Bastard did it again

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Sun, 10/25/2009 - 23:24
in

Real shocker. Valentino Rossi just won his 9th world championship, 7th in the premier class, and the season isn't even over yet (one race to go).

A few of his rivals had bad years, so maybe next year if they're in better form he'll have a harder time of it.

‹ 10 best car engines for 2010 two great movies with motorcycles ›

And while we're at it

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Sun, 10/25/2009 - 23:27.

American sensation Ben Spies also clinched the 2009 World Superbike title in his rookie season. He'll be replacing James Toseland on the Yamaha Tech 3 MotoGP team next year (with fellow Texan Colin Edwards).

I bet poor Nitro Nori Haga is ready to kill somebody. He keeps getting second overall...

Next year could be better

Submitted by samgoody on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 16:25.

I think Jorge Lorenzo will come back even stronger next year. If he can just stop crashing at key moments, then I think he will be able to go the distance and win a MotoGP title.

As for Ben Spies and Colin Edwards being on the same team, Edwards joked on the grid at Estoril that they're going to call it "Team Redneck". On a more serious note, though, the Tech 3 team looks like the strongest satellite team out there, and might give the factory teams a run for their money. Spies will be riding in the final round at Valencia in a couple of weeks, so it'll be interesting to see how he does on a MotoGP bike.

Poor Nori Haga, I really wanted him to win the WSBK title this year. Well done to Spies, though, on winning the title on his first try. Nori's not going to have an easy time next year dealing with the likes of Toseland, Fabrizio, and Biaggi. However, there doesn't seem to be anyone there of the caliber of Spies, so I'm hoping he can pull it off. To be this close to the number one spot for so many years is quite an achievement.

I think you're spot on

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Tue, 10/27/2009 - 01:39.

Lorenzo would be lethal if he wasn't so damn inconsistent. Then again, that's precisely why Rossi wins all the time. It's not that he's that much faster...it's that he's always within a few percent of the fastest guy (or he is the fastest guy). One race it'll be Stoner, one race it'll be Pedrosa, one race it'll be Lorenzo, but each of those guys is always up and down. To be honest, I'm most interested to see if Stoner's amazing performances post-comeback will continue into next season. If so, Rossi has some trouble on his hands.

I really do feel bad for Haga though. The guy really deserves to win. At least from what I saw, this year really came down to last-minute nerves for him....and Spies just being a badass.

haga and lorenzo have no one

megaspaz's picture
Submitted by megaspaz on Sat, 10/31/2009 - 20:56.

haga and lorenzo have no one to blame but themselves. haga could've made securing the title easier by not qualifying so bad and then by not crashing out. shame really. him and spies were a notch above the other riders all season. haga could try to blame it on tire choice, but really he was way behind that first race and he pushed the bike too far. Lorenzo, i knew would blow up sometime in the last 3 races. I told my friend he was going to crash out in one of them. He obliged me in phillip island. And then almost made it even easier to lose by not getting to grid on time... Good thing rossi has a sense of fair play and decided to blow T1 on the start... :-P Lorenzo's problem is that he's cocky and overconfident in his abilities. There isn't a bad risk in his book. We'll see if next year he's a little less cocky with better judgement. I don't see him winning the title next year. I think next year will be either rossi or stoner, and i'm leaning towards stoner after his 3 races after his return.

---
AFM #998

If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...

I'm with you on Stoner

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Sun, 11/01/2009 - 03:27.

Though I really hope Rossi picks up at least one more. I want him to pull even with Agostini, if not beat him. (It might not be clear so far, but I'm a bit of a Rossi fan.)

He's going to have a helluva time beating Stoner, however. That guy's been killing ever since he got back from his mysterious illness.

Yup. If rossi does win

megaspaz's picture
Submitted by megaspaz on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 01:55.

Yup. If rossi does win another it'll be because he would have overcome huge battles with stoner. I myself don't have a favorite racer. I just like to see fast bikes and passing and passing attempts. That 250cc race in sepang was one of the best races I've seen all year. aoyama and simoncelli put on a hella great show. If you haven't seen that race, watch it. you won't be disappointed.

---
AFM #998

If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...

Yeah, I saw that one

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 02:02.

I always watch the 125/250 races as well as the big boys. I watch the latter cause I like some of the guys (Rossi, Stoner, Capirossi, Edwards, ...Spies?), but the former for more entertaining racing. The closer competition is much more interesting to watch, although every once in a while you get a good race in MotoGP (like the 2008 Stoner-Rossi face off at Laguna).

for sure, the best race for

megaspaz's picture
Submitted by megaspaz on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 02:04.

for sure, the best race for motogp this year was the catalunya race. the end of that race was soooo farking awesome.

---
AFM #998

If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...

MMm good call...

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 02:18.

So good, in fact, that I'm going to put down this boring systems paper and go pull that up and watch it :)

good call. :-)

megaspaz's picture
Submitted by megaspaz on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 02:19.

good call. :-)

---
AFM #998

If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...

Jesu Christo!

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 03:56.

That was one helluva race! Last turn of the last lap? You're one ballsy mo-fo Rossi... The last five laps or so I was completely riveted. I'm glad I'd forgotten the results and decided not to look them up beforehand, as it was way more exciting that way.

Damn. Now I just want to go out to the track!

I'm not a big fan of Rossi's

Submitted by XRayHound on Mon, 12/14/2009 - 02:10.

I'm not a big fan of Rossi's but it does make my tuning forks vibrate to see the YZR-M1 on the podium. Here's hoping the new R1 can take SBK back from those bloody Gixxers.

-XRayHound

I can see through GLASS!!!!

You mean AMA SBK right?

eternal05's picture
Submitted by eternal05 on Mon, 12/14/2009 - 22:51.

...cause if not you need to go check out the results from World SBK '09! They'll make you super happy!

I was referring to AMA SBK,

Submitted by XRayHound on Tue, 12/15/2009 - 05:02.

I was referring to AMA SBK, actually, but I checked out those results anyway, and you were right B-)

-XRayHound

I can see through GLASS!!!!

MotoGP favorite

Submitted by Jeff in Kentucky on Thu, 04/01/2010 - 21:25.

My favorite rider is Nicky Hayden, even though Rossi is probably more skilled- I have to root for the guy from Owensboro, Kentucky. Here is a little bit of an article about him:

by Dennis Noyes | Posted March 25, 2010
Hayden Looking Stronger

Former World Champion Nicky Hayden (in 2006) had a rough time of it last year, struggling early in the year to get anywhere near the pace in his first year on the difficult (unless you are Stoner) Ducati, but a third place at Indianapolis sparked steady improvement over the final third of the season.

His situation is precarious. Ducati were offering big money to Jorge Lorenzo while Stoner was back home in Oz during his three-race recovery and that clearly meant there would have been no place for the Kentuckian in 2010. And even after Lorenzo turned Ducati down, then team director Livio Suppo (now at Honda and, perhaps, entrusted to bring Stoner to Honda in 2011) made a similar offer to Hayden’s former teammate, Dani Pedrosa.

When Pedrosa opted to sign on for one more year with Honda, Hayden, Ducati’s third option, got another year on the Ducati.

Hayden, like most if not all MotoGP regulars, is hoping that 1000cc bikes will replace the finicky and tech-heavy (electronics) 800cc bikes a year early in 2011, but the job at hand is to do enough to either stay with Ducati or find another MotoGP ride at the end of the year, otherwise World Superbike beckons.

It would be cruel luck if Hayden were not around the MotoGP scene when 1000cc bikes replace the 800s because the former dirt tracker is much more suited, by his aggressive nature and rear-wheel-steering style, to riding the bigger, more powerful bikes that can be over-ridden.