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| Kropotkin Thinks | ... that some things are more important than racing - but not many |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Despite putting in a hard day's work yesterday, the MotoGP teams were out testing at Le Mans today. The track was damp, making testing difficult and leaving a lot of riders in the garage, especially after a shower made conditions worse. The weather finally got to playing ball, and by 4:30 the sun was out and the track began to properly dry.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
| 1 | 71 | Chris VERMEULEN | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | 50'58.713 | 137.752 | |
| 2 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | Honda Gresini | 51'11.312 | 137.186 | 12.599 |
| 3 | 27 | Casey STONER | Ducati Marlboro Team | 51'26.060 | 136.531 | 27.347 |
| 4 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Repsol Honda Team | 51'36.041 | 136.091 | 37.328 |
| 5 |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Motorcycle racing is a lot like poker. Over the long haul, the best player will always come out on top, as they take the cards they are given, play the percentages, and make the best of the hand they have. Of course, sometimes luck intervenes, and a run of bad hands can leave strong players floundering around trying to cut their losses, while they wait for their luck to change and the percentages to start running in their favor.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Motorcycle racing is a lot like poker. Over the long haul, the best player will always come out on top, as they take the cards they are given, play the percentages, and make the best of the hand they have. Of course, sometimes luck intervenes, and a run of bad hands can leave strong players floundering around trying to cut their losses, while they wait for their luck to change and the percentages to start running in their favor.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Fate must be having a crackdown on hubris. Just as in Shanghai, where the predicted Ducati domination failed to materialize, Le Mans has once again proven the pundits to be quite wrong. Those who are supposed to know about these things had forecast that in France, the roles would be reversed, and the Yamahas would make all the running, with the Ducatis desperately trying to keep up, and not lose too much ground, and the Hondas struggling at the back. I was one of those voices, but today's thrilling qualifying has proved us all comprehensively wrong.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Fate must be having a crackdown on hubris. Just as in Shanghai, where the predicted Ducati domination failed to materialize, Le Mans has once again proven the pundits to be quite wrong. Those who are supposed to know about these things had forecast that in France, the roles would be reversed, and the Yamahas would make all the running, with the Ducatis desperately trying to keep up, and not lose too much ground, and the Hondas struggling at the back. I was one of those voices, but today's thrilling qualifying has proved us all comprehensively wrong.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
| 1 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | 273.11 | 1'33.616 | Fiat Yamaha Team | ||
| 2 | 27 | Casey STONER | 288.52 | 1'33.710 | 0.094 | 0.094 | Ducati Marlboro Team |
| 3 | 7 | Carlos CHECA | 274.23 | 1'33.859 | 0.243 | 0.149 | Honda LCR |
| 4 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | 280.44 | 1'33.875 | 0.259 | 0.016 |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
| 1 | 21 | John HOPKINS | Rizla Suzuki MotoGP | 1'35.128 | 284.135 | 0 |
| 2 | 24 | Toni ELIAS | Honda Gresini | 1'35.188 | 275.089 | 0.06 |
| 3 | 27 | Casey STONER | Ducati Marlboro Team | 1'35.245 | 283.837 | 0.117 |
| 4 | 6 | Makoto TAMADA | Dunlop Yamaha Tech 3 | 1'35.276 | 265.160 | 0.148 |
| 5 | 5 |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
| 1 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | Honda Gresini | 1'35.319 | 281.103 | 0 |
| 2 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Repsol Honda Team | 1'35.467 | 272.796 | 0.148 |
| 3 | 7 | Carlos CHECA | Honda LCR | 1'35.498 | 271.971 | 0.179 |
| 4 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | Fiat Yamaha Team | 1'35.626 | 269.393 | 0.307 |
| 5 | 21 |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
The second free practice session at Le Mans this afternoon was marked by changeable weather conditions, sunshine alternating with cloud, with a light drizzle finally putting paid to any further practice with some 10 minutes to go. But before rain put a damper on things, the session saw a resurgence of Honda, with Gresini's Marco Melandri topping the timesheets, ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Carlos Checa.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
The second free practice session at Le Mans this afternoon was marked by changeable weather conditions, sunshine alternating with cloud, with a light drizzle finally putting paid to any further practice with some 10 minutes to go. But before rain put a damper on things, the session saw a resurgence of Honda, with Gresini's Marco Melandri topping the timesheets, ahead of Dani Pedrosa and Carlos Checa.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Conditions were cool for the opening session at Le Mans, and although dry, the track took a while to get up to temperature. Early times were fairly slow, but as the session went on, times began to drop.
Submitted by Kropotkin on
Submitted by Kropotkin on
| 1 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | 268.71 | 1'35.699 | Repsol Honda Team | ||
| 2 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | 278.32 | 1'35.770 | 0.071 | 0.071 | Fiat Yamaha Team |
| 3 | 1 | Nicky HAYDEN | 277.93 | 1'35.908 | 0.209 | 0.138 | Repsol Honda Team |
| 4 | 7 | Carlos CHECA | 271.64 | 1'35.937 | 0.238 | 0.029 | Honda LCR |
Submitted by Kropotkin on
The contrast couldn't be bigger. Two weeks ago, the MotoGP circus was at Shanghai, a new, forgettable facility built especially for Formula 1, untouched by the hand of history. This weekend the paddock sets up shop in Le Mans, one of the greatest names in motor racing, a place so steeped in history you can almost taste it in the air. The very name of Le Mans conjures up images of exhausted riders blasting their way through the night by the glare their headlights, with only grim determination to bear them on until daylight breaks, and the approach of the race's end.
