I remember starting to get into MotoGP in mid-2006 or so...think the first race I watched was the race that Toni Elias won by 0.002s in Estoril
the season after that, in 2007, I remember Suzuki being very competitive with John Hopkins and Chris Vermuelen, the latter even winning at Le Mans, and Hopper ended up 4th in the championship if I recall correctly? After that, they bombed massively. Then Kawasaki I liked just because the livery they ran was preety sweet (metallic green and black, what's not to like?).
I see Suzuki were testing at Barcelona with a lot of the current MotoGP riders, and they ended up 0.8s off the top with RDP on the saddle, which is pretty solid IMHO if they're still over a year from rejoining. Like you, I hope they can get their act together and challenge at the front, it's becoming very tedious watching Honda and Yamaha out front all the time. But at the same time, I'm glad to be seeing more bikes joining the field. Towards the end of last decade, the grids were shocking. And in that regard, it's great to see that the CRT bikes are actually somewhat competitive - at least competitive enough to make them enticing enough for new teams etc. And with Honda saying they're developing customer engines for the CRTs (I think it's Honda anyway), it looks like MotoGP's finally on the upward spiral
I do have an affinity with Valentino too. When I was choosing my squad number for American Football this year, I went with #46 because I was lacking imagination. The man is just insane as a rider, and it's a shame he hasn't won in so long, and indeed that his Ducati stint didn't go so well. I was really looking forward to seeing him beast the field on that thing...
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.
