Poll: Who will be the 2008 Lewis Hamilton in Motogp?

[Gerben24]

This will be one of those threads that you want to bump up at the end of the season, to see how miserable you’ve been with your prediction…

This year there are some promising debutants in the Motogp class. Who will become the rookie of the year in 2008?

#4 Andrea Dovizioso, lots of talent, but maybe not the best team.

#15 Alex de Angelis, not my favourite, but he can do weird stuff on the occasional day. The only rookie on Bridgestone tyres.

#48 Jorge Lorenzo, of all the rookies, he will probably have the best material.

#52 James Toseland, he has the talent, a perfect teammate, but most important he has the most determination.

Or…. somebody else??? Maybe Casey Stoner will be very disappointing in his second year on the Ducati and they replace him with another rookie?

Another question, will one of them score a pole position or even their first Motogp victory?

[Knowlesy]

Dovizioso and Toseland will be the ones to impress most I reckon. Dovizioso will be the star of the show overall.

Lorenzo will do well, but will be massively overshadowed by Rossi.

de Angelis will blow hot and cold. With an emphasis on cold.

None will win a race, poles are possible when conditions are favourable.

[SALEEN S7R]

Toesland will perform this year as he has in testing so far and show that he has the skill to back up his determination and I think will be at the front end of the grid in most races, certainly inside the top 8.

Lorenzo I think will give Rossi a good run for his money and ocassionally get the better of him, particularly towards the latter half of the year as he gains more experince.

Dovizioso and De Angelis will both perform well and on ocassion get a top 4 finish, maybe even a podium here or 2 if the attrition rate is high. Neither have the outright speed of Lorenzo though.

[Pro Racer]

for me i think Dovi he's shown pace on a satelite bike and i think the Bridgey Michelin split at Yamaha will hurt them hence hurt Lorenzo, Toesland will go well but i think the satelite Yamaha isn't quite to the standard of the satelite Honda (despite the pace of test expert Edwards), De Angilis will go well probablly around Toesland.

[bestfit]

Andrea Dovisioso - Has always impressed me in the lower classes, often battling for wins on lesser machinery. I can't see him taking a win, but I think he will be in the top half of the championship based on consistency.

Alex de Angelis - If he remains true to form he should lead several races but will fall off with half a lap to go He seems to lack concentration over a full race and tends to choke even when under relatively little pressure. 30+ podiums for 1 race win does not make a championship contender.

Jorge Lorenzo - I think he will become stronger as the season progresses and I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a win this year. I think there will be a fair bit of angst between the 2 Fiat Yamaha riders and Loopy will be highly motivated to beat Rossi. He has never been afraid of a battle but he might get a bit of a shock as to how hard these guys are prepared to fight compared to the 250 guys. I expect to see the Lorenzo Land flag planted before the year is out.

James Toseland - Has impressed me greatly with the way he has appeared to adapt to MotoGP, his testing to date has been very good. I think his main problem this year will be learning the tracks that he has never raced at before. May possibly podium before the year is out but I can't see him taking a win. Should be very strong in 2009.

My rookie finishing order:-
Lorenzo
Toseland
Dovisioso
de Angelis

Humble pie is baking in preparation.

[Tazz]

I say Dovi is going to be the Lewis on MotoGP 08, but we'll only gonna see him ocasinally on the podium. And not on the highest step.

The only way o rookie is going to win a race this season is this: Lorenzo is awfull on the first half, he gets sacked and replaced by Toseland who beats Rossi and Stoner and gets a win Good plan, ha?

[agosling]

I don't think any of the rookies will go anywhere doing a Hamilton.

Lorenzo is the pick without a doubt, especially in the second half of the year he will be a serious contender.

Of the others, Dovi is the only one who impresses, I think he will do well and he might do well enought to get himself a better ride next year.

I've picked de Angelis to be number one on the crash list, I am really surprised that he has a MotoGP ride.

Toesland, I really like him and I hope he does well, but he had never really impressed me as a racer, he may be the reigning WSBK Champion, but he really only fell over the line last year and his first championship wasn't that impressive either. I hope he does well but I think he will most like have one, maybe two years at best in MotoGP and then be back to WSBK.

[f1manoz]

I'm siding with the Brit on this one. After his debacle last time in MotoGP, Toseland comes in more determined than ever to prove his worth on the world stage.

I think he'll out-shine his team-mate and will also prove to more capable than Lorenzo.

I expect Dovizioso to have a solid start and to continue a string of finishing, while I don't really know what to expect from de Angelis yet.

[bestfit]

After his debacle last time in MotoGP, Toseland comes in more determined than ever to prove his worth on the world stage.

???? Toseland has never ridden in MotoGP Before.

[Gerben24]

Final testsession have been ridden. Based on the results from this winter it's going to be between Lorenzo and Toseland, with Dovizioso a close third.

It's going to be close and interesting to follow, I think it's going to be Lorenzo but I hope it will be Toseland!

I think we will see a rookie on pole position this season and even on the podium, however, I tinka Stoner will arrive on the top step many time, so difficult for rookies to win in 2008.

Hows that pie comming along Bestfit?

[bestfit]

Hows that pie comming along Bestfit?

It's cooking nicely. Seeing as how your picks agree with mine, if our predictions fall flat we will have to share the pie.

[Gerben24]

Don't mind if we do

Your place or mine?

[bestfit]

I'll have my people call your people.

[sr230772]

i fully expect toseland to finsh on top this year,then challange for the world tittle next year he beat bayliss easy so stoner wouldnt be to tough

[Hazza]

Toesland, really?

After Xaus, Bayliss Edwards Hodgeson i've given up on WSBK riders...

[jhansen]

Originally Posted by Hazza

After Xaus, Bayliss Edwards Hodgeson i've given up on WSBK riders...

Agreed. I think Toseland will have his moments, but these bikes don't suit him.

[bestfit]

Originally Posted by jhansen

Agreed. I think Toseland will have his moments, but these bikes don't suit him.

I thought the same when I first heard he was going to MotoGP but I must say he has impressed me during the winter testing. He has been putting in consistently fast times since first throwing the leg over the Yammie. He won't win a race this year, but on tracks he knows I think he will be near the front of the pack.

[Knowlesy]

Why do these bikes not suit him?

If he is given the equipment, he has a shot. He is young enough to have a proper go.

[jhansen]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Why do these bikes not suit him?

If he is given the equipment, he has a shot. He is young enough to have a proper go.

The point and shoot superbike style doesn't work as well with the 800's.

[Gerben24]

I know the riding style your mean, but I think Toseland is already over that. It was evident last year that he was able to conserve his tyres more than he did the year before. I know, the tyres were better and the traction control helped as well.

Still I think Toseland is one of the smarter bunch out there. I think he is determined enough and has talent enough to be able to change his riding style, if need be.

I think he can come a long way. Might even be able to win a GP one day!

[jhansen]

Toseland and co. are a bit more realistic it would seem. They're better on qualifying set up than race trim. And they lose performance over the race distance because of the fuel capacity issue. He's also still not 100% comfortable on the bike. Wonder when Tech 3 get the new motor?

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/moto..._strategy.html

[bestfit]

I'm thinking of taking the pie out of the oven.
Nah, one more round to be sure.

[Knowlesy]

yeah, it's all over after one round.

Long year yet. I have been surprised how quick Lorenzo adapted though. Rossi probably regrets his decision to go to Bridgestone now, because people won't think of that whilst he adapts the bike.

Then again, the conditions in the other races will be somewhat different.

[Gerben24]

I only watched the races yesterday evening. The rookies were very impressive. It's good to have them in Motogp. I didn't think Lorenzo would put in such a good performance as he did. Although he complained in testing that he wasn't good enough on the brakes yet, he stuffed it under Rossi and Stoner with some pretty hard moves. It doesn't happen often when Stoner comes blasting by on the straight that a rider gets him back in the next corner.

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by agosling

I don't think any of the rookies will go anywhere doing a Hamilton.

You think??? I believe Lorenzo has been more impressive than LH so far.

He's having me eating my previous words!