04/25/24
June 26, 2006
Colin's Heartbreak: This past weekend's MotoGP race in the Netherlands saw a dogfight between Americans Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards for the checkered flag. Edwards had been leading for the entire race and then, with two laps to go, Hayden takes the lead. However, during the last lap, Edwards regains the lead, but with just mere metres left to go, the unthinkable happens.
posted by NoMich to auto racing at 08:37 PM - 9 comments
How about Marco Melandri's stomach turning crash in Spain last week? My god, how was he able to recover fast enough to race at Assen the following Sunday? Loris Capirossi too. Those Ducatis had a tough time in Spain, hey? And how 'bout Kawasaki *finally* getting a podium? First time in how long?
posted by NoMich at 10:14 PM on June 26, 2006
Man, those are some incredible videos!
posted by Drood at 05:02 AM on June 27, 2006
Great post & comments. Thanks. What channel is MotoGP usually on in the US, Speed?
posted by yerfatma at 06:10 AM on June 27, 2006
Wow. What a crazy finish. I know nothing of motoGP, these fellas seem like jet fighter pilots. Talk about riding the ragged edge. I knew a guy who raced bikes in California - until he shattered his ankle and couldn't walk for 6 months. He raced for Suzuki. Not these monsters, though.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:53 AM on June 27, 2006
yerfatma: Yes, on the Speed Channel. Race day is always Sunday and the program is same-day tape and one hour long. The races themselves only last about 45 minutes and then they have a couple of minutes of question and answer time with the top three finishers. The next race is this coming Sunday at Donnington Park in England. It will be on Speed TV at 11:30am, according to the SpeedTV Web site.
posted by NoMich at 08:32 AM on June 27, 2006
How about Marco Melandri's stomach turning crash in Spain last week? My god, how was he able to recover fast enough to race at Assen the following Sunday? Not only race, but do well, qualifying and finishing seventh after being in second place early on. If you can't tell by watching the video of the crash, he got caught in between his bike and two others crashing in front of him. The worst injuries occur when the riders don't separate from the machines when they crash. Melandri just got pinned between a bunch of machinery. It's an amazing recovery, but he did look awful after this weekend's race.
posted by dusted at 01:20 PM on June 27, 2006
Are you going to the race at Leguna Seca next month?
posted by NoMich at 01:49 PM on June 27, 2006
I haven't bought tickets yet, but I'll probably buy them tonight. Wonder if it will sell out like last year?
posted by dusted at 03:58 PM on June 27, 2006
Here's a good video of the last lap, for those that didn't see it. Keep in mind that Colin Edwards (the yellow Camel bike in second) was leading the entire race comfortably until being ran off the track by Hayden (orange/dark Repsol Honda) on the second-to-last lap. At first I thought Nicky bumped him, but it was just Colin hitting the slick grass and kicking the rear tire out. Nicky completely blew the corner and went straight through, but managed to stay up in the gravel. Speaking of... I have never seen so many weird almost-crashes. Kenny Roberts Jr. sticking his leg out to save a low-side, Rossi, Capirossi and at least a few other overcooking corners and going straight through. Assen has a lot of history, but with the track layout used, it looks like a club-level track. I don't think you'd see so many overcooked entries if the track actually turned and there was grass or gravel instead of a path back onto the racing line. Bonus: did you see Rossi's Thursday crash? Yikes, that was a bad landing!