So far we have had different race winners in the four races this season.

1. Do you think we will have another name added to the list of men (one boy) who will be race winners this year?

2. If so, who and at what track?

My answer:

1. Yes (Just don't know who and where lightning will strike, but here are my probables...)

2. If heavy rain, Vermi at France.
If heavy rain, Capi at Japan.
If Long shot, Toes at a WSBK track
If Miracle, Hayden at Laguna

What say you...

i think and hope hayboy will come up with the goods at laguna other than that i think it will be rossi ,lorenzo, pedro, and maybe stoner but i wouldn't bet on it.

I'm hoping Dovi and/or Marco will win one.
Long shot I know...but a girl can dream.

I think Capirossi might do Japan - it's 'his' track after all.
Hayden might do Laguna....but that's as long a shot as Marco winning one.
Still...if I can dream so can Jumkie

If I was to dream then it would be ME winning a GP.

The only other people out in the field capable of winning a GP are the names and scenarios that you mentioned. Although like the football saying goes, "Any Given Sunday". I would think that if the Kwankers can get Hopkins a decent bike he would have a very outside chance of winning a track. Edrwards maybe, if all the stars align themselves and Elias if hell freezes over.

Elias has won a race. How many has Hopper won?

Pete

On current form, i'd say it would be a brave man to bet against Rossi, Lorenzo or Pedrosa banging in the wins between them.

Stoner of course if he finds his mojo.

Pete

Yeah i can tell, have you seen the screen at motogp.com? (No pinky, you don't need to throw up a screen shot, we know what happened the last time you tried that), it looks like Rossi is back on top and the man to beat (great news for his fans, bad news for dumb & dumber).

I find it hard to think of a scenario where the 4 guys who have already won can all be beaten. With the riders seperated over 3 bikes and both tyre makes i can only imagine that it will be in special circumstances that a race win can be snatched. I'm going for Nicky, Marco and Loris because they are the all factory guys, proven race winners and all have something to prove. CV and Dovi also cannot be ignored.

None, thats why I said very outside chance. He has gotten 4th how many times? All it would take is 3 more guys crashing or their bikes to break and he would have his top podium. Totally possible right?

I think Edwards would get him on the line, or Scud on the last corner

Pete

Vermi at any rain race. His next career, jet boat racing. Man seems to like water. That said he was fast in WSBK, and was real close to a title one year, but the competition is stiff in GP and his factory hasn't won a title since the 2 smokes days.

Capi I would love to see win a race, especially in the dry on the Suzuki. He always looks strong, but unfortunately he hasn't been a top 5 guy on a consistent basis, still I give him a chance in Japan, so long as one of those really fast Japanese test rider wild card guys doesn't show up to spoil it.

Nicky at Laguna. Won there twice, looked good last year up until the incident with that "Anglo-American" fellow. If he qualifies well and gets thru the Mario Andretti hairpin in one piece, I think we could see him win it again.

Nicky at Indy. Its a new track to everyone, and he will have track advantage because he rode around it in a leather helmet at 40mph. But seriously, its a home race for him and if he is on a roll (top five finishes) in the races leading up to it, I think he will as good a chance as anyone.

Edwards has been cursed, he will never win a GP race. I swear someone has a voodoo doll somewhere of him, preventing him to win. Honestly he is the one guy more then anyone that should have won a race in GP by now.

Yes, agree. He was on a very good team on a very good bike, however, unspoken team orders and testing duty may have prevented him to get a race win working in the shadow of the great one. I think he realizes now, with Yamaha being the dominant machine on the grid, being on a team apart from Rossi, that these next two years is the best chance at a win, therefore, his push to stay in GP.

Kawasaki and Suzuki riders - only chance in the wet.
Ducati - Stoner only.
Honda - Pedrosa - yes. Hayden (only US tracks).
Yamaha - Lorenzo and Rossi only. I think Edwards showed typical form in China, going backwards steadily.

The top 4 should win everything. A mixed race requiring a pitstop is the only chance I see for anyone else getting to the top step.

first thing: great thread title jumkie!

second: i think it will be between those 4 people. Capi for Japan could be a probable if he was still in Ducati, but right now?

If it rains in Philip Islands -J.Toseland
If it shines in Indianapolis-Nicky Hayden
If they still have GP in Istanbul-Melandry
If it shines and rains in Japan-Nakano

I reckon Dovi may take one of the Euro rounds, hopefully Mugello or Misano in front of home fans.

I still believe if Spies can get to grips with the Suzuki in both of his wildcard rides he'll take a shock win, especially at Laguna where he has lapped faster than a few of the MotoGP boys on his GSX-R 1000.

Vermeulen and Capirossi could take a win if the weather is damp/wet and I reckon RDP and Melandri could push for a win next time out at Le Mans especially seeing as RDP lead before he crashed last year and Marco has had a 1st and 2nd the past two years there.

It should be a good season even if the front four are the only race winners mind.

I'm done trying to figure it out.

Has anyone noticed that Stoner was ten seconds off of his 2007 time? In fact, he didn't even replicate his best race lap of 07 during any practice session.

It's obvious to me now that this sport is being engineered with the tires.

The purpose of the secret tire meetings at the end of last year was to establish a de facto control tire. Both Michelin and Bridgestone are being given performance benchmarks to stop the downward spiral of the sport and encourage competition. Ezy isn't dumb enough to let another small market rider dominate the WC again. Stoner is getting screwed on a level that makes Hayden's defense look fair. Michelin aren't considerably better, B-stone are worse by design.

Rossi was traded to Bridgestone so that both tire manufacturers would have 3 riders from the 3 manufacturers that have produced dry wins in the 4 stroke era. Michelin pitched a fit about splitting the FIAT Yamaha team then tada Tech 3 get factory support and Michelins.

When was the last time 6 riders on 3 teams were split 50/50?

I know people think the idea is absurd, but DORNA have been so intrusive since the change to 4 strokes that all manufacturers involved are used to it and don't even fight DORNA's influence. Ezy realized just 7 months after the new rules began to govern competition that his vision had failed on a scale so massive that it threatened the survival of the sport. He had to do something. The 2 broke tire manufacturers were his serendipitous opportunity to slow things down.

Who will win at LeMans?



That's all you need to know. Isn't the governing body supposed to maintain neutrality? Marketers crack me up.

I guess this is all part of the Puig master plan to manipulate the sport into somehting exciting before he cheats and rulechanges his way to Dani winning, at the expense of Nicky, naturally.

Maybe we should blame them for Princess Di's death and the war in Iraq too.

Pete