Le Mans SPOILER

[wallypiper]

Simoncelli broke Pedrosa's collarbone with a bonzai move. Search for it. What do you racers think of the move? Dirty? Bonehead? Aggressive but fair? Race direction penalized him. Really bad for Pedrosa. He will probably miss some races now. Simoncelli nipped Spies at the end also. Rossi put on a great show over the last 4 laps.

Some great racing and a dominant Stoner performance but it will all be about Simoncelli and the move he made on Pedrosa.

Championship tightened up a bit but Lorenzo still has a good lead with consistency.

[Bobby "Brown"]

When Rossi threw it away for Stoner a couple of weeks ago on a move that wasn't going to stick, everyone was saying he was going for the
win and it was ok. This is another move that wasn't going to stick so I'm guessing the same.
I think it was a retarded ass move, just like with Rossi and Stoner.

[THE MUFFIN MAN]

marco has been in heated debate for the last several weeks concerning incidents he's been involved in, even as far back as his 250 days. this only confirms in my mind, what the other riders have been saying about him. he's reckless!! big difference between "aggressive" and dangerous. Rossi, Lorenzo etc, have never been acused of being dangerous, but won't hesitate to run it up inside sometimes. Marco, on the other hand, is fast developing a reputation for endangering himself and his fellow riders. Pedrosa clearly had the line into that corner, and to get smashed from the outside no less, was just plain stupid.

[MX Tuner]

Heck, Xaus didn't even take out many other riders with his crashes, did he? Simoncelli knows he's playing with the big fish now and is trying to play the part, especially since he's now on competitive equipment.

[Reece]

While I don't think I'll ever be a Dani "fan", I'm gutted for him. Before this race, I was thinking that this could (finally) be his year (if he could take it to Casey). Now he's out with a shoulder injury again - and again, for no fault of his own.
That was a bone-headed move by Sic (reminded me of his wildcard in WSBK last year when he ran Max off the track) and as Muffin mentioned he's been called out lately for his "agression". I imagine that Lorenzo feels vindicated in his recent comments and that the press should have a field day with this. I'm sure the folks at Gresini are gonna sit him down for a good talkin' to. He's an exciting rider to watch, so hope he can refine his racecraft and become safer without losing his edge.

I was glad to see a quick reaction by race direction...and Marco should feel lucky he only got the ride-through and not a full DQ as he still ended up with decent points for the weekend.

Elsewhere - heartbreaking to still see Nicky struggling, especially after last year when it looked like he was building some momentum. Props to Valentino for his first podium on the Ducati. He still doesn't look as fluid and comfortable as in years past, but he's definately making progress. It's tough for me to see Spies and Lorenzo both off the pace and I hope the team can find something to help them battle the Honda.

Shame to see Crutchlow hit the deck as he was really impressive this weekend. Colin's strange fall added more bad news to Tech 3's home race (as an aside, any further word on Guy's accident?).

I'm still bitter about DePuniet losing his ride to Elias just so DORNA can try and prove that the Moto2 format is a breeding ground for competitive MotoGP riders, so it sucked to see Randy on the floor at his home round...especially with Elias only able to fight for last place.

Interesting race all-in-all....Jorge still in the championship lead although everyone is a little closer. If Yamaha can't find some acceleration, Stoner will walk away with it before it's over.

[ugar-6]

Punk, still being a punk. I wish someone would smack this guy. I read an article this month in a mag that would make you like him if it wasn't for stuff like this. Not that DePuniet hasn't been known to get in the way but damn, he still got pole and he's always into some kind of crap.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2011/May/may1511-le-mans-motogp-casey-stoner-fined-after-de-puniet-punch/

Rossi finally got that podium but until they get that bike more into shape, they may be few and far between with those Hondas. I hate to see Spies struggling but man, I hope the Yamis, at least Lorenzo's, start to show that much of their development WAS due to Rossi and Burgess.

[cliff0529]

I think it was aggressive, but not as bad as they made it out to be. I saw it coming as soon as Dani passed him, he didn't/couldn't close the door and Simo had been WAY better on the brakes than Dani had. So I knew Simo would try to outbrake him and I thought he'd go two wide with him through the corner and shut the door at the next apex, as it was a chicane, but things happen. It sucks for Dani, but I really don't feel sorry for him...The only way he was going to win the championship was if Stoner started yard saling the bikes again and George choked in a major way.

Still, the simple fact that Simo ran off track, did a ride through and still finished 5th in a dry race, is astonishing in and of it's self.

The Ducati is coming along, but I think Rossi and Nicky are going to have to let it be a little looser than the other 800's. Watch videos of when Stoner was on, the bike was squirming around like crazy...I also noticed in the race today that there were a few times when Simo, Dani and Stoner would exit a corner that all of their bikes would be wiggling around or sliding a bit. Perhaps, the key lies in backing the TC off just a touch and letting the bike move around a bit as it puts the power to the ground. The jump the Honda's get off the corners is incredible.

[csarge001]

After the ride through Sic was in 6th place and he made up 1.5 seconds in two laps and passed Spies easily...that's still impressive, even though the attempt he made on Dani wasn't the smartest thing to do. The guy is a talented rider, now if he can learn to be more controlled, he may win a few this year. Looks like there's little to no difference between the Honda satellite teams and the factory team.

[Gamecock]

marco has been in heated debate for the last several weeks concerning incidents he's been involved in, even as far back as his 250 days. this only confirms in my mind, what the other riders have been saying about him. he's reckless!! big difference between "aggressive" and dangerous. Rossi, Lorenzo etc, have never been acused of being dangerous, but won't hesitate to run it up inside sometimes. Marco, on the other hand, is fast developing a reputation for endangering himself and his fellow riders. Pedrosa clearly had the line into that corner, and to get smashed from the outside no less, was just plain stupid.

100% Agreed

[cliff0529]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4kWAvnlfAdQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

An angle not seen on the broadcast, might change some of your minds about the incident. Looks like Simo was well ahead, more than just a wheel, when they entered the turn and he did leave a tiny sliver of room on the inside.

[csarge001]

I sure didn't see this angle on SpeedTV...thanks.

[THE MUFFIN MAN]

Dani's version: "I was having a good race, the goal was to ensure another podium and I had it in my grasp. But it counts for nothing,” said Pedrosa. “Simoncelli overtook me, I passed him back and I had the better line, he just came into me releasing the brakes and I could do nothing."

Marco's version: I think that he had hit the brakes well before the corner, and I found myself on the outside of him and in front on the entry to the corner. I didn't want to back off, so I left him with a metre between myself and the kerb in order to go in. I saw that it was tight, so I tried to adjust my position. That was when he touched my back wheel and went down."

[ramm]

http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-rossi-scolds-simoncelli-jabs-lorenzo-too/

[Reece]

I watched some videos and read both sides of the story last night and I don't feel as strongly about it as I did right after the race. The best shot is from the helicopter because you get the full picture. Dani made a succesful pass, but braked earier than Marco (and his data shows that he braked at the same place). Marco admitted that he didn't want to roll over and give up the position and he tried to give Dani a meter to make the corner because he knew it was going to be tight going side by side through the Chicane.

That would have been fair enough if Dani hadn't crashed. And it would have looked better if Marco had finised the chicane cleanly.

But that's not what happened. Dani did crash and was reinjuried - so from a safety perspective, it's easy to argue that Marco coming across his line left Dani without an escape route. As mentioned, if you make the pass and all that's lost is a position, then it's aggresive and it's exciting, but the other side of the coin is when it all goes south, it's dirty and dangerous.

Again, I enjoy watching Marco ride, and honestly I much prefer a hard fairing-bashing battle over clinical execution of the perfect set up and line...but given the fact that he had just crashed out of the last two races after being fast all during each weekend, taking into consideration all the negative press regarding EXACTLY this type of form, and reading that Marco admits to seeing that Dani was struggling and he was carrying more pace, I can't help but still think it was a boneheaded move simply because he could have waited 1 or 2 more turns and he would have been on the podium with a fantastic ride and result.
Marco made several perfect passes during the race, but this looks to be the one that will define his reputation for the moment.

I really hate that the China Doll got hurt - otherwise, i would close this post by wishing for more paint swappin' in the GP's! :D

[csarge001]

That would have been fair enough if Dani hadn't crashed. And it would have looked better if Marco had finised the chicane cleanly.
:D

Marco probably would have finished the chicane if Dani hadn't run into him...and if Dani had crashed without touching Sic, then I'm guessing that no penalty would have been assessed (purely speculation on my part.)

[signguy]

Marco does have a hard style to his riding, though in all fairness ... he just rides that way, he's great on the brakes and just cuts the corners hard. He was clearly in front, though not the most polite way, Dani really misjudged it more than anything else. Other than that it was a good race, Rossi seems to be getting the duc into better shape but the Honda's are just so damn quick out of the corner... so it electronics or does honda have some special powers?

[Reece]

Marco probably would have finished the chicane if Dani hadn't run into him...and if Dani had crashed without touching Sic, then I'm guessing that no penalty would have been assessed (purely speculation on my part.)

And we'd be talking about what a great pass that was and how he's on his way to alien status! :lol:

[TarzanMan]

Watched the BBC broadcast of the race. Even after I saw it the first time, I did not think that Simoncelli was to blame.

Did he ride aggressively and did he put himself right in Pedrosa's path? Yes, but guess what.... it is MotoGP. If you don't want some big hairy Italian cutting in front of you then you should probably beat him to the the corner.

I think that Pedrosa gambled and lost. He probably figured that etiher Simoncelli was already headed to the outside of the corner (and if not, he could nudge him there)... but either misjudged Simoncelli's line or else underestimated Simoncelli's resolve to stay on the line.

The BBC announcer's said that Simoncelli's leather's had tire marks from Pedrosa's front on it. To me, that says that Pedrosa got beat, and didn't have enough good sense to back off and try to take his spot back later.

I really don' t understand why Simoncelli is getting any criticism at all. The only thing Simoncelli is guilty of is NOT letting Pedrosa's wreck take him out too, IMO