| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Toprak is looking rather ominous: https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/world-superbi ke-razgatlioglu-quickest-gerloff-p6-in-fp1-in-arge ntina/ | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Rea was supposed to own Portimao last round and the only thing that stopped Toprak was his front fender folding. We are seeing the torch being passed right now in WSBK. Toprak beating Rea at tracks JR is supposed to own. (Message edited by fresnobuell on October 15, 2021) | ||
| Jaimec |
Rea did NOT have a good first day... https://www.crash.net/wsbk/results/989692/1/world- superbike-san-juan-argentina-free-practice-results -2 | ||
| Jaimec |
Best Jonny could do was second in Race 2. Toprak now leads by 30 points going into the final round... | ||
| Fresnobuell |
As I predicted very early in the season, Toprak will be the champion this year in WSBK. A very deserving one at that. I hope I don't jinx him, but he has made zero mistakes all season. He deserves the title and will get it barring any more bad luck. Also, I have to say what the hell is up with a month between rounds? Terrible scheduling. | ||
| Jaimec |
This is it! All the marbles are on the line. Gerloff is looking pretty good; P3 in both free practice rounds today. It's a level playing field as NONE of the riders have ever seen this track before. Toprak is looking ominous! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
A month between the penultimate round and the final round. Buzz kill. However, still looking forward to watching the action tonight and this weekend. WSBK does a great job with their on-demand streaming package. Well worth the $70 or so it costs for the season. | ||
| Jaimec |
Race 1 rained out and postponed till tomorrow. That means they're canceling the Superpole race, so 12 points are off the table. If Toprak wins Race 1, he's the champion. If Rea wins both races, all Toprak has to do is finish 5th or higher in each to win the title. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
That sucks. What if Gerloff wins? Lol. | ||
| Jaimec |
I don't want to give out spoilers BUT... Fresno was prescient! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Toprak made literally zero mistakes all season (I am just starting to watch the last race, but even if he crashes, it is already over). He dnf'ed three times but none were his doing. Zero mistakes running at and often beyond the limit all season. Zero mistakes from a guy who could have easily sat back and taken second place, but he would barge thru for the win nearly every time. Zero mistakes from a guy they call "Stoprak". Well done, Toprak. It was a treat to watch you and JR going bar to bar all season long. I am not sure I have ever seen more compelling racing--at least in the last 10 years (my mind gets foggy after that!) I just have to say I am SO glad they 86'ed Laguna Seca off the schedule with it's perfect sunny CA weather and opted for monsoons and sweltering humidity in Indonesia. Good call! | ||
| Jaimec |
https://motoamerica.com/garrett-gerloff-wins-world -superbike-independent-riders-championship/ Hopefully he'll make less costly mistakes next year, too. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
And Gerloff won't banzai into his own manufacturer's top rider (in the midst of an epic championship fight no less) next year either! Gerloff sure had his tail between his legs for the rest of the season after than fiasco...rightly so. Pretty sure he got it bad from the Yamaha higher ups. (Message edited by fresnobuell on December 16, 2021) | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Replying to a WSBK question in the GP thread: I happily subscribed to the WSBK streaming package and will do it again this year. For the price of dinner out for two, I believe it is a great value at around $75 or $80 for the season. It is on-demand, which means you can tune in on your schedule. Over a race weekend, I would typically watch Superpole qualifying, Superbike Race 1, Superpole race and Superbike Race 2. That's about all I have time for...but if you have LOTS of spare time they have ALL the classes.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Thanks for the info. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
You bet. I just re-upped my WSBK subscription for 2022 yesterday and it was $76 and change based on the conversion rate from the Euro. I put it on my Costco Visa card which doesn't have a foreign transaction fee (most cards will charge around 3%) Also, another tip. If you are watching on demand and want to avoid spoilers, google "WSBK no spoiler" and use that link to access the videos. (Message edited by fresnobuell on March 11, 2022) | ||
| Jaimec |
Gerloff is looking competitive in the pre-season. Hopefully he can keep a cool head and avoid stupid mistakes this year... | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
He definitely needs get get his balls back out. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
For sure dive bombing fellow Yamaha rider and championship leader Toprak last year made a huge difference in his riding...I can only imagine the amount of shit he caught from all directions on that one. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
WSBK opening weekend is this weekend! I can't wait to see the action. WSBK opening round and the Masters all in one weekend. Am I dreaming? | ||
| Jaimec |
WSBK, MotoGP AND MotoAmerica this weekend. When it rains, it pours! | ||
| Fresnobuell |
COTA this weekend? Make sure they clear off the cement dust! COTA has to be one of the worst designed tracks in the world. Way to go Schwantz. | ||
| Jaimec |
Tell me about it. Still pisses me off that they chose that venue over Indianapolis! | ||
| Jaimec |
Interesting... Loris Baz is the fastest BMW rider today, beating out the factory riders (including Scott Redding)... Gerloff is so far just off the front row. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Interesting tidbit. From P1 to P2 in MA the difference is 1.2 seconds. The same gap of 1.2 seconds covers P1-P11 in WSBK, including all 5 manufacturers participating in the series. Kawi, Ducati, Yamaha, BMW, Honda. | ||
| Jaimec |
This weekend DEFINITELY belonged to Ducati! Just hope Alvaro can keep the rubber side down all season... | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
Makes me wonder what Gagne could do on the same BMW. That is just so odd that Baz goes to WSBK and not Gagne. Makes me think there is an anti American sentiment there. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
All I gotta say is the racing was very good all weekend long. The boys picked right up where they left off last year. This is not Yamaha's best track so Toprak sat back and took the 3rd place points. the flyweight Bautista and the power of the Ducati were too much to deal with at Aragon, but that will not be as much of an advantage at different tracks. JR looked as fast as ever. This should be fun. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Finally another round in WSBK. Hate these month long breaks! Toprak fastest in FP2. With all the usual suspects nipping at his heels...with Gerloff being a suprise at P4  | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Very entertaining racing at Estoril this weekend. That did not disappoint. Bad weekend for Gerloff. P4 in opening practices but split his knee open in a FP3 crash and was ruled out. It was also disappointing weekend for Toprak. No race wins, despite being at a track that suits the Yamaha well. Probably should have won Race 1 and the Superpole race. Race 1 he was leading coming into the final turn with Bautista close behind on the Ducati. Toprak pulled a small wheelie which cost him the win at the line (#19 Ducati had about a 10 KPH top speed advantage on the #1 Yamaha.) Superpole race he was leading Rea 3/4 thru the final lap in drying conditions and completely lost the front in a hairpin turn. Miraculous save to stay upright, but it cost him the win again. Last year Toprak had a slow start as well and if there is any solace it is that Toprak was winless last year thru 8 races and won the Championship. This year he is winless thru 9 races and is farther back in the standings compared to this time last year. Also, instead of just Rea with which to contend, it also seems like Bautista is for real. Rea seems strong as ever. Time will tell if Bautista can keep up the hot start. The past says he will falter at some point. Another pretty cool fact is all 5 manufacturers had a bike in the Top 5 for a while in one of the races. (Message edited by fresnobuell on May 23, 2022) |
