Where's Rossi's mojo gone?

[Scotty]

What has happened to the GOAT? :-? Hayden's qualified in 3rd in the dry, Rossi's in 13th FFS, 2.4s behind (yes, two point four seconds, a lifetime away at this level) and DePuniet has qualified the top CRT bike in 10th. Even Marquez is only 0.046s slower than Rossi on Moto2 pole, on a 600 with nothing like the power or electronic sophistication of the prototype bikes.
Top work by Cal Crutchlow qualifying 4th and often topping the pile before Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Hayden pulled their collective fingers out in the final frenzy. Shame it didn't piss down as they expected with 24 minutes to go when Cal had just regained top spot...
A deluge is all that Rossi can hope for tomorrow, the excuses will start to wear a bit thin soon and how long is it before the Italian press turn on him? :-/
Would Roxy care to comment on her idol's lack of form?

[Moo]

spending too much time with Uccio or whatever his name is

[BladeTriple]

Sadly it seems that Rossi has thrown his toys out of his pram and become a tourist on the bike this year so far.... He isn't getting the engine he wants, the frame that he wants and you wouldn't put money on him being with Ducati next season, if he had his way he would be gone.

Is it his confidence gone from and injury filled season last yaer and the year before? Scared of getting hurt again and realising yes he is mortal? Is it the death of his friend still lingering in his mind? He was after all one of the two riders who clipped Marco on that tragic day, or is it just something as simple as his over inflated ego getting the better of him , like was suggested on Eurosport, he is being similar to that Ferrari driver who didnt get what he wanted and started driving like a git was it Massa? I don't really follow the cars.....

I am and always have been a huge Rossi fan , but to see Nicky Hayden, a man who in my opinion never was and never will be in the same league as Vale, regardless whether he won a championship or not, having go constantly beating Rossi, week in , week out for what must be over 9 months now and then today go out on the same bike , different set up and take TEN places out of a man who is more than likely on TEN TIMES his income.... Well Vale, you seem to be drawing wages on false pretences... Either sort yourself out, get another ride or .... do what all the other MotoGP riders who have had their day do.... Move on to WSB to reclaim those glory years... It worked for Max and Carlos after all !

[Squashed_Fly]

He's dead to me (I say, wearing my 46 hoody!).

He'll be out of Moto gp next year. No factory rides for him, and no satellite teams can afford to have him. Hopefully he will retire gracefully, leaving behind 9 excellent memories...

[redken1]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Very sad to see one of the world's greatest riders of all time (IMHO) hit such a low.

I don't understand the politcs of the sport, but I wish he'd stayed with Yamaha.

[wiltshire builders]

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Very sad to see one of the world's greatest riders of all time (IMHO) hit such a low.

I don't understand the politcs of the sport, but I wish he'd stayed with Yamaha.
He couldn't stay with Yamaha. When Lorenzo started beating him on an identical bike he would've had no excuses.
As his talent starts to fade, new talent starts to join Moto GP making it harder for him to swallow.

I'd rather remember him like this! Enjoy
http://www.hell.tv/t/videos/9920/moto-gp-finish.html

[redken1]

That's what you call racing Dan - Talk about riding on the limits. Remember it well, just breathtaking.

[goz1960]

I think he has lost it with Ducati :'( :'( :'(

[goz1960]

1 99 Jorge LORENZO SPA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 282.1 1'39.532
2 26 Dani PEDROSA SPA Repsol H###A Team H###A 283.5 1'39.667 0.135 / 0.135
3 69 Nicky HAYDEN USA Ducati Team Ducati 282.3 1'40.563 1.031 / 0.896
4 35 Cal CRUTCHLOW GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 281.7 1'40.570 1.038 / 0.007
5 1 Casey STONER AUS Repsol H###A Team H###A 285.9 1'40.577 1.045 / 0.007
6 11 Ben SPIES USA Yamaha Factory Racing Yamaha 280.9 1'41.090 1.558 / 0.513
7 4 Andrea DOVIZIOSO ITA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 284.0 1'41.180 1.648 / 0.090
8 19 Alvaro BAUTISTA SPA San Carlo H###A Gresini H###A 286.9 1'41.447 1.915 / 0.267
9 6 Stefan BRADL GER LCR H###A MotoGP H###A 287.3 1'41.550 2.018 / 0.103
10 14 Randy DE PUNIET FRA Power Electronics Aspar ART 265.6 1'41.700 2.168 / 0.150
11 17 Karel ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing Ducati 284.2 1'41.724 2.192 / 0.024
12 8 Hector BARBERA SPA Pramac Racing Team Ducati 288.8 1'41.871 2.339 / 0.147
13 46 Valentino ROSSI ITA Ducati Team Ducati 282.3 1'42.961 3.429 / 1.090
14 41 Aleix ESPARGARO SPA Power Electronics Aspar ART 267.7 1'43.135 3.603 / 0.174
15 51 Michele PIRRO ITA San Carlo H###A Gresini FTR 268.2 1'43.363 3.831 / 0.228
16 54 Mattia PASINI ITA Speed Master ART 266.5 1'44.308 4.776 / 0.945
17 68 Yonny HERNANDEZ COL Avintia Blusens BQR 269.5 1'44.467 4.935 / 0.159
18 9 Danilo PETRUCCI ITA Came IodaRacing Project Ioda 257.4 1'44.645 5.113 / 0.178
19 22 Ivan SILVA SPA Avintia Blusens BQR 261.4 1'44.717 5.185 / 0.072
20 77 James ELLISON GBR Paul Bird Motorsport ART 264.8 1'45.724 6.192 / 1.007
21 5 Colin EDWARDS USA NGM Mobile Forward Racing Suter 264.5 1'46.200 6.668 / 0.476

[Senna(Dan)]

As much as it pains me to say it, the DOCTOR needs to have some confidence surgery. He could have had his pick of teams if he had gotten in their early enough, look at what Casey has done at Honda. Trying to win on all the factory machines was a massive ask and it isn't going to happen, unless all the other riders crash and are out for most of the season.

[goz1960]

Crutchlow stormed to his maiden front row in Qatar and he looked on course to repeat that fantastic achievement today in a qualifying session that took place on a dry track, as constantly changing conditions continue to dominate the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

After a rain-lashed third and final practice this morning, damp patches remained scattered around the track but Crutchlow started qualifying on slick tyres and the 26-year-old expertly assessed grip levels to settle into a fast pace.

He topped the timesheets for the opening 20 minutes but Crutchlow slipped outside of the top three as the pace intensified with riders anxious to post a competitive time on slick Bridgestone tyres, with rain threatening to further disrupt preparations for tomorrow's 27-lap race.

Conditions remained dry and lap times continued to fall and a brilliant lap of 1.41.646 put Crutchlow back on top of the timesheets before he crashed at Turn One with only 18 minutes remaining. The spill didn't knock Crutchlow out of his fast and consistent rhythm and he moved back into third spot with a brilliant lap of 1.40.570, only to be denied a thoroughly deserved front row by 0.007s.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso will start the first European round of the new 1000cc MotoGP World Championship heading the third row of the grid.

Dovizioso successfully negotiated the damp patches in the early stages to challenge inside the top three but he will start from seventh position having not been able to find a set-up that permitted him to show his true potential. He ended with a best time of 1.41.180 to finish just 0.090s outside the top six.


Top man

[redken1]

Fantastic ride by Cal Crutchlow pushed Pedrosa all the way for a podium finish. Excited about the future rounds. 8-)

[Wes]

Well done to Cal a resounding performance, reckon hes looking at a factory ride in 2013 if spies doesn't start to get in a few decent results.
As for Vale, everyone, myself included expected him to turn the duke around last season, top 5 finishes minimum, but it just isn't happening the way it did at Honda and then Yamaha. Given all the investment that's gone into the bike, it seems unbelievable that he is still dueling with the likes of Hector Barbera on the satellite Ducati.
I think Casey made the Ducati look good, and they must be kicking themselves for letting him go, but hey, hindsight and all that.
Rumors of a new satellite Yamaha squad are surfacing as the factory's don't want to make waves in their own settled camps, maybe if Cal goes to partner Lorenzo, and they drop Dovi, there may be an opportunity in the Tec 3 side with Bradley Smith.....but only time will tell.

[Morticia]

It is quite ****. I reckon Simoncelli's death has messed him up. No matter how many times he tells himself there's nothing he could have done to avoid it, there will always be the nagging what ifs. MotoGP sucks without them both anyway. :'(

[Geordie Stu]

Perhaps is just he's getting older & younger faster generation as coming through. Our a combination of last years events injury & the loss of sic. I'm no expert but don't think it's all down to the bike.

[Col]

Very hard to believe the bike is so far off Honda/Yams and that Rossi is unable to get anywhere near the others --- very strange, and he doesn't seem to want to be interviewed either and even before Sic he wasn't anything like 100%. Injuries ? doubt it. Last year I thought this would be his last season--maybe right :-?

[Roxy]

Would Roxy care to comment on her idol's lack of form?

He's admitted that he just can't ride the bike the way he wants to and is use to. Hayden and Stoner both ride the bike like they stole it and that's just not his style. Simple.
He is just as baffled by the lack of performance and end results of the races as everyone else is but if he wants to get further up the grid he needs to change his style of riding to suit the GP12. The bike is still very ‘young’ and needs developing and we all know that takes time…Q is has he got the time and does he want to, considering he spent most of last year at the back of the grid fighting with the bike? I am also sure he must be pretty gutted he is not up there with the other works teams and that must be awful for someone so talented and with the history of winning that he has but at the end of the day it was his choice to join Ducati and he must have thought he could get results or he would never have gone there. Whether he can achieve that or not is now the big Q on everyone’s minds but if he can’t make that bike work for him this year I can’t see him staying as it will destroy him.

He was obviously devastated at the tragic loss of one of his closest friends but I am also sure that he won't let it affect his mindset when it comes to the races, he will want Marco's spirit to live on and the best way he can do that is to ride!

Italian press have already started speculating about next year. I’ve read all sorts of rumours from them including a Yamaha satellite team sponsored by Cocacola but who knows. If the Ducati/Rossi marriage heads for divorce and he wants to remain competitive in Moto GP until 2014, which is what he has indicated, then I think he will head elsewhere next year.

http://www.gpone.com/index.php/en/201204296749/Rossi-Hayden-mi-ha-indicato-la-strada.html

This year will be the deciding factor on whether he/Burgess can make the Ducati work again but it’s no reflection on his ability as a rider who has 9 World Championships under his belt and is still is one of the greatest riders we will ever see. People are very quick to forget that.

As for this Rossi fan, I will remain true to Team 46 regardless of who he rides for, I am a fan because of the person, his abilities, his track record, his riding style and I believe in him not because he’s the ‘popular’ or ‘trendy/winning’ rider. I’ll support him regardless of if he is winning races or not. Of course I want to see him do well and be competitive and give the likes of Stoner, Lorenzo & Pedrosa a run for their money but sadly at the moment it’s just not on the cards.

I will still be shouting for him at Le Mans and Silverstone this year, frantically waving my #46 & #58 flags and when the time comes that he decides enough is enough I will follow him into his other love of Rally cars! ;)

Roxy x

[Scotty]

I think the enormity of what he was taking on began to dawn on him the first time he rode the Ducati at Valencia in November 2010 with the immediate quote after getting off it: "Whatever you were paying Stoner to ride this, it wasn't enough!"

The one thing that the rest of us mortals would do if considering changing to a new bike would be to get a test ride before deciding, but we're not tied to multi-million € contracts that forbid us to ride anything else.
He'll never admit it now whilst under contract, but I wonder if at some stage in the future he'll 'fess up to wishing he'd had a test ride before signing the dotted line... :-?

[Last Train]

No real surprise I guess.... (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/motorcycling/9250594/Ducati-rider-Valentino-Rossi-expected-to-retire-from-MotoGP-at-the-end-of-this-season.html)

[Geordie Stu]

I think the enormity of what he was taking on began to dawn on him the first time he rode the Ducati at Valencia in November 2010 with the immediate quote after getting off it: "Whatever you were paying Stoner to ride this, it wasn't enough!"

The one thing that the rest of us mortals would do if considering changing to a new bike would be to get a test ride before deciding, but we're not tied to multi-million € contracts that forbid us to ride anything else.
He'll never admit it now whilst under contract, but I wonder if at some stage in the future he'll 'fess up to wishing he'd had a test ride before signing the dotted line... :-?

Interesting.... ::)

[StreetHippo]

Gutted for Rossi, I'm sure it's a WIP but he needs a result and soon!
As for you Stu, if you stare really hard you can just make out a can of Monster!!

Stu 8-)

[Roxy]

No real surprise I guess.... (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/motorcycling/9250594/Ducati-rider-Valentino-Rossi-expected-to-retire-from-MotoGP-at-the-end-of-this-season.html)

Not according to his Twitter post!

http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/179475/1/valentino_rossi_responds_to_retirement_claim.html

Go Rossi Go!

Roxy x