| Author | Message | ||
     Xb1125r |
it should be noted that if Stoner keeps finishing 1st in all preactices, the ratings will go down Stoner is going to win it again why bother watching unless you wnat to see who is second and third | ||
| Jaimec |
Harley will have an entry on the MotoGP grid before I root for Honda. | ||
| 46champ |
Harley will have an entry on the MotoGP grid before I root for Honda.  | ||
| Crusty |
When Jaimec roots for Honda, I'll consider the little rat weasel to be a real racer with a strong sense of ethics. | ||
| Xb1125r |
I would not root for any jap brand but Stoner is the best racer. Stoner would beat the Hondas with the new Ducati with no problem. He won races with ducati in every season. | ||
| Jaimec |
And in the 990cc era he wrecked as many bikes as he finished on, too. It remains to be seen if he gets on as well with the 1000s as he did with the 800s. | ||
| Jaimec |
Some interesting insights into the future of MotoGP from Dennis Noyes: http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-noye s-notebook-big-changes-beyond-2012/ | ||
| Trojan |
Stoner would beat the Hondas with the new Ducati with no problem. He won races with ducati in every season. Oh boy, where do I start  The new Ducati s still at a very early point of its development, and unlikely to trouble the top 4 even with God riding it. I'm sure Stoner would face similar difficulties to Rossi and Hayden if he was in the saddle. In fact it is very unlikely that Ducati would even have such a new model if Stoner was still there, as he has difficulty developing a cold, let alone a GP bike. Stoner is a very fast rider who has the ability to jump on pretty much any bike and go fast. However he has never been able to develop a bad bike into a winner, and just rides what he is given most of the time. During his last couple of seasons with Ducati he crashed as often as he won races. If Stoner (or anyone else for that matter)runs away with the series this this year there will be a lot more fans who switch to WSB or Moto2 next year thats for sure. It is pretty essential that the year sees a close fight for races and the championship if MotoGP is to survive. Now that MotoGP and WSB are owned by the same company it is only a matter of time I think before some sort of 'blending' occurs. On top of that there is apparently increasing pressure from certain European factories (BMW and Aprilia) on the new owners to promote WSB over MotoGP. | ||
| Xb1125r |
they should make it like soccer. the top 5 riders of each continent qualifies to race in Moto GP series. this way we would know we are getign the best racers. in motogp, all the engines per race to be provided by one manufacturer. each manufacturer gets to provide 3 races all engines minimum 1000cc and 1200 for twins. this woudl show what racers are strong with what brand and type of engine. riders would have to adjust quicker since they only get 3 races with a manufacturer. only two engines can be used. brands, ktm, ebr, kawasaki, suzuki, honda, ducati aprilia, yamaha,bmw, that 21 races oh and mandatory pit stop of min 2 min. | ||
| Bads1 |
Stoner would beat the Hondas with the new Ducati with no problem. He won races with ducati in every season. Oh boy, where do I start The new Ducati s still at a very early point of its development, and unlikely to trouble the top 4 even with God riding it. I'm sure Stoner would face similar difficulties to Rossi and Hayden if he was in the saddle. In fact it is very unlikely that Ducati would even have such a new model if Stoner was still there, as he has difficulty developing a cold, let alone a GP bike. Stoner is a very fast rider who has the ability to jump on pretty much any bike and go fast. However he has never been able to develop a bad bike into a winner, and just rides what he is given most of the time. During his last couple of seasons with Ducati he crashed as often as he won races. If Stoner (or anyone else for that matter)runs away with the series this this year there will be a lot more fans who switch to WSB or Moto2 next year thats for sure. It is pretty essential that the year sees a close fight for races and the championship if MotoGP is to survive. Now that MotoGP and WSB are owned by the same company it is only a matter of time I think before some sort of 'blending' occurs. On top of that there is apparently increasing pressure from certain European factories (BMW and Aprilia) on the new owners to promote WSB over MotoGP. I don't think anyone can sum that up better. Mimics my thoughts exactly. Great post Matt. | ||
| Gaesati |
"Couldn't develop a cold .." Isn't that a comment famously made by Barry Sheene about Kenny Roberts? | ||
| Xb1125r |
WSB is only a name it does not mean they are the worlds best riders. its very deceiving. they should be more like europe superbike . the AMA guys coult take the SBK guys any time. maybe we should rename American Superbike to New World Superbike. I would promote more south american riders and make the series better then the europeans. Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina have plenty of talent | ||
| Jaimec |
Wow. I had my suspicions before but... you just confirmed it. You really DON'T know what you're talking about, do you??? | ||
| Svh |
+1 Jaime! WOW!! Xb1125r- Please do not take this the wrong way as I am not trying to be mean with this question. Have you ever watched MotoGP or WSBK? There are probably less than 10 riders in ALL AMA classes that are potentially "World Class". The World racers are just on a different level period. | ||
| Xb1125r |
yeah they are in such a elevated class by the media that Biaggi could not do better then hayden in motgo gp and also melandri. then they go to WSB where the guys are not at their level and they starg winning. the fact that spies went to sbk and won on the 1st year says a lot of SBK. and dont give me the history, becuase that is history. we are talking about racers today not decades ago.  | ||
| Trojan |
yeah they are in such a elevated class by the media that Biaggi could not do better then hayden in motgo gp and also melandri. then they go to WSB where the guys are not at their level and they starg winning. the fact that spies went to sbk and won on the 1st year says a lot of SBK. and dont give me the history, becuase that is history. we are talking about racers today not decades ago. Both Biaggi and Melandri won world championships in GP 250 before going to MotoGP and winning multiple races between them. They may not have won MotoGP championships but were still amongst the very few elite factory riders in that class. They have gone to WSB and again ride for top factory teams, so of course will run at the front. Spies is an exception that you think proves some rule about AMA riders, when you conveniently forget the AMA riders who have gione to WSB/WSS and failed to win (Bostrom brothers spring to mind first. You simply cannot compare AMA superbike or BSB superbike to WSB because they ride different bikes on different tracks under very different rules, but I am pretty sure that only the top 5 or 6 AMA riders would even get close to the front of WSB given the chance. I would promote more south american riders and make the series better then the europeans. Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina have plenty of talent On what basis do you assume that South American riders are better than current WSB riders? Most South American riders in major series have got their rides through buying them with sponsor money rather than outright riding talent, with a few notable exceptions of course (Johnny Cecotto being themost obvious). Do you really think Yonny Hernandez would be in MotoGP without some serious money behind him to enable him to buy a ride in a CRT team? He certainly isn't there through talent alone! Maybe you should do some home work this season | ||
| Simond |
Do you really think Yonny Hernandez would be in MotoGP without some serious money behind him to enable him to buy a ride in a CRT team? He certainly isn't there through talent alone! Yes but he's worth it for the entertainment value. When 40 riders arrive at once for the first corner there's no mistaking the ex Supermoto rider. | ||
| Trojan |
When 40 riders arrive at once for the first corner there's no mistaking the ex Supermoto rider. He could carry that style easily (and spectacularly) in Moto2 with only a rudimentary slipper clutch to overcome, but whether he can do it on an electronics laden 1000cc MotoGP bike will be a sight to behold TBH I think the BQR Kawasakis will be so slow he and Silva (another pay per ride jockey) will have to do some showboating just to keep the crowd entertained | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt, don't forget the OTHER AMA SBK champ that not only moved to MotoGP, but actually won the World Championship in 2006. Hint: He's partnering Valentino Rossi for the second time in his career... | ||
| Amafan |
You mean this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BuqDMKkb4A I love this video ,that was such a great day . | ||
| Xb1125r |
thats the one AMA | ||
| Trojan |
Matt, don't forget the OTHER AMA SBK champ that not only moved to MotoGP, but actually won the World Championship in 2006. To be honest, Hayden has been in MotoGP for so long I forgot all about him coming from AMA. Nice guy though he undoubdtedly is, I can't see him being in the MotogP paddock for much longer though  He has shown remarkable diplomacy since being at Ducati, but unless he gets some good results this year I think he will be replaced for 2013 (If anyone has the guts to go to Ducati that is!). Ducati have been grooming a number of riders for MotoGP for a few years. Their problem is that they can't take a rookie into teh factory team, so have to try and persuade current GP riders that the GP12 will be a winner next year before any of the top riders are likely to even think about moving to Italy. With ALL of the top riders out of cotract at the end of this year, and more rules imminent to slow down the factory bikes in favour of the CRT brigade, it may not be such a bad move for soembody willing to take a risk. | ||
| Jaimec |
Geez, Matt! All you have to do is hear one interview (and he gets interviewed a LOT) to know he doesn't come from Spain, Italy or Australia! | ||
| Trojan |
Geez, Matt! All you have to do is hear one interview (and he gets interviewed a LOT) to know he doesn't come from Spain, Italy or Australia! It's not that I forgot his nationality (how could you with that accent!). It is just that he has been a fixture in MotoGP for so long I forget that he raced elsewhere first Changing the subject slightly, anyone see the latest interview with Herve Poncheral saying he is dropping his CRT project? Seems that CRT may have been just a pawn in the power politics between MSMA and Dorna all along, and could end up being left out in the cold if the factories suddenly decide to lower lease costs by 2/3rds next year (although why haven't they done this before?). The whole thing stinks of political skulduggery and behind closed door deals, and I really hope the factories don't come out of this in a stronger position. | ||
| Jaimec |
The clue MIGHT be in a recent interview I saw with Ducati having to do with the raised weight limits. I forget who was being interviewed but... he said the higher weight limit now allows them to use cheaper steel bolts (as an example) rather than more expensive titanium. I'm sure that carries over to other parts, too. I THINK I read somewhere that Brembo has come up with a way to radically reduce the cost of carbon/carbon brakes, too (or Dorna will likely look to change the ruling on that as well). | ||
| Trojan |
All that still doesn't account for a drop in lease price of at least €2 million per bike per year. Lin Jarvis from Yamaha recently stated that they could provide bike of roughly similar spec to the current satellite machines for between 1 and 1.2 million Euro per year, which is at least 2 million less that Tech 3 currently pay. Cheaper bolts and cheaper brakes may save a few thousand Euros, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the prices they are now talking about. Dorna have been trying to get the factories to reduce costs for years, but until this year the factories (in the form of the MSMA) ran the show and weren't going to give up their golden goose for anyone. Now they find themselves in a much weakened position and no longer in charge of making up the rules to suit themselves, so can suddenly afford to lease bikes at 2/3 costs? I've had it with the factories greedy short sighted attitude in MotoGP and really did hope that they would get the boot at least for a couple of years. A grid full of CRT bikes would be a much more exciting prospect to me than the factory dominated corner we find ourselves backed into now. The prospect of a whole grid full of what would be effectively bigger, faster Moto2 bikes with top riders on board is much more enticing than 6 factory bikes at the front followed at a distance by 3 satellite bikes, followed at a greater disctance by the CRT boys making up the numbers, which is what this season will amount to | ||
| Xb1125r |
Jaimec its was an interview with Dorna. they were sugestion, but nothing set on concrete yet. | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt, Unless, of course, the other factories decide to follow Aprilia's lead... | ||
| Blake |
>>> The prospect of a whole grid full of what would be effectively bigger, faster Moto2 bikes with top riders on board is... Enough to put me off of caring about MotoGP. | ||
| Jaimec |
Unlike Moto2, though, they AREN'T talking about a spec engine. That would keep it interesting enough for me. |
