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Yes, Melandri has signed with Ducati. Interesting thing that Capirex may move to WSB, but altho Lanzi's seat is to be taken, I doubt Capirex will take it. Ducati itself has stated that there might be next year a three bike official ducati team in MotoGP. I guess they're a bit scared to see him walking away (to Suzuki as it seems) with so many trade secrets ? As for the Lanzi's place, I was in Misano for the WDW and I thought that Xaus was very, very "displayed". He's also on most of the official Hypermotard pictures and videos...Will that be the return of the Prodigal Son ?

I think Hopper has got "it", and so does the Kwack. They just need the right momentum...Now, his departure kinda makes the silly season even more silly As for this Saschenring race this week-end, I'm veryyyyy curious. If Casey can make it to the podium, i think Rossi can kiss the 2007 world championship crown good bye. This is not at all a circuit that favors a Ducati and it'll be interesting !

yeah, i second that. I think it's a very ugly bike, but the specs of this bike are definitively sexy.

Isn't Barber trying to get MotoGP as well ? I haven't been riding there but i've heard it's a marvellous place and a great track. And it has a great collection/museum with, among other bikes, a Ghezzi-Brian stw 1100.

well, looking at how enthousiastic the Ducatisti were in Rimini at being mobile advertisements for the Bologna company, it wouldn't surprise me the least to see the new Ducati management swing into some kind of marriage mode with HD: they already have the "if-it-has-a-ducati-logo-we-will-sell-it" attitude. The WDW is an hymn to the ducati branding, and everybody there was a fashion victim hungry for more. i only saw 3 guzzis amidts thousand ducatis: a centauro with a side, a V 11 Le Mans, a 1100 Griso, plus my ghezzi. the museum in Bologna is great looking, but very superficial and nowhere near as inspiring as the Mandello museum. but all in all, it was an enjoyable moment, up to the moment when the giant video screens showed the Dottore passing Stoner: the crowd went just into silent more and it took a while to have the mood going up again.

Hi, I may get to Misano next week for the World Ducati Week-End. I need a break and you can pick up worst destinations, no ? Plus I wanted to go to Assen, but in Misano I get to watch the MotoGP on giant screens AND seeing Xaus, Lanzi and Bayliss doing demo laps on their 999 SBK Anyone from here planning to be there ?

Valley ? Holland is too flat to have any of those

Superia ?

Flandria Imola 4 ?

well, i think something important happened: Rossi wanted this GP and he didn't get it. Now, he's getting worried. More than with any other riders since he started, he's facing a young rider on a great bike and that rider doesn't care shit who Rossi is: he just won't let go where others before him just faded away... Yes, the ducati is fast, but the top speed domination isn't that big now. And if they want to get closer, why don't they use different mapping and ratio ? Fact is: the ducati goes faster than the others, accelerates better, brakes as well as the Yamaha, the tyres are great and the handling isn't that bad. If the ducati is the only bike that revs above 19.000 rpm, why can't the Japanese get there ? Ducati has a racing dept the size of Honda's Lawnmoners Help desk and still succeed showing Honda the middle finger There were 3 ducatis in the top 10 last sunday: it clearly is a brilliant bike. But it is also the success of a mentality in racing: Stoner gets a second family and while I'm sure there must be hard times in Bologna, the feel inside the team, the shared passion, the intensity of the relationship they all have for That Factory surely makes for 2 tenth of a second per lap .

I'm just passing the info. there's a Supertwin 1100 on sale in Italy HERE, on Ebay Italy looks like someone there saw the original color of JMM's 4V Ghezzi

Jaap, and the andere Dutch Guzzi riders, I might be interested in going to see the MotoGP at Assen, on saturday June 30th. I would take a stand up ticket, but as I never been to Assen, I have no ideas what places are fine in the multiple choices. And I also vaguely know there are a few DON'T, like DON't go to Assen with a car on MotoGP day. Can u guys enlight me ? bedankt

I think there are a couple of Todd Rundgren albums from that early 70 period that are milestones for the introduction of electronics in rock music. While there were synths before Todd, of course, he was one of the very first to WRITE music with synths in a very rock way (unlike bands likeTangerine Dreams or Tonto who were more into hypnotic type of electronic music), and building songs with them compare to what most people used to do: moog solos and weird noises. Todd took the VCS3 and AKS (build by an english company called EMS, in Putney Bridge) and actually made songs with them as main parts and that was a breakthrough at the times. This said, I'm not found at all of his other stuff, but his early 70's years were undoubtely (for me) groundbreaking as far as songwriting with synthesizers in rock music is concerned.

that exhaust pipe looks vaguely similar...

it's not a question of being old, i guess everyone picks what's been emotionnal to him, in his teenagers days or not. but if we look from a distance the albums that really changed the way ppl thought about rock music, they are several that comes to (my) mind that REALLY changed music as it was heard, played or felt (by me). 60's: Mothers Of Invention with "Absolutely Free", Pink Floyd in its Syd Barret days, Beatles with "SPLHCB", Brian Wilson and "Pet Sounds", Jimmy Hendrix "Are You Experienced" . Yes, 1967 seems to have been a great year 70's: , Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", Todd Rundgren "Todd", Sex Pistols ,"Never Mind The Bollocks", "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division, The Model by Kraftwerk, reggae in general 80's: anything by Prince, "The River" by Bruce Springsteen, "Sandinista" by The Clash, Michael Jackson 90's: Nirvana, NIN "Downward Spiral", Depeche Mode "Violator" 2000's: Radiohead "Kid A", Sigur Ros's post rock...

lol. What are the odds that two guzzi riders meet Sir Georges Martin ? That's amazing ! I met him too. I actually did an interview of him for japanese TV. Don't ask me why... yes, the equipment was scarce and congrats and all...Still, they were chasing behind 'Pet Sounds' and a few other amazing people were experimenting a lot with audio at the times. That doesn't diminish their creativity or the immense gift they did to music, but i think they just weren't alone doing exciting stuff.

i actually think Sgt Pepper was overproduced, but yeah, brilliant songs and lots of cool ideas for sure. Isn't funny every generation picks up his Greatest Rock Album Of All Time ? I actually would take The Clash's London Calling and wonder if Sandinista wasn't marginally better

i wouldn't call it driving music tho...but it was an interesting attempt at the time.

nope, to me, you're exactly where it's at

Jaap, you can have Limburg, it's fine by me now, what they're trying to do is forbid to open coffee shops too close to the border...

use the Buell, you'll have more fun, and it seems like it's equipped for bad spills...

Pedrosa weights about nothing... the ducatis look good in trim race, i think we may have a red dawn tomorrow

I kinda recallreading it was the Japanese factories that wanted the two strokes to be authorized in GP, back in the late 50's...Or is my mind playing tricks ? Can someone confim ???