MotoGP: COTA Spoiler Thread

6 was too many,and it's shit, or get off the pot time.
If Marquez manages to bounce like he did in Austin and not get hurt crashing this is Mark's year, not Dani's.
Sure it's only two races, and most every practice session, and Mark hasn't had 6 years of practice and bikes built with his diminutive size in mind.
The #1 rider is now #2 , and I'll bet he knows it.

I agree completely but we are where we are and factories are unlikely to go back to pre-TC days now.
It'd be like banning ABS brakes!
I also agree that MGP is processional at times much more so than SBK for instance and the Moto2 and Moto3 are examples of what good racing should be like.
My point is that by not having an international type feeder setup the likelihood of US riders even getting to the Grid is drastically reduced.
Look at Moto2 and 3 are there any US riders there?
Where are future MGP guys going to come from? AMA/DMG Superbike ?
Its the same in quite a few countries not just the US.

Having never watched feeder classes for F1 I have to ask. Are they better than F1 like moto 2 and 3 are better than motogp?

If only the feeder class to MotoGP was based on a 600cc I-4 sportbike platform and if only the AMA used 600cc I-4 sportbikes as the classes for up and coming riders. That would probably help.

Just to brag, I picked Marquez to win before practices started and before Kropotkin did!

Shit, I feel like I set a record!

I predicted a Spaniard would win.

Ask McCoy, he had no issue sliding the dog shit out of the two smokers.

They do, two classes worth of them actually, Daytona Super Sport and Daytona Sport Bike. The difference being that the motors aren't all identical, and there are next to no electronics on them, unlike moto2.

If you check the AMA DSB rules, those bikes aren't hugely removed from stock, stock low ends, only tuning on stock ECUs, stock fork bodies etc etc. You could build a bike to DSB spec in your driveway really, if you have a machine shop for the (minimal) headwork.

Moto2 is a different monster, that motor is CBR derived, which means its likely pretty much super bike spec for anything else (evidenced by 175mph trap speeds) with custom chassis and much less restrictive suspension rules.

Get rid of TC? Ok, then WSB bikes become faster than motogp, cos they still got it. Get rid of that as well, BUT at the same time sell street bikes with more and more advanced TC systems? Get street bikes rid of TC - sorry, that's not gonna happen.

It is a very complicated situation.

Moto GP bikes don't have ABS brakes. Many street bikes have, and they sell...

I hate TC, but unfortunately the geegy manufacturers apparently like it.

Big part of why they like it is, that it helps their riders and bikes go faster, and finish the races before their tyres wear out (except Ducati, maybe... !!)

Like it or not, the BMW S1000RR would not be as advanced track day machine without its TC-system and Race-ABS. And both those systems are now ´filtering´ down, in the future they´ll be on more or less every motorcycle that carries a register plate, not just top-of-the line sportsbikes. For the average rider, they are a clear plus.

tc or no tc i predict the same riders would be at the front.The only way to compact the feild like moto2 and moto 3 is to do the same to motogp."control engines" and the like.And as soon as they do that the factories will lose interest

When I am talking about feeder class I mean 125cc two strokes or 250cc four strokes. They cost very little relatively to tune compared to i4 engines.
There is going to be plenty of engines coming from the current crop due to the rule changes so race teams will be able to recoup some cost by selling them and hopefully older chassis as well teams looking to start.
Question: What do people start racing before 600's in the US?

We've had the Moriwaki 250cc four strokes for several years. No OEM is going to throw big money behind a non-production feeder class in the US. Its not going to happen. They want to sell street bikes and thats why we have 600cc supersport racing. Yeah, there were national 125cc and 250cc GP classes but production racing killed them off and they aren't coming back.

The problem isn't the feeder class structure; its lack of money and fan interest. There isn't enough value for a sponsor to spend one or two million dollars or more to put an American kid on a front running Moto2 bike for a season, if even any US company had that kind of money to spend outside their existing programs. Come up with ten million dollars and you can have bunch of Americans in Moto2.

Good morning to all youse race fans. Here's a link to my Moto GP album at Picasa.

I'm not a huge GP fan but had to come down here to Tejas to see the new facility. My only disappointment was with Ducati. After the fun fest at Indy a couple years ago, I expected the same from them here. Tho the Ducati Grand Stands seats were great (Section 21 and 22, between turns 15 and 16), we saw nothing else from them without going all the way to their tent. Paid extra for little joy.

Oh, well, such is life. COTA is a great track, I'll be back. Beats Indy hands down. I've not been to Laguna but knowledgeable folks say the traffic here was worse than there (61,000 attending.)

My pics are really nothing special,,, didn't get anything on Saturday and really that much on Sunday. Enjoyed seeing the old 'n new names. Marquez looks to be the talent this year, young 'n fearless.

This and most Moto2 riders are paying for their seat.

Yup. And I understand its the same for Word SuperSport.

You realize he has a guaranteed ride for two more years, right? Usually, silly season doesn't start for a few rounds, but silly season 2 years in advance is a stretch. "Rossi, the clock is ticking on your comeback -- shit or get off the pot."

This is a rather interesting look at the details of Ant West's Moto 2 bike.

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2013/motogp/cota/qmmf/index.htm

In looking at this, I got a smile thinking I was disappointed Ant "only" managed 7th in the race. How times have changed. For the better.