Kevin Kane

Hugh; I think you know that the "Dogs" have a huge fan base here on the Forum... and that nobody still likes Brodie. Congratulations on your successful negotiations that will put you back on the grid once again; the Forum will be more fun with your reports once the season gets underway. We do lament that you paid such a big price (losing your middle finger) racing last year but no one has a better racing blog than you do and I bet people still "get it" when you flip them off. ...oh I almost forgot "Go Dogs!" Rainman

I realize that we should merge this thread with the recent discussions on the Argentina round. As the 2015 season progresses, it might be more interesting if these are linked.

I remember watching the Qatar race wondering that if MM didn't have such a horrible start would he just pick up where he left off and run away from the field this season like he did last year. Now I am not so sure. After Stoner retired, Lorenzo seemed to be the Alpha Male amongst the pack up until Marquez showed up and won immediately. Now JL seems lost. Does a similar fate await MM if Rossi keeps the pressure on him for the entire race every race? It was almost reminiscent of Sete Gibernau's season long battle with Rossi back what ten or twelve years ago? I don't know if Rossi can keep the fires stoked that high for the whole season but this is the most fascinating start of MotoGP that I can remember. On a simpler note, the fact that Rossi can be this competitive after such a long time struggling with Ducati and then sitting on the B Yamaha is a testament to his character if nothing else.

The fact that Davies was virtually unable to get around Rea in either race (maybe he did for a lap or two) is reminiscent of the 2002 SBK season between Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards.

With the benefit of a DVR, after a very full and busy weekend I was able to sit down to "catch up" on the weekend's races last night. The SBK races are great to watch this year as again, there were at least four different constructors running in a Conga line thru the first 15 laps of both races and both races were competitive until the last couple of laps. Didn't have access to any SBK last season so it may have been like this last year but I am loving SBK so far. I am also happy to see that Ducati has finally gotten back to being competitive and Kawasaki has maintained it's resurgence for the past three or four seasons. One can assume that if the BMW factory team was still operational there would be at least five manufacturers fighting it our every race. Depending on any response, I will hold my thoughts on the racers and what transpired but it was "interesting" right up until the checker. Then I watched the MotoGP race. Good God what a race! I would love to hear what the Forum Members think about that race and the incredible tenacity displayed by the winner. He rode with a determination that was simply ageless; how he could ride like that lap after lap, chipping away at what seemed insurmountable and then to have the close in knife fight to settle it; I was just stunned when it was over.

OK Eirik; I'll bite on your question. Why should anyone not want to race this bike? Kevin

Eirik; Not wanting to be a "spoiler" here but didn't a Panigale finally break thru a substantial benchmark barrier recently. Kevin

Stroker;You have a lot of data here to work with (that also could include dew on the road) so you may be able to piece together what action on your part pushed through the traction limits available at that place and time. I agree with Tyler 100%, my last two track crashes were clearly the result of rider error that I knew I made as soon as I hit the ground so I too was able to get back to pace quickly. If you can dig deep into your memory you may find a slight throttle change or lean adjustment played a roll. If you hit an oil stain that your front tire missed then it would be almost impossible to avoid the crash. Without knowing a "reason" for your dismount, it will take more time for you to restore your confidence on any bike. My reaction to my first crash was much like yours - setting my confidence back a number of rungs on the ladder because I had no clue why it happened. So I worked my way back one rung at a time. You will get it back as well (but I might want to avoid that particular curve for awhile).

...so if we go back to the race, does the fact that four riders contested for the race up until 3 laps were left and the victory wasn't sealed until the final run to the line mean 2015 will see parity - or does the fact Marquez was able to catch the fifth spot despite running off the track on T1/L1 mean he will run away from them all with a good start to a race? I think your observations about Marquez's riding style are spot on so maybe the difference this season is the others have adopted it. It looks to be a lot more fun this year. Someone posted a few years ago that they believed Stoner was successful because he was one of the first riders to fully embrace electronics where older riders like Rossi were much less willing to overlook their "feel" for the limits of their bikes (or tires). So the evolution just continues I guess.

I attended the 2nd last or maybe last MotoGP race at Laguna Seca (Stoner) and I swear the lean angles were nothing like Sunday's races. I know it was 4 or 5 years ago but clearly things have changed. I first noticed these extreme lean angles at COTA MotoGP but they didn't hold them for the length of time they did at Quatar. They are so far beyond what mere mortals can do that it seems other worldly.

I know this sounds like a rhetorical question but did anyone else think those bikes were riding at ridiculous lean angles for ridiculous durations at Qatar?

It was amazing on a number of levels not the least of which was who won followed by which mfg'r were fighting it out and finally how close it was - for the ENTIRE race. What a start to 2015!

Now that the 2015 International Racing season has opened, can we remember to put "Spoiler Alert" in any Post Heading that includes race results right after a race is concluded? Not all cable providers show the races in real time and when they do show them it is at odd hours in the early morning. There can be some very relevant topics that should be posted right after a race so please consider "SPOILER ALERT" in your title [or if it is a follow on post - in ALL CAPS in the first line of you post] so Members can decide to read the post now or wait until they can watch the race from their recorded copy. Thanks; Rainman

Rusty; The Twist of the Wrist books and video. They are the text books of the School and most of us use them as reference books before and after attending the School. You can buy them at the School's Web site. Rainman

Damien; Welcome to the Forum. It's great to see a member who joins and then immediately participates; you will find a ton of helpful information here now that your part of the Forum Community - but kudos for jumping in with both feet man! Rainman

Urbandaddy; Level IV is personalized but there is still a higher student to coach ratio (3:1 v. 2:1) and only five track sessions at a single day event, regardless of Level. The 2-Day Camp offers a lot more opportunities to hone different skills exactly how PittsDriver posted. You pay more but you get a lot more IMHO. Rainman

I need to qualify my remarks here as it's been ten years since I did Code RACE but I can tell you it is NOT like a regular school. I did it at the Streets and I remember telling Cobie at the first session that since I had never been to that track before I was going to approach the first practice session with the No brakes Drill. he just looked at me like I didn't quite understand what I had signed up for. Well I quickly found out. Roger Lee Hayden passed me like nothing I have ever experienced up to that point in my life and it didn't get any better from there. It is a RACE SCHOOL, not a Cornering School. That's not to say that all of what you learned in levels I-IV isn't important, it's that it is about RACING!!!!!! That six foot rule the School enforces - it doesn't exist at Code RACE. Your track sessions are timed sessions just like they are at CCS, WERA or MotoGP for that matter and your times matter! You race at the end of both days and your grid position is set as a result of your best lap time. You will have drills but they are very different from a regular School including cornering inside and outside standard corner lines, braking and down shifting and others drills and oh by the way the coaches are standing there with clip boards writing their observations like a naval carrier landing. And if you didn't know this, the students are gridded in the first rows, then there is an empty row and lined up from there are THE COACHES. Yes, you are racing them as well. It was the most intense track experience of my life but it did give me a solid foundation for my getting my CCS License later that year. YRMV. Rainman

Laura; Just winning one series is an amazing accomplishment - three in one season is breathing rarified air my friend. Congratulations! Kevin

Brian; Welcome to the Forum! With your background in racing motocross and drag racing, the track should be an easier transition for you. You already know about throttle control, sliding and going fast so it's just putting the same pieces together in a more controlled fashion. Let us know how it goes for you. If you're in Lancaster, you don't even have a commute. How great is that??? Rainman

I put a slipper clutch in my (former) track only Ducati and I hit false neutrals many times with multiple downshifts so when I converted my street Ducati this spring I didn't include one. Blipping with a twin is a bit harder but false neutrals can be downright dangerous IMHO but YRMV. Also, I learned that rear wheel-hop is still possible with a slipper. Rainman

If I saw it correctly, wasn't his rear tire off the ground when he washed the front? I guess that's slowing down for some... Certainly he knows what he's doing and I have no basis to comment beyond what I [thought I] saw. It seemed like he put a lot of load on that front and it just said "no mas!" and let him go.

IMHO, you should move up. The closure rate between you and the Novice Group was startling so I wasn't kidding when I mentioned that you probably got bumped up. The fact that you didn't makes me wonder what the control riders were looking at if they didn't see the difference. Rainman

Hugh; My sincere condolences on your losing your spot on the Prairie Dog Racing Team's [Go Dogs!] final round of the endurance race season...just don't tell us that Brody took your spot. As for SDRP (Spousal Denial of Racing Privilege), you're not alone brother. My wife prays for rain every time I go to the track. After doing this for a dozen years or so, she's getting quite close to God.

Wesley; I couldn't believe that green bike got around you at 10:35 or so and you didn't get him back. It looked like you reeled him in until those back markers held you up! All kidding aside I thought you were pretty consistent and your throttle roll on seemed solid. Your lines will get tighter with more seat time but you maintained the same line on almost every lap. I bet they bumped you up by the end of that day. Rainman

Hugh, what a great comeback! I was totally convinced that the Forum was going to lose our connection to the Prairie Dog Racing team and all of it's colorful characters and exploits. I even gasped when I read about the idea of Brody's replacing you on the endurance team. Talk about irony! Anyway welcome back and oh yeah - GO DOGS!