Australian MotoGP-Freezing cold and bloody wet!

[wombat666]

<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="520"><tbody><tr class="yamahaRider"><td valign="top">1</td> <td>Jorge Lorenzo</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>ESP</td> <td align="right">1'41.146</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">2</td> <td class="rowDivder">Casey Stoner</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">AUS</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'41.480</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">3</td> <td class="rowDivder">Nicky Hayden</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">USA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'41.631</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">4</td> <td class="rowDivder">Marco Simoncelli</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'41.881</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">5</td> <td class="rowDivder">Marco Melandri</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'41.982</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">6</td> <td class="rowDivder">Andrea Dovizioso</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'42.271</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">7</td> <td>Valentino Rossi</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>ITA</td> <td align="right">1'42.626</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">8</td> <td>Colin Edwards</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>USA</td> <td align="right">1'43.013</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">9</td> <td class="rowDivder">Randy De Puniet</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">FRA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'43.476</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">10</td> <td class="rowDivder">Loris Capirossi</td> <td class="rowDivder">Suzuki</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'43.984</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">11</td> <td class="rowDivder">Mika Kallio</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">FIN</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'44.179</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">12</td> <td class="rowDivder">Hiroshi Aoyama</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">JPN</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'44.704</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">13</td> <td class="rowDivder">Hector Barbera</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'45.695</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">14</td> <td class="rowDivder">Alvaro Bautista</td> <td class="rowDivder">Suzuki</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'46.160</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">15</td> <td class="rowDivder">Aleix Espargaro</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'48.127</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

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Yamaha Racing Communications

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Day One: Freezing cold and pouring with rain!!
We rode down (idiots!) using the theory that the faster we rode the drier we remained.
Doesn't work that well.
With just over 200kph on the clock I still had water creeping under my leathers.

The 'new' Aprilia was great, and luckily we are staying in our 'usual' leased house, both the central heating and the open fire are appreciated, but it will be complete thermal undies out in the open!
Rain is supposed to ease for Saturday and remain dry on Sunday but this IS Philip Island, 'Gateway to Hypothermia' as a great man once put it.
Time has just gone 03:50 DST so I'm off for a few zeds.
FWIW, the Moto2 class sound superb, 40x600cc bikes in the field!!!


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[demorier]

Rather you than me wombat. Rough stuff right up the east coast...clear sky's north of the border Saturday but bloody strong wind...actually backing off slowly this afternoon.
Hope things settle down for Sunday.

 

[wombat666]

<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="520"><tbody><tr><td class="rowDivder" valign="top">1</td> <td class="rowDivder">Casey Stoner</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">AUS</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'30.107</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">2</td> <td>Jorge Lorenzo</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>ESP</td> <td align="right">1'30.775</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">3</td> <td>Ben Spies</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>USA</td> <td align="right">1'31.386</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">4</td> <td class="rowDivder">Marco Simoncelli</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'31.402</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">5</td> <td>Colin Edwards</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>USA</td> <td align="right">1'31.415</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">6</td> <td class="rowDivder">Nicky Hayden</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">USA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'31.530</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">7</td> <td class="rowDivder">Randy De Puniet</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">FRA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'31.554</td> </tr> <tr class="yamahaRider"> <td valign="top">8</td> <td>Valentino Rossi</td> <td>Yamaha</td> <td>ITA</td> <td align="right">1'31.627</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">9</td> <td class="rowDivder">Andrea Dovizioso</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'32.018</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">10</td> <td class="rowDivder">Marco Melandri</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ITA</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'32.367</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">11</td> <td class="rowDivder">Aleix Espargaro</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'32.542</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">12</td> <td class="rowDivder">Mika Kallio</td> <td class="rowDivder">Ducati</td> <td class="rowDivder">FIN</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'32.816</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">13</td> <td class="rowDivder">Hiroshi Aoyama</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">JPN</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'33.190</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">14</td> <td class="rowDivder">Alvaro Bautista</td> <td class="rowDivder">Suzuki</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'33.224</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rowDivder" valign="top">15</td> <td class="rowDivder">Daniel Pedrosa</td> <td class="rowDivder">Honda</td> <td class="rowDivder">ESP</td> <td class="rowDivder" align="right">1'33.384</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

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Yamaha Racing Communications

Day 2: Less rain but very chilly and windy!!
Thermal underwear, Nomex flame proofs, leathers, all under my "Dry-As-A-Bone" and my core temperature still went down!!!
Worth being here just the same, especially as Casey just kept on going quicker all through qualifying.
Ben Spies is most impressive, be very interesting next season when he is teamed with Jorge on a full factory bike.
I hope Pedrosa shows some common sense and doesn't ride, today is supposed to be dry but the wind is unsettling and with the prediction of 'Gale Force Winds Abating to Strong' he could come off and wreck next year.
Nothing is ever certain but the odds on Stoner taking his fourth home GP are very strong!

Going to miss the 125 bikes next year, and talking to some of the Moto2 riders has been 'interesting', there is a strong push for the choice of at least four 'spec' engine suppliers next year, the Honda is good but some are 'better' than others ........ if Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki could weigh in at least their support might make for greater equality.

Time is now 01:15 so I'm off for several hours kip, it will be a long day and Monday we get some of the traditional track time, be nice find out how good the RSV4 really performs without the risk of losing my licence!!!







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[demorier]

Stoner again, if only the team performed like that at the start of the season
Big scrap for 3-4.
Great rider he is but I think sometimes Lorenzo's comment is right...sometimes Rossi is a bit of a looney on a race track.
I guess I should know but who is getting the ride on the Rossi's Yamaha next year ??

 

[wombat666]

Before I join the usual suspects and lose the night, Ben Spies will be teamed with Jorge next season.
Could be interesting and I'd be expecting some serious inter-team rivalry.
And just to add another 'unknown' to the Yamaha mix, Jeremy Burgess and 90% of Valentino's crew are joining him at Ducati.

On second thoughts, maybe I'll just have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lay-down, terrific racing across the board today.
:ernae:

 

[demorier]

To hell with the Bex...you have some serious celebrating to do.