HO YES! THANK YOU TOV
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(Score: 1, Normal)
06-01-2007 14:27
JMU R1 wrote:
CarPhreakD wrote: As for MotoGP, it's not even the 212's fault... those Ducatis are blowing everyone away on the straights, it's almost unbelievable. Nicky has been struggling with the front end... I wonder what improvements Honda will make during the next few races?
Nope, all of the Honda riders have been complaining about the front end feel in the RC212V, even Pedrosa, who has been doing the best so far. The other complaint has been the engine power, which has been quite surprising because typically the one Honda gets right above all else in racing (especially motorcycle racing) is horsepower.
In the next TOV-RR we may touch on it but another problem is HRC's philosophy on aerodynamics on the bikes. Nicky Hayden and Carlos Checa have both asked for bigger more protective fairings for their larger frames so that they don't end up generating so much drag on the straightaways. Straight line aero performance is one of the areas that Ducati has a pronounced advantage.
Well, as much as they've complained, with the exception of Hayden (and Nakano) they aren't doing that bad.
It's really a shame that it rained in LeMans, because you are right to point Pedrosa's improvement on the water, but still... he was fastest on the dry by a wide margin while the Ducatti's were struggling on race-tyres. That was a good opportunity for him to have taken his first win of the year, together with a poor showing of both Valentino and Stoner.
You can see in Mugello that despite the long straight, both Pedrosa and Rossi were up there again (and the difference with the Ducatti's was considerable). But then FP2 came and rain put Bridgestone in the front again...
I really hope the race to be dry, because both Dani and Hayden need a good result to keep moral up. So far they've been really unlucky, and as a Ducati manager said: "They just got everything well for them". Another bad result will really make things difficult for Repsol-Honda this year unless there is a real turn-around point, but both Ducati and Bridgestone are working hard for it not to happen.
As for aero..., well, the problem is that the aero of the new Honda bike is set to work with Dani...
Anyway, I'm really happy to see that most Honda riders are getting in better shape recently. I'm particularly thinking about Checa and Melandri, although I think that Checa feels better in the dry and Marco in the wet. Too bad that the spaniard doesn't have the power he needs on the straights; in LeMans he was superb on his satellyte Honda.
PS: Thanks for the nice write-up !!! Keep up your hard work Gerald !
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