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2014 World Champion? This poll is closed. |
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| Valentino Rossi |
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13 | 19.40% |
| Jorge Lorenzo |
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13 | 19.40% |
| Dani Pedrosa |
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8 | 11.94% |
| Marc Marquez |
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33 | 49.25% |
| Total: | 67 votes | ||
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Anyone who is interested should read stoner's autobiography. I wasn't sure what to expect but he does a really good job of addressing the politics, why he quit, etc, without soapboxing too hard. At his core he's a country kid who loves riding bikes and has no head for the politics of the motogp world. He kept thinking if he got fast enough he could transcend politics but ultimately motogp is a very political thing and you have to be able to handle that - he couldn't so he proved to himself he was the best and got the gently caress out cause he hated everything but riding the bike. What nsap said too, though.
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Aug 1, 2014 05:43
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Just look at Ducati's win history too. A few others have won, Capirossi in mixed conditions and sporadically. And Bayliss, another Stoner like guy and the last replacement rider to win. After those in 07 Stoner was the last one to take that bike to a win. For everyone one else it was a career ender and Rossi only managed the odd wet podium. Remember when Stoner faced so much criticism for crashing out of a lot of races? Well now we know, No poo poo!!! He was crashing every drat turn and saving it! And still getting on the podium and winning races. Stoner was a good enough rider to be a Rossi or Marquez but he didn't have the PR skills or knowledge or whatever. Marquez is so exciting because he rides the bike like Stoner on speed but he has a Rossi media personality.
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Aug 1, 2014 05:51
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Dovi and Iannone should be the factory riders next year, since Stoner they're the only ones who have been able to get on it and not fall off. Some bikes just fit some riders, and struggling to change something into what it's not is just futile.
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Aug 1, 2014 10:54
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Hey don't get me wrong, I'm a Stoner fan. I just thought he was a bit of a dick to Vale and didn't need to be. I actually ran into him in the carpark near where I work on the weekend of the first Adelaide 500 V8 supercar race he was competing in. Nearly loving dropped my motorcycle helmet on my foot when I recognized who it was. Only 2 things stopped me from getting an autograph; 1. I didn't have a pen 2. He was with his wife and was pushing his kid's stroller. I really didn't want to interrupt. He saw me get off the bike and gave a nod though, which was nice.
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Aug 1, 2014 13:42
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krushgroove posted:Dovi and Iannone should be the factory riders next year, since Stoner they're the only ones who have been able to get on it and not fall off. Some bikes just fit some riders, and struggling to change something into what it's not is just futile. I believe all four Ducati riders will be on virtually the same gear next year.
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Aug 1, 2014 22:07
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https://twitter.com/marcmarquez93/status/495288108485595136
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Aug 1, 2014 22:44
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I wanna see Iannone win some stuff just to watch the interviews and see if his mohawk flaps in the breeze even when indoors
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Aug 2, 2014 01:18
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I don't know why motorcyclists do that. I'm 99% certain Simoncelli was killed by his ridiculous hair (as in, it wasn't possible for his helmet to be properly secured because of it, and it slipped off during the crash as a result).
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Aug 2, 2014 02:40
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darth cookie posted:I don't know why motorcyclists do that. I'm 99% certain Simoncelli was killed by his ridiculous hair (as in, it wasn't possible for his helmet to be properly secured because of it, and it slipped off during the crash as a result). Slipped off? It was clobbered off by the wheel of a motorcycle.
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Aug 2, 2014 03:09
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darth cookie posted:I don't know why motorcyclists do that. I'm 99% certain Simoncelli was killed by his ridiculous hair (as in, it wasn't possible for his helmet to be properly secured because of it, and it slipped off during the crash as a result). Dumbest thing I've read in a long time right here
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Aug 2, 2014 03:52
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He was killed by massive chest and neck trauma from being hit by two motorcycles at 90 mph
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Aug 2, 2014 03:54
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Sorry, I mistook this for The Worst Thread. I should have ended my post with 
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Aug 2, 2014 04:04
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Probably easier said than done but if I was Stoner I'd tell my manager to deal with all the poo poo that isn't riding a bike. With millions of dollars anything is possible. Seems like you can avoid getting involved in the politics if you instruct everyone on your team to leave you out of it.
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Aug 2, 2014 05:53
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I don't know about that. If you win races then you have to go in for the after race interviews and I can't see how your manager can help you there if some hack asks a stupid question (or a hundred stupid questions over the course of the season). It's also kind of awkward if you want to skip out on signing autographs and stuff. More than likely, the manager would be pissing in your ear about making sure you were "marketable for the sponsors". Hell even Kimi Raikkonen did Rexona ads and he's notorious for begging off for anything that isn't the racing part of his job.
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Aug 2, 2014 05:57
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darth cookie posted:I don't know about that. If you win races then you have to go in for the after race interviews and I can't see how your manager can help you there if some hack asks a stupid question (or a hundred stupid questions over the course of the season). It's also kind of awkward if you want to skip out on signing autographs and stuff. More than likely, the manager would be pissing in your ear about making sure you were "marketable for the sponsors". Yup. He got really tired of people saying dumb poo poo.
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Aug 2, 2014 06:01
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Ianonne to factory seat Crutchlow to LCR Honda 2015 No word on LCR forming a 2nd bike (Have funding for it, apparently) or kicking Bradl out.
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Aug 2, 2014 20:25
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darth cookie posted:I don't know why motorcyclists do that. I'm 99% certain Simoncelli was killed by his ridiculous hair (as in, it wasn't possible for his helmet to be properly secured because of it, and it slipped off during the crash as a result). If you're not tailoring your hair for the perfect custom helmet fit, I don't know what to tell you. I get out of the shower and my hair's already lookin' like a reverse mold of my Shoei helmet liner. Fits like a glove now
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Aug 2, 2014 20:28
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Spiffness posted:Ianonne to factory seat http://www.cyclenews.com/663/24864/Racing-Article/MotoGP--Cal-Crutchlow-Out-At-Ducati.aspx This article says he's taking Bradl's seat.
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Aug 2, 2014 22:11
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I usually trust moto-matters which says that there is funding at LCR honda for a 2nd bike, and they've wanted to run two and that nothing is official yet on Bradl, but it can probably go either way. I like Bradl, but in the Marc Marquez world, consistently almost podium isn't enough for anybody.
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Aug 2, 2014 23:03
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Spiffness posted:I usually trust moto-matters which says that there is funding at LCR honda for a 2nd bike, and they've wanted to run two and that nothing is official yet on Bradl, but it can probably go either way. I like Bradl, but in the Marc Marquez world, consistently almost podium isn't enough for anybody. Interesting. I bet we see Bradl outperform Crutchlow. I don't rate Crutchlow very highly and I think Bradl is a solid albeit not top tier rider. I'd be surprised Bradl goes anywhere until there is another obvious German rider to take his place. Passports matter in motoGP especially for mid pack riders.
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Aug 2, 2014 23:52
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I like Crutchlow, but I think where he'll shine is somewhere other than MotoGP. He's not a serious contender for a title, and that isn't going to change. Some hot new British talent is going to show promise and as soon as that happens he's out on his rear end. He's a better personality than he is a rider. The english love that poo poo (just like we love Edwards for the same reason), but I think Crutchlow is in a decline too late in his career to ever make an Edwards out of himself. Soon as Redding starts sweating riders in 4th, 5th place on race day, the Isles will go all Redding fever and its media lights out for Cal. I hope he goes to WSBK or somewhere and does well. Bradl is strong, and I like the guy, but I think he has the same problem everyone else does: Marquez has moved the game on. Anyone who's had a few years in MotoGP and is doing well but not producing podiums or wins is under threat because race teams are scratching their heads wondering who the hell can beat Marquez. That means a push to bring in new talent. The only mid-pack riders who are secure I think are teams that are betting new rules (Spec ECU and new spec tires) will bring Marquez down to earth where he can be beaten. Any team who's scouting for young, aggressive talent is a seat that is at risk if you are a finishing 5-10th regularly. FlerpNerpin fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Aug 3, 2014 |
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Aug 3, 2014 00:20
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Other problem is that I don't see any young talent coming through the junior categories who is up to the job. I still remember how bloody fast Marquez was back then. I initially though Maverick Vinales might be able to do it when I first saw him race, but he seems to have faded a bit. Short of a rules change that clobbers Honda and Marquez and nobody else, I can imagine him being nearly unbeatable for quite a while. Maybe someone could convince him to go to Ducati as a handicap. 
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Aug 3, 2014 00:26
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So looks like Bradl did get pushed and is shopping rides.
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Aug 3, 2014 03:39
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So Indy got a whole lot faster.  Hopefully rain stays away, it's in the forecast for the rest of the weekend.
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Aug 9, 2014 17:32
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That's what happens when they change turns with a thought to the bikes instead of saying "Just run the car course backwards". Ask pretty much any fan and they'll tell you Indy is a great venue with a meh track, I'm glad they're getting serious about improving the track. Qualy is starting now.
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Aug 9, 2014 17:50
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Yeah, indy is a great place that makes it easy to be a spectator. Shame their track is kind of a stinker. I've had more fun here with a camera than anywhere else in a long time.. Indy is really good about giving fans as much viewing area as safety will allow. Exact opposite of COTA.
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Aug 9, 2014 18:22
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So ... Redding beat Bautista in Qualifying. lol. Way to guarantee his seat next year.
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Aug 9, 2014 19:37
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Goddamn Moto3 never fails to entertain.
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Aug 10, 2014 16:49
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Ya, good race. Insane how quick Vasquez's bike is compared to everyone elses in a straight line, bloody hell.
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Aug 10, 2014 17:09
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Moto2 was a little less exciting because of the restart, but MotoGP was pretty darn great. When Rossi was in the lead, every time he came up the front straight a wave of cheers preceded him. That was before the inevitable happened.
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Aug 10, 2014 20:13
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I was in the stands above the Turn 1-4 area, and watching those guys jockey for position during the first 3 laps was awesome. EDIT: Link to some photos from the race: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2032191&pagenumber=759&perpage=40#post433373292 NeuralSpark fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 10, 2014 22:49
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The revised Indy track is very good. The turns still look a bit the same but such a huge improvement to the racing.
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Aug 11, 2014 14:32
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n8r posted:The revised Indy track is very good. The turns still look a bit the same but such a huge improvement to the racing. Since Indy is in the most inconvenient timezone for me, I've never watched it before. If that was the improved layout, I don't want to know what the previous version was like. Honestly, it just struck me as so flat and anonymous. Aside from the main straight, I didn't see anything of particular note. At least Laguna has a bit of character and the corkscrew.
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Aug 11, 2014 14:40
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Laguna was slow and passing was practically impossible on most parts of the track. It had the Rossi/Stoner battle which was great but it's had a bunch of real clunkers. Assen is flat as poo poo but considered a real classic. I'm not saying the Indy track is Assen but it was a huge improvement with at least some interesting sequences of corners. Turn 1 is pretty amazing at Indy.
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Aug 11, 2014 14:44
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n8r posted:Turn 1 is pretty amazing at Indy. Yeah, I spent the races on the inside of turn 1 and it was pretty epic. Hard on the brakes, lots of passing, and once they were done with that you got to watch the whole pack wind through the tight corners and gun it up that short straight between turns 4 and 5. The smoothed out turns looks really good too, the bikes look gorgeous weaving through them. xzzy fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Aug 11, 2014 |
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Aug 11, 2014 15:09
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n8r posted:Laguna was slow and passing was practically impossible on most parts of the track. Not to mention the facility itself is tiny; Moto2 and 3 couldn't race there for lack of paddock space. It's also located in the middle of goddamn nowhere, and Monterey doesn't have the support for a race like Indy does.
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Aug 11, 2014 15:48
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Laguna wasn't too bad once they got the bussing figured out, but the paddock will always be an issue. I do not think that is the reason why the smaller classes didn't run. I believe there was a special arrangement made with lower fees so they could get the race there. MotoGP is still pretty much a nothing sport in the USA but it was really nothing in 2004 at the first Laguna race. If you took laguna and made the entire track layout about 1.5x the size it is now it'd be an amazing circuit. Indy is one of the special cases of having a huge infrastructure built around it. I'm still really sad that I didn't make an Indy trip happen prior to 125/250s going extinct.
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Aug 11, 2014 16:18
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NGM wins the best looking bike of 2014 award, man that thing looks good going around the track.   
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Aug 12, 2014 03:52
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darth cookie posted:Since Indy is in the most inconvenient timezone for me, I've never watched it before. If that was the improved layout, I don't want to know what the previous version was like. Honestly, it just struck me as so flat and anonymous. Aside from the main straight, I didn't see anything of particular note. At least Laguna has a bit of character and the corkscrew. Before, the track was either too slick to find traction, or so new it was chewing up tires and leaving tons of balls of old rubber outside of the 5 foot wide riding line, with different surfaces at different parts of the track with drainage grates all over the place. Nicky Hayden was defending the track a year or two ago before getting a knee puck ripped off during the race and putting a hole in his leathers rubbing it on the ground. Now the track's consistent, and all that passing in the first few laps was a huge improvement.
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Aug 13, 2014 04:31
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 08:30 |
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I'm not saying the race was bad, because it wasn't. I'm just saying that it really seemed like an anonymous piece of tarmac that wasn't worth getting up at 3 am to look at.
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Aug 13, 2014 04:37
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