2011 mid season re-cap

L8 Braker · 08-03-2011, 03:36 PM

10 races are done, with 8 to go and this is when MotoGP takes the "summer break"...So let's look back, shall we?

Unfortunately, the races have been as predictable as death and taxes...
--A few races have been decided at the end of turn 1 of any given race
--Stoner and Lorenzo up front, with Pedrosa there, too (when he isn't being crashed out)
--There's a nice points race with Casey and Jorge, and it might come down to the last race of the season to decide a champion
--Dovizioso always in 3rd or 4th
--Spies has been getting better as the season goes on
--Rossi is struggling with the Ducati, with no hope of accomplishing the task of being competitive

And here's my review of the riders, so far (in points order)...

Casey Stoner is 1st with 193 points...Last year, Ben Spies had a prophecy...He was quoted as saying "Casey on a Honda could be a very scary situation"...Boy, was he right...Stoner started the year as the clear favorite to win the championship this year, and remains in that position...When the Honda is dialed in, and the tires are warm, there's been no one that even comes close to him at the finish line...He's won 5 of the 10 races, and while he has been challenged in a few races, he remains as the one to beat for the crown...

2nd place is Jorge Lorenzo with 173 points...Not much to say about him...He's a phenomenal rider, and a contender every week...He's either center rostrum, or chasing Stoner for a 2nd...Barring injury, he'll be there at the end of the season with enough points to make this year very interesting, maybe even a last race shootout...

3rd place is Andrea Dovizioso with 143 points...He's a clean, hard racer, and alot like the 2006 Nicky Hayden...He dosen't win, but every week he's top 5, and if Simoncelli decides to take out the leaders, he may squeak in for a championship...

4th is Dani Pedrosa with 110 points...He may not be a fan favorite, but you can't deny his ability to ride a motorcycle...And I give him huge respect for coming back from injury so fast, even winning a race!!!...I truly believe that had he not been Simo'd, there would be a great 3 way points race right now...

5th is Valentino Rossi with 108 points...He's having the worst year of his racing career, and this might be the 1st season ever that he dosen't get a win...He's on a bike that numerous riders have said is a not good enough to be competitive...His plight will end up being one of the top stories at the end of the year....

6th is an Ben Spies with 98 points...Spies had a rough start this year, but has settled down...He won his first ever GP race, and also had a 3rd...He's trying, but he's still not alien material...

7th is Nicky Hayden with 94 points...'Ol Nicky just does what he does...Races hard and ends up somewhere in the top 10...If he's smart, he'll follow Biaggi, Melandri, Checa, Toseland, and the others to WSBK, where he'll have a chance for some sort of championship before they retire...

Colin Edwards is next in points, but he's never a contender unless it's raining and everyone crashes out...So, I'll just fast forward to Marco Simoncelli with 60 points in 10th place...He's blazing fast in qualifying, but can't figure out how to stay up front in a race...When he does get up there, he crashes, and usually takes a top rider with him...He'll be interesting to watch as the 2nd half of the year goes by...

The rest are insignificant....

Your thoughts?

08-03-2011, 03:36 PM	#1
L8 Braker Swollen Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 558	2011 mid season re-cap 10 races are done, with 8 to go and this is when MotoGP takes the "summer break"...So let's look back, shall we? Unfortunately, the races have been as predictable as death and taxes... --A few races have been decided at the end of turn 1 of any given race --Stoner and Lorenzo up front, with Pedrosa there, too (when he isn't being crashed out) --There's a nice points race with Casey and Jorge, and it might come down to the last race of the season to decide a champion --Dovizioso always in 3rd or 4th --Spies has been getting better as the season goes on --Rossi is struggling with the Ducati, with no hope of accomplishing the task of being competitive And here's my review of the riders, so far (in points order)... *Casey Stoner* is 1st with 193 points...Last year, Ben Spies had a prophecy...He was quoted as saying "Casey on a Honda could be a very scary situation"...Boy, was he right...Stoner started the year as the clear favorite to win the championship this year, and remains in that position...When the Honda is dialed in, and the tires are warm, there's been no one that even comes close to him at the finish line...He's won 5 of the 10 races, and while he has been challenged in a few races, he remains as the one to beat for the crown... 2nd place is *Jorge Lorenzo* with 173 points...Not much to say about him...He's a phenomenal rider, and a contender every week...He's either center rostrum, or chasing Stoner for a 2nd...Barring injury, he'll be there at the end of the season with enough points to make this year very interesting, maybe even a last race shootout... 3rd place is *Andrea Dovizioso* with 143 points...He's a clean, hard racer, and alot like the 2006 Nicky Hayden...He dosen't win, but every week he's top 5, and if Simoncelli decides to take out the leaders, he may squeak in for a championship... 4th is *Dani Pedrosa* with 110 points...He may not be a fan favorite, but you can't deny his ability to ride a motorcycle...And I give him huge respect for coming back from injury so fast, even winning a race!!!...I truly believe that had he not been Simo'd, there would be a great 3 way points race right now... 5th is *Valentino Rossi* with 108 points...He's having the worst year of his racing career, and this might be the 1st season ever that he dosen't get a win...He's on a bike that numerous riders have said is a not good enough to be competitive...His plight will end up being one of the top stories at the end of the year.... 6th is an *Ben Spies* with 98 points...Spies had a rough start this year, but has settled down...He won his first ever GP race, and also had a 3rd...He's trying, but he's still not alien material... 7th is *Nicky Hayden* with 94 points...'Ol Nicky just does what he does...Races hard and ends up somewhere in the top 10...If he's smart, he'll follow Biaggi, Melandri, Checa, Toseland, and the others to WSBK, where he'll have a chance for some sort of championship before they retire... *Colin Edwards* is next in points, but he's never a contender unless it's raining and everyone crashes out...So, I'll just fast forward to *Marco Simoncelli* with 60 points in 10th place...He's blazing fast in qualifying, but can't figure out how to stay up front in a race...When he does get up there, he crashes, and usually takes a top rider with him...He'll be interesting to watch as the 2nd half of the year goes by... The rest are insignificant.... Your thoughts?