| by MercurySeven |
Other Poetry:
|
udrey's Shower
Minggu, 20 Juli 2008
What Once Was...
| by MercurySeven |
What once was bliss, now saturnine - Yet, what behemoth isn't cursed Soliloquys we jet to air What once was free, now stipend-pieced -
|
he Brothers Parallel
| T by MercurySeven |
We'd lie all night upon the deck, astern - I'll light a dream at sail for you, my brother; |
Solatium
| by MercurySeven |
 The blood in the bruise is a captive, the body its captor and dam; our continents frozen as oceans, existence a wintery clam. Might blood-spilling thus be a cleansing, and re-generation be rife? Might Spring be a prick in the ice-skin that floods forth a fountain of life? The sequel to long hibernation; all quills that will write it must grow - the feathers from nest and adventure; the ink from a muddying snow. Each seed that we plant is a vowel; the consonants consequently recalled by the syntax of Nature - that lock to our fumbling key. Though earth may be wilting with fever, and seasonal blueprints are smudged, there's hope in our planetary cycle; for such have our eons adjudged the soothing that follows the winter; catastrophe only a sting - the bruising of life a reminder to savour the solace of Spring! |
http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=95534
Read More...
Breadcrumbs
| by MercurySeven |
Let pigeons scurry thither, flocks abreast, First, serve a meal of ready-made religion;
|
The Scourie Paddlers
| by MercurySeven |
 | |||||||
| | |||||||
|
 There's arrogance in a paddler's pull, Fathoms flex beneath We're bounced and buffeted; It's morning, We scour the barrel-troughs of waves |
Summer Knights
| by MercurySeven |
| |||||||
| | |||||||
|
 His armour bronze, his courage spiked - he's bound to brave this summer quest; his girl ashore, he's fully psyched to dare this daunting ocean test, for, as the surfer glances back, his trail to liquid leads the pack... And, out there, on sapphiric lips, aboard a mount of wax he springs - he's breathless as the ripple rips, unleashing curls of thunder wings; pursuer and pursued, he rides till ecstasy with sea collides. As damsels in bikinis wave these errant men of sun to shore, the scented favours glide to stave the solitude of gallants 'fore they battle surf at sparkling heights to blind the day as summer knights. |
Abyssal
| cawaby MercurySeven |
| ||||||||
|
 Summer sky's in for a skinny-dip; water so tranquil even vertigo soothes. A mouth-wash ocean tinted turquoise, where roving surface tigers and solar fingers roam, tickling the shallow ticklish undersea. Mural waves nudge the ever-sleeping bed of pastel flora that dances, segues in dreams atop the denouement... Down, straight down lies a pitch funnel extenuating blues, unravelling the sapphire carpet from beneath the sea. Each school or smooth delinquent exists royally, to reign without claim or name or need of passport... Surface waves farewell as, darkly, without curtain, pressure mounts on silent venturers, as we slink, slide, slip, sink, and lip-synch affections; one woman, one man - living flares, we dive to light three unfathomed kingdoms: home, sea, and the abyss... |
A Perfect Web
by MercurySeven |
| |||||||
| | |||||||
|
 Could it be an accident of physics like the coin that lands erect, the wave that swells a hundred feet, the lives that intersect? By happenchance, are miracles the follies of design or are they peeks at other realms, or glints of the divine? For what can spin a perfect web a thousand feet below - a grand arachnid masterpiece where ne'er a light will glow; and why would evolution bid its artist quickly die, to weave a silken wonderment and darkly know not why? Perfection? What's perfection when those microscopic flaws make nonsense of all art by way of sub-atomic laws? Are nebulae and constellations beautiful inside; celestial bodies less than perfect when they dare collide? And what are we but sparks and spume - reactions, residue, all variations from a theme we'll never quite construe? Is being in itself not just corruption from what's pure - that state of blissful ignorance, dimension-less and sure, before that 'Big Bang' drop of paint - a dab of shadow, no less - began a mini portrait; an abstract work-in-progress...? |
ALL ABOUT MOTOGP
News From MotoGP:
- The season so far: Full GP Review for Qatar
- Paddock girls - Losail 2008
- The best of OnBoard: Qatar
- Head to head: Hopkins and West
- Tough CEV round for Academy youngsters
- Vazquez takes fourth round CEV 125cc win
- Free video highlights of Rossi-Stoner battle
- FIM announce provisional 2009 MotoGP calendar
- Doohan plays down Rossi-Stoner row
- Laguna Seca After the Flag edition now online
- Puig insists Pedrosa will continue title fight
- Nakano provided with machine upgrade for Brno
- Furusawa reflects on Yamaha season to date
- Denning on Spies and Capirossi at Laguna
- Applicants welcome for 2009 Red Bull MotoGP Rookie...
- Hayden: `We got spanked´
- Poncharal looks back on mixed Californian sojourn
- Michelin plan comeback project after Laguna Seca m...
- Hungarian MotoGP round proposition unveiled in Bud...
- Ten days of rest for Lorenzo after suffering toe f...
- Kawasaki: `West needs to work hard to justify his ...
- Tom Cruise pays visit to the Red Bull U.S. Grand P...
- Vermeulen sees further podium potential in improvi...
- Melandri waiting on Ducati decision
- Bridgestone determined to develop further after La...
- Paddock Girls at Laguna Seca
- Full GP Review: Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
- Stoner smashes pole position record in Laguna Seca...
- Rossi: `To stop Stoner, you´d have to shoot him´
- Airfences in focus at Laguna Seca
- MotoGP Legend Rainey on the demands of Laguna
- The Corkscrew under the spotlight
- Rossi delighted with win whilst Stoner hits out at...
- Hopkins determined to come back stronger
- Stoner on pole again, Melandri looking good in rac...
- Hayden nervous and hoping for heat
- Disappointing qualifying session leaves Dovizioso ...
- Front two rows and a pain in the neck for Tech 3 Y...
- Vermeulen shows podium pace ahead of American cont...
- Improvements leave Hacking excited about MotoGP de...
- Second row start for De Puniet in California
- Tough break for De Angelis in thumb-fracturing cra...
- Lorenzo focusing on tyres for Laguna Seca debut
- Pedrosa withdraws from Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
- MotoGP world championship
- Stoner dominates second practice as well
- Melandri encouraged by first practice
- Rossi happy with second in practice
- Ducati to up involvement in satellite team
- Pedrosa using bespoke gloves at Laguna
- Stoner blitzes first practice at Laguna
- Pedrosa 'in a lot of pain' ahead of US GP
- Hayden says he is in talks with Ducati
- Hayden aiming for turnaround at home
- Rossi says Yamaha can stop Stoner
- Edwards signs new Tech 3 deal
- Ducati consider Melandri, Gibernau swap
Rossi: `To stop Stoner, you´d have to shoot him´
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Valentino Rossi´s best efforts in Laguna Seca were not enough to deny Casey Stoner a fifth consecutive pole position, although the Italian will start the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix from the front row.
At times the performances of MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner have left his rivals with little option but to laugh so as not to cry, with a recent run of three victories and five pole positions on the bounce showing the Australian´s quality for all to see. A rider more used to dishing out the punishment than receiving it, Valentino Rossi was tasked with seeing the funny side of his nemesis´ dominance in qualifying for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
`To stop Stoner, you´d have to shoot him,´ said Rossi when asked by Spanish television channel TVE as to how he could beat the Ducati Marlboro man in Sunday´s race.
Rossi did, however place on the front row for the Laguna Seca showdown, having identified a top grid position as a must in the run-up to this weekend´s race. His pace may have been consistent mid-1´22 laps rather than the daunting mid-1´21´s recorded by Stoner, but he remained confident of at the very least a positive result to take him into the summer break as the World Championship leader.
`Second is a good position to start from tomorrow. We have had one or two small problems that perhaps it will be possible to fix when we do a few small modifications. Our race pace isn´t so bad,´ noted the Fiat Yamaha rider.
Whilst Rossi would probably not be permitted by the FIM to take weaponry onto the grid, he did have another tongue-in-cheek scheme up his sleeve in order to be the quickest on the draw on Sunday; when questioned in the immediate live international press feed as to whether he had a plan for victory over Stoner, the five-time MotoGP World Champion quickly replied:
`Yes. Start 30 seconds earlier than him.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Rossi+To+stop+Stoner+you+d+have+to+shoot+him
Airfences in focus at Laguna Seca
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Airfences+in+focus+at+Laguna+Secauftez Read More...
A look at some of the advantages of airfencing, used with particular success at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Airfences have become de rigueur safety barriers in motorcycle racing both in America and at several MotoGP venues –a far cry from the days of hay bales and solid walls. Those that have created memorable images and prevented serious injury most recently have been those at Sachsenring in Germany (which certainly lessened the effects of Dani Pedrosa´s eventual halt after sliding into the gravel) and Laguna Seca, the scene of the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Friday´s afternoon practice session drew particular attention to the airfences, which protected Kawasaki´s Anthony West when he took a high-speed lowside that sent him careering off track. The red flag was waved, but the only damage had been to the protective barrier doing its job of cushioning the impact.
In this video feature, Franco Uncini from the IRTA explains the benefits of the airfences used at the Red Bull U.S. Granhttp://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Airfences+in+focus+at+Laguna+Secauftez Read More...
MotoGP Legend Rainey on the demands of Laguna
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
One of the most cherished figures in the history of the World Championship, MotoGP Legend Wayne Rainey, spoke to motogp.com on Saturday at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Former Yamaha star and MotoGP Legend Wayne Rainey, the three-time 500cc World Champion who was a three-time race winner at Laguna Seca, looked ahead to Sunday´s race at the California circuit when he caught up with motogp.com on Saturday afternoon.
Rainey, who won at his home track in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and resides close to the venue for this weekend´s American extravaganza, commented, `Laguna Seca is a track on which you are constantly working. There is not much time to relax. If you make a little mistake here it can bite you, because you just don´t have that much time to settle down. There are no long straightaways and you are constantly changing direction.´
`So I think whoever is leading the race will have to focus for the entire time. But if you are not leading the race, there is always the chance that the leader will make a mistake, so if you stay strong you could capitalise on that.´
When asked about the importance of the retention of Valentino Rossi´s services by Yamaha for two more years, Rainey remarked, `The most important part of the puzzle for every team is the rider. Obviously with the credentials that Valentino brings to the team and brings to the sport, they have got the best guy. So now they need to work on the performance of the bike and we will see what happens in the future.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/MotoGP+Legend+Rainey+on+the+demands+of+Laguna
The Corkscrew under the spotlight
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
motogp.com takes a close-up look at the famous Corkscrew, the breathtaking section of the Laguna Seca track which the MotoGP riders are enjoying this weekend at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Jamie Hacking (Kawasaki), Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki), Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot), Shinya Nakano (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Colin Edwards (Tech 3 Yamaha) describe the intimacies of one of the most challenging sections of track on the MotoGP calendar – Laguna Seca´s Corkscrew.
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/The+Corkscrew+comes+under+the+spotlight
Rossi delighted with win whilst Stoner hits out at passing
Sunday, 20 July 2008 
Read More...
The post-race rider interviews at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix gathered the three podium finishers in close proximity once more, to provide their views on a thrilling race.
Valentino Rossi – Racewinner
`For me it has been fantastic. It´s the first time that I´ve been able to win here, and it was an unbelievable race. The crew made some modifications and I was able to take a much better pace. I had a good start, then a great battle with Casey, which was a lot of fun. It´s an important victory –very emotional- and now in the summer break we will relax, because the championship is so long.´
Casey Stoner – Second Placed
`The mistake I made past halfway was mine; I ran a little wide and lost the front on the turn as I tried to get back on track. It was race over after that. I enjoyed a lot of the race, but I felt that some of the passes a bit too much for me. I´ve been racing for a lot of years and have come through a lot of different ranks, and for me just a couple of passes were a little too much. I would have liked to have had a little bit of a cleaner battle, but anyway we are happy with the result. We´re still at the front of the championship and not too far off.´
Chris Vermeulen – Third Placed
`It was difficult starting from the third row, and these guys got away early. I had a bit of a battle with Hayden and Dovizioso for a few laps, and once we got past them then we had more pace than everyone else. These two were too quick for us today. To be back on the podium in the dry proves that Suzuki are improving, and I´m looking forward to Brno now.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Rossi+delighted+with+win+whilst+Stoner+hits+out+at+passing
Hopkins determined to come back stronger
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
With his comeback from injury scheduled for Brno in the middle of August John Hopkins will begin fitness training next week, following his recent knee and ankle surgery.
Kawasaki Racing´s injured Anglo-American MotoGP star John Hopkins is a frustrated spectator at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix and the experience of watching on during his home race weekend at Laguna Seca is motivating him to come back at 100% next time out in Brno.
The 25 year-old damaged his knee and fractured bones in his leg in a high-speed crash at Assen at the end of June and less than two weeks ago was operated on by renowned surgeon Dr Art Ting to assist the healing process.
Speaking to motogp.com on Saturday in the paddock at the Californian circuit Hopkins commented, `I saw the doctor earlier this week and he said everything is healing up really well. I had to get all the cartilage stitched back up in my knee and a plate and some screws put in my ankle, but I think this a well-needed break.´
`I am just taking my time, clearing my head and letting my back injury heal up a bit better. I´ve been at home, I´m in California and it´s good. I want to come back a lot stronger and more focussed for Brno.´
On missing riding at his home event this weekend the Kawasaki man added, `It is a shame because I would love to be riding in front of my home fans. I´m getting a lot of support, people are wishing me well and that is good. It is good to be here helping Anthony (West) and Jamie (Hacking), but I wish I was out there.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Hopkins+determined+to+come+back+stronger
Stoner on pole again, Melandri looking good in race trim
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Stoner+on+pole+again+Melandri+looking+good+in+race+trim Read More...
Casey Stoner collected his fifth consecutive pole position at Laguna Seca on Saturday, equalling a MotoGP record held by Valentino Rossi who, along with Nicky Hayden, joins the Australian on the front row.
Casey Stoner became the first and only rider ever to lap inside 1´21 at Laguna this afternoon, using his third qualifying tyre to set a stunning time of 1´20.700.
Marco Melandri was unfortunately unable to carry his good from over the three free practice sessions into qualifying, although his constantly improving pace on race tyres makes him optimistic of his chances in Sunday´s race.
Casey Stoner - pole
`I´m happy with how we´re looking in race trim and with the fact we´re on pole again. I didn´t manage to get the most out of the first two qualifiers because the front tyre, which is working perfectly with the race rear, was a bit too soft for the qualifying and I wasn´t confident enough push it 100%. With the third one I gave it my best shot and we´ve come out with another pole. Congratulations to the team, who are working as hard as always, and Bridgestone for another fantastic job.´
Marco Melandri - fifteenth
`I´m disappointed not to have taken advantage of two great days´ work with a better time on a qualifier. We tried a few different tyres this afternoon but I couldn´t get the same feeling on them that I had this morning and we lost a bit of time. But for the race tomorrow I´m confident we can recover because we know we can be faster than we showed today.http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Stoner+on+pole+again+Melandri+looking+good+in+race+trim Read More...
Hayden nervous and hoping for heat
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Nicky Hayden believes that hotter conditions will give him and his Michelin tyres the best chance of a podium finish at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Pulling out a front row position with a single late run at Laguna Seca, home rider Nicky Hayden is hopeful of a first rostrum of the year at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. The Repsol Honda rider is hoping for hotter conditions to favour the batch of tyres brought to the track by Michelin, but is less than optimistic about turning the heat up on poleman Casey Stoner.
Nicky Hayden – Third
`Qualifying was difficult, there were many guys crashing. Qualifying is so important here because it´s so hard to pass, so some guys are willing to pay a big price for a good grid position. Our race pace isn´t exactly blazing but it´s really nice to be on the front row in front of the home crowd, the support is awesome. I know tomorrow´s going to be really tough, Casey [Stoner] is on fire right now and we´re having a few little issues, but the team´s done a good job and I feel like we deserve a good result. Hoping won´t get it though, so we´ll come in here tomorrow, ride hard and see if we can´t pull something out. I´m a little bit nervous. Truth is, the tyres we've got in our allocation are a little out of the range, so the warmer the better for us. We changed the bike a little bit to make the tyres work more and the qualifying tyres were awesome. Actually I felt like I maybe left a couple of tenths in them but I was running about as hard as I could. Hopefully we can put on a good show tomorrow and not less this guy disappear. A podium would be great, but to try to fight with Casey would be a long shot. We never give up, anything can happen when we line up, so we´ll come in here, try to have fun, try my hardest and I know I´ll have plenty of support. I´m looking forward to it.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Hayden+nervous+and+hoping+for+heat
Disappointing qualifying session leaves Dovizioso chasing perfect start
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
JiR Team Scot´s Andrea Dovizioso will start from ninth place at his first Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
The tight nature of the Laguna Seca circuit will make things doubly difficult for MotoGP rookie Andrea Dovizioso on Sunday, as the Italian takes off from a tricky position on the third row.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ninth
`During qualifying we had planned to develop the technical package better for the race, but to be honest I expected a greater improvement. Starting from the third row, here at Laguna Seca, means that I cannot commit the slightest error because in the first turn it is difficult to overtake, and it is important to gain positions immediately. I predict a tough race, as there are many riders who have the same pace. We will focus on a consistent pace for the entire duration of the race tomorrow.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Disappointing+qualifying+session+leaves+Dovizioso+chasing+perfect+start
Front two rows and a pain in the neck for Tech 3 Yamaha duo
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
James Toseland and Colin Edwards qualified in fifth and seventh respectively for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Tech 3 Yamaha´s James Toseland and Colin Edwards took respectable qualifying spots for the Laguna Seca showdown, although for home rider Edwards there was a lot of teeth-gritting to do to ride through the pain of a sore neck.
James Toseland – Fifth
` With the way we have worked today with the set-up, I was confident that once we got on the qualifiers with a bit more grip that I could get up there. I had to pin it and to do a 21 around here is not easy but I got the job done. I´m just so pleased for my team because we have been working really well and so hard that I feel we have deserved it after our bad luck over the last two rounds. We have all kept plugging away and nobody has dropped their heads and now we are on the second row, which is great. When I went out on my last tyre I saw 21.9 was third and I came across the line and saw 21.8 on the dash and I was hoping that would be good enough for the first two rows. You can get two laps on a qualifier here but on my second lap I ran wide at the first corner and I knew I couldn´t really get that time back. I was just hoping that was going to keep me on the first two rows and it did. I have got that softer race tyre which I saved for today and kept one back for the race. I can do mid to low 23s on that and that could be a possible top six finish. With some of the issues we have had this weekend I´d be satisfied with that. I just need a decent start to try and get away with the leaders. I'm getting the hang of the starts and I´m not as nervous as before because it is quite a technique to get these bikes off the line. When you´re flat-out at 14,000 revs and you want to dump that clutch as fast as you can, you really need to know what you´re doing.´
Colin Edwards – Seventh
` It wasn't great to be honest given how well I´ve qualified all year, but considering I thought I was going to be on the plane home last night, I can´t complain too much. My neck was really bad yesterday but today it was unbelievable. I had some injections and also a couple of sessions of massage at the Clinica Mobile and I feel great. But it has been a tough weekend so far and I´m expecting a tough race tomorrow. I don't remember the track being this bumpy but on the qualifiers when you need to go so much faster, I could barely see where I was going. My head was bouncing around all over the place on the bumps. We have been working hard to change the bike to try and find some more grip but everything just feels really rigid. I'm just hanging on in some places and in the last two sections I´m terrible. It is not through a lack of trying because my guys have been working incredibly hard as usual. But we´ve taken weight off the front, put more weight on the front and put weight on the rear, but nothing has really improved the situation. Hopefully I can get a good start to try get away with the leading bunch, because I really want to get a good result for my home fans. I will be giving it everything I've got that´s for sure.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Front+two+rows+and+a+pain+in+the+neck+for+Tech+3+Yamaha+duo
Vermeulen shows podium pace ahead of American contest
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Rizla Suzuki´s threesome of riders comment on their qualifying efforts at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix.
Chris Vermeulen, Loris Capirossi and wildcard rider Ben Spies review Saturday afternoon´s qualifying session at Laguna Seca.
Chris Vermeulen – Eighth
`Today went a lot better than yesterday and the steps we took worked quite well. We did some longer runs on race tyres and produced some good lap times. The times were a lot closer to Casey today and hopefully we can do that again tomorrow. The qualifiers just didn´t seem to work for me today and I couldn´t go any quicker on them than I did on the race rubber. It sucks starting from eighth position but if I can get a good first couple of laps, I know we can still fight for a podium!´
Loris Capirossi – Eleventh
`It would not be good to say I am happy today because in qualifying we struggled a bit, but we certainly did improve the bike in race set-up. We went a lot better on race tyres and I was in the top-five. The whole team has done a great job to find a good setting and we are confident that we have a good rhythm for tomorrow. Like I said yesterday, this track is not so easy with my arm, but I will certainly be giving it my best tomorrow and I think it will be a really interesting race and we could be right up there!´
Ben Spies - Thirteenth
`It went good today overall, I haven´t used qualifiers for a couple of years now and if I could have found a few more tenths I would have been a lot further forward, but I got blocked on a couple of my qualifying laps and made a mistake on my last one. It should be good for the race tomorrow as we´ve figured a few things out with the bike and we got down to a good time on the race tyres. The race set-up is certainly getting better and better and I am getting more comfortable on the bike every time I ride it, and I think I can get it in the top ten tomorrow!´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Vermeulen+shows+podium+pace+ahead+of+American+contest
Improvements leave Hacking excited about MotoGP debut
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Jamie Hacking is looking forward to making his MotoGP debut in Sunday´s race at Laguna Seca, but will start from seventeenth on the grid.
Kawasaki substitute rider Jamie Hacking and regular competitor Anthony West react to a difficult qualifying session at Laguna Seca.
Jamie Hacking - Seventeenth
`We definitely went in the right direction with the set-up changes last night, as the bike was transformed and I was able to push much harder today. We made some more small improvements during this morning´s practice session. I´ve never used Bridgestone qualifiers before, so the extra grip came as something of a surprise. On my first run on the soft tyres I overrode the front at Rainey Curve and low-sided, which meant a run back to the pit box for the spare bike. I managed to improve my lap time with my last flying lap, but I think I´d need much more time on the qualifiers before I was able to get the best from them. We have some more small changes we want to make tonight and I´m pretty confident that if these work as expected, then it should be possible to drop into the low 1´22s during tomorrow´s race. With the progress we made today with the bike, I´m really excited about racing it tomorrow.´
Anthony West - Eighteenth
`We made similar changes overnight to Jamie, but we didn´t seem to get the same improvement today. The front still feels vague, especially when I´m braking on the edge of the tyre, which you have to do a lot of here at Laguna. I couldn´t even stand the bike up to brake before turning in, because that meant I missed the apex almost every time. We will look again at the set-up of the bike tonight; Jamie tried a few things today that might also work for us, but we won´t know until we try them out during warm-up tomorrow. If will be a difficult race, but it should still be possible to finish in the points if I just get my head down and push as hard as I can.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Improvements+leave+Hacking+excited+about+MotoGP+debut
Second row start for De Puniet in California
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
LCR Honda´s Randy De Puniet is to start the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix race from sixth on the grid.
Frenchman Randy de Puniet used his Michelin-shod Honda RC212V to clock a 1´21.921 fastest time on q-tyres at Laguna Seca on Saturday, clinching a second row grid position.
Randy de Puniet – Sixth
`I am very happy today and want to thank my crew for their good job. We had a tough start yesterday but we did not give up. We adjusted the bike set-up, gear ratio, engine mapping, braking stability and suspensions; and once the grip level improved, I could lap consistently fast. We solved our rear grip problems obtaining a good pace on race tyres and we are very happy about our tyres choice for the race.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Second+row+start+for+De+Puniet+in+California
Tough break for De Angelis in thumb-fracturing crash
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Alex de Angelis´ hopes of a top qualifying spot for his Laguna Seca debut were hit by a highside and thumb fracture, although the MotoGP rookie will still ride on Sunday.
Once more the San Carlo Honda Gresini riders had been fast in practice, but unfortunately the trend of not being able to carry this form into qualifying continued at Laguna Seca. Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano both crashed in the hour-long outing, with the former fracturing his thumb in a nasty highside.
Alex de Angelis – Sixteenth
`Unfortunately I crashed when we were trying out the race tyre. I tried to go back out but the pain in my left thumb was too much, so after just one lap I came back in with twenty minutes still remaining of the session. Obviously that meant I didn´t get chance to put in a qualifier´
Shinya Nakano – Twelfth
` I´m disappointed with this session because we´ve managed to set a fast pace throughout free practice, lapping consistently in the top six, so to be starting from twelfth is not satisfactory. This afternoon we went out on the tyres we´ll use for the race and I set a good pace, with a good feeling. Unfortunately on my first lap with a qualifier I was going a little faster than usual through turn four and lost the front, although I was lucky not to be injured. I got straight back to the box and went back out on the second bike but couldn´t improve my lap time as much as I would have hoped. Anyway, my pace is good and the objective is to get a good start and make up positions as early as possible.´
Lorenzo focusing on tyres for Laguna Seca debut
Saturday, 19 July 2008 
Read More...
Jorge Lorenzo is predicting a slow start to the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix for Michelin riders.
Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo will start his first ever race on U.S. soil from fourth on the grid, but is expecting a slow opening to the Laguna Seca race as he tries to heat up his Michelin race tyre.
Jorge Lorenzo – Fourth
`We had a good qualifying tyre from Michelin and I was very happy with my performance this afternoon. The second row is very good, especially since this is my first time here. We know we have a race tyre that is okay for tomorrow, but it is quite hard and therefore it is quite difficult to get temperature into it; this is the problem for our pace. In fact today we improved a lot but we are still a long way off the best time and therefore I think it´s going to be a very hard race and we will struggle to go fast in the early stages, until we can get enough temperature into the tyre. For me the most difficult part of the track is still the first corner, this is where I lack some feeling, so we will try to improve things a bit more in the warm-up. Besides all this I am still having fun riding here, even though it is clear that this is not the best race for our package! I will do my best tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to enjoy myself again.´
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Lorenzo+focusing+on+tyres+for+Laguna+Seca+debut
Pedrosa withdraws from Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix
Dani Pedrosa has decided to play no further part in the action at Laguna Seca. 
Read More...
Dani Pedrosa has withdrawn from the remaining action at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, having already been an absentee from the third and final qualifying session. The Spaniard made a final decision on Saturday morning, having participated in the first day of activities at Laguna Seca whilst in considerable pain.
The Repsol Honda rider had flown to the U.S.A with the intention of testing his condition following a big crash at the last round in Germany. Pedrosa had suffered a fracture to both his left clutch finger and wrist, in addition to a sprained ankle, and had boarded the plane to round eleven of the World Championship having undergone surgery on his digit as recently as last Monday.
In his initial practice runs he had been using a specially adapted glove, between-session massages and painkilling injections, but even these measures were not enough to help him finish any higher than fifteenth on the combined timesheets. His best time from Friday was a 1´23.707, over two seconds slower than that recorded by pacesetter Casey Stoner in the most recent session.
Pedrosa´s missing the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday marks the first race that he has not started since the end of 2003, when he was forced out of the final 125cc contests of the year in Australia and Valencia with broken ankles.
http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2008/Pedrosa+withdraws+from+Red+Bull+U+S+Grand+Prix
For memorian day: Beneath Freedom's Skies
| Beneath Freedom's Skies by longhair | |
 to leave the ones you love again then to face what lies ahead in strange lands. You receive the call, the bags that stayed packed in a closet out of sight but never out of mind are now retrieved. They have become much heavier than before. You hold your children close, and tell them the words that matter. You look them in the eyes, and try not to leave them with lies, but make a promise to come home soon. A word with no concept of time when lives are lost in every moment measured in between the rapid pulse of your heart and the sound of another gun. You wonder if the promise made will be yours to keep in the dark watching tracers light up the sky. Your little ones ask you, "Why are you going again daddy?" Because they need my help. "But you just got back daddy?" Then you tell them again the words that matter. You remember your strength, the faces of home standing beside you, each with a promise to keep of their own to return to someone, somewhere- lives suspended in the waiting. When it's your time to pass through the fire not knowing where you will find yourself, you begin to understand that 'they' are why you are here. By returning, someone else goes home, while you fight for your brothers and sisters who fight for you, and for every promise that was made to someone, somewhere- waiting beneath freedom's skies, for a soldier to come home. |
News
By EKPoet
The news reports of news reporters,
The faces of the newscasters
Reading the news, and the investigators
On location, live, in the midst of tragedies,
Riots, scandle, murder, theft,
The shadows of our lives
Clouds, shadows, footsteps
The footsteps of news reporters
Following us
The pictures on the covers of newspapers,
The faces of famine, grief, anger,
An in depth analysis of the mortgage crisis,
A discussion of climate change
The declarations of marshall law,
An interview with the heads of state
The editorials of editors
Clouds, shadows, footsteps
Without any apparent motive
The state apparatus
Conducts its spying
At length, in secret,
Without warrant
Concluding that the steps were necessary
The global war
Defined by politicians
And the motives of politicians
The shadows of politicians,
The incongruence of their speeches
The limits discussed of the carbon emissions
Of large, insensitive corporations
And their corrupt, chief executive officers
The conclusions of the experts
Reports of psychotic individuals
With semi automatic weapons
Shooting people at random
For no apparent reason
Again
Clouds, shadows, footsteps,
The footsteps of the news reporters
The galloping of horses,
The galloping of dark horses,
The discoveries of super infections
Spreading insiduously
And the release of convicts
Who overturned their convictions
The interrelated crisis of global markets
Strikes, protests, famine, fear,
The footsteps of giants
Whom we have never seen before
Storms, epidemics, disasters
The wheel out of our hands
As we watch the planes taking off
From the airports of foreign lands
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)
Postingan
