MOTOGP » Melandri set to ride on

Not a big Malendri fan but because the guy is having a bad year doesn't mean he's crap. MotoGP.com has him at five wins and twenty podiums - that ain't nothing to sniff at. I think seeing Val win so many races over the years spoiled us. It has made us forget how incredibly difficult it is to win a MotoGP race. Only half (9) of the current riders have even won a race and only 6 have multiple victories (Stoner, Rossi, Dani, Nicky, Loris, and Malendri). To say the guy is done is a bit much.

Pam

definitely can't image myself on a MotoGP bike - guarantee to wet my pants! I'll stick with my 'Blade!

I would try it. With my low weight and traction control, I'm sure I'd be a contender

I have to agree with Darkwaknight to some degree. Melandri was never a title threat due to his inconsistancy, but he's far from crap. You can't really use his '07 results to measure things by because the Ducati won so many races and ALL of the Honda's sucked. That was the first year of that bike, so even though Ducati got it oh-so-right, Honda got things as equally wrong. Up until '07 he was fast and fully capable of winning races and scoring podiums. The only thing that has changed since then are his bikes, neither of which he got on well with. Put him back on a bike he likes and I'm sure he'll be back to his old self (not a constant threat for the title, but a threat for wins).

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Nice one Pam! You would be a shoe in for the championship especially if you had those special bars and pegs!

It's a pity for Stoner that both his teams mates have not been able to help him out as Edwards did with Rossi. If Stoner loses the championship this year it will be due to the lack of rider support and development. I still think they should have given Sylvain a ride on the factory machine.

I wonder what "I'm very disappointed with Elias because he was very unfair with me," Will say if he loses the championship?

"I'm also quite unhappy with Elias today because I think he was quite dangerous - more than once he passed me on the inside and then altered his line. This is not a correct way to race"

Rossi quote from Turkey 2007

Posted so you know that Elias plays no favorites!

And Rossi isn't getting help either - Jorge, James, and Colin are all on Michelin so their setup data is useless to him.

Thank you Raw Dawg,

Was that really a quote from the former world champion?

If Stoner made those comments he would be labeled as a moaner or a whinger.

Considering Rossi made that claim, what is he labeled?

Your correct that Rossi is not getting the help this year from other riders as in past years with Colin "tyre tester" Edwards. Still he has the best engineering group getting around. That would still have to count for so much.

I wonder if Rossi would have won his first title at Yamaha without JB and the crew? I doubt it very much.

It looks like a contract issue, Melandri sign for 2 years and maybe he was hoping to get laid off and getting pay for the 2 years contract and riding somewhere else but if Ducati don't want to do it and if Melandri wants his money he has to ride the Ducati that mean soon he will have to put his head down and ride the bike for real, so in Brno we should see some improvment.

Nice try Raw Dawg, mind you the same Valentino Rossi also specifically mentioned Elias first in the postrace interview after his win at Assen in 2007, wishing him well after his injury in practise. This was some time after the Turkish GP.
Besides that he took up contact with Tony when he was in hospital.