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QP (spoiler)
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Vermulen
Stoner
De Puniet
Melandri
Hopkins
Edwards....the first non bridgestone.
Week in week out, Stoner is consistent. The Bridgestones must have
something in the wet, they seem to really do well in these conditions.
Maybe a change if weather dries a bit, but if not I am going with Stoner to
win again, and Rossi off the box. Actually, even if the weather dries out a
bit, I will still go with Stoner, with maybe Rossi on the box, but with alot
of work to do to get there.
Ducati must be beaming with pride......as they should. Great combination
this year. Rider, Bike, Tires. Evidently all important.
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One thing I note in qualifying is that while Stoner is 2nd and the
Bridgestones dominate once again, Kawsaki and Suzuki are 1st, 3rd, 5th
and 7th, while the other Ducatis are 8th, 10th, 12th, the last three
Bridgestones. That might indicate the superiority of Stoner as a
rider, but also may by yet another indicator of how these new 800s and
their character have altered the playing field in MotoGP.
There's a short interview in CN with KRSR, and he talks about the lack
of acceleration with the new motors, and how that is a problem for
certain riders (Hayden, KRJR, and would be for KRSR), while it plays
into the style of others (Stoner, de Puniet, probably would be for
Kocinski). There's also an article about the latest parts teasted on
these machines, and it talks about the way that the motor/throttle
response of the Ducati works for Stoner but doesn't for Capirossi, and
the work being done to give Loris what he needs. So while there's no
doubt that the Ducati is an excellent machine and probably the best on
the grid (particularly given the Bridgestone advantage), Stoner's
results so far suggest that it's as much that it's excellent for him
than that it's just excellent in isolation.
That article also continues to leave the impression that Rossi and
Pedrosa are the focus of Yamaha and Honda in a way that doesn't apply
at Ducati, Suzuki and Kawasaki, but that's sort of another matter...
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Regardless wet or dry I think we will get a good race, in the wet
Casey, Chris and Ant West may go tooth and nail to win and I think it
could be a very exciting race, possibly 3 Aussies on the podium. if
it's dry there will be any number of riders battling it out, Stoner,
Hayden, Rossi, Edwards, possibly Hoppers and Barros too, however
Stoner has an advantage starting from the front row.
My predictions are.....
dry
Stoner, Rossi, Hayden
wet
Stoner, Vermulen, West.
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