It’s February, so the Moto GP bikes are back on track, having just completed the first test of the 2010 season. There are a significant number of new riders, and a big change in engine rules – each rider is allowed only six engines for the entire season, meaning that the manufacturers have been sweating blood since last summer to build up reliability while (they hope) still improving power.
More engine changes are coming, too. 2011 is supposed to be the last year for the 800 cc formula, with 1,000 cc machines replacing them in 2012. Recently there have been rumours that the factories are asking for an extension for the 800s (allowing them to amortize those development costs further) so 2012 may see a combination formula with both 800 and 1,000 cc bikes running.
The first test, at Sepang in Malaysia, to nobody’s surprise was headed by "the aliens," as competitor Marco Melandri wryly named them last year: Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha), Casey Stoner (Marlboro Ducati), Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha), and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).
Fifth place, however, was a bit of a shocker to the GP establishment, as "new boy" Ben Spies on one of the Tech 3 Yamahas was the fastest of the rest, ahead of a considerable number of 250 cc and Moto GP world champions. It was his first time at the track and he was severely jet-lagged, making his performance even more impressive.
Spies gave credit to his team-mate as well as the team: "I’ve already been getting a lot of help and advice from Colin about the track and that is great for me and for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team that we are working together like that." Edwards just laughed and said, " I just told him I didn’t know where I was going, either!"
The engine worries seemed to be a non-issue, as riders from the Ducati, Honda, and Yamaha camps all had big smiles, saying their bikes felt stronger than last year, and in all cases more "rideable," as the factories concentrated on midrange power as well as reliability in the off-season development. Ducati introduced a so-called big-bang engine for the first time, and both Stoner and Hayden raved about it.
The teams will be back at Sepang in two weeks for follow-up tests, followed by a trip to the Losail Circuit in Qatar for a final practice prior to the April 11 season starter. The team line-up for 2010 looks like this (* indicates new to the Moto GP field):
- Fiat Yamaha: Valentino Rossi (Italy), Jorge Lorenzo (Spain)
- Marlboro Ducati: Casey Stoner (Australia), Nicky Hayden (USA)
- Repsol Honda: Dani Pedrosa (Spain), Andrea Dovizioso (Italy)
- Rizla Suzuki: Loris Capirossi (Italy), Alvaro Bautista * (Spain)
- Yamaha Tech 3: Colin Edwards (USA), Ben Spies (USA)
- Interwetten Honda: Hiroshi Aoyama * (Japan)
- LCR Honda: Randy de Puniet (France)
- San Carlo Honda Gresini: Marco Melandri (Italy), Marco Simoncelli * (Italy)
- Pramac Racing Ducati: Mika Kallio (Finland), Aleix Espargaro * (Spain)
- Aspar Ducati: Hector Barbera * (Spain)
Only 17 riders makes a pretty thin grid … but the practice times were close and we can only hope for racing that’s just as close.
speed channel is the worst place to watch the race. i should be 1 hour race coverage but you end up watching it for 25mins of racing and 35mins watching the damn commercials… pay 120 something dollar for subscription. your money will not go to waste as you enjoy the race even it isn’t live…
Motogp.com is a good place to start. I find their commantary the best. Nick Harris and Gavin from motogp, really show their love of motorbike racing. Don’t know if you can get Eurosport over in Canada, but they are ok. BBC is boring, bad, and dull.
Should there not be an asterix “*” beside Mr Spies’ name?
Any idea on how to watch the races in Canada (specifically Toronto)? I never liked Speed’s coverage. Is there an online source where I can (presumably pay a small fee to) stream the races?