Hayden postmortem: Who runs Honda MotoGP anyway?

 

A couple interesting items in the new Cycle News this week on the Repsol
Honda situation. First, this from the Hayden interview:

Q: How do you think Andrea Dovizioso will get along with Dani Pedrosa?

A: I mean, I'm sure it'll be the same situation I had. I think Dovizioso
certainly can handle it. I think there are a lot of guys that could be
too fragile, you know, that situation could drive them crazy that Puig
basically runs the team.

Then another Michael Scott column on MotoGP tires, this focused on the
Pedrosa change. So excerpts:

"Actually, the move that stunned the paddock after the Misano GP might
have taken until next year, so all the contracts could be honored. But
not once the real muscle became involved. By "real muscle", I mean the
"Spanish Mafia": Dani's manager and Svengali, Alberto Puig, Dorna and
HRC sponsor Repsol.

"Hamane was absent from the Misano press briefings at which Honda
announced its capitulation... er, 'policy change' - and it was left to
managing director Kosuke Yasutake to look embarrassed when he was asked
such questions as, 'Who runs Honda?' and, more amusingly, 'So if Pedrosa
has two or three bad races now, will you also change the rider?'

"A more robust answer came from Repsol... Seeing that negotiations
between Honda and the tire companies were moving rather slowly, Repsol
stepped in and made it all happen pronto.

"It [the tire companies' concession] was to please Repsol and Dorna,
and, as an afterthought, also Honda, which was caught in the crossfire.
And while Dani may be the glue that holds all these interests together,
it is Puig who is squeezing the tube.

"Puig even secured employment with HRC, at one time being named as
Dani's crew chief, although that is no longer the case. But HRC has
little control over him. As at Brno, when he mounted a one-man campaign
to get all the Michelin runners to withdraw from the race on 'safety
grounds.' (They all declined, and then all but one beat Dani in the
race.) When later reminded by Honda that he was wearing an HRC team
uniform and should behave with a bit more discretion. Puig's reported
reply was, 'I'll go onto the grid naked if I have to.'

"Even so, other riders were aghast - few more so than Hayden. According
to HRC, he hadn't made such strong approaches as Pedrosa - which is not
surprising really, since it all kicked off at Brno, and Nicky was absent
due to injury. His first response was predictable enough - 'Hey, I want
Bridgestones, too!' But it was more in frustration than expectation:
Honda's only champion since Rossi left at the end of 2003, is by now
well used to being sidelined in favor of Pedrosa. (Even in his victory
year, he was shoved onto an experimental bike, testing concepts for the
next season's new 800s, while the team's new boy, Dani, got the ultimate
development of the once dominant RC211V 990.)"


Not hard to figure out why Nicky seems so damned happy to be taking a
big pay cut next year...

 


<< snip >>

The question is, why didn't he take the big pay cut for this year?

 

Carl Sundquist wrote:

Because he was in the middle of a two-year contract with Repsol. Based
on the balance of that interview, he was getting the word from Honda
that his spot on the team was going away around Donington; he doesn't
really throw them under the bus in terms of when he'd had enough.

 


The other question is: when Roberts was kicking the FIM establishment
in the balls, it was gutsy and smart (whch iindeed it was). No one
talked about  US mafia running the 500cc championship. When Puig does
it, it is Euromed politics. Puig does what every team manager does,
only better: he gets his guys and advantage and gets better coverage
than most by being obnoxious. The hit he took to the head when in
500cc seems to still have an effect, the guy is a total puke - but he
gets Pedrosa whatever he needs. In the end, it will cost Puig.

 

pablo notes:


Hah!  Maybe it knocked his conscience clean out.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.