Right then - who's ya money on now?

Wow, this MotoGP season is turning into something else!

18 points seperating the top five - Nicky Hayden four points ahead of Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi, Dani Pedrosa a further six behind, followed by Casey Stoner.

Rossi over 40 points behind, but can you count him out? Somehow I doubt it, especially if Yamaha come up with something.

I'm rooting for Capirex and Dani, but I really don't know which way it'll go.

Interestingly, Melandri is the first rider to take two wins this season, so maybe he is the strongest?

Nicky Hayden on the other hand, leads without a single win so far.

So how do you call it?

Well considering what Colin Edwards did back in 2002, I certainly wouldn't count Rossi out yet. He was 4 seconds in the lead when his bike went bang, and Edwards made it up from last to 6th as well. If Yamaha get their reliability sorted out, I think Rossi will win it.

Personally I am going for Pedrosa, he would have won today but he made a mistake on tyre choice. Towards the end of the race he really dropped off the pace and was lapping slower than both Melandri and Capirossi. Had he gone for a medium rear tyre rather than a soft im sure things would have been differnt. Still, today was a bit of a gamble for everyone.

If Pedrosa doesent win the championship though my money would be on Rossi or Capirossi, all depends if Yamaha can sort out their problems.

I'm still with Rossi, with "Pedro" a close second in my "favourit-ism". If Yamaha is reliable, I think VR must win. If it is not, Pedrosa looks the most consistent and talented there. I again note how much this season looks as 1985 (I think), with the classic Spencer-Lawson encounter of the third kind.

Melandri is fast but he is not regular at top level. Hayden, sadly, is not exactly an outright winner (by now), with merely good results he is not going to win the title. Capirossi/Ducati have not been regular at all along the last seasons; I don't expect the great Capi to become now neither.

I cannot think about Edwards as a title winner here and now with this kind of field. Gibernau is in a sort of holidays and Stoner is to premature yet.

So Rossi, then Pedrosa. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps Melandri and there in the far distance of possibilities Hayden.

Of course Lady Reality has the custom of making laugh of our predictions.

my money are still on rossi ..
Capirossi scored in all races so far . and we're still to get to the Bridgestone tracks . like Sepang or Motegi .. there they will have the advantage ..
Rossi
Hayden and Capirossi
Pedrosa and Melandri

that's how i see it .

The key for Rossi is whether the Yamaha can replicate it's speed this weekend on other tracks.

Le Mans, after all, is traditionally a Yamaha track...

Rossi is my bet for the title, although I wouldn't be surprised if Hayden sneaked it due to his consistency this year.

If Suzuki can sort out their race pace issues then it would really throw the cat amongst the pigeons with nearly half the field having race win capable bikes every weekend.

I want dani to win, just because that would mean that he would be consective 125 world champ, 250 world champ, 250 world champ & then motogp world champ.
Makes Rossi's 'year to learn' 'year to win' look soft.

My money is still on Rossi; he was basically 'much faster' than everyone else, even allowing for the Yamaha advantage at Le Mans
Mind you, I thought his opening corner was a bit 'Schumacher - desparate'. I can't work out why top dogs believe they can 'override' round the world's bests and expect to get away with it. Certainly a hi-risk stategy that will end in tears quite often.
Long season of consistant point scoring is what they'll be looking for. Next few races crucial. Extremely interesting. At least no one individual is getting away. I still think this is the best racing on the planet right now.
Anyone know why the Yam conked out?

Surely Rossi cannot be counted out. The pace of the Yamaha was clear at LeMans. Me thinks the Rossi-Yamaha-Michelin package will only get better. I would have liked to see how Edwards would have faired had he not been caught up in the opening lap drama.

Hayden and Capirossi should be season long contenders. But Hayden needs to convert solid points finishes into victories or forget it. Same for Capirossi more or less, even though he has one this season. Hopefully Bridgestone can come good at more than just a few circuits.

Pedrosa can't be left out. He's got the raw pace and talent. As he continues to learn he'll only get better. He still has things to learn though, which is why he's behind his consistent teammate in the points. Looking for more head to head battles between Pedrosa and Rossi.

Surely Melandri can't be left out either. But he lacks the consistency he showed late last year.

I'll go with a three-way fight between Rossi, Capirossi and Hayden. And possibly a few more. Certainly an appetizing season.

I think the other riders should be worried of what they saw in the first 2 laps from rossi . besides the incident .. he passed people everywhere .. corner after corner .. i think the incident enranged Rossi .. and the DNF probably even more . he'll byte heads

Well, Rossi is still only little more than 3,5 points behind (per race) the top so he still has a good chance.

I think Rossi still has a chance at the title (you could never discount him), but he is going to have to win the majority of the remaining 12 races and can't afford another DNF. Luckily for him there are several riders in front of him rather than just one, so they are likely to take points off each other which will be a help for Vale.

Hayden, Cappirossi and Melandri are all very strong and anyone of them could take the title.

Pedrosa curtainly has the talent and the speed to win, however I think his achilles heel will be wet races. He was lousy in the wet on 250's and so far this year, as soon as any moisture appears on the track his times go backwards at a hundred mile an hour. If we get one or two wet races, this could spell the end of his chances.

I would still have a sly $20 on Stoner. He is only 18 points behind Hayden and has continually impressed me this year with his performances. He has been fast in all practice/quali sessions, has raced at the front when he and the bike are capable and brought home consistent results in every race. He is also usually good in the wet. Honda a reportedly slipping a few "good" parts his way so this will also help. He might be a dark horse but well worth keeping an eye on.

I really think Dani still has to learn to be honest, he would have won that race fairly nicely without the tyre problem, and that is a result of the team trying to maximise his weight advantage I imagine.

Another hting with Vale is that he was taking the mickey in the lead there, and he is the only rider running the narrow front Michelin, as it gets rid of the chatter a bit more on a long run. Maybe why Edwards is getting close in qually.

Though have to admit the foirst corner was madness, remember Doohan doing exactly the same thing ast the same corner in 94, adn getting away with it.

would be great to see rossi win because he is so far back & he would just prove to us all how brilliant he is/still...
dont think hayden can do it unless he starts winning, think the ducati will be inconsistent at some tracks, pedrosa & stoner - hmmm 1st year, cant expect them too, but hope casey does :unworthy: .... that leaves melandri, came 2nd last year - rossi or melandri for me :0beer:

My money is still on Rossi, he has the potential to win every race from here on out until the end of the season. That would do it, coupled with the fact that there are so many other guys who will be taking points off each other.

If the unthinkable happens and the Doctor doesn't do it then I'd like to see Melandri do it. He's quick and happy!

Please not Pedrosa - he's v.v.v.v.good but he's a boring F1-type drone. He's taken Biaggi's place as the baddie as far as I'm concerned. I boo him...

I have to agree with you David about Dani, he is a huge talent and very good that he has leatrned so quick. Dont think anyone was iny real doubt that he would, but I think stil htink he is frail near the end of a race at a physical track like Assen or Mugello!

I really want Hayden to just push that extra few tenths adn get there, he has so much enthusiasm and he seems a real nice bloke. And you cant se Rossi being unhappy with it either!
But I think Vale is gonna really up the ante now, he has said he is gonna look for race wins, just lilke Mick used to and that is significant for me!

Only guy I can see staying with him consistently is Hayden, think Marco will still blow hot and cold and have to many finishes out the top 5

As for Ducati, well they stll seem incapable of getting the Bridgies to work every week. Loris will win more races but too often be top 6, and to beat Vale you ahve to be podium every week form now on and never fall off

I would've gone for Melandri to be no.1 challenger to Rossi .. but i'm afraid he needs full factory support

Pedrosa is good .. but i see him more like a fast rider rather than a racer .. i just don't see him racing wheel to wheel .. he will either pull away if he's faster or stay behind if he's equal in pace

Hard to count Rossi out, though if Yamaha continue to have problems, then this might just not be his season.

If not him, then it'll be a pick of the Honda riders.

It could go so many different ways. I think it's too difficult for a rookie to string a title-winning season together, there will be days when Pedrosa and Stoner can't get the best out of the equipment. Amazingly things are still in Rossi's hands - if he wins every race he's champion whatever happens. Another bad race would make it tougher, but I think we'll see a variety of race-winning riders, so consistency might be key. Capirossi would be my slight favourite, but I wouldn't put any money on it.

It all comes down to the next gp!

It all comes down to the next gp!

and that about sums it up! I haven't a clue, but tend to go along with the "Rossi can still do it" angle. Mind you, the two dnf's were completely unrelated and the front tire really was an odd occurance. No matter what it is going to be a real hoot watching the season. I still haven't seen this last weekends race in Italy, can't wait.

Paradoxically. I was more convinced for Rossi in France than in Italy.

In Le Mans, he was brilliant and only a rare mechanical failure (that could be not typical of his bike) demised him. The opposition was not even present (except Pedrosa and his soft tyres at the beginning)

In Mugello he was working very hard and he had a strong and determined opposition. If Mugello is the way to go, I can see he winning races and he losing races or even podiums, and it is not good with his current points disadvantage.

Anyway, what I expect is things are not going to be so hard for Rossi most of time. I suppose he will have a number of strong races and some relatively weak ones. That is what I expect, what I *hope* is he has more hard races as Mugello, it will be great to watch!

nicky hayden looks solid may not win many races but he is bagging points

Hayden can't carry on just getting second, third and fourth though. He needs to get a few wins under the belt to put a strong challenge in, as odd as that sounds when he is joint leader of the standings!

He wants to win badly of course, but seemingly has a mental block at the minute.

off topic a bit,but did anyone else wonder why at the France race, Pedrosa at one right hander kept on bringing his foot off the peg before going into the corner. Was curious as he did it over and over.

he does it at all right handers i belive

dirty Dan, interesting trivia there. If true (and I tend to believe you as his motions were very smooth and natural looking over and over) its still curious as to why. I guess he feels he gets the front of his foot on the peg more comfortabley how he likes it.

cheers

i understood that he was asked about that .. and he negated the fact .. i think it's not something he controls .. it's a "natural" "move"

Hayden's title lead takes a moderate hit, so let's see how Sachsenring goes now....although with Laguna Seca coming up after that, surely he can keep the damage as minimal as he can...

Still, I think Dani and Valentino are going to crank it up for the rest of the season. Tense stuff!

Loved Rossi's attempts to suffocate the Honda crew BTW! :laugh:

I don't see Hayden being able to sustain the pace, the title will be between Dani and Valentino.

Go Dani :)

Loved Rossi's attempts to suffocate the Honda crew BTW! :laugh:

Ditto, he didn't win but he still wanted all the attention :laugh:

Even my sport-hating gf liked it - but then she's a fool for Rossi..


To the topic, I still dare not bet against Il Doctore, he's too good. Even with a broken wrist. Dani will be a prickly, prickly thorn for years to come but I think his rookie-ness will hinder him this year. Hayden? Still not quite good enough I feel. Nice guy though.

What excites me most about MotoGP is the consistently fantastic racing, it's been extremely rivetting and full of drama and passion. I've even fallen in love with the 125 and 250 series. I feel like I've finally emerged from my F1 cocoon and am now 100% proud to be an exclusive bike fan.

F1? F off more like :p

I just want to say that hayden and Dani have won the same number of motogp races.

I just want to say that hayden and Dani have won the same number of motogp races.
It puts in perspective the talent of Pedrosa, being a rookie.

F1? F off more like :p
Well said! But probably the racing in F1 will be better on 2008, particularly if they choose that FIA rear wing that has Mosley excited (any thing that excites Max has to be great ;) - no pun intented respect his wife)

Was at Donington for the race... just got to say that seeing Pedrosa coming down the hill, then out from under Starkey's Bridge like a bullet was very impressive. Rossi's ride was just mesmerising, but unfortunately tended to eclipse just how on it Dani was.

Those two are really going to be fun to watch for the rest of the season (if Rossi can sort out the M1... if he'd qualified higher, I doubt that Pedrosa would have been alone out there at the front), because with each race Dani is less of a rookie...

my money is still on valentino - though he is making it tough with injuries & mechanical failures....

if not, dani pedrosa will run down nicky hayden - dani is a race winner at this level, is nicky???? melandri would be a great surprise ;)

Was an intersting race, Pedrosa was right on the button from Friday morning and when he is as good as that I think he would be hard to beat, but he get like that at every race meeting, I doubt it somehow!
I still think Vale is the man to beat and especially because of Haydens poor showing at Donington, that was just what he didnt need, he needed to really take maximum advantage of Vale's injury by taking two wins, thyat was what Doohan did to BEattie all thos years ago when Daryl got at him a bit.

As for Danu, he has the talent and the speed, i still remain to be convinced about fitness and the way the team get the bike to work for him, at some tracks i think he will struggle to cope with the effort

Dani has now matched Valentino's wins in his rookie season too. Both winning at Donnington, must be a good track for rookies.

Im with the American Hayden all the way!!! ive watched him for about 5yrs now working his way up the ranks and he has deserved all of it good luck from here in Wash D.C.!! :beer:

So, Dani and Nicky are both on the front row, Rossi eleventh.

Dani has really hit a patch it seems, if he wins tomorrow he may be difficult to stop.

Hayden with one hand on the title as long as he keeps it upright...

To date: 194 points, 2 wins, 3 seconds, 4 thirds, 1 fifth, one seventh, 2 fastest laps, and no DNF's

If he keeps that up he's the champ.

I concur.

Damn him! He needs some bad luck, and soon!

no way, id rather see anyone than Pedrosa take it. I like Hayden, seems like a nice enough guy. can ride as well. Also, a change from the Rossi show is a good thing for the sport.

Rossi is what, 51 points behind?

And yet, even though there are just six races left, you can't even discount him yet somehow, though it is getting difficult!

Hayden would be a nice champ, though I think this will be his only chance he gets.

6 races, 30 points for dani, so if Hayden DNFs it is all open, Melandri/Pedrosa.

I don't think Dani could quite do it, as he'd have to show a large ammount of quick consistancy, which he doesn't have.

But a Hayden DNF? Then it'd be ON!

Btw, With a Hayden DNF, Rossi would need to beat him in every race by atleast one postion, or there abouts.

Right now he needs to beat him by about 2 places to be in with a shot (Pretty much 1-3, so Rossi needs to win the rest), baring in mind that Rossi is EXCELLENT everywhere, and Hayden is pretty good at most places now, but very good at Valenci and Phillip Island.

For Pedrosa to win he needs to beat him with a victory - 2nd points gap and a bit. Tall order?

I'd like to see Hayden win it. If he tosses it, then I'd be much happier with Melandri as champion. Pedrosa will win it eventually. And he'll look less than thrilled doing it. And Rossi not winning it this year will only make next year even better. We'd have Rossi on the warpath. And Pedrosa with a year's worth of experience. And maybe Hayden as the defender? That's what I'm hoping for.

I think Nicky has lookied like a champ all year for me, he is riding hard but also within a very fine limit, just like Roberts did in 2000.
Yes he has a better bike than Kenny did, but at the places he can do well he gets a first or second, otherwise he is determined to get a third.
For me there are still places where Dani will struggle against Vale and Nicky for fitness.
He is almost there and his speed is beyond question isnt it, bloody frightening!
Personally i would love to see Marco do it, just coz he is always happy and always stiuff it up the inside of Valentino when he can, one of the fwe that will!
But you have to say that Vale is still favourite! They guy still pretty much has them all beat from here on in ad tnhey know it.
If he does win it surely it will one fo the greatest wins ever!

It's the typical scenario with open possibilities: those leading are not totally consistent winning-wise, and the best is with a good deficit of points.

I don't feel total confidence with Hayden yet, somehow I perceive he is not quick and/or regular enough to seal the title already (look Le Mans, Donnington). However he has been doing a very good job anyway.

Pedrosa is learning but he is talented. He could do it, but he has two problems IMO: Hayden is a bit far away in points, and Rossi is too near!

Rossi is the monster, looking to eat the children. 51 points in 6 races... He has won 5 races against 2 the rest of contenders. I can see Rossi getting 6 wins as a likely scenariuo, but I'm not sure about Nicky doing 6 podiums, so things will be marginal if that Yamaha behaves.

I recognize Melandri has a shot if Hayden fails, but to be fair he has been very irregular along the season.

If I had to be more concrete, I'd say Hayden and Rossi in about equal terms, Dani almost there, and Melandri just as a dark horse. The good thing about forecasting is the laugh we can have when we are totally wrong :)

It is amazing we have four thinkable contenders with six races to go.

----------------------
Entering the Dark Zone

A shaman has predicted Rossi is going to crash in Brno race. Apparently he worries about mundane events like bike racing :)

Leaving the Dark Zone
----------------------

He has won 5 races against 2 the rest of contenders.

So you gave him the win at Le Mans then? ;)

I count four wins for Rossi, two for Hayden, Pedrosa and Melandri, and one for Capirossi. That adds up to 11, and we've had 11 races.

Not to mention, the updates he received at Le Mans and Donnington were not to Hayden's liking. If Honda don't get in his way too often down the stretch he can maintain his form. And he did finish the season pretty strong last year following Laguna. I like his chances.

So you gave him the win at Le Mans then?
His win in Germany is worth two wins ;)

for the moment .. i see the championship finishing
Hayden
Rossi
Melandri

His win in Germany is worth two wins ;)


It would be if Melandri didn't win from 14th on the grid in Turkey;)

:D
But Melandri is not Rossi. Only Rossi has the right to be a heroe (apparently) ;)

Of course.

Anyone can be a Hero, but not a Heroe.

:bag: At least I hope it is the spelling in italian
:D

I see hayden just winning it from Dani

Rossi is out. *I called it first*

And you were hideously wrong!

I think, really, we have to back Rossi now as favourite.

However, Valencia could be very interesting.

Hayden will have to go for it for a start and he went well there last season, shadowing Melandri all race. So, let's say he wins.

Pedrosa has a job to do to redeem himself. Let's say he backs Hayden up.

Then, Hicky is champ! And Dani is forgiven! :angel:

Back to reality though, this is Rossi's title now IMO.

Pedrosa won't be backing anyone up for a while with his newly broken finger.

It's still not over yet and Hayden didn't seem to have any dramas getting off the line today so...

It's totally possible Rossi could be skittled by Stoner in two weeks and Hayden then only needs 9 points.

We're set for another buttock-clencher...

Well, good luck doesn't last forever does it? But considering the way this year has gone, I really don't know if Rossi or Hayden will be champion this year.

I see hayden just winning it from Dani

Rossi is out. *I called it first*

:tumble:

After today's events, I really hope Hayden wins in Valencia just to make things interesting. He didn't deserve to lose the title like that.

Rossi winning both races while Hayden was poor - fair enough.

But for him to be taken out like that, I'll root for him in Valencia now.