Beefy's Corner - The Off-Topic Chat Thread

Table looks very good for Hants:


Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts
Hampshire 6 5 1 0 0 10
Lancashire 8 4 3 0 1 9
Durham 7 4 2 0 1 9
Essex 7 4 3 0 0 8
Derbyshire 6 2 2 0 2 6
Surrey 7 2 3 0 2 6
Scotland 7 0 7 0 0 0

 

I have a great recording of Toni Elias winning Estoril 2006. What a fantastic race that was. I might even have to watch it again, now you've mentioned it. Kenny Roberts Jr thought he'd won, but there was another lap to go. Dani Pedrosa did the unthinkable and took out teammate Nicky Hayden, who was incandescent with rage, and everybody thought Vale was being gifted the title. Of course, who was to know that Rossi was to fall off in the final race at Valencia to gift the title to Nicky. Did he do it on purpose..? And Elias pipped Rossi on the line, in one of the closest finishes ever.

I also have all of Hopper and Vermuelen's races on disc, and seeing as the grid is going to be 28 bikes at some point, there's plenty of room for one or the other to come back. Just as long nobody kicks out Cal [can you see it happening, I can't..!?!] and Scott gets his chance too to give Bradley someone to live up to. Yeah, it would be great to see Suzuki come back, especially if the bike is as competitive already as you say. I would never say it was tedious watching MotoGP, even if the same bikes are winning, but I know what you mean. Ducati sometimes look as if they might be getting some sort of act together, but then they go backwards.

You can shoot me down in flames on this but, the main problem with the Ducati has been the turn-in. Only four riders have actually got anywhere with it. Nicky and Dovi have made the best of a bad lot, and Stoner and Capirossi have actually done decent things on it, Stoner especially, of course. But way back when, it was folding in for no apparent reason, no more strikingly when during one race, Stoner was out in the lead, and Rossi edged the Yamaha ever closer and closer, getting the seconds down, and then Stoner cracked, or at least the front end washed out when on previous laps it was absolutely fine. What has held back Ducati for so long, in rectifying this, is that they haven't believed their riders, and have actually finished the MotoGP careers of one or two - Melandri the shining example. So, here's my educated, gut feeling - the motor is too long. I've seen pictures and literally, the length of the engine means that the length of the overall motorcycle is too long. They've tried to make it taller to offset it, but it doesn't work, and won't, in my opinion. I didn't think Vale was going to get anywhere with it, though I hoped, of course. Obviously, after him, they had to realise their bike is just awful in comparison with the very best. Typically, the sweetest handling bike is the Yamaha with the ultra short 4-in-line Genesis engine, although Honda are the same or beat them in practically every other area. The Ducati just starts to pump when going round the corners, once the edge of the tyre has started to wear away. Anyway, that's my opinion.

As far as Vale is concerned. I think he's been the perfect ambassador for the sport, just as, in the same way, Casey Stoner has been the worst ambassador. I was always a great fan od Stoner, but he made iot hard for anyone to like him, and of course, he didn't care either. Often he would wonder though why he was so unpopular. Anyone with half a braincell could see why. In comparison, Rossi has always had time for people; always smiled at the camera; always had that sense of fun, even when doing relatively badly in the last couple of years. Someone asked him pre-race last week at Catalunya if he would overtake teammate Lorenzo in the same astonishing way on the last corner as he did in 2009. He looked over at Lorenzo and then smiled back, Yeah, if Jorge will wait for me. Typical Rossi. Full of fun and actually quite modest with it. Onto Assen.

 

Don't Ducati have the design of their engine patented? Pretty sure I remember that being mentioned by the BBC at one point or another.

 

I`ve just discovered that the man at the helm of the Titanic when it struck the iceberg (a Cornishman called Robert Hichins) is buried in Aberdeen. He died in 1940 on a ship anchored off the harbour, and was buried here.

 

You weren't visiting at 4am were you AS!

 

Final exam today, finally...

 

Good luck

 

The Burnley Express has started beautifully for England against SA in the cricket....

 

50-4 great start.

 

Go England! Superb bowling from Anderson - 2-11 from 7 overs.

 

Should have reviewed on Duminy.

 

Can't believe we didn't review that Duminy LBW, absolutely plumb, Tredwell should have been screaming at Cook to review it but seemed to be more arguing him out of it.

 

Got his man now though so thankfully we wont live to regret that!

 

Go Tredwell! Graeme who?

 

Yeah I was thinking the same.Oh look he should have been out and will probably get 100 now usual crap.

 

70-6!

 

And another one bites the dust!

 

We can't cock this up can we? Well, yes. But we shouldn't.

 

All out for 50.

 

Not likely L - I`m in Houston, Texas at the minute.