, former Rizla Suzuki rider, turned World Superbike Stiggy Racing jockey, suffered a wicked high side in his Assen practice session this past weekend. He sustained a dislocated hip as a result (ouch!!). Here's wishing you a quick and flawless recovery Hopper!!

Okay, that'll do it for this round of crap-spewing by Kristen.... here are the results of Motegi. The Gathering of the Bullets will continue this weekend in Jerez

1	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
2	V. Rossi	Yamaha
3	D. Pedrosa	Honda
4	C. Stoner	Ducati
5	A. Dovizioso	Honda
6	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
7	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
8	M. Kallio	Ducati
9	J. Toseland	Yamaha
10	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
11	R. De Puniet	Honda
12	C. Edwards	Yamaha
13	A. de Angelis	Honda
14	N. Canepa	Ducati
15	T. Elias	Honda

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

MotoGP News - Motegi FP1 and a dirty rumor

2009-04-24T19:44:00.001-04:00

I entertained myself in the wee hours of the morning this morning by watching the Kings zip around the Twin Rings for their first free practice. I know what you're thinking.... "Kristen, how do you do it? With your schedule rivaling that of the social elite.... where do you find the time?" It's just one of those sacrifices that are made for the love of the sport - the good of the regime, if you will. But I digress... (mostly because we all know that I only do it because I am that much of a dork).

I love the airing of the FP's!! This morning was no disappointment. Casey Stoner lit out of the paddock and laid down some unbelievable lap times. Each time he tripped the lights he was a little faster - as was Rossi. Stoner made a few mistakes which were evident in his wide turns and one trip to the gravel pit. That's what FP is for though. Jorge Lorenzo snuck in to the top 3 by the end of the 45 minute play-date. He was definitely on his game - solid riding indeed. The top 5 was rounded out by Chris Vermeulen and Colin Edwards.... nice to see them back at the top of the time sheets.

Surprisingly absent from the leaderboard was Honda. The best showing from them was Dovizioso who struggled into 7th - the closest runner-up was Toni Elias, in 9th. What's happening Honda? For years they have been one of the top rides in the paddock. It appears lately that they are slipping, while Suzuki has rifled up the boards, keeping company with the Yams and Ducs.

Marco Melandri did a splendid job with his Kaw finishing up in the top 10 (eighth) - I can't help but to smile for him after all the crap he's been through. Dani Pedrosa - well, Dani, I understand there are still some unhealed wounds there - further aggravated by your little brush with de Angelis in Qatar, so we'll consider 11th a small victory. Nicky, your still riding with stitches in your chest after your righteous bin in Qatar, so there's your free pass for your 12th place spot. Even though you seem to be struggling with your Duc (holy typo!! If not for the backspace key and proofreading that little statement could have been a disaster!).

Mika Kallio - I like this kid!! - wiped out hard during practice. The camera didn't catch the entire episode, but it was a wicked high side, and almost looked as if his legs got tangled in the wheel. He refused the stretcher and walked (limped) off on his own and was back on track by the end of practice... scuffed leathers and all. There is a certain quiet confidence about Mika that I like. I'm keeping my eye on him this season.

James Toseland just eeked into the top ten aboard his Monster Tech3 machine. I have not followed James' career up until he made his appearance in MotoGP, so this is purely off-the-cuff (in other words, no throwing rotten fruit) but his riding style appears to be a bit scattered. He is very twitchy on the bike - almost like high-speed ADD.

As for the rumor, it was whispered that Repsol is winking at Jorge Lorenzo from a dark corner, looking to him as a possible replacement for Dani Pedrosa. I personally think that Jorge has a pretty solid seat and a world of opportunity with Fiat Yamaha (even with the pit wall in place). Who knows? The "Shifting of the Contracts" is just another one of those things that keeps this sport interesting.

Okay, enough of my yammering.... below are the results of FP1. I will once again shift my chaotic social schedule around so that I can feast my eyes upon qualifying around 1 tomorrow morning. I just made me laugh.

1	V. Rossi	Yamaha
2	C. Stoner	Ducati
3	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
4	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
5	C. Edwards	Yamaha
6	L. Capirossi	Suzuki
7	A. Dovizioso	Honda
8	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
9	T. Elias	Honda
10	J. Toseland	Yamaha
11	D. Pedrosa	Honda
12	N. Hayden	Ducati
13	Y. Takahashi	Honda
14	S. Gibernau	Ducati
15	A. de Angelis	Honda
16	R. De Puniet	Honda
17	M. Kallio	Ducati
18	N. Canepa	Ducati

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

MotoGP News - Qatar results

2009-04-13T19:41:00.000-04:00

The first MotoGP race of the 2009 season in Qatar is now history. It was a good race, not a great race. Casey Stoner rode a brilliant race from grid to flag. He was never even challenged by Rossi, who finished second - over 7 seconds off Casey's pace. Another 3+ seconds behind Rossi, his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo crossed the line in 3rd.

Marco Melandri, riding for team Hayate was well into the action until he ran wide and off the track. He caught up to the tailers of the race, and claimed a few positions before the end of the race. James Toseland was a victim of the same mistake, running wide and taking an unplanned agricultural excursion, but he stayed astride and finished as well - although out of the points. The only rider to crash out was Loris Capirossi who suffered a spectacular low side mid-race.

Dani Pedrosa, who is still healing from his winter surgery on his left knee, was nailed by Alex DeAngelis during a corner pass. He clung to his bike like a champion, recovered his composure, banged his lever back into place and finished his race like a true professional. Obviously spooked by the close call, and most likely re-injured from the concussion that pinched his injured leg between the two bikes, Pedrosa was overtaken several more times, finishing just ahead of his former teammate, Nicky Hayden, 11th and 12th respectively.

DeAngelis made his way to 6th before the crossing the finish line, Dovizioso landed 5th, and Colin Edwards, who rode an absolutely solid, clean race on his Monster sponsored Yamaha (which, I might add, is sporting a rockin' paint scheme this year!) finished 4th.

All in all, a good race, worth the extra 22 hour wait. It can only get better from here!! 13 days from today, the boys will hammer out the Twin Rings of Motegi. Here are the finalized results from Race one in Qatar:

1	C. Stoner	Ducati
2	V. Rossi	Yamaha
3	J. Lorenzo	Yamaha
4	C. Edwards	Yamaha
5	A. Dovizioso	Honda
6	A. De Angelis	Honda
7	C. Vermeulen	Suzuki
8	M. Kallio	Ducati
9	T. Elias	Honda
10	R. De Puniet	Honda
11	D. Pedrosa	Honda
12	N. Hayden	Ducati
13	S. Gibernau	Ducati
14	M. Melandri	Kawasaki
15	Y. Takahashi	Honda

Until next time....

Rubb'er Down

Kristen

Qatar Canceled

2009-04-12T19:39:00.001-04:00

The first race of the 2009 season in Qatar has been canceled due to weather conditions. The 125 class ran only 4 laps before it was red flagged for rain. The result was a half-point race. 45 minutes later, the kings of MotoGP were on the grid, 2 minutes from starting the first race of the season, and the rains came. Qatar is in the middle of the desert, where it rains only 4 or 5 days a year. The races there are run under the lights in order to escape the extreme desert heat of the day. Because of the primarily dry conditions, there is no drainage on the track. On top of that, the lights that are required for the racers to run at night, reflect on the wet track and create a white-out effect. So, ultimately, it was an impossible race to run.

Nicky Hayden, who was injured yesterday during qualifying, did show up for the race, appeared relieved, as did Dani Pedrosa, who is still healing from his winter-break surgeries on his knee.

As it stands now, the officials are discussing possibly running the race tomorrow. This is posing a problem with riders and team members who have flights booked to leave Qatar tomorrow and head for Japan for race 2. Updates will be posted as they become available.

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

Kristen

MotoGP News - Rough Day for Dani and Nicky

2009-04-11T19:35:00.000-04:00

Qualifying proved interesting indeed yesterday. The end result found Casey Stoner and his Ducati Marlboro machine taking pole, followed closely by Valentino Rossi aboard his Fiat Yamaha beast. The top three was rounded off by Vale's teammate, Spaniard, Jorge Lorenzo. The second row starters will be Loris Capriossi, dropping the hammer for Rizla Suzuki, Colin Edwards, piloting the newly sponsored Monster Yamaha (Tech 3) and Randy dePuniet on his as-of-yet-unrashed LCR Honda, sponsored by Playboy.

Repsol Honda's anchor rider, Dani Pedrosa, struggled through qualifying, landing in 14th. Dani is still healing from the surgeries he had over the winter break. His knee is not 100% healed, and it showed. Nicky Hayden was not entirely on his game. As he tried to wrestle his Duc into submission towards the end of the QP session, he had a horrific high speed high-side. He was carted off track on a stretcher and is undergoing a round of x-rays due to the extreme back pain he is experiencing. His participation in the premier race this afternoon has not yet been decided.

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

MotoGP News - Pedrosa, Stoner and Monster

2009-03-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dani Pedrosa has flown home to Spain after a fairly serious crash at Qatar during testing. His injuries will require surgery; a screw for the fractured radius bone in his left arm, and surgery/ skin graft for his now further damaged left knee. I know I poke fun at the Pud a lot, but I hate to see a rider down.... so here's wishing you a fast and flawless recovery Dani. You are a formidable opponent on track and make for some interesting races.

In other Qatar-related news (that's about all there is now anyway), Stoner topped the timesheets early and maintained his standing even though he completed fewer laps than any of the other riders, proving he has not lost his edge through the winter break despite his recent wrist surgery. Valentino rolled in just under Casey. The top five was rounded out by Nicky Hayden on his new Duc (appears to be settling in quite well!), Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki.. GET IT old man!!!) and Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha) respectively. Marco on his last-minute-Kawasaki-effort machine ended up 16th on the sheets for Hayate Racing, over 3 seconds off of Casey's pace.

Monster Energy Drink has agreed to sponsor Tech 3 Yamaha for the 2009 season (and beyond). They have now been dubbed Monster Yamaha Tech3, and the infamous M Claw will adorn the rockets piloted by Colin Edwards and James Toseland. They also scored a small sticker on Rossi's helmet in a personal sponsorship deal - which is relatively old news, but I thought I'd throw it in here anyway as fodder.

Ducati ran the first tests on their new swing arm design, and got the basic thumbs-up. They admit it's going to take some fine tuning, but judging by the lap times for both Nicky and Casey, I don't think it will need much. Valentino reports that he is generally happy with his machine in these early stages, as is his teammate Jorge.

April 12th is right around the corner (but still can't frickin come fast enough for me) and with all the drama, rule changes, last minute seatings (ah hem... Kawasaki) and rookies in the field, this will no doubt be a fantastically entertaining season.

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

Kristen

MotoGP News - Redemption for Kawasaki

2009-02-26T19:29:00.000-05:00

My last entry, in response to Kawasaki pulling the plug on MotoGP (a claimed financial decision) and effectively shit-canning Marco Melandri (who they had just spent 9 months negotiating OUT of the Ducati camp) ended like this....

"So, here's hoping that things will turn around... and Marco... you best be straddling a bullet in some last-minute contract signing, and lead us all to believe that this was just a bold PR stunt.... cause I DON'T LIKE IT!!!"

Until next time ....

Shortly after I posted this, Kawasaki made big news by posting the largest contigency in road-racing history.... 1.8 Million. This announcement was followed by a press release jam-packed with compliments and ass-patting from the road-racing world, showering Kawasaki with praise of their superior dedication to racing and rock-hard support. WHAT???? Not one word was mentioned about them jumping ship on MotoGP and Marco. This made sense (thank you captain obvious) as an internally written press release would never highlight a BAD move. But seriously, let us not rub salt into an open wound.

Tuesday evening I was blinded by trickery and fooled into watching Superbikes on SpeedTV. Not a big fan of the show to begin with, I watched with little to no enthusiasm. My attention was caught when the highlight of the next segment showed a track trial. I know!!! I didn't believe it either, but they were actually riding... really riding.. no endos or wheelies, no deflated tires or hubcap sized sprockets. They were on a track, draggin' knees and opening up down the back stretch..... ON KAWASAKIS. There was a pounding in my head equivalent to waking after a three day drinking binge 6 inches from an operational jackhammer under an F-16 engine at full thrust... or it may have been a mild stroke. Tomato - Tomahhto.

They fed Melandri to the wolves after talking him out of his solid contract with Ducati to put him on a sub-par machine. Then made history with the gobs of money they put up for contigency, patted themselves on the back with their own cleverly disguised press release.. then Superbikes airs with it's tribute to Kawasaki... who paid to fly in/accomodate easily a dozen test riders from various publications.... to Japan. The hole just kept getting deeper.

Today..... redemption. They came to their senses and negotiated for a one-man team to ride in MotoGP in '09. Marco Melandri. The negotiations were reportedly prompted by "the simultaneous necessity to come to a constructive solution for all related parties." ..... that and the severed horse head with the anonymous love letter stapled to it.

I think it was very diplomatic of them to word that so gently. Good for you Kawasaki.....

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

Kristen

General update and some finger wagging!

2009-02-02T08:51:00.000-05:00

MotoGP riders and rockets have been resting up during the winter ban, and are now ready to begin again for the first test session of 09 in Sepang on Thursday.

Yamaha will officially unveil their new livery of YZR-M1's on Monday for all the world to see.

Kawasaki... you SUCK!! I am indeed wagging my finger of shame at you! Last month, it was announced (after torrents of rumors) that Kawasaki was pulling out of MotoGP. Okay, I get it, the economy sucks, it's expensive to run a MotoGP season, the particular bikes that are run in MotoGP are not marketable to the public (as opposed to the AMA bikes).... you have many viable reasons for evaporating from the competition.

The reason you are getting the finger of shame is Marco Melandri. For nine months, Kawasaki wheeled and dealed to pull Marco from his Ducati contract, only to pull the plug on MotoGP a couple of months after they signed him. WTF?? Randy deP found his way into the Honda paddock and secured a ride for this season, but Marco... CLEARLY a world-class rider has been thrown to the wolves!! Not cool Kawasaki... not cool.

Not only does this unseat one of the better riders in the circuit, but it narrows the field down to 17 riders... which, according to the rules, are not enough riders to warrant a racing season. No doubt, nerves are a little frazzled, but I don't think for a second that they can't scratch up another bike for a satellite team and perch a rider on it to fill in the gap and complete the necessary 18 rider field.

STILL!!! How bad does this suck?? Honda has already pulled out of F1, and at least one of the other teams (which escapes me at the moment) has cut less-popular sanctioned events from their itinerary (such as Motocross and Motorcycle Trials) all in the interest of the dwindling budget.

I find it all very disturbing. I must admit, I felt extremely defeated for a moment when I learned of the 18 rider rule and discovered that as-of-yet there are only 17. I would go NUTS without my season of MotoGP!

So, here's hoping that things will turn around... and Marco... you best be straddling a bullet in some last-minute contract signing, and lead us all to believe that this was just a bold PR stunt.... cause I DON'T LIKE IT!!!

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

Kristen

MotoGP Testing and Some Fun Stuff :)

2008-12-22T09:07:00.006-05:00

Ha! Welcome back Kristen!! Why thank you, it's good to be here :)

I know, I know, I have once again been remiss in my postings. I have no excuse (at least not anything good) so I will just leave well enough alone with my weak, satirical, self-welcoming opening.

Testing is in full swing, and the MotoGP boys are adjusting well to new "tyres" (dammit that cracks me up!!), rockets, set-ups, teams, etc.

Casey and new teammate Nick have been putting the new GP9's through their paces. There are varying opinions as to how well Nicky will adapt to the Ducati. Apparently the best approach with the Ducs is getting them "to full throttle as soon as possible and letting the electronics do the rest". It was reported though, that after his first ride on the new rocket he dismounted and said "Whatever they pay Casey (Stoner), it´s not enough." Ha!

SETE!!!! How happy am I about this???? I am standing here beside myself! The Gibbers has come out of retirement. We all remember how sad I was to see him go, so we can all imagine how ecstatic I am that he has returned. And coming back with style as (yet another) member of the Ducati paddock. His timing couldn't have been better. With Ducati's myriad of bikes on the track for the 09 season, a brand new design and a bevvy of fresh tenderlings to jockey them around, Sete's knowledge and experience will be well received when it comes to dialing them in.

Will he be rusty? Afterall, he's been in retirement for what... 2 years now? He's no spring chicken either. BAH! His test times were a mere half second off of Casey who ran at the top of the boards. So watch out "freshies" :)

Of course, there's still the little issue of the Rossi Curse that was thrust upon him at the close of the 04 season. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out for him. I yearn (yes, yearn) to see a few more of those epic shoot-outs of yore. I hope you're up for it Sete.... I'm holding my breath.

Okay, now for a few fun things. If you are reading this, you are obviously a fan of sportbikes and/or MotoGP racing, OR you are being forced to read it against your will by someone who is a fan that you clearly love enough to subject yourself to the torture. Either way, with Christmas approaching faster than Rossi from mid-pack, you are looking for some sort of gift for said loved one, or yourself. I personally like to wrap everything I give me, tag it with "to: me, from:me" and rip through it Christmas morning with all the vigor and excitement of a 4 year old looking for the-one-with-Elmo-in-it. Right... cue the crickets.

During my daily cruises through the online haven of bike-related goodies, I chose a few to highlight here for that hard-to-shop-for bike freak on your list.

First up is a perfect gift for the GP fan. A little pricey, but would certainly be much appreciated. It's Tissot's official limited edition MotoGP watch

You can get it here. With free shipping.... like that's really gonna make or break the deal when you're dropping that much cash :) But hey! Incentive is incentive. It is really quite spectacular.

I also checked out the MiniChamps die cast models. They are much more budget friendly.... unless you are looking for Rossi's 2004 Jerez test bike... in which case GOOD LUCK. That particular model trickles through eBay from time to time, but most store inventory is sold out internationally. I did find ONE from an online store in Europe that listed for $1295.00. I digress, the little replica helmets are fantastic and will only run you $20(ish). The model bikes, are a little steeper, but not bad at all, $30-$50 in most cases.
Minichamps on eBay

They even have.... and I LOVE this... the little Rossi figurines. Most of them are of him standing, sitting sideways on a rocket, blasting a champagne bottle on the podium, etc. The two that caught my eye were his signature crouch pose and him kneeling in front of his Yamaha to kiss it after winning his first race for the factory in South Africa. PERFECT!!

Above is the actual picture of the touching moment, and now you and your loved ones can commemorate it with this lovely MiniChamps figurine (bike sold separately). Hahaha... if you think this isn't on my mantle you're nuts.....

Click on the image to purchase one at Grand Prix Legends.

Oh, and the crouching Rossi.... I couldn't find a suitable actual photo of him doing it, but we've all seen it... pre-race, in the paddock. The first few times I saw him do it, I thought he was stretching out his leathers. Not the case, after all, this is Vale... that would be too simple and down-to-Earth. He is actually having a little conversation with himself and his bullet about what is about to happen and what he expects of it (and himself). I love me some Rossi :)

Click on the image to purchase one at Grand Prix Legends.

Okay miniChamps, you've captured him doing everything else, when do we get the one of him standing on the pegs to dislodge his wedgie right after he gets on??? He's certainly not shy about it, and the rear bike cam always airs it, so I say we cast that precious moment in resin so I can put it on my mantle too :)

Until next time ....

Rubb'er Down :)

2009 MotoGP teams... and other stuff!

2008-11-08T09:48:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'll get right to the meat of the post..... The "other stuff" will follow (dessert, if you will).

Here's what we know of the 2009 MotoGP teams and the riders they have signed

Fiat Yamaha:
Valentino Rossi (contract through 2010)
Jorge Lorenzo (contract through 2009)

Tech 3 Yamaha:
Colin Edwards (Contract through 2009)
James Toseland (Took option through 2009)

Repsol Honda:
Dani Pedrosa (Contract through 2009)
Andrea Dovizioso (Contract through 2009)

Ducati:
Casey Stoner (Contract through 2010)
Nicky Hayden (Contract through 2009)

Kawasaki:
John Hopkins (Contract through 2009)
Marco Melandri (Contract through 2010)

Suzuki:
Loris Capirossi (Contract through 2009)
Chris Vermeulen (Contract through 2009)

Gresini Honda:
Toni Elias (Contract through 2009)
Alex de Angelis (Contract through 2009)

Alice Ducati:
Mika Kallio (Contract through 2009)
Niccolo Canepa (Contract through 2009)

Team LCR (Honda):
Randy de Puniet (Contract through 2009)

Scot Honda:
Yuki Takahashi (Contract through 2009)

Onde 2000 Ducati:
Sete Gibernau (Contract through 2009)

Team JiR and Aspar Kawasaki have both dropped out of MotoGP, which unseats Alex Debon and Shinya Nakano. Team JiR was Ben Spies' great white hope for joining MotoGP. Since the dissolution, he has opted to ride for Yamaha in World Superbike, but is forecast to join MotoGP in 2010, riding for Tech 3 Yamaha. At least he is out of AMA....

AMA.... AMA..... AMA.... has reportedly been purchased by NASCRAP. Sweet Jesus. Where does it/will it/ can it end??? I will agree with the fact that NASCRAP can promote the hell out of an event. The advertising money is there, the television contracts abound, and they have a lot of pull in the sports world...... with the bottom feeders.. I mean... bottom quarter of the east coast. There is already a sour taste in the mouths of the sportbike community, but most are willing to give it a wait-and-see approach. Maybe NASCRAP can drum up a tiny bit of class and pull it off. Enough of my opinion... I would now like to cut and paste a few reactions from riders across the country that entertained me.... enjoy!!

"You mean the NASCAR show? Racing where you constantly change the rules to prevent anyone from dominating is not racing. Also go download a NASCAR rule book... oh wait you can't! It may get exposure and increase revenue for the riders/teams (not bad things) but I doubt it will improve 'racing' "

"Well more exposure will be good...hopefully they can even get the redne...I mean the NASCAR lovers to watch."

"Shit. Now I am gonna have to grow a mullet."

My personal favorite so far.....

"I wonder if NASCRAP will charge admission by the number of teeth you still have in your head?"

And last, but certainly not least... one fantastic rant, courtesy of Sean....

" Great, now we can drive our NASCAR Monte Carlos to the speedway, wearing our NASCAR clothing that was washed in NASCAR Tide, while we blissfully sip our NASCAR Coca-Cola Racing Family beverage, from our twin-can hat-mounted beverage dispenser. When we get there, we can watch em turn-left real_fast_like! Hopefully we won't be overwhelmed at the amount of talent being displayed or the fact that aside from paint and decals, several of them moter-sic-els are actually not identical to the others. What's your favorite "Calvin Pissing-On...... " sticker? Quick, somebody pass me a beer and a quaalude! "

At least I know I am not alone :)

One last little personal note.... this afternoon, my brother, Spaz, who will be hereby known as "Double O Spaz" was certified to carry a concealed weapon. As if that is not scary enough (buy stock in Kevlar, and don't forget to get your own vest), he emails me this.....

"I wasn't paying attention, but my concealed weapon permit photo clearly shows my "I make stuff up" shirt.... Is that bad ?!?!?!?"

And to top it off, he was joined in his certification by my father (Oh God!!) who, after the "Double O Third celebratory beer" was subsequently dubbed "Double O Wrinkle" ......

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Dear Santa....

2008-11-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

I promise, if you park this under my tree this year, that I will be a good girl until AT LEAST.... next Tuesday :)

Come on now, we know me, and even that's pushin' it!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

A fond farewell to the 2008 season

2008-10-26T09:57:00.000-04:00

This afternoon's race at Valencia marked the end of the 2008 MotoGP season, and yet another World Championship title for Valentino Rossi. Casey Stoner ran away with the event today, with Dani Pedrosa, a not-so-close second, and Vale closing out the trio de podium.

There were no Hail Mary laps, no spectacular shoot-outs, no heroes and no tragedies. Everyone seemed to be on their best behavior. Nick and Dovisioso mixed it up a few times, and The Doctor did not lack awesome as he rocketed to third after a tenth place start. Oh yea, as if I have to even mention it, Randy crashed..... on the first lap..... and didn't even get any camera time for it. You know you are a habitual offender when your bins don't even warrant a replay.

Casey is going to be testing the new Duc over the next couple of days. There is much excitement over the new design and carbon fiber frame. After testing, he will be shipped off to hospital for his surgery. He is getting a bone graft (from his hip) to repair a crack in his wrist that is not healing properly.

The gloriously short winter that I boasted about in my last post will not be so short after all. Qatar, the 2009 season opener, has been pushed back to April. I will dig up the schedule for next year and post it.... and maybe even update my rider profiles, which I think are a whopping 2 years old.

Okay, it's time to thin the herd of brown bottles in the fridge and slip off into my coma :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Sepang!!!!

2008-10-19T10:01:00.000-04:00

Okay, I kept myself away from my computer all day today so as not to give into temptation and read the spoiler to another spectacular showing by the MotoGP boys.

Dani winning pole came as a bit of a surprise, but Good Onya "Pud" :) Not only did he win pole, but he ran one hell of a race to hang on to it. Although he could only hold Rossi off for about half the race, he piloted his bullet with nothing but heart. The will to win was there, but (yes, I'm gonna go ahead and give him a good excuse) the tires weren't. By the end I think he had dropped back by 7 seconds...... a formidable gap..... if you will.

Tangent...... apparently next year (and subsequently 2 years after that) the playing field will be leveled as far as tires are concerned. If you are breathing and have a flicker of interest in MotoGP, you have heard that BridgeStone signed a deal to be the only "tyre" (take that Mikey!!) provider for the World Championship for the next three years. So now, everyone will be riding on BS - I just made me laugh.

Back to the race, the shootout for the 3rd podium spot (we have already learned that Rossi and Pedrosa tied up the first two spots, and yes, you will be quizzed on that later) was no less than breathtaking. Hayden and Dovizioso hammered it out like mad-men. Solid entertainment..... thanks boys! In the end, Nick couldn't pull off a permanent overtaking and ended up 4th. Congratulations D... that was a righteous win indeed.

Only one more race left for the season. I will leave you now to look forward to Valencia, and know in my heart that it will be a gloriously short winter. The test season is right around the corner, and from there we move into 09.... come on March!!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Indianapolis results and NICKY.... WTF????

2008-09-16T10:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, we all knew this would bring me out of the woodwork....

First of all, I had no immediate commentary on the Misano race. Good race, yes.... but once again, there was the "Casey-surfing-asphalt" factor that accompanied the win by Rossi. I love me some Vale, but I was yearning (yes, yearning) to see the righteous win that I know he is capable of. As far as the podium line-up for Misano.... Rossi, Lorenzo, Elias, respectively.... that was not at all what I would have expected. We'll call it a pleasant surprise and look forward to Indianapolis. I have to mention that I was watching the race with a fellow sportbike enthusiast who is relatively new to the MotoGP experience. As the track was heating up, and the bikes were getting a little squirrely, he said "someone's going down".... I laughed, and replied... "no, if anyone is going down, it would be Ra....." and there went DeP skittering off the track. Randy, dammit..... I'm still a huge fan :)

Ohhhh, Indianapolis. A race that I would have given my left ________ (insert name of pertinent appendage, digit, or "other" part, here) to go and see in person. No worries, it's a race in the states, much like Laguna, only better, as it was the premier race for this particular track. The coverage should be no less than phenomenal. As I cruised through the SpeedTV line-up first thing Sunday morning to get the exact time of the airing of the festivities (you know, to be sure the beer was at the perfect temperature for MotoGP viewing) I was stunned, no, taken aback, NO, furious to see that the only race to be shown was the 250 class.... shades of Brno and the finger of shame. The disappointment was palpable.

I went on about my business, stopping every once in a while to open the fridge and give a short, but poignant, pep-talk to my faithful beers that were perfectly chilled and ready to give their all for the good of the regime. A few hours later, I happened to be scrolling through the menu on the up-until-this-moment-worthless TV and caught a glimpse of "MotoGP rac....". What????? It was on the local NBC channel. JOY!!

The beers fulfilled their destiny, and I mine, all within the hour between 2 and 3 PM on that glorious Sunday afternoon.

It was a good race. I was a little disappointed that it was run in wet conditions, but I was fully prepared to take what I could get... and so I did. Rossi pulled off a magnificent win, 7 laps short, but nonetheless magnificent. Nicky.... congratulations to you for your first podium spot of 2008. The wet and windy conditions added some excitement. And I have to mention that Randy.... yes Randy... Randy DePuniet... yea, that guy... stayed up on two during the entire event!! Sure Randy, perfect track conditions and you duff.... send a hurricane through and you make it through just fine. Maybe the man feeds on pressure and adversity?

So, on to the reason I am actually posting right now (i.e. crawling out of the woodwork).... I just caught wind that Nicky has signed with Ducati for 2009. I did NOT see that one coming. There was nothing but polite praise and best wishes from all. Honda asserted that Nicky could not get a handle on the new 800cc machine and would surely benefit from the larger, more liter-like Ducati. So it will be Nick and Casey next year, jockeying the big, red bullets around the fastest tracks in the world. Marco Milandri will be stepping out of the Ducati camp to make room for Nick... I wonder who, if anyone, he will sign with??

I am not going to post the results of Indianapolis here this time around, but I will update the schedule and post them where they should rightfully be, in the near future. I will tell you it went Rossi, Hayden, Lorenzo on the podium, and I will also throw in my opinion on the announcers. Schwantz.. I love ya! You are definitely qualified to be out there calling the shots, but seriously, can we import the Brits for the next US race?? They are a lot more knowledgeable of the MotoGP circuit and 10 times more entertaining to listen to....

That will be all :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

MotoGP results for Brno

2008-08-17T10:16:00.002-04:00

Once again, I wag my finger of shame at SpeedTV. It appears that they are not airing the Brno race.... at least not for the premier class. Nay, the 250cc riders will get some air time at 2 this afternoon.... but what of the kings?

Race reports, still shots and podium results revealed an interesting race. Rossi pulled out the win.... however it was once again attributed to Casey Stoner's misfortune. Stoner, who started from the pole position, crashed on the 6th lap. He was enjoying a comfortable 1.5 second lead over Rossi and the rest of the bullet herd when he lost his front end in a corner and low-sided.... unrecoverable (thank you Captain Obvious). Rossi maintained his lead after the crash and crossed the line first, extending his overall point lead to 50.

A surprising finish for Toni Elias riding for Ducati who landed a podium finish. After starting THIRTEENTH, he walked away with the silver. Very nice.

Completing the trio of excellence was Loris Capirossi, riding for Rizla Suzuki. This was the maiden voyage for Capirex and his fresh, newly-updated GSV-R. Apparently the updated version worked well for him. With his new chassis and completely different weight distribution, he began his journey to the podium from the end of the third row after an unspectacular qualifying round. Welcome back to the podium Loris.... we missed you! By the way, this was Loris's 276th MotoGP event.... sweet Jesus old man!!! You've still got it :)

Shinya Nakano landed in fourth..... the top finisher for the Honda paddock. Dani struggled to pull out a 15th place finish, and Nicky wasn't even on the roster for this race due to a foot injury sustained at the X Games Supermoto event on August 2nd.

Okay, feast your eyes on the results from the GP at Brno.... it's time for me to run along and see what kind of debauchery I can drum up :)

Position	Rider	Manufacturer
1	Rossi	Yamaha
2	Elias	Ducati
3	Capirossi	Suzuki
4	Nakano	Honda
5	West	Kawasaki
6	Vermeulen	Suzuki
7	Melandri	Ducati
8	de Angelis	Honda
9	Dovizioso	Honda
10	Lorenzo	Yamaha
11	Hopkins	Kawasaki
12	Guintoli	Ducati
13	Toseland	Yamaha
14	Edwards	Yamaha
15	Pedrosa	Honda
16	de Puniet	Kawasaki

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Divisionals, Deal's Gap and one dead Moose

2007-05-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

The trip to Virginia for the SCCA Divisionals was a complete success. Brother Ed and I each brought home first place wins on both Saturday and Sunday for Team W.A.R.P. Speed.

As soon as we evacuated Danville, and brought Edder back to SC, Mark and I headed for Tennessee with the rockets to experience the legend that is Deal's Gap. Nobody could have prepared us for what we experienced up there. We've heard stories, and seen pictures and videos, but they just don't do it justice. It's definitely something every rider should do at least once. We had trouble stopping at once..... we managed to get in six runs at the Dragon's Tail.... each one a little faster than the last. We swapped out the Busa and the CBR so that each of us could experience the heft of the pig, and the flickability of the agile RR. There weren't many Busas attempting to "slay the dragon" while we were there. It's apparent why....now ;)

I wrestled the Zuki over the mountain on day one. I was fairly comfortable with what it had to offer and how it handled, so I was bitch slapping the twisties in no time. I was thankful for my mirrored shield.... the photographer was unable to capture the retarded ear-to-ear grin (and the occassional flicker of sheer terror) that I wore through all 318 turns. Below is a photo that was snapped of Mark and I at the bottom of the mountain after our first run.

Contrary to the photographic evidence, we were very happy at the time. The detached expressions on our faces were due to the fact that we were still taking a mental inventory of our appendages and digits, as well as utter disbelief that the bikes were still in one piece.

We spent the night in a cottage at the Tapoco Lodge in Robbinsville, NC, which is perfectly situated at the beginning of the Dragon's Tail. Beautiful scenery, local wildlife and the tranquil sounds of waterfalls kept us company during the evening hours as we sat on the front porch of the cottage and relived the excitement of the day.

There was nothing to distract us from the pristine beauty of our remote location..... and I do mean NOTHING. No cell phone service, no land-line and no TV. We barely even noticed the lack of technology though.... a few tasty adult beverages, good conversation, and a lot of laughs.... once the adrenaline wore off, we slipped into our respective comas, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again.

Most of the conversation that first night consisted of Mark trying to convince me to ride the CBR the next day. I was reluctant. The Busa and I had gotten along so well, I didn't want to salt my own game...... muck up my mojo... if you will. Eventually, I gave in... and damn am I glad I did!! It took a few turns to get adjusted to the Honda, but once I did, there was no turning back. Needless to say, I bogarted the RR for the rest of the trip :)

The next night we managed to snag a room at the Tail of the Dragon Resort. Still no TV or phone service, but the atmosphere was fantastic... nothing but bikes and riders.... bar-b-que... beer and good times. We hated to leave.... so much so that we have already planned a return trip the beginning of June :)

Mark was so impressed with the handling of the RR, and frustrated with the fact that I refused to give it up, that he went out and purchased a rocket to add to the paddock upon our return. The next trip to the Dragon's Tail will be made with the '07 1000RR and a brilliant new 2007 Yamaha R1..... what a way to break in a new bullet!

This will do it for me for now. As I type this, Pops and Mark are attempting to extract the now-blown engine of the Moose. This terrible tragedy occured last Saturday during an NCCC race at Reynolds Industrial Park in Green Cove Springs. Pops was piloting the Moose when the engine detonated.

I would have been present for the race had I not been hunting parts for the bike. Apparently I can maintain my composure and keep the RR upright through the 318 turns of the dragon, SIX TIMES, but when it comes to backing out of Sue and Steve's driveway..... not so much. Dragon Slayer I am.... Driveway Slayer.... I am not.

So, as they complete the surgery on the Moose, I will be strapping the pretty new CRG shortys on the black beast. I think it's time for a tasty adult beverage, as I leave you with these parting shots of the flurry of activity going on behind me at MO headquarters......

Almost Clear

4 hours , 75 pounds of cat litter and countless beers later... it hangs there.... like so much CARcass :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

2007-05-02T11:38:00.001-04:00

Okay, I did say several months ago that if I had gotten slack with the posts again, I was fired. Well, I got slack..... REALLY slack, but I am not ready to fire me yet. I have a good excuse or four.

The new season of MotoGP is well underway. Although I have not been posting results, or updating rider profiles, or blabbering on about the races, I have indeed been watching them. I choose to call this "behind the scenes participation"...... cause it makes me feel better about me :)

Now for the excuses.... first, there's the move. Yes, MO has moved into new headquarters. We're not 100% moved YET, but the computer is functional, and the bikes and cars are here.... what else do we need?? Here's where I boast of the new toy. She's pretty, and she's fast, and she's black, and she's shiney.... mmmm hmmmmm

Mark and I will be hauling the new black bullet, along with one of the Busas,

up to Virginia this weekend to compete in the Divisionals in Danville... which brings me to my next excuse for my slack-ass-ed-ness..... my racing schedule. It has been rather hectic thus far this year. Not only am I attending the divisional and national events with the Moose, but I have also been lucky enough to snag a ride sponsored, owned and provided by none other than Mark (mmm hmmm it's ALL good!)

As for my final excuse, which subtly ties in with the rest of the crap..... Mark and I have been doing a lot of traveling in the last few months. Last month we took 8 (ish) days and drove down to Key West with the two Busas in-tow, by way of Ponte Vedra and Stuart, FL. We stayed in the Keys for a few days, and came back up north by way of Naples for a night and then Tarpon Springs, FL (for a little longer stay than we had originally planned). Last weekend, we straddled the RR and the Busa and took off for Leesburg, FL with Sue and Steve, for the bike festival down there. We arrived back here Sunday night, just in time to pack for 6 days in SC/VA beginning tomorrow morning.

SO.. there will be no updates this weekend... but, I promise I will be more vigilant in the future :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Qatar Spoiler

2007-03-10T11:42:00.001-05:00

Once again, the fastest men on two wheels have provided 45 minutes of heart-pounding, twitch-inducing entertainment. Here's your spoiler.... Casey Stoner clinched his first ever MotoGP win on his fresh Ducati rocket. Casey was SOLID throughout the entire race. It was a righteous win, a perfect win, ultimately..... a fair win. Vale took the lead several times, only to be overcome (every time) by the raw power of Stoner's Ducati on the long straight to the finish. In the end, the former World Champ just couldn't pull it out.

Our reigning World Champ, Mr. "Number's Don't L1e" himself, finished toward the back half of the pack in 8th. I don't enjoy seeing someone get their own ass handed to them like that. I couldn't help but feel bad for the young pig farmer. I have nothing personal against Nicky.... really I don't. I'm glad he got to experience the thrill of winning such a prestigious title, even though I strongly feel that he won it by default. I would be the first to say congratulations if I met him face to face. But his fans..... yes, his obnoxious, overbearing fans..... have totally turned me off to him. They have managed to bring a tast of NASCRAP to MotoGP. Apparently there's a law against being a respectful supporter of The Kentucky Kid... instead you must don your wife-beater, crack open a can of Bud and verbally bitch slap anyone who doesn't think Hayden is God.

I digress...

Rizla made a fine showing this morning, with the injured Hopper putting up an excellent fight to land him just off the podium in the 4th place spot.... right behind Dani Pedrosa. The victims of today's race.....Loris Capirossi, Randy DePuniet (dammit Randy!!!) and Carlos Checa, all skittered off the track (on seperate occassions) about mid-way through. Andrew Pitt suffered from mechanical failure on his Ilmor bullet and didn't finish the race.. his teammate, Jeremy McWilliams, wasn't healed up enough from his qualifying crash to start today.

It was indeed an exciting way to kick off the 2007 season. 1 race down, 17 to go!! I wonder what Yamaha's answer to the fierce power of Ducati is going to be? They had better strengthen their pimp hand and smack down some more grunt. If today's race was any indication of the way Casey and his Duc are going to perform on a regular basis, Rossi might just have his hands full!!

Here's the official results of todays race:

Position	Rider	Manufacturer
1	Stoner	Ducati
2	Rossi	Yamaha
3	Pedrosa	Honda
4	Hopkins	Suzuki
5	Melandri	Honda
6	Edwards	Yamaha
7	Vermeulen	Suzuki
8	Hayden	Honda
9	Barros	Ducati
10	Nakano	Honda
11	Hofmann	Ducati
12	Jacque	Kawasaki
13	Roberts, Jr	KR212V
14	Elias	Honda
15	Guintoli	Yamaha
16	Tamada	Honda

Practices for the next race will begin in just under two weeks on March 23rd in Jerez, with the live coverage of the race (on MotoGP.com) beginning at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning (EST). FRICKIN YIPPEE!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

QP results from Qatar

2007-03-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

The 2007 season has FINALLY begun. The boys completed their practices over the past couple of days, and dropped the hammer in qualifying this morning. Rossi, in his irreverent Rossi style, took pole (was there ever any doubt?). He sported a furry 46 on his leathers for the premier event, stating that he had managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat in '04 and '05 to clinch the championship, but the rabbit had died in '06. The rabbit-fur covered 46 was in memory of the aforementioned hat-rabbit.

Rounding out the top three for this weekend's race is Casey Stoner in position #2 (didn't see THAT coming) and Collin Edwards at #3 (Go!!!!!! Yamaha). Toni Elias rolled in to claim position #4 on the grid, followed by Dani Pedrosa, John Hopkins, Loris Capirossi, RANDY DePUNIET!!!, Nicky Hayden and Marco Melandri to seal the top ten.

The race kicks off at 7:00 a.m. our time tomorrow morning, available live online at MotoGP.com, or, if you can wait for it, it will be televised on SpeedTV Sunday night at 6. I personally can't wait for SpeedTV to air it, so I will be here, like a moron at 7 tomorrow morning to catch it live :) If you want a spoiler, check back after the race.... if not, stay away until after Sunday night.

Jeremy McWilliams, who rides for the virgin Ilmor team, suffered another crash in today's QP. There was a concern that he had re-injured himself (re: the crash during winter testing) but X-rays confirmed "no break", so he will grid-up as planned for tomorrow's race.

Okay, I'm off to participate in whatever debauchery I may find for the weekend :) Damn, I love me some debauchery!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

So close I can taste it!

2007-02-28T11:49:00.000-05:00

March 10 is right around the corner (Happy Birthday Spaz!!!!) and so will begin the 2007 season for the boys of MotoGP. The camps have been busy running tests over the past few weeks, dialing in their new 800cc rockets. Casey Stoner binned one of the shiny new Ducs last week in Jerez (who's surprised??). He suffered a concussion which resulted in some blurred vision in his left eye, but after a visit to the local hospital and a subsequent MRI, he was released with a clean bill of health. He chalked it up to "tyre" discrepancies (that one's for you Mikey!). Rossi walked away with the Beemer :)

Most of the teams have unveiled their '07 liveries, with the exception of Yamaha, who ran the factory colors this past weekend to honor Yamaha and the crew for all of their hard work. I don't buy it.... they are working the suspense angle!! The unveiling of the '07 Yamaha bullets will take place on March 5th, just 5 days before the season opener. I have my money on Fiat as the team sponsor.

Ducati clearly dominated the boards this weekend. Dani "Pudrosa" was firmly in the mix atop his snub-tailed Honda, rolling in with the fastest non-Ducati time (2nd, 2nd, 4th , 6th and 3rd respectively). All of the Ducs present held top-ten times all weekend. It's been rumored that Honda is running special "power-up" parts on the RC212V's, but judging by the times of the reigning "world champ", the Hayden who is knownst as Nicky (19th, 9th, 8th, 11th and 6th) , me thinks this is not the case. Unless, of course, Honda really has strapped him with the lesser bike in order to groom "The Pud" for a championship. "The Numbers Don't L1e" do they Nick???

Okay, on to the visual portion of my post... first up, a few pictures of the Yams. These are the "commemorative" colors that flew in Jerez this past weekend:

Kenny Roberts, Jr. on his freshly clad rocket:

Nicky Hayden:

Marco Melandri and Toni Elias of the HANNspree Honda paddock (Gresini)

Randy DePuniet (YAY!!)

Olivier Jaque :

Alex Barros (Pramac d'Antin Ducati):

Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki):

Dani "Pudrosa":

On a personal note, I will be traveling to Daytona this weekend to support my good friend Mike Haile (on his trusty Kaw) who will be competing Friday, Saturday and Sunday (March 2nd-4th). Also, my buddy Jeff from Colorado, will arrive in Daytona the evening of the 5th with Jessica (Jessica Zalusky - Pro AMA #172... www.roadracinggirl.com) to kick off her 2007 season, riding for Kawasaki as well. I expect to see all of you there!!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to promote the efforts of my good friend Jim (Jimmy with the bad ass bikes!), who is participating in the 2007 Racing To Save Lives charity event that will be held in Utah, May 3rd-the 6th. This event is a 4 day showcase of motorcycle road racing, which raises money for children’s' charities. Local and national competitors will ride from sunup to sundown for 4 full days.

His goal is to raise over $ 2500.00 for the various charities. Contributions of $50 or more are tax-deductible, and Racing 2 Save Lives is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. At the conclusion of the event, you will receive a receipt via postal mail for any donations of $50 or more. If you can’t give $50, he'll take contributions for as little as $5 or $10, every little bit helps. If you are in a position to support the effort (and I KNOW you are), please make it happen!! I did :)

Alright, that will do it for me... it's time to lighten the load on the Smirnoff "jug", it's lookin' a little too full.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Test Pilot

2007-02-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

The world of MotoGP is slow to return since testing has resumed. Not much new and exciting. Phillip's Island was inconsequential as a couple of the key teams did not attend the session.... hence Honda's domination.

I have been taking supreme advantage of my "down time" for the past few weeks. The SV has undergone a few upgrades, and is poised for several more. It has officailly been dubbed the one and only SV1000R in all the land. That's right, the spec sheet on the beast includes a fully integrated exhaust system that will entertain a 3 or 4 bolt flange. She now runs with a couple of Two Brothers cans strapped to her. How you ask? Well, that's a secret, but I can tell you this.. it involves one Mark, one Spazgyver, a welding machine and a grinder...... and, of course, none of it would have been possible without one Steve.

I had a chance to play test pilot over the past few weeks to a couple of different bikes. First up was a 1999 Suzuki TL1000R (Thanks Spaz!!!!). Although the TL and the SV are basically the same machine on paper, I found that this is not so much so on the asphalt. The TL packs a little more punch when you get down to the nitty-gritty. A beefy machine indeed! On the straight, it tends to be a little light in the front end.... all good for a power wheelie (the hottest of the hot!), but the corners are a different story. The SV sticks solid during hard cornering.... get in right, set your lean and throttle out... she'll stick. The TL...... spot your line, set it up, throttle out.... she'll row like an Ivy League team after the gold medal. As long as you know it's coming, it's all good.... loosen up and ride it out. If you are not aware of the "special characteristics" (Have you seen my wiener??), it can surely take you by surprise. All-in-all, though, a fun bike with some interesting quirks.

Round 2....

the 2005 GSX-R1000. Sweet Jesus! First of all, thank you Steve for letting me ride that beast (sorry about the spot on your seat!). We'll address the down-side first... the right peg and I didn't agree. I had to be conscious of my position 100% of the time in order to stay on the ball of my foot and not let it slip back. Other than that.... it was indeed "all that (and the gratuitous bag of chips)". You would be hard-pressed to pry the smile off my face while I was riding it. Light, agile, flickable, and TIGHTLY WOUND.... no matter what I asked of it, it wanted more. The last I looked at the speed-o, we registered 165, and it was still pulling.... still pulling!!! Granted, I consider myself a rookie when it comes to top end. The SV and I visited 155, and it whined and cried as it tapped out. The Gixxer? At a buck 65, it giggled like a school girl in health class. The shifts are smooth as silk.... no effort, two fingers and a tap and you're in. I was, in a word, impressed.... too impressed.

I have been a die-hard Yamaha fan for as long as I can remember. I have said I would not rest until I was straddling an R1... I can only hope that the test drive goes half as well as the GSXR's did. I am notorious for sticking to my guns.... loyal to a fault (if you will), but my head has been turned and it's going to take one hell of a ride to change my mind at this point :)

GAME ON!!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Fodder

2007-01-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

The testing ban has been lifted.... YAY!! All of the MotoGP teams, except for Ilmor, will be back on track Monday to continue smacking around the new herd of 800's. Ilmor will not take part in the first session in Jerez, nor will they be present for the second session in Phillips Island. They will patiently wait for Jeremy McWilliams to heal 100% before they continue with testing. As for the rest of the teams.... GAME ON!!

In recent news, Casey Stoner got hitched. Yea, I didn't think it was legal for 12 year olds to get married either.... but as it turns out, he's of-age, as is his new bride, Adriana. All the best to you kids :)

YAMAHA!!!! When are you going to announce a sponsor?? They have signed on for the 2007 season as Factory Yamaha naming no official sponsor. It's very possible they will self-sponsor... but why? Telefonica (Movistar) will not sponsor Renault in F1 in '07. It just makes sense that they would come back to MotoGP. I have also heard rumors or Fiat throwing their wallet into the ring. It's all interesting, but I am growing tired of it. I suppose we will all find out soon enough.... patience is a virtue (poppycock!!!).

Ducati unveiled the new bullet. It is indeed stunning ....

Team KR also revealed Kenny Jr's ride for 2007. The KR212V....

And I am sure you have all seen the new Ilmor X3, but I thought I should plaster it on here anyway.....

I am excited to see the new livery this year..... if March 10th will ever get here!

That's about all that's new-ish on the MotoGP stage. Since things are beginning to crank back up, I am sure that I will have some more fodder soon.....

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Gresini signs sponsor and Rossi just rocks!

2006-12-09T12:11:00.000-05:00

The news surfaced several weeks ago that Gresini Honda and Fortuna had parted ways, as well as Camel and Yamaha. Gresini has secured a sponsor for the 2007 season, Marco and Toni will be piloting rockets supported by HANNspree, a Taiwanese company that produces TV's and LCD monitors.

With that mystery solved, attentions are turned toward Yamaha in anticipation of their new sponsor announcement. Rumors are still spinning that it will be Telefonica.... that would be more than acceptable. I heard a horrible rumor circulating about McDonalds..... sweet fancy Moses NOOOOO!!! If that's true, someone needs to sink that boat and fast. Keep your little nuggets on the NASCRAP track Mickey D's.... don't cheapen our circuits with your image. I don't want to see Valentino jockeying a McRib around Estoril.

I'm sure most of you have seen the new graphics on Rossi's test bike and helmet by now, but I have to mention them.

It is indeed King Arthur's Excalibur.... with the Yamaha forks on the handle (ahhhh, the perfect touch!). Once again, Vale shows his sublime sense of class and humor without having to say a word. We all know the story of Excalibur.... the sword, the stone, only the REAL king can possess it.... NICE!! Aaaaaand, just to solidify my earlier point-of-view, Excalibur can not, in any way, be incorporated with anything remotely associated with a Mc-Frickin-Muffin. I digress, Valentino said that the sword just represented that he was going to do his very best during the winter testing sessions. That's a very humble way to side-step the nutmeat of the gesture. Me thinks it's aimed directly at the Farmboy..... watch out Nick!!!

Nicky, by the way, is recovering from a successful surgery on his shoulder and should be back up on two by the time the testing ban is lifted in January.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Testing concludes in Jerez

2006-12-04T12:15:00.001-05:00

The fastest men on two wheels have concluded their last round of testing in Jerez before the ban. All of the teams seem to be very pleased with the way things are looking for the 2007 season. Dani Pedrosa put down the fastest lap in the final round, followed closely by Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri. Blazing into the 4th and 5th place positions were the Suzuki boys, Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins, respectively. Suzuki has made a FINE showing since testing began, surprising not only most of the MotoGP fans, but themselves as well. I am counting down the days with exhuberant anticipation until the 2007 season finally kicks off on March 10th.... It's just too damn far away :(

Jeremy McWilliams, one of Ilmor's test riders went down hard this weekend. Although he only refers to it as "taking a bit of a tumble" he will require surgery to repair his broken bones, which include a collar bone, a fractured femur, and a finger (which he will lose part of.... but says that it's been broken before and didn't really do him much good anyway... no love lost there huh Jeremy??)

Nicky Hayden didn't participate in the last round of testing. He is at home awaiting surgery for an injury to his shoulder that he sustained in the infamous Estoril crash. Dani represented the team well in his absence though as he brought Honda home on top of the time board..... good on ya Midget :)

There's not much more going on in the world of MotoGP, or the world of Motorcycle Obsession. It's been eerily quiet around here. It's a crappy, rainy Saturday afternoon and Sue's Busa, Spaz's TL and Ducati Mike's Duc are all in the patient ward at Mitch's shop awaiting repairs/upgrades so there will be no riding this weekend anyway. I am getting ready to suit-up and take the SV over to Spaz's house to see what kind of obnoxious sound we can get out of the factory cans... JOY!!!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Nicky's broken :(

2006-11-22T12:18:00.001-05:00

Early last week it was reported by a not-so-dependable news outlet that Nicky Hayden had suffered a shoulder injury during his tangle with teammate Dani Pedrosa in Estoril. I was intrigued by this news, but I was waiting for a more solid source to report on it as I am not one to pass on "tabloid" fodder. It has become official over the course of the week... trickling out slowly from the recesses of the MotoGP news vaults. Nicky did indeed sustain an injury in the crash in Estoril.... a shoulder fracture. He kept it on the "down-low" (if you will) so as not to hand Rossi any more of a psychological advantage than he already had leading up to Valencia. Props to you Nick! He went in with his "All In" poker hand represented on his bike and the mental attitude of "Crash or Win".... no excuses. I must say I have gained some respect for The Kentucky Kid in light of this news. In all fairness though, none of us know what would have happened if Rossi hadn't crashed. Did anyone check Nicky's leathers before the race to see if he had a banner tucked in there prepared to be unfurled at the finish had he not won? Something along the lines of "I am riding injured somebody hug me". Me thinks the news would have been shouted from the rooftops during the post-race interview had the victory escaped him. Alas, this is merely speculation. Nick will miss the final testing session in Jerez, and fly home to have the injury assessed by a doctor and possibly schedule surgery.

The 800cc testing is going well. Suzuki, to everyone's surprise, has found a lovely spot at the top of the time-boards. It looks like they may have gotten it right this time around. Ironically, Honda .... (yes, the same Honda who proclaimed that, in the interest of safety, the machines should be slashed down to 800cc) is struggling a bit with their set-up. Nicky has been quoted as saying the bikes "need more power". Maybe so, but Suzuki has managed to find themselves a second quicker than the track record, set by Loris Capirossi on the liter-class Ducati, in Sepang. There is still much more testing to do before the season cranks up for 2007.... then the tale will be told ;)

Valentino Rossi has been droppin' the proverbial hammer as a contestant in the WRC (World Rally Championships). He finished an extremely respectable 11th in his privately entered '05 Spec Impreza in NZ. Seriously.... where does the coolness end with this guy? He was considering a switch to F1 for 2006 (which never happened... but he still got out there and drove the thing like it was his duty to God and country) and now he's dabbling in the world of rally racing to gauge it as a possible post-MotoGP profession. *** Post MotoGP*** Translation.... after he tires of being THE fastest man on two wheels. I heart me some Valentino Rossi.... he does NOT lack awesome.... and he accomplishes all of this while being at least one nugget short of a Happy Meal.

Tech 3 Yamaha's new edition, Sylvain Guintoli, has managed to injure himself during a tire-testing run on one of the 990cc M1's. They were wet-weather testing and Guintoli was "kicked off" after a sudden loss of rear grip at nearly 145 MPH. He fractured his bone of the collar variety in the accident, but sources say it does not require surgery, and he should be fully recovered in 6 weeks.... ready to get back to testing after the ban is lifted in January.

That's about all I have in me for today.....

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Fare thee well Sete

2006-11-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

Fare thee well Sete

Well, I have said it before, and there's no denying the truth behind it... "all good things must come to an end. " Sete Gibernau officialy announced his retirement this morning at a press conference that he called a few days ago. I hate to see him go, but after hearing what he had to say, I will agree that it's for the best.

“I am not enjoying my racing any more and I do not want to keep going just for the sake of money.”

That's it right there... he's not enjoying it anymore. Yes, he's had a fantastic career... he was a formidable presence on the track and basked in the glory of many wins. He doesn't enjoy it anymore. It's become a "job" to him. It's time to get out.

I can relate to his feelings 100%. The moment you realize that your passion has turned into a laborious task is a sickening one. No one pours every ounce of heart into a "job" unless they are passionate about what they do and are lucky enough to be paid to do it. Although that would technically deem it a "job"... it's really not..... until you stop enjoying it. When that happens, you stop putting 100% of yourself into it and it's time to walk away. In Sete's case, ripping down the front straight at 200 mph and tipping into corners at a blinding pace while dodging 20 other riders doing the same thing, is not something that should(or can) be done with half a heart. There is a VAST difference between riding to win and riding to survive and I give Gibbers "mad props" for recognizing this and bowing out now. He did the right thing.

Granted, he wasn't offered a ride this year after Ducati replaced him with Casey Stoner, but if he still had that passion to ride he would have found a way to stay in the mix.

Godspeed Sete! Enjoy your retirement.... you earned it! I thank you for the years of stellar entertainment that you provided and I wish you nothing but the best in life wherever it may take you next.

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Back to the Drawing Board

2006-11-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

For many years, I have claimed to be an "artist" in my spare time. It's something I found at a young age that filled a certain void, burned up some time and allowed me to escape everyday life for a few hours here and there. Last year, I was introduced to doing portraits of bikes on the track through Scott, an amazing man (who happened to take equally amazing pictures). Scott raced... Scott LOVED to race.... Scott LIVED to race.... and race he did! So, as his birthday rolled around last October, on the same weekend he was racing at Daytona, I thought he might very much like a portrait of himself on his rocket as a gift. It was my first attempt at such a portrait, and Scott lit up when I gave it to him.... mission accomplished :) Happy birthday Scotty!

After that portrait was done, I wanted to do another, so we poured through many many pictures until we found one we could both agree on.... Nicky Hayden in the '05 American GP at Laguna Seca.....

The Nicky portrait did well in the public marketplace. I turned it into a limited edition of 50 prints, and sold quite a few before I pulled them off the market. So, in continuing with the Repsol theme, I did one of Max Biaggi to follow it up.....

Scott didn't agree with the Max choice... mostly for the fact that he didn't have much of a following. He was right.... the portrait didn't do so well in the marketplace. So, the next one was Mr. Mac's choice. He suggested Rossi, and had some fantastic pictures of him from Laguna on the 50th Anniversary Yamaha... and so the work began. I got the portrait sketched out and "approved" by Scott ;)

It wouldn't fit on my scanner bed, but you get the idea. I was working on this picture on January 7th of this year (while recovering from minor cancer surgery.. in a pleasant pain-pill induced fog) when I got the most horrible news of my life. Scott had been killed in a tragic accident while working at his job as a motorcycle escort....

I put my pencils down, closed the pad and walked away from it..... I actually walked away from reality that day too, and it took me a while to find my way back.

I didn't pick it up again. I didn't want to. I couldn't even look at it again until July.... and that's all I did, looked at it and put it away.

This morning it hit me. I don't know what it was exactly, but all I wanted to do was flop on the couch, break out all of my art crap and work on Rossi's portrait. It had been ten months (to the day) since I had held a pencil. I had honestly thought I would never put pencil to paper again.. I just didn't care about it anymore. So, when I felt so strongly compelled to draw today, I was not going to ignore it.

I picked up right where I left off in January. It was a personal victory for me, hence the reminiscent content of this entry.

Anyway, here is what I accomplished today, and I will scan in and update from time to time as I get more done..... in between the REAL entries ( I promise, no more of this personal triumph garbble :) )

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Sponsors and such

2006-11-06T12:31:00.001-05:00

We established in the November 3rd post, most of the teams have confirmed rider appointments for the 2007 season of MotoGP. There are a couple of undecideds still floating around, but I am confident all i's will be dotted and t's crossed before too long. Team Roberts may take on a second rider next year. It's not officially confirmed, but there are rumors (wink, wink). Sete still hasn't signed with anyone as far as I know. This still saddens me, and will continue to do so unless someone picks him up. I don't want to see retirement looming for the Gibbers, but I understand that all good things must come to an end. Still, a shot at ending his career on a higher note would be well-warranted for Sete.

Gresini Honda has cut Fortuna loose from their sponsorship agreement for 2007. The only speculation I have heard thus far is the possibility of Telefonica returning to the MotoGP scene and picking up where they left off. Telefonica (Movistar) withdrew from MotoGP last year after Dani Pedrosa signed with HRC and Repsol refused the request to share sponsorship. They took their money and turned their attentions toward F1 and Alonso. Alonso is going to McLaren next year who is sponsored by Vodafone, thereby leaving Telefonica out in the cold... With Gresini sponsorless at the moment it is certainly possible..... nay, probable, that Telefonica will make nice-nice with the MotoGP kingdom and pick up a team.

Yamaha chose not to renew their contract with Camel in 2007. Rumors abound as to who might sponsor Vale and Colin. It's not likely that Telefonica would bid to sponsor them, however Gauloises might be poised for a return.

I find it quite ironic that many of the major sponsors of our beloved MotoGP teams are well recognized members of the tobacco industry. The rules are changing in many countries as to the advertising of tobacco products, prohibiting the companies from displaying their names on the bikes for the public to see.... yet they continue to sink gobs of money into these teams. The advertising restrictions are silly... mmmm hmmm.. just silly. Just because they remove the actual words from the bikes doesn't mean we (the public) suddenly become ignorant as to who is sponsoring the riders or from what industry they hail.... after all, the color schemes and logos don't change... they are merely blank. I just don't get it.... but it's not for me to get, so I digress......

As I was wading through the sea of past, present and future sponsors, I realized that many of the logos and names were very familiar after seeing them on countless bikes through countless races, but I was unaware of what a few of these sponsors actually represented in the real world. So, off on my little tangent I went, to read up on the sponsors and gain a grasp on what they contribute to society. Then I decided it might be fun and even mildly educational (don't panic) to post my findings right here. Mind you, I have included some obvious sponsors, as well as a few of those that were not so obvious to me... it is a sparse list that represents only a handful of sponsors. I did not run-down every last one....that would be a daunting task and one that I am not willing to take on for the sake of useless trivia. Some of you may grow tired of this little adventure as you may well know the societal impact of the entire expanse of sponsors.... you are now excused.

	A familiar sight on those big Ducs, Alice is the name of a Telecom Italia communications package
	Also spied on the shiny fairings of the Ducs, but more prevalent on the Pramac d'Antin sponsored rides. This logo belongs to BNL, or, Banca Nazionale de Lavoro.... the banking industry (appropriate!)
	Ding ding ding! Here's a familiar sight. Although the Camel contract will not be renewed with Yamaha for 2007.... I thought they deserved mention.
	You can find Elf, a member of the lubricants industry displayed on the bikes in the Kawasaki Racing Team paddock (Yay! Randy)
	Another sponsor that has not been renewed for the 2007 season, Fortuna of the tobacco industry will not be backing the boys of Gresini Honda next year.
	A fine representative of the lubricant industry.... and fun to say!
	The familiar blue check plastered all over the likes of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa belongs to none other than Gas, a representative of the clothing industry
	Although not active in 2006, this familiar logo is the trademark of yet another member of the tobacco industry. Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau are a couple of the riders that have straddled their logo on the track. They are rumored to be making a return to MotoGP for 2007.
	Here's one that you'll see smacked across the face of Rossi's helmet and sewn onto his leathers. KeraKoll has taken quite an interest in The Doctor. They manufacture modern construction chemicals.
	You may have seen this logo tagging along on Melandri's bike this season. It belongs to Valsir which deals in waste and water supply systems.
	Also rumored to be making a comeback to MotoGP in 2007.... who will they sponsor?? Telefonica Movistar (the official sponsor name...sometimes seen seperately, but they are the same company) is a Spanish telecommunications giant.
	Proud sponsor of Ducati as well as one of the most recognized names in that big, controversial tobacco industry. Set to be sponsoring Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner in 2007
	The Pramac Group... recognizeable in the sponsorship of Ducati through Pramac d'Antin. They are makers of generators and handling systems (i.e. forklifts, etc.)
	If you have watched one MotoGP race, you are familiar with this logo. Repsol Lubricants proudly sponsors Honda riders Daniel Pedrosa and the 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden
	The company for which Suzuk riders Chris Vermeulen and John Hopkins can thank concerning not only their opportunity to pilot some of the top bikes in the world, but also that obnoxious blue color scheme. Rizla manufactures rolling papers... ummm... for cigarettes, of course
	Breil, a maker of fine watches can be found prominently displayed on a Duc here and a Duc there.

So, there you have it.... the results of my weak look into just a few of the companies that help make MotoGP happen. I have succeeded in boring myself at this point, so it is well past time for me to move on to another project. I am off to stalk the various forums and racing news sites until I can gather up enough new information to warrant another round of incessant yammering :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Who's riding what for 2007?

2006-11-03T12:38:00.000-05:00

Nicky Hayden walked away from Valencia with the coveted title of 2006 World Champion last weekend. We all watched as his cup runneth over with excitement as he rolled across the finish line and solidified his victory. Would things have played out the same if Valentino hadn't crashed? Many think not it seems... including Nick. He was interviewed incessantly in the days following the final race of 2006, and although most of his comments were wrapped in confidence and tied with a ribbon of merit, he made mention of the fact that he believed Rossi was angry over the outcome of the championship as well as his (Nicky's) feeling that he had taken something that didn't belong to him. The latter comments were followed up by the vow to ride harder next year and repeat his win.... to prove that he is indeed deserving of his title. The buzz around MO headquarters following Hayden's victory was speculation as to whether or not he would run the #1 plate next season, or stick with that old familiar 69 that we all know so well. I saw a snapshot from the 800cc testing following the Valencia race, and he had the big numero uno strapped to the front of his rocket for all the world to see. So, I guess that's that :)

2007 will bring us new bikes in the premier class, a new defending champion, an extra race added to the schedule (YAY!) , a new team (Ilmor), several new riders, the axing of a legend, and an exhausting game of sign-my-contract. Some of the teams have already signed their rocket jockeys for next year, and some are as-of-yet undecided. Of those that have riders in place, only a few have stayed the same. Here are the team line-ups as reported by MotoGP.com:

Camel Yamaha: Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards

Repsol Honda: Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa

Ducati Marlboro: Loris Capirossi and Casey Stoner

Gresini Honda (Fortuna): Marco Melandri and Toni Elias

Kawasaki Racing: Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque

LCR Honda: Carlos Checa

Rizla Suzuki: John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen

Pramac d'Antin Ducati: Alex Barros and Alex Hofmann

Konica Minolta: Shinya Nakano

Tech 3 Yamaha: Makoto Tamada and Sylvain Guintoli

Team Roberts: Kenny Roberts, Jr.

Ilmor, the new team on the block, has not officially signed any riders for the 2007 season. Their 800cc bike was piloted by Garry McCoy in Estoril and Valencia for it's debut. Andrew Pitt and Jeremy McWilliams did some testing for them, and Chaz Davies and Shane Byrnes have also been hovering around the camp.

I was not surprised by any of the shuffling. Those that have switched teams seem to have made wise moves. I am disappointed that Ducati signed Casey Stoner... mostly for the fact that Sete has been left out in the rain. Nobody has mentioned "retirement" for him yet, but I have a feeling that's the direction he's headed. He had a rough year this year, plagued with crashes, broken bones and surgeries. Maybe he'll take next year off to balance his Chi, cleanse his aura, rekindle his karma and come back for 2008? I would very much like to see that!

The SBK scene has been blessed with the return of Max Biaggi for 2007. He has signed with Suzuki and will be racing their Alstare Corona rocket. Max was not a favorite for many.... actually, I think I have yet to meet a fan. I will be so bold as to say I like him though, and I'm glad to see he's back. There's no doubt once he gets his rythm back, he'll bring a certain "spark" to SBK. He's a fiesty one... I like that... he's got moxie :)

Okay, I think I have rambled on enough for today

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

The championship has been decided

2006-10-31T12:49:00.000-05:00

I had a race on Sunday with the Moose, which I cut short for no other reason than to leather-up and meet Spaz, Heather, Sue, Steve, Tom and Mike, and hunt for a bar/pub for which to view the last race of the MotoGP season at Valencia. Spaz called me at the track with the result of the Championship, so I knew who it went to... I just couldn't imaging HOW. Rossi had won the Pole in QP and Nicky was starting from the second row... it just didn't make sense!

We all ended up at a little English pub in St. Augustine. There were a dozen(ish) rockets parked out front when our herd rolled in, so I knew we were in good company. What a perfect place to watch the race! (Thanks Sue!!). There were only a handful of people inside, but all of them were there for the same reason.... Valencia.

The coverage began... a hush fell over the "crowd"... the lights ticked off and the riders exploded into action. Rossi didn't have the best of starts. He kinda got swallowed up and ended up a little further back than expected. It's okay though, he's The Doctor. Not one of us were worried about it.... we've seen him rally from 9th and take the win in 3 laps. Nicky was in there.... right where he should have been following a second row start. He had his work cut out for him to begin with. Those big, red, booming Ducatis found their way to the front in no time at all, piloted by Troy Bayliss (filling in for Sete :sniff: :sniff: :tear:) and Loris Capirossi (who certainly does NOT lack awesome).

The race seemed to be moving right along. Once they are off the line and away, one can usually expect that things calm down a little until the final laps. We all watched intently. A move made here, a position gained there, a couple of brave passes. OH, and for the record, Mr. Hayden, we all saw what you did on lap two... you know, in the turn, with the pass. How soon we forget Estoril.... glass houses Nick, glass houses. I digress... there were some grumbles in the crowd as Nicky pulled his little stunt, but, no harm, no foul.... the pass was clean.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED.......

The collective "NOOOOOOO!!!!" coming from the pub was most likely heard as far away as Georgia. I think Sue had a small stroke, and I'm sure I blacked out for at least 2 seconds. The instant replay confirmed (over and over and over again) what I thought I had seen before my brain, in a valiant attempt to shield me from what was happening, plunged me into darkness and prompted the high-pitched ringing in my ears....

Rossi crashed

The screams of the tortured audience were followed by a stellar silence.... disbelief was painted on every face (except for Sue's, who was still exhibiting symptoms of her aforementioned stroke). Bloody..... fucking.... hell.....

Rossi crashed

That just doesn't happen! He's not a crasher. Sure, he's gone down a few times... they all have. Statistically speaking though, he's not one of the regular asphalt jockeys. But, alas, there it was in vibrant color, crystal clear sound and painfully slow motion.... from every angle concievable, over and over and over again....

Rossi crashed

As his faithful Yam skittered off the track (him right behind it) Vale got to his feet before he OR his bike had even stopped sliding, and he was scrambling to pick it up.. which he did, and back on track he went. Cripes, that was hard to watch! You have to admire him for his drive.... no, this is not an opinion situation... the man must be admired.. it's fact :)

So, needless to say, Hayden took the championship. Rossi did finish the race, but not well enough to maintain what he has held for the past 6 years. In keeping with my original view on the Championship, if anyone was going to take it from Valentino, I'm glad it was Nicky. Yes, I said it, but that was before I thought it could actually happen ;) All that aside, congratulations Nick... it was a battle hard-fought. Won with blind luck, but hard-fought.

To add insult to personal injury, Randy DePuniet crashed out too. It was about that time that I turned my attention more toward the merriment in the pub than to the race. We did stay until the very end... even though Steve had already donned his jacket and was pacing 3 minutes after Rossi crashed. Props to Troy Bayliss, who actually won Valencia.

After the race, we all rode out and headed for Shannon's Pub for dinner. We had a particularly speedy ride back... maybe it was the frustration of the race, maybe it was the beautiful weather, or maybe it was just the penchant for riding like our "asses are on fire" (HA HAAAA!) but it was a treat. I found the top end of the SV.. and it wasn't enough to keep up with the righteous mounts of my co-riders. I topped out at 155 and was feeling rather triumphant.... until Sue eased by me on the Busa... which was about the time I think I clearly heard the SV moaning (as I was blindly hunting for a higher gear. Nay, bitch, there are only 6).... there may have been a wimper mixed in there too. So, I did the right thing and brought it down to a "medium pace". It was fun to frolic, and there was also a schooling session involved. It seems that a Kawasaki 636 is not condusive to airing out the front tire from a stand still.... in THIRD GEAR..... ummm Mike? However, I did get to tap the rust off my brakes (and become one with my cat-like reflexes) as I was directly behind him and fully prepared for the fireworks off the line. I missed him.. I don't know how, but I did.

That'll do it for today. I am off to update the final standings for the 2006 MotoGP season, and work on getting the rest of the site switched over to the new format.... and beefing up the content. We all know how much we like beefy content.....

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

It Lives!!!!

2006-10-28T12:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have been absent for quite some time. I have been doing some serious upgrades to the site (many more to come!) and I got a little busy/distracted with my own racing schedule... which should be winding down for the winter soon. I have almost gotten the entire site switched over to the new format. This excites me. The "Links" page is finally up.... scantily populated at the moment, but up. If you have a site that you want linked here, or want to put an MO banner on, the info is there. The "Helmets" section is coming along nicely. I don't have all the brands up yet, but I have shopped around for the best prices on the ones I have, and found some fantastic deals. SO, if you're in the market for a new lid.. you know where to go :) Now on to more exciting things.....

MotoGP... Bloody hell!! SO much is going on, I don't even know where to start. Estoril was simply out of control. I believe "WTF???" came out of my mouth an easy 2 dozen times. Dani Pedrosa.... shame on you for pulling such a stunt. Supposedly all is well in the Repsol camp now, but I was FURIOUS when it happened. Clearly not as furious as Nicky, but angry nonetheless. Rossi cracked me up. As Elias shot past him, he turned completely around on his bike in the middle of a corner.... as if to say "Where the hell did you come from.... and who did you bring with you??" CLASSIC MOMENT!! The battle between Rossi and Elias was epic. I was 100% entertained.. thanks guys :)

Valencia looks like it's going to be a nail-biter. Rossi took pole this morning in QP, followed by Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi. Nicky and Dani ended up in the second row with Shinya Nakano. I am racing the Moose tomorrow, but it's a semi-local race. My goal is to be off the track, home, and sipping a tasty adult beverage by 3:30 in order to catch the coverage on SpeedTV. That's the plan anyway.

Many riders have signed with new camps for the 2007 season. Casey Stoner did make his move to Ducati (farewell Sete... I'm NOT happy about this!!), Makoto Tamada left Konica Minolta, and Edwards didn't make the suspected move to SBK, but rather resigned with Camel Yamaha. There's more to tell, and I will follow up as time allows and more contracts are signed :)

On the personal front. I competed in the long-awaited Subaru Challenge last weekend, and successfully completed my contract with the Subaru camp :) I did my job and brought home a win for JMS in BSPL, and went on to run the Moose Sunday and bring home a win for Team W.A.R.P. Speed. All-in-all it was a good weekend. Here are a couple of pictures from "Subi Day"...

Another noteworthy nugget... El Turdo, Motorcycle Obsession's official mascot bike has found a new home. Yes, we were all very saddened to see the Turd go, but, alas, a new project has taken his place. It's a project of the four-wheeled variety, American made and clad in fiberglass... any guesses?? Yea, it's one of them... yet another one of them. The hunt is on though, for the next two-wheeled mascot.. stay tuned!!

As I wrap up for the day, and begin preparations for tomorrow's race, I'll leave you all with this parting shot of our beloved El Turdo. And remember, when next you crack a beer in celebration..... Tip One For the Turd!!

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Results from Motegi

2006-09-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

Alright, so it's Monday afternoon and I have just gotten around to watching the Motegi race. I found myself in Hutchinson Island, GA yesterday racing the Moose, so I was unable to watch the MotoGP broadcast live during the wee hours of Sunday morning. Okay, that's a lie, I was not unable... nay, I was unwilling.... I needed my speed-sleep Saturday night, cause I sure as hell didn't get much Friday night. We won't go into my personal antics from Friday night, but I will let you nibble on this little nugget..... the parts that I DO remember were indeed entertaining (although, I would venture to guess that onlookers and neutral third parties may have been further entertained by the parts that I do NOT remember) Good times!!

I digress.... the race was worth the wait. I cheated Sunday morning on the trip up to GA and looked briefly at the results, so I knew what the podium order was, and I knew that several had crashed out. A little bit of a spoiler for myself, but not enough to strip the enjoyment from watching the race... I would never let me do that to me.

As I watched the race from start to finish, the only thing that ran through my mind was...... complete, total, unadulterated, brilliantly solid, ITALIAN DOMINATION. Ahhhhh Loris, what a vision you are on that big, booming Ducati. For the first half of the race, it was Loris, Marco Melandri and Valentino Rossi... in perfect form, tight succession, and stellar synchronization... the Italian tri-fecta of MotoGP racing. They ripped around the Twin Rings of Motegi with blinding speed. Loris never gave up his pole position. He held tight and fought off all advances from Melandri, who finally succumbed to Rossi's freakishly perfect riding ability and settled for a third place finish.

Sete Gibernau crossed the line in fourth place, which may or may not have happened had Shinya Nikano not crashed out on the last lap during an extremely valiant effort to pass Sete. I still don't know (after watching the crash replay an easy dozen times) how Shinya didn't take Sete with him when he went. A huge disappointment for Kawasaki after Randy de Puniet crashed out as well earlier in the race (I still love ya Randy!!!!). With Shinya's biff, came a bit of good luck for Nicky Hayden who struggled through the entire race to gain any ground he could and lengthen the gap between himself and Rossi in the championship points standings. Nicky ended up in fifth, but if not for Casey Stoner and Shinya Nikano exiting stage left at a high rate of speed, I am certain he would have landed in 7th at best. In the end, Hayden's lead was reduced to 12 points over Rossi..... a task well within reach of the superior force that is, The Doctor.

Casey rode one of his best races of the season.... right up until he crashed out. It was a righteous crash... he was attempting to overtake (insert name of top 10 MotoGP rider here) on one of the daunting hairpins of the Twin Rings, he went in a little hot and a little wide, grabbed the brake a little too hard and washed out. He slid clear and got up.. nothing hurt but his feelings. He had made his way into the top 5 and was slowly chipping away at the podium crew before he went skittering off the track.

All-in-all, another fantstic performance from the fastest men on two wheels. The fight for the championship will continue right down to the wire. There are only two races left in the 2006 MotoGP season, and each one of them will surely find me clinging to the edge of my seat, emitting Tourettes-like outbursts and emulating the spastic twitching of a stroke victim... for it is then, and only then that I know I am being 100% entertained :) :) :)

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)

Results of Australian GP from Phillips Island

2006-09-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

Sweet Jesus!!! The entire race made my head hurt....

First of all, after some hurried speculation in and around the warm up lap, it was finally delcared a "Wet Race". Okay, no big deal.. it's happened before. The riders chose to stay on grid with their dry track set-ups since it wasn't raining too hard at the time in hopes that the weather would hold off.

Shinya Nikano had a spectacular start. He shot off the line and spent the first several laps cementing his lead. I think he was leading by over 4 seconds. Nicky Hayden found himself desperately losing ground after his brilliant pole postition start, and had slipped back to 16th. His teammate Dani Pedrosa, was enjoying a much more productive ride up in the top 5. Rossi was doing what Rossi does, and was steadily improving his position with every lap... creeping up on the podium. The dry leg of the race was what you would have expected to see in every way... except for Nicky. Then the rains came.....

A few of the "rearward" riders went in early to switch to their bikes that were set up for the wet track, warmed up and waiting for them in the paddock. A lap or two later, the rest of the group went in for the switch... except for Shinya Nikano, who stayed out on his slicks in attempts to solidify his lead. A good idea, in theory, but it ended up backfiring on him in the end.

The race continued, finding Sete Giberanu at the head of the class. Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden had a short head-to-head shoot-out just outside of the top 5 riders, which proved to be entertaining. Marco Milandri found his groove, and quickly found his way up to the top 3, as did Australia's very own Chris Vermeulen. Colin Edwards crashed out at some point, but there was very little even mentioned about it. A two second shot of them putting him on a stretcher, and nothing else was ever said about the incident.

In the end, the role reversed for Nicky and Dani, landing Nick in a decent 5th place finish, and Dani - after being lapped by almost the entire herd of riders - in a disappointing 15th. I was sure Rossi was going to finish just out of the top 3, but in an amazing last-ditch effort, he bulleted past Sete Gibernau to clinch 3rd. He overtook him just INCHES from the finish line. Marco Melandri secured an impressive win, and the hometown favorite, Chris Vermeulen found himself a nice spot on the podium in 2nd. Casey Stoner, another home boy, finished a respectable 6th. Shinya, who was running away with the race initially, ended up 8th. Subsequently, the focus on the battle for the championship has turned towards Hayden and Rossi, which is what everyone has been waiting for.... **** cue the evil laughter *****

It was an interesting race. It's certainly worth watching the coverage on SpeedTV this afternoon if you have an hour to kill and you are not prone to seizures.

I'm off to update rider profiles...

Until next time......

Rubb'er Down :)