MotoGP 2014

[JimClarkFan]

Lewis Hamilton wrote:
It's also interesting to watch Marc Marquez.

He's got the best bike, but it's still remarkable what he's achieved. He won the title in his first season last year, aged just 20, and looks set to retain it after winning the first seven races of 2014.

I see some reflections of myself in Marc. When I watch him, I'm always thinking: 'I would have done it like this.' Then he takes the exact lines I would have - and they work. It's really cool to see that.

It's a great sport and it's good that the fans can get so close to the action.

I really want to try it one day. John Surtees won a world title on a bike and in a car, so it would be cool to do that, too.
It's easy to be popped off a bike, though, so you couldn't take the risk during an F1 season. But I'll definitely try it one day.

I know what I'm going to say next might upset some people, don't care, but I don't think I know of a person with their head so far up their own ass.

As if Lewis could just hop right on the motogp grid If he started today, he wouldn't win a British Superbike race for 5 yrs.

I know... I would give him major credit if he could even make British superbike level.

I consider what he said to be downright disrespectful to those guys bike racing because it implies there is an inherent lack of skill in motogp.

He should know the John Surtees got his motorbike world championship before his F1 championship, I would be very surprised if you could go from F1 to bikes, I believe that bikes to F1 is a much easier transition - I don't know if anyone else agrees.

And when he is talking about about MM, he can't just pass comment on how good MM is, instead he needs to tell everyone how he see's himself in MM and how MM does the things the way he would - just shut up.

Comments like this illustrate where his head is at, it tells me he doesn't have his feet anywhere near the ground or people who are in his corner and straight talking enough to say - reign it in. He needs them.

Just kind of annoyed me reading that, as a follower of both sports.

[pyrosian]

Most people think going from bikes to cars is the easier, better way to attempt competing in both. But look what happened to Casey Stoner, absolute brilliance on a bike yet when he retired to Aussie V8s he struggled to make up the midfield in the development series. I think that these days each sport is so highly specialised it would take a miracle to achieve championships in both.

[JimClarkFan]

Most people think going from bikes to cars is the easier, better way to attempt competing in both. But look what happened to Casey Stoner, absolute brilliance on a bike yet when he retired to Aussie V8s he struggled to make up the midfield in the development series. I think that these days each sport is so highly specialised it would take a miracle to achieve championships in both.

Yeh I guess that is true, it certainly isn't going to be easy.

Rossi did have a test in an F1 car a couple of times and did well.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/ ... 10355.html

He should have made the switch rather than go to Ducati. Oh man, imagine Rossi and Alonso at Ferrari, my goodness that would be the best line up ever .

[flyboy2160]

...I consider what he said to be downright disrespectful to those guys bike racing because it implies there is an inherent lack of skill in motogp. ....And when he is talking about about MM, he can't just pass comment on how good MM is, instead he needs to tell everyone how he see's himself MM and how MM does the things the way he would - just shut up.

Comments like this illustrate where his head is at, it tells me he doesn't have his feet anywhere near the ground or people in his corner who are straight talkers. And he needs them.

Just kind of annoyed me reading that, as a follower of both sports.

Agreed. Contrast the disgusting World-Revolves-Around-Hamilton comments with those from a few F1 drivers who visited a WOO dirt track race over 20 years ago: they gushed effusively about the great skill and courage of those drivers instead of the total B.S. "They take the same lines I would." (I don't have a citation because this was before the inet, but I remember it distinctly because I had just seen one of those races from the infield and was stunned by the display and by the sound.)

[bhall II]

Yeh I guess that is true, it certainly isn't going to be easy.

Rossi did have a test in an F1 car a couple of times and did well.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/ ... 10355.html

He should have made the switch rather than go to Ducati. Oh man, imagine Rossi and Alonso at Ferrari, my goodness that would be the best line up ever .

I'm sure it didn't hurt that he was on slick tires...



It was a nice PR-grab, but not much more. I don't know that a John Surtees could do now what he did then. Both disciplines are so specialized these days.

[Cam]

It was a nice PR-grab, but not much more. I don't know that a John Surtees could do now what he did then. Both disciplines are so specialized these days.

Agreed - no hoax. Someone mentioned Casey Stoner's example in the V8's as well. In both cases (Rossi and Stoner) they set very good times in 'testing'. Stoner was actually well regarded in his initial tests.

"When he drove the car he was quite good in a lot of areas," said Lowndes.

"His focus and determination on trying to be fast was really good. He was very good in the slow sections of the track and was on par with Jamie (Whincup) and I from the outset.

"In the high-speed section he took a bit longer to get to grips with but he eventually got to that point. His feel, his ability and his knowledge from what he wants from the car is very good, so he would crossover pretty well. It's a matter of his choice as to what he wants to do."

Racing day in day out, varying tracks, weather conditions, competitors etc - is another matter. This is not to take way from Stoner and Rossi, both are simply amazing sportsmen and I have no doubt over time, both could become good in other series, but it does highlight that a simple 'switch' of disciplines may be far from 'simple'.

[SectorOne]

It´s probably easier to go from MotoGP to F1 then it is the other way i think.

In F1 all of your balance in the car is generated through steering and/or throttle/brake input.

In MotoGP it´s the same, except you also have a 60-70kg barely attached weight that you can manipulate as you are going through corners.

[Andres125sx]

It´s probably easier to go from MotoGP to F1 then it is the other way i think.

In F1 all of your balance in the car is generated through steering and/or throttle/brake input.

In MotoGP it´s the same, except you also have a 60-70kg barely attached weight that you can manipulate as you are going through corners.

+1

And when you make a mistake, instead of spinning you hit the tarmac yourself. That hurts and make you think twice before trying the limits again

[Shrieker]

I'm sorry to say today's F1 drivers are a bunch of wussies compared to MotoGP or Superbike riders. Those guys got some balls...

[SectorOne]

In what way are they pussies?
Drivers are merely driving what the team provided them with which is decided by the FIA rulebook.

F1 is very safe yes but in SPA 2012, if some cars had driven down to T1 with some slight variation Alonso might not have been here today.

[Shrieker]

Peter Lenz, Shoya Tomizawa, Marco Simoncelli, Andrea Antonelli, Craig Jones; just off the top of my head. That's why i said what i said. Maybe i should've underlined the compared to part to make it sound a bit fairer.

[Cam]

While I'm sure there is some risk in F1, it's minor in comparison nowadays. Years ago, nope, we'd be having a different discussion. Also, you regularly have riders competing with broken collar bones, fractured legs, missing fingers, heavily bruised shoulders etc, then you have Kimi, who takes a few months off for a 'sore' back.

While I don't doubt Kimi had surgery and his injury was real, it does put it in perspective. Drivers have it easy in their safety cells and roll cages. To not even attempt to run in the rain.... appears to be wussie to me.

[SectorOne]

Drivers have it easy in their safety cells and roll cages.

Still doesn´t make the drivers wussies.
That´s like saying MotoGP drivers are wussies because they have miles and miles of run off, in TT if you run off chances are it´s your last ever run off.

not even attempt to run in the rain.... appears to be wussie to me.

They do run in the rain, just not when it´s a monsoon because the cars are not boats.
Not drivers, but passengers is the result of that.

On top of that you have 88 full wet tires sending water straight up in the air.
Just imagine for a second that you can´t see more then 10 meters ahead of you, some red lights flashing in the mist, and btw, you are doing over 300km/h.

To say that doesn´t take huge balls is insane.

[turbof1]

I believe motogp riders are a bit more comparable to old era f1. They come closer to serious injuries, run bigger risks.

Nowadays the cars are much safer. Motogp drivers take more risks because they are in the position of taking more risks. When a f1 driver tries to go faster, he isn't risking injuries or even his life when it goes wrong.

So they more or less have equal balls. Motogp drivers just have more chance of bruising them.

[SectorOne]

Anyone watched the Qualifying?
Marquez providing entertainment once again.

4 people in two corners, probably got bored or something.