10-20-2006, 09:30 AM
To start - it would be cool to watch this with a big group. We started off this MotoGP season with little event at Paul's house and it would be great if somebody with Speed would like to offer up their place to do the same thing this Sunday.
This be the penultimate round of the 2006 Championship. Nicky Hayden sits down 8 points to Rossi. In order for Nick to take the championship he, essentially has to win this weekend and be lucky enough for Rossi to finish no better than third. If our Repsol man takes second, he needs Rossi to finish at least 2 places back, if memory serves. Feel free to chime in and correct my estimates. The long and short of it, though, is that the Kentucky Kid needs to put in a superhuman performance, and follow with a little good luck. With Rossi's string of bad luck seeming to have to come to an end already this year, though, it's likely that it's not in the cards.
Toni Elias just resigned with Gresini Honda and will be looking to show the world that he isn't a one hit wonder (but so what if he is? He DID just save his career). Sete Gibernau, unfortunately, will not be able to take the start following surgery on his (re)injury from the Stoner crash last round. Troy Bayliss will be replacing him on grid. The Troy start will cap off the 990cc Ducati Project in high fashion, as Bayliss was the first GP rider to take to the track on the bike, back in 2002, and will close the books on it this Sunday. Bayliss will be a big wild card riding the Ducati - speculation that there might be some animosity on his absence from GP leaks up every now and then, and his riding has certainly come a long way since his contract expired on his debut MotoGP experience. He will certainly be looking to show the world that he hasn't lost his ability to compete with the big boys, but his lack of time in their paddock will certainly keep him from gunning for a race victory - a solid mid-pack performance would be very cool. His teammate, and perennially good natured dimunitive italian Loris Capirossi will be looking to place well enough to bump from 4th in the riders championship to third... being the good guy Loris is I don't think there's a single person that doesn't want to see him do it.
... and then there's HRC's genetics project, Dani Pedrosa. No matter what Puig says, and how many times the "no team orders" mantra has been uttered, it's abundantly clear that he has a very specific task this weekend: get between Hayden and Rossi. In the only fit of rage anybody has ever seen Nick Hayden allow himself he told the little Spaniard that the only way the Estoril crash could be made up to him was by helping him relcaim the points lead here. It is entirely possible that Pedrosa will cave under what is certainly a huge amount of pressure coming from all angles - he's shown several times that he's not mentally up to par with GP's established stars. That said, though, there's probably not very man people that want him to fail - most of the MM camp will be cheering for HRC. Like I saw on a pickup once (or was it a lot more than once?), it's time to git 'er done.
Valencia is one of only 5 circuits on the MotoGP calendar that's run counter clockwise. It's a collection of mostly slow speed turns, all linked together. If anybody were going to watch it in person they'd find that they could see almost the entire racetrack from their camping point (which would make this a VERY cool alternative to Laguna Seca for those of us intent on making another event). It's also the second slowest track on the calendar, a hitch faster than Estoril which and average speed only just over 150kph.
Wherever you watch it, this race promises to be have everybody on the edge of the seat when the red lights go out.
This be the penultimate round of the 2006 Championship. Nicky Hayden sits down 8 points to Rossi. In order for Nick to take the championship he, essentially has to win this weekend and be lucky enough for Rossi to finish no better than third. If our Repsol man takes second, he needs Rossi to finish at least 2 places back, if memory serves. Feel free to chime in and correct my estimates. The long and short of it, though, is that the Kentucky Kid needs to put in a superhuman performance, and follow with a little good luck. With Rossi's string of bad luck seeming to have to come to an end already this year, though, it's likely that it's not in the cards.
Toni Elias just resigned with Gresini Honda and will be looking to show the world that he isn't a one hit wonder (but so what if he is? He DID just save his career). Sete Gibernau, unfortunately, will not be able to take the start following surgery on his (re)injury from the Stoner crash last round. Troy Bayliss will be replacing him on grid. The Troy start will cap off the 990cc Ducati Project in high fashion, as Bayliss was the first GP rider to take to the track on the bike, back in 2002, and will close the books on it this Sunday. Bayliss will be a big wild card riding the Ducati - speculation that there might be some animosity on his absence from GP leaks up every now and then, and his riding has certainly come a long way since his contract expired on his debut MotoGP experience. He will certainly be looking to show the world that he hasn't lost his ability to compete with the big boys, but his lack of time in their paddock will certainly keep him from gunning for a race victory - a solid mid-pack performance would be very cool. His teammate, and perennially good natured dimunitive italian Loris Capirossi will be looking to place well enough to bump from 4th in the riders championship to third... being the good guy Loris is I don't think there's a single person that doesn't want to see him do it.
... and then there's HRC's genetics project, Dani Pedrosa. No matter what Puig says, and how many times the "no team orders" mantra has been uttered, it's abundantly clear that he has a very specific task this weekend: get between Hayden and Rossi. In the only fit of rage anybody has ever seen Nick Hayden allow himself he told the little Spaniard that the only way the Estoril crash could be made up to him was by helping him relcaim the points lead here. It is entirely possible that Pedrosa will cave under what is certainly a huge amount of pressure coming from all angles - he's shown several times that he's not mentally up to par with GP's established stars. That said, though, there's probably not very man people that want him to fail - most of the MM camp will be cheering for HRC. Like I saw on a pickup once (or was it a lot more than once?), it's time to git 'er done.
Valencia is one of only 5 circuits on the MotoGP calendar that's run counter clockwise. It's a collection of mostly slow speed turns, all linked together. If anybody were going to watch it in person they'd find that they could see almost the entire racetrack from their camping point (which would make this a VERY cool alternative to Laguna Seca for those of us intent on making another event). It's also the second slowest track on the calendar, a hitch faster than Estoril which and average speed only just over 150kph.
Wherever you watch it, this race promises to be have everybody on the edge of the seat when the red lights go out.
When it comes to Ryan Jenkins, the story ends with me putting him in the wall.
2009 Speed Triple | 2006 DR-Z400SM | 1999 CBR600F4 | 1998 Jeep Cherokee
-Ginger
2009 Speed Triple | 2006 DR-Z400SM | 1999 CBR600F4 | 1998 Jeep Cherokee
-Ginger
