MOTOGP » Gibernau 'very fast', but will he race?

Andy - I only ever raced cars (Clubman class) so I have no comprehension of what it must be like to ride seriously fast: I start to get serious ring-pucker if the bars shiver at anything above about 160k or so. The thought of being cranked over on the limit at their speeds and having the power going on and off like a light switch is the stuff of nightmares. But your earlier point about a very light front end makes a hell of a lot of sense of several of the piccies of Stoner, in particular, with the front wheel at a hell of a slip angle compared to the lean on the bike, as if he's scrubbing it rather than steering it to change direction, if it bit hard he'd highside into the next country

Andy - Sounds more like you're drinking a coughing red than a quaffing red...
Saltbush, I agree about the Kawasaki. Suppose that raises the question that maybe we're not seeing the real talent of Westy as a rider. Also raises a big question about the technical ability of the Kawasaki team to develop a bike...

Oscar - I only raced in the dirt, Motocross enduro and flat track. I was a better enduro rider and I've raced (inter alio) against both Kirk Hutton and Shane Watts at different times (circa 1992 to 1994 - who both whooped me seriously). Shane got on a identical KTM300 to mine in 94, his was "out of the crate" and he did things with the bike I couldn't understand let alone emulate. There is a higher level and any fool who think a computer will make you go at that level is soooo deluded - it takes some serious talent - and to ride a bike at that speed that is acknowledged as being designed to be “flighty” is a lot more than winding the loud handle and hanging on. Ahh that red is kicking in

Olddog - have a look at their results in SBK - they really aren't on the ball - no Livio or JB driving development there?

Not an easy case to solve, Livio Suppo brought Melandri to GP in 125, at that time Suppo was working for Benetton so he knows very well Melandri and at Ducati they are not stupid, Melandri is not really trying, he wants to go somewhere else and he is trying to get sack, if Ducati let him go they may have to pay him, but if it's Melandri choice to leave he will lose money and the next team he would like to go may have to pay Ducati for his ride, not only a rider's choice but looks also like a money matter and more if Melandri goes well on another bike.

olddog I'll agree Kawasaki isn't doing great at the moment but last year the Kawasaki was maybe the best handling bike on the grid but with West and Hopkins 2 riders searching for the opposite thing, Hopkins wants front confidence, West wants rear condfidence very hard to develop when riders are screaming different stories. A 3rd opinion will give them focus.

They are quite clearly working hard with the public negativeness to themselves and hopkins giving kawasaki. Only a matter of time before they get it right, maybe 1 step back to go 2 steps foward.

I believe Hopkins was quite happy with his recent upgrades before his crash!

olddog I'll agree Kawasaki isn't doing great at the moment but last year the Kawasaki was maybe the best handling bike on the grid but with West and Hopkins 2 riders searching for the opposite thing, Hopkins wants front confidence, West wants rear condfidence very hard to develop when riders are screaming different stories. A 3rd opinion will give them focus.

They are quite clearly working hard with the public negativeness to themselves and hopkins giving kawasaki. Only a matter of time before they get it right, maybe 1 step back to go 2 steps foward.

I believe Hopkins was quite happy with his recent upgrades before his crash!

There was an artical on this very site when Casey and Ducati made the breakthrough with the engine management settings that said that all 4 riders had that information available to them. Marco and Toni said they couldn't get on with it and I believe only Sylvain had been working on them.

So Ducati do share data.

Hmm - dredges back in memory - I seem to recall Rossi in 03?, maybe 04?, when he was just running away from the pack doing the same sort of direction changes, the front wheel practically just kissing down in the middle of a switchback and the bike flicking the other way, brilliant to watch, so maybe it is the secret that a 'flighty' front end, for those few who have the speed, confidence and sphincter-sensors to use it, really is the fastest way. Combine that with a back-end that's on-off-on the power all the time and it would go a long way to making sense of Marco's comment that the thing feels like it's in the wet even when it's dry..

If you're correct Patrice we now know one thing for sure - Melandri must have a good manager! And I bet Suppo is livid about the situation he's now in...
Casey was relatively cheap, no wonder they seem to like him so much!