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[feeutfo]

Good news for Brit riders in Motogp.

Cal gets a well deserved podium and a confirmed ride next year

Smith is his team mate in tech3

And Rae gets a test ride on Stoners vacant bike with a shot at the next race.

Shame Stoners out though. 

[BazaJT]

We seem to be getting a decent crop of world class riders at last!Cals podium was the first Brit in 12 years to do so in the "big" class.Plus earlier in the day Tom Sykes scored a win in the first race in Moscow in WSB,go Yorkshire!

[omega3000]

Glad  Pedrosa won , was a good little battle at the end with the honda having more speed up the hill and blocking Lorenzo out    Smoking ducati ... just topped it up too much 

[feeutfo]

Yes the dice for the lead was good to see for once.

Interesting to see how Rae goes on the Honda.

[albitz]

I would love to see Rae do well on the Honda. Hes from Norn Irn and his family were the "Rae Racing" logo which was seen on the fairing of the late great Joey Dunlop for many years. If it wasnt for them Joey probably wouldnt have had the opportunity to do what he did.
However,I really have serious doubts that he will be particularily impressive. He has far too many crashes in WSB,and so far has never reaaly looked like a serious title contender. I think he may well be out of his depth on a MotoGP bike.
I really would like to be proved wrong though.
Was nice to see Crutchlow get a podium at last.Maybe getting completely shafted by Ducati gave him a bit of extra motivation.
The previous podium by a brit is indelibly stamped on my memory. It was Donigton 2000 and the bike racing world was reeling in shock at the death of Joey Dunlop. Jeremy McWilliams ( a fellow Ulsterman and good friend of Joeys) was riding a customer V twin Honda (the equivalent of a CRT bike today) and the track was very wet.McWilliams managed to lead the race for quiet a while but the track dried and his power disadvantage meant he couldnt hold on to it. Rossi won his first race in the big class that day,but jeremy managed to finish on the podium and with obvious sorrow etched on his face afterwards he dedicated his podium finish to Joey. It was a very emotional day indeed. Im getting goosebumps now just thinking about it.

[albitz]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/4758003/Result-dedicated-to-Dunlop.html#

[feeutfo]

Wow. Good post Albs. Put a tear in me eye.

Rae 3 seconds off Cal, who was fastest in testing. By the looks.

[albitz]

Which suggests hes about as quick as the fastest CRT bikes when hes on by far the fastest bike out there. Im pretty sure hes tested the RCV before too,so hes not completely new to it. My heart really wants him to do well on it,but my head has serious doubts.
MotoGP is a on another level to WSB as demonstrated by the MotoGP retirees & rejects who have gone to WSB and dominated for the last few years.

[albitz]

Got all emotional now thinking about Joey.I will never forget his young daughter reading out this poem she had written at his funeral.

http://www.joeydunlop.co.uk/poem.htm

I really wanted to go,and my dear old Mum,bless her,tried to talk me into coming over for it,but circumstances at the time didnt really allow it to happen.
Apparently there were bikes on every road all over Ireland that day,and they were all converging on the Church at Ballymoney.Tens of thousands of people (over 50,000 was the official figure) lined the route to say farewell to the countrys greatest ever sportsman,who was also a great man by any measure you might want to apply.
I will always regret not going not only because I wanted to be there and pay my respects to a true hero of mine,but because I had to go over six weeks later to my Mums funeral.If I had got over to Joeys funeral I would have got to see Mum one last time.
Sorry for getting emotional,its not normally like me,but thinking back to Donington 2000 brings it all back.