A look back at 2005

I felt lazy today, so I just couch-potatoed and took in the entire MotoGP
2005 DVD. First off, on that DVD: they could throw in some extras in there,
couldn't they? A look at the machines, some history, something... there's no
gossip, there are things that happened missing...

But it is interesting to take a look at the season in a session like that.

To me, the big news of the year is the big progression of Melandri and
hayden, who left Biaggi and Gibernau in the dust.

Melandri started off by going for regularity, had a bit of a mid-season 2
race crisis, and then came back strong and with a final bang. Very
impressive. Also his maturity in his statement after Valencia, saying it
happened by accident because he was actually thinking championship points
and took off merely wanting to try control Hayden. Now let's see how he does
when expectations are higher. I suspected he was one of the better natural
riders in MotoGP (and got laughed at when I expressed that opinion last
year), but the next step is to see how mentally strong he is. His valencia
statements seem to bode well for it.

Hayden was a bit more inconsistent, however he was quite reliable, seemingly
always aware of what his limts were and not trying to push too hard. Good
stuff. To top that off, he put forward the most dominating performance of
the year. He ruled Laguna Seca with an iron fist, start to finish. No other
race this year was as one sided. And the finished off strong, always in the
fight for top positions towards the end of the year.

Gibernau's season looked even worse when condensed like that, because it was
quite obvious he just piled up mistakes. Overagressive, plain and simple.
The whole thing about the bike sounds utterly pathetic when one takes a look
at the DVD. Gibernau fell often, simply because he thought he could go
faster than he really could. And didn't correct it. He will wind up hurting
himself if he races another season as headlessly as he did this one as a
whole.

Biaggi started off with regularity, and that was OK when things were very
evenly distributed and different riders were around in different races. But
when Melandri and Hayden upped the ante, Biaggi had no response, and folded.
When circumstances demanded he go faster, he couldn't. No ifs and buts, he
is no longer a number 2, Melandri and Hayden outclassed him in the end.

Rossi was of course impressive, but he had to fight and had to be too
aggressive. It says a lot about Rossi that he was, once again, the only
racer truly fighting for the top spots in every race, and of course winning
the vast majority of them, but the most telling aspect was how he responded
to new challengers, fighting to show them it's never going to be easy. He is
a champion in mentality, just as mercilessly focussed on winning as someone
like Rainey was. His rides were extremely impressive, and show Hayden and
Melandri have a heck of a job in front of them if they're to wrestle the
title from this guy. But 2 very visible mistakes in a year show he's not
perfect.

Edwards was probably the most clock-like of all riders. Solid season, but
somehow it looked suspiciously like the season a support rider should go
for. he has always been a very smooth rider, of course, except when he went
all out to win his last WSB title in the last races, when he rode like a
maniac. It'd be nice to see him riding closer to that limit now. I think he
has it in him to finish on the podium more often. And with Melandri and
Hayden having progressed the way they have, I think he will have to up the
ante next year to fulfill his role as a support rider serving the Yamaha
cause. I look forward to that.

....pablo

 

I also forgot to say - the repetitive music, especially the "Are you ready
Bruce/boo/whatever" jingle drive me mad after 3 races. Let alone the whole
DVD. I nearly went at it with a hammer by the time of the Australia GP.
Thank heaven for fast forwarding.

 

Them Bruce are made for walkin', and that's just what they'll do....