Dear yamaha;

[DoctorDug]

Dear YAMAHA;Please give Ben Spies a real motor so he can put your yamaha on the podium. I was heartbroken everytime i saw him get passed down the long straight, When less talented riders have more motor! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!!!

[TarzanMan]

I don't think the Yamaha has been the fastest bike on straights for many, many years. Before Honda it was the Duc for a couple of years.

[Barton72]

No doubt. It sucked to see that douche Pedrosa get smoked when it counts and just make the pass on motor alone. I see bright things for Ben in the near future. He's definitely got Alien potential.

[Mongo]

Rossi and Lorenzo were just as slow down the straights.... Ben will be fine with a bit more time on the bike.

[wallypiper]

Good point. And you can't make too much of the first race. There is a new 6 motor limit this year and most of the teams are in uncharted territory because of that. Getting one of those motors to hold up for three races is quite a task. Ducati claims they have given up top end in exchange for more traction at lower RPM and engine longevity. Also, in 2012 the limit goes back to 1000cc so that may affect how much money and effort is spent on further developing an 800cc engine. It seems, based on various articles here and there, that it's all about the electronics now. At times, the controllers cut back on power to extend fuel. Rossi ran out of gas on the cool down lap at Qatar.

So, basically, I'd say it's likely that any one of the bikes you see could be tuned for more HP and more top end speed but at what cost? Fuel mileage? Traction control? Tire life? Stoner has said he drove chassis changes that altered weight transfer which helped make the bike more ridable for other Ducati riders (subtly taking credit for Hayden's improvement) but that he thinks there is too much traction control. Of course, he crashed out on the front end so what does he know? JK. The front runners are on the verge of crashing in ever corner. If they're not, they won't stay up front.

[willr1]

You actually made sense :nanananana: I was watching the recaps of the races and you can see that Spies has a decent bike, so does Edwards, but the Honda is more potent in the straights and less manuverable in the corners, where the R1 shines.
In WSBK, they were taling about Biaggi's Aprilla beeing so finiky in the corners, especially with a full tank and how he has to go wide sometimes if he does not hit the line just right, but yet it has the balls to overpower just about anything in the straights where you can close distance in a hurry to set up for the turns and pass.
Give it a few more races and you will see the Tech 3's crowding the Repsol boy's.

[Barton72]

where the R1 shines.
M1:Poke:

[Reece]

To play the devil's advocate - a little race craft goes a long way.

I don't think there was that much difference - if any - between the Fiat and Tex Three teams, but Rossi passed Dovi on the brakes (the only bike I saw with glowing rotors was Vale's) and Lorenzo's defensive line on the straight kept Dovi from pulling the same move that he beat Hayden to the finish with.

I think if Ben hadn't made a couple of small errors in Qualifying and had a better starting position he would have been in the fight for a podium spot, too.

[DoctorDug]

looks like its going to be a hell of a year

[JSKeezy]

I don't think the Yamaha has been the fastest bike on straights for many, many years. Before Honda it was the Duc for a couple of years.

That basically breaks it down...Rossi, Lozeno, and Spies were all slow on the straight aways but dominate on the corners. ..Ducs are great on straight aways and shitty on corners (ask Stoner :lol: ). It has been like that for sometime now...I dont expect Rossi to fly pass anyone but i do expect him to hawk you down on the corners. Look at Lorenzo, he pass 2 people on the last 2 laps.

[wallypiper]

^^ Things may have changed. Interesting article in SportRider (http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_1005_ducati_desmosedici_gp10_bike/index.html).

[kjohnson]

Some people forget that in a few races those Hondas might be better in the turns.They hired 3 of the Fiat Yamaha's data people,so as I like to say "We'll find out!"