Rivals ponder Ducati crash repeat
By Stephen English
The near identical front-end falls suffered by factory Ducati riders V𝐆alentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden proved one of the main talking points after the Silverstone MotoGP quali🍃fying session.
Both Rossi and Haydenꦏ lost the front in near identical incidents at 'Vale', the hard braking area for 𝔉the final chicane.
Having fallen at the same point in the track last year, Tech 3 Yamaha's Andrea Dovizioso commented on the difficulties facing ride🐭rs at the corner.
"The problem there is that we brake really hard and t🅷he rear jumps," said the Italian. "For these characteristics you can't put the normal weight on the front so⛎ when the rear touches the ground it takes the weight out of the front; these bumps make it difficult."
The entry to Vale is downhill from the fast Stowe corner, before rising toward🧜s its apex where Dovizioso continued by saying that:
"There is a smallꦓ bump there. It's really small, if at the place where the bump goes down and you touch the rear it is the worst. I have had it happen there in the wet. I never brake hard like I want there. I already crashed there and I know what can happen."
Dani Pedrosa, who h🦩as also crashed at the corner, believed the new softer specification front tyre was a factor: "It's because it's a very bumpy place and you are braking full and if you have more front tyre pressure you are not absorbing the bump. You need to have support from the tyre."
Pedrosa's Repsol Honda team-mate, Casey Stoner, was also asked about the incident 🌌and had a unique insight as a former Ducati rider.
"When I was at Ducati there were a few incidents where we would have a bunch of Ducatis down at the exact same point at the same c📖orner," said the reigning world champion.
"I think we did it in Qatar in testing. There were two or three Du🐻catis down at exactly at the same point, you could pretty much look at the same skidmarks for the bikes. At Phillip Island it also happened, at MG corner.
"The same type o♐f thing has also happened with Hondas and Yamahas in the past."
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go💃. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚez’s injury issues.
