2017 MOTOGP Season ****SPOILER ALERT*** *****WARNING - SPOILER *******

[madvlad]

Honestly, I can't wait for Rossi to retire. Yes, he's a GOAT racer. Yes, he's the loveable clown. Yes, he could ride circles around me with his eyes closed on a tricycle missing a wheel. Don't care. Times change, he can throw down, but he's not consistent. There's amazing talent coming up. Time to go develop bikes and talent full time. Leave the racing to the kids.

Yeah, we all know he will go soon which is why he does have his moto2 and 3 team going and also life after GP helping develop for Yamaha as well which goes hand in hand to when people said he would have issues with Viñales like he did with Lorenzo but well as we can see that's a great relationship cause Viñales isn't a prick lol. He may opt out of his last season if he can't close the gap at the end of this year. Granted while he is still fast for his age and all but one hell of a run he's had, I will say that.

[The Black Knight]

Man watching that post race conference, Rossi is severely bothered and has a very unique tone. Kind of almost seems to me like he's thinking about not continuing on. This rabbit hole goes a lot deeper and I fear politics are about to fuck Rossi hardcore.

Wow?? I'll have to check out the post race conference. Normally I catch them about an hour after the race but didn't this weekend as the race was on later and I had stuff to do. If I don't catch the post race conference, I'll usually check out the rider comments on MotoGP or Crash.net sites.

What have you heard as far as politics go? Haven't heard much myself other than the politics of crappy tires from Michelin. I will say, it does seem that Yamaha counted their chickens before they hatched and thought they had the end all be all in bikes during Testing. Then Vinales came out and won two in a row, so Yamaha figured they had it nailed. Then reality hit in Jerez and Yamaha found out that they should have probably listened a little more to Rossi and made the bike work for the whole race distance.

Rossi hasn't had a bike developed around him since 2009. When he came back in 2013 I knew he would win but that the elusive 10th title would be hard to get. 2015 saw him come as close as ever, but still lost it. So with him not having the bike he wants and that was developed around him, he's not the dominant force he used to be. 2015 was the last time he won 4 races, but that has been his only year with several wins. 2013 - 1, 2014 -2, 2015 -4, 2016 - 2, and this year so far just one win. I honestly believe he won't win another race this year. He might get a sniff next week in Misano but man that's about it. Maybe Phillip Island. But I thoroughly expect him to get stomped in Aragon, Motegi, Malaysia and Valencia.

See you guys slammed me a couple months back for saying that Rossi isn't the same Rossi we've seen. I got ripped for saying he should retire. Now, all of a sudden everyone's starting to see what I saw.

I haven't been watching(and been a huge fan of) Rossi since he was with Honda, and not learned a thing or two about the guy. I can just see it in his presence, his eyes, the way he's riding and just his overall belief in what he's doing. He's just lost it. It's not that he's slow, the guy is still super fast. It's just that he's not fast enough. The other guys are faster and sometimes way faster.

There isn't a time that Rossi can lay down, that Marquez can't go out and completely obliterate it and do it without it being his most perfect lap. Should Marquez get that perfect lap to come together, then he just rapes everyone on the grid. Even Pedrosa, Lorenzo are coming to the end of their time. Dovi really doesn't have much longer either, so you know he'll be pushing for the crown this year.

The future is Marquez, Vinales, Folger, Rins, Morbidelli, Marquez(Alex) and others coming up from the lower ranks.

Stoner left because the circus became to much for him. Rossi may be reaching that same tipping point. When it stops being fun, then it's time to stop dong it.

Honestly, I can't wait for Rossi to retire. Yes, he's a GOAT racer. Yes, he's the loveable clown. Yes, he could ride circles around me with his eyes closed on a tricycle missing a wheel. Don't care. Times change, he can throw down, but he's not consistent. There's amazing talent coming up. Time to go develop bikes and talent full time. Leave the racing to the kids.

Have to agree with all of this. Rossi will be the greatest ever and I'm very glad I got to live in the time that Rossi raced in. Never got to see the greats of the golden era of MotoGP, but I have to say when Rossi does retire it will be the close of another golden era of MotoGP racing. The riders of today, are stronger, faster, recover quicker and are more relentless than ever. For Rossi to be able to fight with these young guns is very much admirable and something only someone as special as Rossi can do. Yet, he can't do it forever and he's starting to really show he's lost a step.

Rossi knows he's not the Rossi of 2003-2005, when he could do no wrong with a bike and make up any amount of time. I still remember Phillip Island 2003, when Rossi got slapped with a 10 second in race penalty. So what did he do?? Set a series of blistering laps to pull out over a 15 second lead to erase the 10 second deficit and still win the race. Then in 2008 he put an end to Stoner's wicked run of wins at Laguna Seca. Stoner was 1 second!! faster than everyone in qualifying. Yet, come race time Rossi hounded him to the point of weariness. Rossi was relentless with Stoner, they battled back and forth and it was a true clash of the titans. Back then when Rossi needed to, he just went faster and faster. He can't do that anymore, and he knows it. Back then he would win 11 races a year, now he's barely sniffing more than two a year. He's had 20+ years in the game, and that's more than any racer can ask for. He's been truly blessed as a racer.

But you can't win forever. You can't stay at the top forever. Sooner or later you become to old, to slow or not hungry enough to keep fighting.

There's a saying that I live by and constantly tell myself. It is said, "that the wolf on top of the mountain, will never be as hungry as the wolf climbing the mountain." Which means, if you ever stop trying to improve and do better, then you'll stop being the wolf climbing the mountain. And it translates into everyday things we all do.

I see Rossi as the wolf on top of the mountain. He stopped being the wolf climbing the mountain many years ago. He stopped being hungry and became very content with what he achieved. And there is nothing wrong with finding contentment. Yet, in his profession you can't find contentment. One must always be hungry and relentless to achieve the best. To be the best of the best, one must beat the best of the best. When you stop wanting to beat the best of the best, means you've given in to contentment and said enough is enough. Problem for Rossi is he doesn't want to leave the party. He's content but still loves the thrill of the game.

[salsashark]

Uh-oh Shaggy!

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/...raining-crash/

Italian media are reporting that nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi has suffered a broken leg in a training fall this afternoon. The Movistar Yamaha rider is reported to have broken both tibia and fibula in the crash, and will undergo surgery tonight to have the injury repaired.

The crash marks the second time this season that he's been injured in a training fall, after going into the Italian Grand Prix in May suffering the effects of rib injuries serious enough to see him spend the night in hospital. However, if the broken leg is confirmed it could be considerably more serious, most certainly delaying any hopes he has of lighting a tenth world title in 2017 despite being only 26 points off championship leader Andrea Dovizioso after twelve rounds.

[The Black Knight]

And with that, Rossi will retire....

[madvlad]

Yep, there goes his season... well sure hope Dovi or Viñales take it. Also wonder if this may cause him to ponder on retirement and waive his last year in GP...

[Okrapp]

That just sucks..looked up lower leg displaced fractures and yeah, recovery doesn't look fast.

[The Black Knight]

Yep, there goes his season... well sure hope Dovi or Viñales take it. Also wonder if this may cause him to ponder on retirement and waive his last year in GP...

I think it will force him into retirement. Maybe not 100% from the injury but Yamaha may be getting tired of his injuries he keeps sustaining from riding dirt. You'd think this guy would get it through his head by now, that you can't race MotoGP and ride dirt at the same time. I think he needs to spend more time in the gym and less time dicking around on dirtbikes with the kiddies.

Yeah, he's done for certain. HAHA, I hate being right but I said he wouldn't get any higher in the championship that 3rd this year, and looks to me he will be lucky to finish in the top 10 by the end of the season.

We've got six races to go and last time he broke his leg in 2010, it took him a minimum of four races to come back, and he had the summer break back then. When he did come back, he still needed the aid of crutches to walk around. He will be lucky to walk by Valencia. At his age, I'm guessing at least two months to recover.

Yes, his 2017 campaign is finished 100%. Might as well let someone else ride the bike, and focus on returning to 100% fitness so that he can walk into Yamaha headquarters and resign the rest of his contract.

And see this is the sh*tty part that I hate about being right and seeing my favorite racer go out on a low. The guy should have went out on top and now an injury is going to end his career, same as Doohan. I'd be willing to bet money that Yamaha will seriously consider cutting him loose by the end and maybe before the season ends. Rossi has now become a liability to Yamaha and they will see that loud and clear.

[madvlad]

Yeah definitely a heartbreaker season end for the guy, lost the race and now this... crazy how things can turn so fast. In other news, new race added to the calendar

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/0...alendar/238649

[The Black Knight]

Yeah definitely a heartbreaker season end for the guy, lost the race and now this... crazy how things can turn so fast. In other news, new race added to the calendar

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/0...alendar/238649

Looks like Rossi had a successful surgery and will no be on recovery. I looked up displaced fractures also and the heal time is long. I'm sure they will do everything they can to get him back. I still don't see him back until Valencia(maybe Sepang if he's super lucky).

LOL!! while looking up displaced fractures I was browsing through some of the causes. Obviously most happen due to vehicular accidents and sports. But it also said that old age and osteoporosis are also contributing factors to a displaced fracture. Time to get Rossi some Boniva and vitamins.

Yeah, the Thailand track should be cool. I've seen WSBK race it and it's a nice looking track. Will be interesting to see how MotoGP go at this track.

I did find Johnny Rea's comments interesting. He said he learned a lot from the MotoGP guys while watching trackside for Silverstone. He commented on how much lean angle and more momentum they can carry versus a Superbike. I do find it odd that he said they don't stop or accelerate particularly fast. Could be the difference in the 1000cc GP vs. the 800cc bikes from years back.

I remember they were at Laguna Seca and Rossi was talking about how the 800cc bikes were so much faster around corners. At some points they were 25mph faster through some corners than a Superbike. Course that's comparing at the time, a MotoGP bike to a AMA Superbike. Obviously World Superbike's are faster than AMA.

I'm just having a hard time believing that they don't stop or accelerate faster. For as long as I can remember, GP bikes had to weigh in at 375lbs wet, whereas a Superbike were in the 400lb+ range wet. Then factor in MotoGP bikes have another 30-50hp more than a Superbike, it would only make sense that the MotoGP bikes are just quicker. If I remember right, MotoGP ran a good two seconds faster at Laguna Seca than Superbikes do. That adds up big time over race distance.

[madvlad]

Well the specs from a WSBK bike to a MotoGP bike have to be pretty vast and also the type of parts they put in as well which for GP they have to be way on the upper end as they're the cream of the crop. Just the fork size on those bikes are insane lol

[The Black Knight]

Rossi to miss Misano: http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/0...-misano/238682

As if this wasn't news or surprise for us. What is a surprise is it keeps getting mentioned that he's shooting to be back by Motegi. I still can't help but think that's way early for a break of this magnitude. It's a leg injury, and the legs support a lot of weight and movement on a bike.

When I broke my wrist while at work back in 2000. It took me about two months to be completely back to 100% with it. Spent 8 weeks in a cast, and I'd say by week 6 it probably could have come off. But the wrist sure was weak and any little bit of pressure I'd put on it made it feel as though it could break again. Mainly just sore and atrophied from being in a cast that long.

Doctors are saying 30 to 40 days out for Rossi which puts him to come back by Motegi, a super hard braking circuit.

I'd say if he's super ambitious to come back, shoot for Sepang at the minimum. Even Phillip Island is pushing it. I really didn't expect for a solid return until Valencia. Which a Valencia return makes perfect sense. Come back for the last race of the year to finish 2017 off. Then be there for the 2018 bike to test, and that's assuming he doesn't retire altogether. But if he pushes a quick return and then say the worse happens on his return and he goes down while in practice or during the race and re-injures the leg. He'll be kicking himself on why he didn't wait.

Way I see it, wait the 40 days. Start putting weight on the leg and then get back in the gym to start rehab for the leg. Then shoot for Valenica and see where that goes.

[madvlad]

Yeah his season and title race is over pretty much, no point on aggravating an injury by coming back early, just no point. He should come back when he's healthy and ready. Hell, look at all the hassle that arm pump deal gave Pedrosa cause he kept coming back too early.

[madvlad]

Get a feeling that it will be a Dovizioso/MM showdown for the title unless Viñales can pull a rabbit out of the hat and stay in this fight but doubt it with all the ongoing chassis/tire issues Yamaha is having, just not sure why they don't go back to the 16' chassis for now until they figure out what the issue is with the new one. If so, sure hope Dovi takes it this season, guess the hiring of Lorenzo gave him that extra push he needed.

[The Black Knight]

Was a good race. Just got done watching it. Ended up missing it this morning as I've been just beat from being out of town for a couple days, so I've missed all the practices and Q's.

Championship is now tied up at 199pts for Dovi and Marquez. It will come down to those two for the championship this year. My money is still on Marquez to win, would be nice to see Dovi take a championship as he's been riding very well this year. Bummed to see that Petrucci couldn't hold onto the win. He would have been over the moon to get that first win and in Italy.

Lorenzo looked to be in good form right up until he fell off the bike. I'm with you Madvlad, I think him joining Ducati has given Dovi that little extra he needed to finally become competitive and really join that alien group of riders. Dovi has consistently taken it to Lorenzo the whole season long and this really should be a good humbling experience for Lorenzo. Lorenzo really needed to be knocked down several pegs. This year has surely done it for him.

What has happened to Pedrosa?? He just can't get enough heat into the tires and this race has got to be embarrassing for him. Baz and Crutchlow both crashed and still managed to re-pass him. Honda needs to work on something for him or I don't seem him in Repsol much longer.

Had to laugh when Nick Harris said Redding got a good result to come in 7th, and it shows why Aprilia picked him up. He's going to suck at Aprilia just as he sucks with Ducati. His teammate trounces him race after race and was fighting for the win today. Redding was all of nowhere as usual. He's as big of a turd as the turd he's replacing.

Have to say, the booing Marquez got on the podium is uncalled for. Everything is in the past and let it go. He earned that win today and should be congratulated as such.

[madvlad]

I think the race was so, so. Not boring but nothing overly exciting going on either. Would have been cool to see Petrux win it but seems like that win keeps eluding him. It's either man's championship to lose, MM is pushing insanely hard and that may bite him, it almost did yesterday by nearly high siding twice. Dovi while keeping good pace, didn't risk a lot and adding any points in this late in the season can mean the title. Yamaha still having grip issues, poor Viñales just couldn't find a way granted he didn't lose too much ground but like said above, any 2-3 points can mean it all at come down to Valencia. Lorenzo will never learn to be humble, he was already talking shit about Rossi during an interview calling it and I quote "a lucky career" dude is just a punk, even with a far better bike than Rossi ever had at Ducati and he still can't make shit happen, unless conditions are perfect, he doesn't seem to have it, always finds excuses as of why he couldn't do it. Rossi seems to ride through all kinds of issues and still find a way to podium and or even win which I find hilarious lol, that's the difference between Rossi and this punk, that Rossi is willing to put in the work unlike that dipshit that's used to having it all handed to him. You can tell he hates being the workhorse at Ducati now that Dovi is up there and the roles have changed. He thought he was going to come in, have Stoner and Dovi do all the work like Rossi at Yamaha, he'd have a championship winning bike and that he would ride into the sunset lol, nope! Welcome to reality moron, this isn't your fantasy land that was being given to you at Yamaha to succeed off others hard work lol, love seeing Dovi stick it to him and showing him that he's not all he's thought out to be but he's going to have to hit rock bottom to perhaps truly humble up and see what he's made of but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

As far as Pedrosa goes, I just truly believe HRC is giving him the bad end of the blade and will can him soon, he can't seem to get anything going for himself and I'm sure HRC is also dumping all of the latest and greatest at MM obviously, just doesn't seem they're supporting Pedrosa a whole lot and I get a feeling that they're trying to make room for MM brother to come in and take that seat soon, the Marquez family seems to have some serious pull with HRC and Estrella Galicia. For a rider of his caliber, he sure is struggling and even worse than when he had the arm pump issue. Yeah, Redding seems to be more concerned about dragging elbow and looking cool for pictures than actually racing, the dude could have potential but his head just doesn't seem to be in the right place. What pisses me off is the fact that they replaced my boy Hernandez with him and that sorry ass Abraham and they've had worse results than Yonny ever did and all cause of connections. If Yonny would have had more support from Pramac and even from Pull and Bear, things would be very different. Even when he went to Moto2 they turned their back on him and gave him the shittiest bike they could to push him out. It is really sickening to see how teams only benefit European riders and while there's talent from other nations, they just could care less about them as they want to keep their legacies intact.

I didn't see the podium celebrations but that's pretty messed up. Italians tend to be pretty emotional and they have a hard time letting go, bummer. Great win by MM though, valiant effort knowing what he was risking.

[madvlad]

Also what's your take on Van der Mark replacing Rossi this upcoming round? I'm surprised Yamaha didn't even put a test rider on there to at least try and score some constructor championship points this past round.

[The Black Knight]

I think the race was so, so. Not boring but nothing overly exciting going on either. Would have been cool to see Petrux win it but seems like that win keeps eluding him. It's either man's championship to lose, MM is pushing insanely hard and that may bite him, it almost did yesterday by nearly high siding twice. Dovi while keeping good pace, didn't risk a lot and adding any points in this late in the season can mean the title. Yamaha still having grip issues, poor Viñales just couldn't find a way granted he didn't lose too much ground but like said above, any 2-3 points can mean it all at come down to Valencia. Lorenzo will never learn to be humble, he was already talking shit about Rossi during an interview calling it and I quote "a lucky career" dude is just a punk, even with a far better bike than Rossi ever had at Ducati and he still can't make shit happen, unless conditions are perfect, he doesn't seem to have it, always finds excuses as of why he couldn't do it. Rossi seems to ride through all kinds of issues and still find a way to podium and or even win which I find hilarious lol, that's the difference between Rossi and this punk, that Rossi is willing to put in the work unlike that dipshit that's used to having it all handed to him. You can tell he hates being the workhorse at Ducati now that Dovi is up there and the roles have changed. He thought he was going to come in, have Stoner and Dovi do all the work like Rossi at Yamaha, he'd have a championship winning bike and that he would ride into the sunset lol, nope! Welcome to reality moron, this isn't your fantasy land that was being given to you at Yamaha to succeed off others hard work lol, love seeing Dovi stick it to him and showing him that he's not all he's thought out to be but he's going to have to hit rock bottom to perhaps truly humble up and see what he's made of but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

As far as Pedrosa goes, I just truly believe HRC is giving him the bad end of the blade and will can him soon, he can't seem to get anything going for himself and I'm sure HRC is also dumping all of the latest and greatest at MM obviously, just doesn't seem they're supporting Pedrosa a whole lot and I get a feeling that they're trying to make room for MM brother to come in and take that seat soon, the Marquez family seems to have some serious pull with HRC and Estrella Galicia. For a rider of his caliber, he sure is struggling and even worse than when he had the arm pump issue. Yeah, Redding seems to be more concerned about dragging elbow and looking cool for pictures than actually racing, the dude could have potential but his head just doesn't seem to be in the right place. What pisses me off is the fact that they replaced my boy Hernandez with him and that sorry ass Abraham and they've had worse results than Yonny ever did and all cause of connections. If Yonny would have had more support from Pramac and even from Pull and Bear, things would be very different. Even when he went to Moto2 they turned their back on him and gave him the shittiest bike they could to push him out. It is really sickening to see how teams only benefit European riders and while there's talent from other nations, they just could care less about them as they want to keep their legacies intact.

I didn't see the podium celebrations but that's pretty messed up. Italians tend to be pretty emotional and they have a hard time letting go, bummer. Great win by MM though, valiant effort knowing what he was risking.

See I've thought the same for awhile. Pedrosa is still an alien but he's in the way for HRC. He's never delivered and that's always been due to injury but he just can't get that elusive championship. I don't know if it's to bring in little brother Marquez or what. Alex Marquez really isn't that good, Morbidelli has been beating him, same with Pasini and a few others. He's fast and he's a lot better than last year but he's no in Marc's level yet.

They could be making room for him, though I see that as really showing nepotism and again, he's really not that good.

Also what's your take on Van der Mark replacing Rossi this upcoming round? I'm surprised Yamaha didn't even put a test rider on there to at least try and score some constructor championship points this past round.

I think this move correlates to your thoughts on Dani at HRC, only it involves Rossi with Yamaha.

Yamaha brass may know something that we don't. Rossi may not be coming back next year and for all intents and purposes Yamaha are starting to groom someone to replace Rossi. They are starting to put out feelers to see who might show some potential. Everyone keeps saying Zarco, Zarco, Zarco. But I really don't think Zarco will go any faster than Rossi.

Zarco is after all, on last years bike and while he's getting good results(better than most) he's not really ahead of the factory riders. Surely, Zarco's bike(2016) is better than the 2017 bike, but is Zarco better than Rossi or Vinales, yeah not even close. Folger showed some brilliance at the Sachsenring but that was his home race, he had to deliver something special.

I thin placing Van der Mark in there for a round or two is a good move. I really don't see Rossi coming back for Motegi, yeah I know that's what he wants. But wanting doesn't cut it with a 38 year old leg that's broke in two places. Maybe an 18 year old leg might bounce back that fast but for him, I honestly didn't think to see him back until Valencia. If it were me, and I'm only a year younger than Rossi, I myself would shoot for Valencia. The year went to hell in a hand basket with the broken leg, so let 2017 die and focus on 2018 if he really does plan to comeback. Show up for Valencia, completely fit and healthy, maybe sore and stoved up but at least healthy. Do the race to get your wits back about you, and then get ready to test the 2018 machine the next day.

I'm serious is Rossi comes back to early and something goes wrong and he re-injures himself or hurts something else. He's finished, Yamaha will pull the plug on him before he does.

[madvlad]

Thailand added to next year, going from 18 rounds to 19 muahaha

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/0...nounced/239918

[blaircsf]

There was recent talk of going to 20 races in a season. With new tracks coming in Finland and Kazakhstan, it will be interesting to see what happens. Apparently Rossi isn't a fan of the Thailand track though:

"I was in Thailand for Yamaha two years ago and the track is not interesting," he said. "It’s very boring, has not a lot of corners, just long straights. I think it’s not the best place to go." "And also where is the track is quite bad, it’s far from everything." "So I’m not very happy to go to Thailand, essentially, on that track. But if we have to go, we’ll go."

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/ne...d-race-915646/

[madvlad]

Wasn't Wales supposed to join too? I remember hearing about that earlier this year.

[blaircsf]

I'd say it's pretty unlikely, they keep having funding plans shot down:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/262...rcuit-of-wales
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-sou...wales-40890223

[madvlad]

Bummer, of course the government won't cut into their fat pay to fund that haha, figures.

[The Black Knight]

Wasn't Wales supposed to join too? I remember hearing about that earlier this year.

It would have replaced Silverstone on the calendar for the British round. From the looks of it, if Silverstone doesn't extend the contract, the GP will go back to Donington Park. Which is cool, WSBK do well at Donington and MotoGP always did well there. Silverstone is just a way bigger track than Donington.

Myself, I'd much rather see other tracks replace some of the current ones on the GP calendar. I'd like to see Le Mans go away and Magny Cours replace it. I'd also like to see Estoril come back, and instead of Thailand, I think MotoGP would be awesome in Russia(Sochi). Would love to see MotoGP go back to Welkom(South Africa)

Also there are the Hungaroring and Turkish Gran Prix in Turkey that MotoGP could go to as well. There a ton of German tracks that could host a GP as well(Nurburgring, Hockenheim).

Here's my list of MotoGP rounds that I'd like to see:

Round 1 - Welkom (dump Qatar, it's a shitty track)
Round 2 - Argentina
Round 3 - COTA
Round 4 - Jerez
Round 5 - Magny Cours
Round 6 - Mugello
Round 7 - Catalunya
Round 8 - Laguna Seca (bring it back)
Round 9 - Nurburgring or Hockenheim (dump Sachsenring)
Round 10 - Brno
Round 11 - Austria
Round 12 - Donington
Round 13 - Monza (instead of Misano)
Round 14 - Turkish GP or Hungaroring(get rid of Aragon)
Round 15 - Suzuka (dump Motegi)
Round 16 - Phillip Island
Round 17 - Sepang
Round 18 - Valencia(even though I think this track is lame and boring)

[madvlad]

It would be dope if Laguna made it back but MotoGP won't re-sign if they don't support moto2 and moto3 races during that weekend.... guess Rossi has been doing some test laps to make a decision on whether he will race in aragon or not