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NOT THE DUCK BLOOD SOUP THANKS, I'LL JUST HAVE FRIED RICE!

by Mark Bracks

It's that time again when I fire through my latest bit of dribble but first up before I go any further I just want to say thanks for the feedback that has been on the bottom of my blogs.

I must say I'm quite humbled to be on the receiving end of so many positive and encouraging comments even if the bloody Buell episode is still brought up. Frigging Wootton has got a lot to answer for that people still remember that after so many years but as Oscar Wilde once uttered in his drunken wisdom; "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about!"

I wouldn't recommend a holiday in China if you're looking some place that is going green. The only thing going green that I saw were the multitude of stagnant ponds and canals plus the river -- jeez -- wot a smelly fetid place it is. With the rules over there we don't get any hire cars as you have to have a full Chinese licence so we get picked up in shuttle buses from the airport and for travel between our hotel and the track. Anywhere else like the 50min trip to the centre of Shanghai we have to cab it.

I must've been asleep last year because I couldn't believe the piles of garbage and crap I saw everywhere. It's got to be one of the dirtiest polluted cities I've even been in. For the majority of the time we were there the locals were saying there was a heavy fog but I reckon it was just smog. You couldn't see one end of the straight from the other and I've never had a fog that stung my eyes after a few hours of walking around in it.

We headed into town on the first day and after lasting five minutes in the "Copy Market" where you can score everything from genuine fake watches to fake Levi's, Nikes etc I couldn't get out of there quick enough. Every step you take some little and not so little Chinaman is tugging your shirt trying to drag you into his shop. I really detest that and while many folk strolled around for hours it was a case of get me out of there.

A colleague, Duncan Bishop from Dorna, and I went for a stroll and ducked into a restaurant for a feed. This was entertaining in itself. We wanted the waitress to recommend some good stuff on the menu but we both turned up our noses at her suggestion of "Duck Blood Soup!"

Sitting next to a window on the street gave the locals something to look at as we were perved on heaps with them looking at our eating style with chopsticks. We had a good laugh as they were giggling it at us and giving us the thumbs up but we both thought "ok wonder what you would look like using a knife and fork!"

There are many beggars in Shanghai as well. I noticed out on the darkened street a woman hawking for funds and I thought the small brown dog she had on a lead had a very weird gait as it confronted people waiting at a bus stop. It was only when it got closer that I worked out why it had a strange gait; it was a bloody little monkey!

As I said to one local at the track that could speak a bit of English, "It's very cloudy today isn't it?" and he replied "ahh yes there is many many pweeeople!" We cacked ourselves!

Well China delivered what we all thought might happen with Casey Stoner making it three from four wins for the year. It's not only speed that the Duke has got but most have overlooked the acceleration of the red rocket and how he can pull the thing up so it is almost the complete package. To come out of that right hand sweeper onto the back straight the Duke just powers its way to over 330 km/h. Rossi would've been saying some good things in that helmet as Stoner passed him at will. But we won't see that every week. Now it's up to Stoner to maintain the momentum but he has proven to us all that the word "pressure" doesn't seem to be in his vocabulary as he has rejected the challenges of a multiple world champion as if Rossi is the pretender to the throne and not the Aussie.

An interesting fact for all the trivia minded and bear in mind there are more races in a year than ever since the World Championships fired up back in 1949. Since then there have been 24 occasions where a rider has won two of the first three races with 17 of them going onto win the title (and no I'm not going to name them all but I bet my arse Ago was one of 'em!)

Additionally of those 17 steerers 14 have won three or more out of the first four races with 13 of them wining the title.

Stoner is the third-youngest rider behind Freddie Spencer and Johnny Cecotto to have taken back-to-back victories in the class but he has never been on the podium at Le Mans in any class and he is the first rider in the premier class to win three from four on an Italian motorcycle since Ago way back in 1972.

Also besides Rossi, Stoner is the first rider to win three from four since Mick Doohan in 1997. Mick also did the same in 1992 but his season derailed soon after at Assen.

How is Elias's form though? One week a hero for shoving it into Rossi and a complete dickhead the next after turning into a bowling ball. It's lucky that no one else went down, particularly Hayden. Elias reckons Hayden baulked him but he went in there way too hot for a first lap. It definitely wont be the last opening lap incident we see this year just figuring out who will cause the carnage.

You have to feel for Hayden. This year he can't win a trick. It's as if he used up all his good luck last year on the way to his maiden title. One thing's for sure: Honda have built a bike that's not its usual standard and it's a pity that Hayden is bearing the brunt of most of it. If Pedrosa was another few kilos heavier he'd be back in the pack as well. They are a contrast as Alberto Puig tells me that Dani makes very little setup changes while on the other side of the box Hayden is trying everything. The Honda engineers have been giving him frames with more and less flex but in different areas as they search for a solution. He even went back to '05 model forks in China trying to find something .

Hayden hopes to receive frame number five at Le Mans as well as more improved engine performance to try and get him closer to the pack. He was progressing nicely in China during the weekend but we will never know what might've happened.

While I'm on Hayden I can't understand why people have this impression that he is a dickhead as fair dinkum, you couldn't meet a nicer more down to earth bloke. His entire family is like that and it's a credit to his parents (particularly Earle, his father) for the man we have now. From the first time I met him at a PI GP a few years ago he has always been ready for a chat and sometimes even a quiet beer. Sorry if I sound like I'm blowing smoke up my arse but I felt this little tale may go some way to describe how good a bloke he is without me continually stating it?

Fortunately last year I was given the championship winning t-shirt that the teams always produce for the occasion as Bautisa's team gave me one in pit lane after he won the title at PI and at the final race in Valencia Lorenzo's team gave me one after his title victory earlier in the day before Hayden. When Hayden won the title I saw his shirt he was wearing on the podium I thought, "mm to get one of them would tie the set up nicely," so in due time I asked what the chances would be of scamming one. Well the next day during the initial 800s tests Hayden is looking at me in a funny way all day and towards the end of the day one of the team Chris Herring the motorsport manager says, "hey Bracksy we have that shirt in the back of the truck for you, come and get it." I'm stoked and enter the truck with Chris saying it's in the drawer over there. I'm waiting for him to open it and he said, "no you're ok mate you open it" so I did but I couldn't find any of the championship t-shits there, just official Repsol team shirts. I say to Chris there's nothing there except team shirts and he replied "have a closer look. Well tickle my skinny arse with a feather on closer inspection I see a texta mark on the front of one shirt so I pull it out of the plastic bag and fuck me what's written on the front but: "2 Bracksy, Thanks for the support MATE!" with the world champ's signature on it!

That absolutely blew me away and if that's not a reflection of the guy's disposition I don't know what is. Here's another one: after the race in Catalunya last year where he finished second after there was three starts because of various incidents, as he was leaving the press conference he makes a point of seeing me and apologises for not talking to me on the grid! I'd forgotten about it but he still did after all the drama he'd been through. Amazing as there are very few riders that would even remember let alone have the courtesy to come and say that.

He was brought down to earth further in China where he learnt that his little cousin had been killed that weekend in a dirt track accident track in the states.

There's more people in the paddock that are a lot harder to get on with than the Kentucky Kid and a few would surprise you but I'll leave them in anonymity.

There was nothing strange in Olivier Jacque crashing but it's the way he did it. He low sided coming through the left hander that brings you back onto pit straight but somehow he got his right arm caught under the bike. It wasn't just a simple cut. The impact tore a strip of skin out as well as parts of the muscles in the forearm. They've cleaned it up but they have had to stretch the skin a fair amount to cover the wound. As such he won't be starting in Le Mans and maybe even have to miss Mugello or until he can straighten his arm without worry of tearing all the stitches and scarring apart. Hope that didn't make you turn too green. Mmm sorry for the pun.

Vermeulen had another weekend to forget after a coming together with Capirossi during the closing stages of qualifying. It really stuffed up the day as at the time he had two red dots beside his name giving him the fastest time for the first two splits. He also didn't escape too easily as he tore all the skin off the top of his toes on his right foot and the top of the foot itself.

There has been a bit written in the press about the possibility of Ten Kate coming to MotoGP next year. Well I'll say now that it will happen without a shadow of doubt but it raises a few problems. Honda say they will only supply so many exterior teams with bikes. Roland Ten Kate told me at Jerez he was very interested and wasn't there just to spectate! His dream is to have a feeder system where his riders start in Supersport and work their way right through to the big league.

It's a given that Toseland is coming to the championship and will be on a Honda after forsaking a GP ride this year with the Bridgestone shod Pramac D'Antin Ducati.

Next time you look at Melandri or Elias you'll notice the Hannspree logo on the bikes -- the same sponsor as Ten Kate have. They have come into the sport big time and I believe have partly funded Gresini to the tune of around 3 mill euro.

So Hanspree will be there big time next year with Toseland as one rider but who will be the other. If Honda hands the reins of Gresini to Ten Kate then how does this sound: Melandri moves to Ducati (like he almost did last year except for a little hurdle called a contract) as Capirossi bows out gracefully after being regularly beaten by his lil Aussie upstart team mate and his life is refocused with the birth of his first child recently. He has also stated he wants to continue racing but if I was getting around $3m a year I'd like to keep racing too!

Also Vermeulen is popular with one of the Ten Kate brothers but not the other so there might be a chance Chris goes back to the team he started his success with although I reckon Suzuki may make him a decent offer to stay with the people he knows. Kawasaki are also interested in him.

From what I can gather Konica Minolta will remain due to the Japanese union of Honda and Konica Minolta. As for Cecchinello who knows at this stage but Checa would want to do something or else face finally be put out to pasture but like Hayden he is not comfortable with the new Honda.

Also being rumoured in the Spanish press is the yarn that Jorge "Aspar" Martinez the team manager owner of the Aspar Aprilia squad in the 125 and 250s with the like of "Alex De Dangerous", I Mean Alex De Angelis, Alvaro Bautista, Sergio Gadea, Gabor Talmasci and Hector Faubel. Martinez is rumoured to be ready to make the move up to MotoGP and run a satellite Suzuki team. Aspar feels the same as Ten Kate in losing rides after spending so much time nurturing them

Throw in Jorge Lorenzo maybe heading to make the friendliest team in GP as teammate to Rossi and the silly season is well and true underway. So where would Edwards go? How does Kawasaki sound?

So much for sorting out next year what about this weekend at Le Mans on the Bugatti circuit? The track MotoGP races only uses the final corner, the front straight through the chicane and over the hill. At the first long right-hander is where the 24 hour circuit heads out into the forest

I can't go past Rossi there this weekend. Then Yamaha works well around there and he was slowly butchering the field last year when the M1 dropped its lunch. Also remember that was the first weekend that Rossi got the "new" frame to try and cure the chattering problems when they turned up with an 05 model chassis.

In a way it was rough justice that the bike stopped because Rossi should've ended up in the weeds when he punted Randy De Puniet off at the first turn. Expect someone else to go down at the same spot this year.

But if the Hondas are going to do anything its going to be in France so we'll see if Pedrosa can repeat his pole performance of last year

I'll even go out of a limb for egg-on-face disease and give a top three: Rossi, Stoner, Melandri, Vermeulen. Oh that's a top four. Even though De Puniet is French no Froggy has won the French Grand Prix and I can't see anything happening this weekend either

There are many second and third gear corners that need good acceleration. Yamaha now has a broader power band to help drive them out of the corners. The Honda seems to be struggling while Suzuki is getting stronger as well as the Kawasaki. It's a pity the Kawasaki isn't getting the results it deserves as since Turkey they have found a lot of improvement in the bike. Randy is fast but suffers from a lack of concentration in the later stages of a race forcing little mistakes and then when he tries to make up for his mistakes he bins it.

I would even say that Michelin will have a victory. Imagine after all their years of domination in the class that they fail to win their home GP!?

As for the future of the 125s and 250s that I was asked about: Well, it's a bit of can of worms at the moment. It appears the 125s will stay for a long time but the 250s days are numbered. The powers that be reckon there will be 250 two strokes next year but beyond 2008 can't promise anything.

The 250s will go to four-stroke in the next few years but like in MotoGP they will have to give a few years notice for everyone to get ready. The thought at present is that they will be 600s but they have to be prototypes as they are GP machines and SBK has the street-based 600s. As for 125s they too will turn to four-strokes one day too but the decisions are a long way from being finalised.

The big thing for the paddock in its entirety is attracting sponsors in this world that is turning green and the threats of global warming put all forms of motorsport in a bad light because of our burning of fossil fuels, although one jumbo flying at maximum altitude does more harm to the environment that a season of racing. I said this to IRTA President and Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 Team Manager Herve Poncheral and he was quick to reply with a wry grin, "Hey Mark buddy you can't say anything because you Australians are too arrogant to sign the Kyoto Protocol" which forced me to reply, "Sure Herve but when was the last time you saw an Aussie with protocol!?"

Poncheral gives Frenchman a bad name because he is a top bloody bloke.

Well, I hope that is enough to whet your appetite for the weekend.

-Bracksy

 

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