faffi Posted October 2, 2011 Report Share Posted October 2, 2011 Fantastic to see Checa finally taking a title Was also interesting to watch the onboard camera; Checa looks to calm and relaxed, almost like in slow motion compared to for instance Stoner, who looks very busy and hectic. Since Stoner is faster than Checa, hectic is probably good, but calm cannot be half bad, either Also interesting to see how wide the handlebars are on the current SBK bikes, bringing back memories of the Spencer/Lawson/Schwantz era of AMA Superbike racing. Compared to an old school cockpit, with narrow clipons turned in and down, it is very apparent that they choose leverage over aerodynamics these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warregl Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 I'm with you Eirik. I think he is a class act (especially compared to a certain other elder of the pack). I just got to watch the race last night (one advantage to being a motorcycle racing fan in the US is that you can save a race for a few days and almost never have it spoiled inadvertently) and it was very exciting to see him clinch it the same way he has been doing it almost all season, smoothly moving through the pack and then walking away from the field. And he does make it look so easy with his calm, smooth riding. It’s almost like he’s just out for a peaceful Sunday ride…maybe that’s why he’s winning, he just has to get out front so he can enjoy his ride in peace . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mika Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 And he does make it look so easy with his calm, smooth riding. It's almost like he's just out for a peaceful Sunday ride…maybe that's why he's winning, he just has to get out front so he can enjoy his ride in peace . Other than body position, his racing style reminds me of Bayliss (who crossed up back over the tank). Maybe it's a Ducati thing? Mika Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugget Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Charlie Chucker graduated to King Carlos. I never knew he had a cow mascot. Haha About Stoner looking more frantic on a MotoGP bike than Checa on WSBK - I'd say there's one big reason for that - they're very different bikes. Cal Crutchlow has said that it's twice as hard to ride a MotoGP bike than a World Superbike. Very different machines. No way you would see two MotoGP races being run on the same day, yet that is what happens every WSBK weekend. But I reckon there is something in the idea that the (WSBK) Ducati responds well to a very different riding style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warregl Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 ...But I reckon there is something in the idea that the (WSBK) Ducati responds well to a very different riding style. Based on this season, it would appear that is true of the MotoGP Duc as well. I have to admit to viewing Stoner in a different light after watching the issues Rossi has had taming that beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugget Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Absolutely! The MotoGP Duc is very different from anything else (but not because of anything to do with their production bikes). Rossi has constantly said that he doesn't have enough feel. Mind you, Stoner and every other Ducati MotoGP rider has said the same thing - except Ducati just brushed them off "there's no problem with the bike, how can the bike be bad?" Looks like that all changes and they're all ears once their multi-million dollar world champ #1 rider tells them the same thing. Basically the usable margin is so slim - the riders don't have as much feel, yet they have to push initially to get the tyres up to temperature and working properly (notice alot of Ducati riders crashing out in the opening laps)? Once they are there it is a very fast bike, but it doesn't take much more to push too far and end up crashing. It you look at what Stoner did, he did go very, very fast on it - but he also did crash alot. The crashing is something that Rossi is just not willing to risk. Some other theories have centred around the carbon fibre chassis/headstock. It gives such 'different' feedback to a conventional aluminium frame and I've wondered what would happen if they started a new rider on a CF framed bike... since it's such a different type of feedback I can't help but think that riders used to a conventional frame may be overwhelmed, or not know how to translate the new feedback they're getting from the bike. Looking at the data of the CF frame, it should give plenty of feedback, Preziosi would know what he's doing but it seems like one of those strange situations where having a fantastic engineering solution does not quite work out somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 I wouldn't go so far to say I'm a fan, at least not in the traditional way, of Rossi, but I must say that consider him one of - if not the best riders of all time. And I prefer him to win over anybody else. But he sure have had to eat some of his words this season. Like nobody knowing how good the Ducati is because Stoner had never ridden it in anger. This may or may not have been said tongue in cheek, but it's clear that Stoner has riding talent that surpasses everybody elses. I still consider both Rossi and Lorenzo to be better, more complete racers, but for shear speed it's Stoner all the way. Back in 2007, I said that the only who could beat Stoner was Stoner. Which he did in 2008, when IMO he let Rossi get to him. While the Ducati had lost its edge - an edge only Stoner could use, admittedly - for 2008 compared to the competition, the bike and Stoner were still fast enough that they could have retaken the title that year, Since then, the bike haven't been good enough. Even as far back as 2008 I tried to convince people that the Ducati was no better than the Suzuki and Kawasaki and that only Stoner made it look any different. ANd this year we have seen that's the case; the Ducati is the worst bike on track. We have also seen that it works quite well at some tracks, lousy at others. And that the old chassis works better than the new in places, like Phillip Island. When was the last time an injured Capirossi qualified ahead of Rossi? Hayden also did much better there last year on the old bike. Burgess was also quite cocky pre-season, and I think he was also caught out with just how difficult the bike is to set up and ride. When Rossi fell last time it was again totally unexpected. And unlike Stoner, Rossi is old-ish and not willing to take the risks Stoner does in order to ride near the front - and yet he still gets caught out and fall off more often than ever before. He's lost confidence and cannot ride like he's able to, you can visibly see that he's uncomfy on the bike. Stoner, OTOH, is a machine that now also have a much better bike underneath him and he can do what he did on the Ducati with virtually no risk of falling off. Watching Stoner manhandle the GP bikes is just about amazing. I do hope Rossi can come back. I'd like for him to take one more title to match Ago. But I think he can only do that with a machine advantage. As it looks now, that doesn't seem too likely. It's a pity he didn't go to Suzuki instead - I think he could have been challenging regularly for the podium on this year's Suzuki. And since it's a conventional machine, Burgess and Rossi should have a much simpler time of setting it up. That's just buts and ifs, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warregl Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 I agree Eirik, I would like to see Rossi win another one but even if that doesn't happen, if he, JB, and team can turn that monster into a consistant podium contender, I would consider his stint at Ducati a qualified success. Mugget - you make an interesting point about the Ducati brass not listening to the riders until they they heard it from VR. Of course he does have the history of turning a team around so maybe that carries the weight that was lacking as well. "Been there, done that, got the championship" so to speak . I am very interested to see how next year plays out. Not only with VR and the boys from Bolonga, but the addition of the Claiming Rule teams. Is that going to have the positive impact that Dorna is hoping for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugget Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Another thing to consider is that Rossi is now 32 years old... everyone has to stop sometime... He will remain the GOAT for a long time yet, but next year is another opportunity - I'm sure the CRT bikes will bring a bit of a shake up. From the tests so far it seems like the factory riders are already singing the praises of the larger capacity bikes as well. It really used to tick me off that people would say that Stoner was just a whinging crybaby. I have always seen him as someone who just says it as it is. Well, not to worry, finally it looks like Ducati are fixing their career-ending bike. (I still feel bad for all those Ducati riders who were stuck at the back of the grid, not to mention riders like DePuniet, Capirossi and Barbera now.) Speaking of Capirossi... what do you think will happen for his last two races - any chances that the other riders will let him take one last podium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Speaking of Capirossi... what do you think will happen for his last two races - any chances that the other riders will let him take one last podium? Wouldn't that be interesting? Kinda a doubt that though. CF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.