CATALAN '07
by Mark Bracks
I've been holding off sending this latest bit as I was waiting to hear some news. I knew it was coming but I just had to make sure.
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There's plenty of eye candy for leg men at the MotoGP |
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Not to mention leg women... |
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Valentino on the paint |
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Nicky Hayden's rear tyre brush strokes |
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The lean angles are jaw dropping at present... |
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Stoner's team presents the stats |
As many know he was invited to take part in the recent test at Catalunya and impressed the team quickly equally the times set by Olivier Jacque during the Friday's practice getting into the mid 1:44's.
I expect him to do pretty well and get the Kawasaki closer to the front. We all know he has incredible corner speed but now on a proper setup with a great team behind him, he should fire. The team is a really good setup with a great bunch of blokes and even after just one day they were impressed with Ant's feedback as it was along the same lines as what De Puniet and Co were saying.
As for not doing anymore Supersport races, there is no grief there as there was a get out clause if West was offered a MotoGP ride. So now he has it, let's see what he can do with it. I might even have to have a dig to him on the grid about being on a factory bike!
While on Kawasaki the ride of the Catalan GP in my book was De Puniet. To see the injuries he is carrying and the determination in his ride is inspiring to everyone and gave him his best MotoGP result. His efforts at Catalunya have certainly raised his respect levels among his peers and others in the paddock. Have a gander at the pic of his leg taken on the Monday after, just a few minutes before he jumped on the ZX-RR for an afternoon's ride.
It's not only his knee that he wrecked when he crashed at Mugello but he has broken his collarbone where it joins the sternum when he crashed in France and he also has a few broken toes as well.
He is one tough little customer and if those injuries weren't enough Elias ploughed into his knee and body during one passing manoeuvre in turn one as well. As Randy said afterwards "It hurt so much I thought about jumping off but I couldn't move!"
It has also given Randy a good boost to his confidence because he has proven to himself that he can mix it even badly beat up. Plus he has just had a bit of surgery to drain some of that horrible congealed blood from inside the knee so he now may be able to move about a bit better.
The Catalunyan GP at Montmelo circuit situated in the northern outskirts of Barcelona has almost become my home GP. The track is only about 20 minutes away from the city so it is a lot closer than what Phillip Island is to my place and the weather is sensational!
The track is a beauty and it provides excellent viewing for the spectators with loads of Superscreens around the track and the elevated grandstands, you don't miss out on any of the action and the atmosphere with over 112,000 people there is something else.
We rolled into the track at 7:30 on Sunday morning and there were already masses of people making the trek up the hill to the gates.
Getting there is hassle free and shows what can be done when a government is focused on sporting facilities with trains within a 15 minute walk and express buses from various parts of the city to drop you right at the gate. The track was built as parts of the city's rebirth for the Olympics of 1992 and the facilities are first rate and are forever being improved as the situation warrants. It is that good IRTA awarded it the best GP of 2006
There is definitely no taking it away from Stoner. He is certainly one tenacious terrier the way he yet again, repulsed the attentions of Rossi. I only wish Rossi hadn't dogged the start again so he could've got away with Stoner and Pedros. Imagine the action if that had gone on for most of the race instead of the final eight laps, but then again I don't know if the ticker would've handled much more!
Seems the only pressure Casey feels is the pressure he puts on himself but there were a few overtaking moves that with any more pressure on his front brake may have caused some moments, particularly Rossi's efforts diving from the outside in front of Stoner at Turn One. That is one ballsy act there to get off the brakes and virtually accelerate into the corner and close it off for Stoner and be able to keep it all in line and flick it left. Stoner told me afterwards that it was a bit of a worry as he was right on the limit of his braking and any more may have caused him to lose the front and take both of them out.
He then added that if that did happen the finger would be quickly pointed at him for taking Rossi out but in the same breath said "that's racing; it's a tough sport."
It is also evident that the others are getting closer to the Duke in speed as the natural development cycle continues. The Yamaha can stay with the Duke now but they just need a bit more to be able to pass out of the slipstream. With the best team in the paddock behind Rossi I can't see that being too far off. While on the team I cannot for the life of me see Jeremy Burgess leaving the team anytime soon. Why would he? I know if I was working for the Doctor and have the understanding the team has with each other and Yamaha, there would be no reason to move on to an unknown outfit.
Most of the MotoGP teams stayed behind for one or two days testing after Catalunya and it was the last test until after the Czech GP in August so there was plenty of work to be done. Some stayed for only a day but other like Nicky Hayden stayed behind right up until the 6pm curfew on Tuesday afternoon. There is no doubting Hayden's work ethic as on scorching days he did over 200 laps -- 107 of them on Tuesday. That's 500 kilometres of riding next to or right on the limit. It was impressive to see him out there all alone as he painted the track a darker shade of black with his rear tyre creating the brush strokes (see pic guys) right up until 6pm when everyone else had packed up and gone home.
Also he has an amazing positive attitude that many would find hard to replicate. I know he is burning deep down inside and one thing that is really gets up his wick is that his teammate is getting bits before him confirming what we all thought. He received new pipes in Mugello and on the Friday of Catalunya, Honda gave him the frame that Pedrosa is already using but with bad memories of Donington last year when he tried a new frame in practice he refrained until the post GP test to try it.
He seems to be a lot happier with the updated chassis after the latest test, but it doesn't sit easy with him as he thought being defending world champion that he might be first in line or at the worst get the bits at the same time as Pedrosa. He is taking it a lot better than other world champions who have been given average bikes in the defence of their title (namely Wayne Gardner and Eddie Lawson). Those guys certainly didn't cop it on the chin as they attempted to defend their titles. Lawson was quite vocal after coming to Honda with the tile in 89 and had Erv Kanemoto there to give a bit more twisting to the arm and I'm sure Hayden and his team have said a few nice words to the Honda hierarchy.
Whether it works in this age is another question but not having the results on the board in his title defence and the factory Honda team being sponsored by a Spanish oil company may give a way a few hints.Tyres played the biggest part of the test with all teams trying a variety of the latest developments from Bridgestone and Michelin with the focus, the new advancement into 16 inch rear tyres. Like the 16 inch fronts that Michelin and Dunlop are now using, the rears offer much the same rolling diameter as the 16.5's - give or take a few millimetres - but also better side grip with larger a contact patch. It aims to help improve balance on the way into the corner but all the way through and a bigger patch on corner exit to transfer the torque into driving force. The lean angles are jaw dropping at present but how much further and faster can they travel through corners.
More grip may mean more corner speed but it also tells me that if and when they let go it will happen in a big way.
At the moment Bridgestone are happy to use the 16.5 front and all the head gangers are saying they have no intention of discarding the 16.5 front -- at the moment as I reckon once they get the data sorted they will think "why not try a 16 in front?" In all honesty I think they have already tested the smaller rim and are waiting for the right moment as they develop it more to have another nip at Michelin.
With all the testing they did it will be interesting to see what tyres are taken to the next few tracks as the weather conditions were stifling during the two days and it is unlikely that those conditions will feature at either Donington or Assen. Race day in Germany was hot last year and then we go to Laguna where last year the tarmac in pitlane during the race was about 63 degrees Celsius. That was the hottest race day I have ever been involved with so whatever happens before the summer break will definitely determine the main contenders for the final run.
We're nearing the half-way mark of the year and it's pretty obvious that the title will be again fought out by two main protagonists with a third party definitely there in Pedrosa but who will step up from the rest to ruffle a few feathers?
I expect it to be the same trio this weekend as Pedrosa won there last year and has the lap record while Stoner is answering all the critics week in and out while Rossi is Rossi and will be there. It's the place he first won at and is now a home race for him living in London while Stoner had his very first GP race there. Although it's not one of his favourites I expect him to ride the wheels off the Ducati to prove to people it's not only top speed. Also I think you may see the acceleration of the Duke a bit in the final "car-park" section of the two straights with hairpins
Chris Vermeulen will also be up there as he qualified second fastest last year and was in a good shape for the race until he had a coming together with Colin Edwards at the Melbourne Hairpin.
And my dark horse? Well I can't go past Westy. He will do well in the dry but could you imagine if it is wet like it has been there for the past week? Westy and CV battling for the lead with Stoner riding shotgun in third! MMMMM can't wait.
Bracksy
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Depunier... |
...contemplating new teammate |
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Rossi... smokin' |
Marco Milandri on one of the Gresini Hondas |
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Cop Lady returns |
