[.OrgOwner]

So how much better and faster is it than the other bikes if at all? I was just reading some comments from Chris Vermulen and he made a point of mentioning how fast the Ducati is in a straight line. Does the Ducati give Stoner that much of an advantage?

Casey Stoner has been insistent that he doesn’t want any radical changes made to his V4 machine for the remainder of the season.
Ducati have been simply refining Casey Stoner’s machine in the opening nine races, while rivals like Yamaha and Honda have been forced into considering radical changes to counter the Bologna factory’s successful package.
Yamaha is currently working on a new engine featuring pneumatic valves that Rossi is expected to test after the Czech Republic MotoGP in Brno.
Stoner’s Marlboro Ducati team boss Livio Suppo said: “At the moment Casey is pretty happy with what he has. The engine made specifically for Loris (Capirossi) was available to him but he didn’t want to test it.
“This is smart because the more a rider gets used to what they have then the more they can go faster. The more you change it’s easier to get confused.”
Recent engine upgrades have seen Valentino Rossi’s factory Yamaha YZR-M1 close the gap on Ducati’s blistering top speed, but Suppo said every manufacturer was still playing catch-up to Ducati in terms of engine performance.
“They are catching but they are still behind. Yamaha is growing but they are still not as fast as us,” said Livio Suppo, who shares Casey Stoner’s frustration that the fundamental reason for Stoner’s success in 2007 is down to the sheer top speed and acceleration of the GP7.
“Top speed is a big help to overtake but not for a fast lap time. To do a fast lap time you have to ride the bike perfectly and that’s what Casey has done,” added Livio Suppo.
One of Casey Stoner’s requests to Ducati has been for a smaller fairing to stop him being buffeted around so much in blustery conditions.

[giza]

Someone is always going to be at the top of the field,usually its Rossi,leaving the rest for dead,unchallenged most of the time.
but of recent times the rest is catching up.
Stoner had problems with the front end of the Honda,now has a new bike and is super consistent and showing he can ride with the best(mind you he is just this now).Tyre selection is critical,stoner is just doing the best he can with the bike hes got,and the best he has got is the best there is so far.
Bring it on i say,this is one action packed season,stoner,rossi,vermuelan & pedrosa let the action continue.
Cant wait for Phillip Island.

[dicknose]

Lots of people are saying "its the bike" - but except for the previous round where his tyres went off, Casey has been comfortably ahead of his team mate.
So if its the bike, why isnt Loris coming 2nd each round?
Its not like Capirosi is a hack rider.

Casey is showing his class.
Maybe he isnt in Rossi class, but since Rossi moved to Yamaha its been more of a leveller to bring him back to the rest of the field. Now a serious talent is on a good bike its clear that Rossi+Yamaha < Stoner+Ducati.
We can only speculate what Rossi would do on the same bike. But thats always been the case - its the best rider+bike(+tyre) combo, its never been rider or bike alone.

[soupnazi]

Rossi has also taken more tumbles in the last season or two. These might heal properly but will always impede control, even if on a microscopic scale when it's at the level these boys are competing on it's important.

Has Stoner had any major offs? By that I mean broken wrists or delicate joints.

[dicknose]

Originally Posted by soupnazi

Has Stoner had any major offs? By that I mean broken wrists or delicate joints.

Funny thing is he got a bit of reputation the last couple of years for dropping the bike a lot, especially front end loses.
But he was originally picked as a teenager because he had a reputation for being fast but not crashing.

I think a lot of people started to think - he doesnt have the skill, see he keeps crashing trying to keep up. But it now looks like it was a bike that just didnt suit his style, his feel.
He is back to looking like he wont put it down and is quick - thats what bike racing is all about.

[TKDmasterZ]

Whether it's the bike or Stoner's skill, what is for sure is that those two are the match made in heaven. I think what makes a winning rider is not the top speed or the rider skill, but the confidence of the pilot in the machine. Nick Ienatsch wrote in his book, Sport Riding Techniques about how Kevin Schwants passed him on a much crappier bike on one of his endurance races. Nick said he realized how fast a man can be when he is totally intimate with the machine, to become one with the bike.

[Mogolf]

Originally Posted by TKDmasterZ

Whether it's the bike or Stoner's skill, what is for sure is that those two are the match made in heaven. I think what makes a winning rider is not the top speed or the rider skill, but the confidence of the pilot in the machine. Nick Ienatsch wrote in his book, Sport Riding Techniques about how Kevin Schwants passed him on a much crappier bike on one of his endurance races. Nick said he realized how fast a man can be when he is totally intimate with the machine, to become one with the bike.

Amen to that!

[Phadreus]

It seems there are several reasons why Capirossi is struggling this year. He just had a baby at the season’s start and I’m sure that has impacted his off-track life quite a bit. He hasn’t ridden a 250 in several years where Stoner is just a year removed from the 250 bikes. By all accounts the 800’s are more like a 250 to ride, especially with traction control.

This is just my speculation, but perhaps Capirossi just needs a change of scenery, maybe he has stayed with Ducati long enough and wants another challenge. Next year he is going to team with Chris Vermuelen at Suzuki, while John Hopkins moves to Kawasaki for $5.5M per year. Pretty sweet deal for a rider with zero wins and only two podiums in his career.

Another proven winner, Marco Melandri, will take Capirossi’s spot next year on the factory Ducati. I would expect Melandri to at least be equal to Stoner, you might see two red bikes pulling away from the field.

If you remove Stoner, the Ducati is just an average bike by the others’ results, but the currnet combination of Stoner-Ducati-Bridgestone is nearly unbeatable. If he wins the championship it will probably be Ducati’s greatest racing achievement in their history. No asterisks about displacement breaks for twins like in WSBK. They came into the Japanese’s backyard and kicked their butt this year. Just something else to think about.

[giza]

I think melandri will be the one to watch next year considering the Duke has been the bike on top,he should be up there with Stoner for sure,and hes a happy bloke too!!
I also believe this is one BIG milestone for Ducati if he takes the gp out.
Once again next year is another year eh??