Posted by Will Hartung on February 17, 2006, 12:51 am
Pre-season! Prognostication!
The testing is mostly done, the first WSBK race is in a week, and then the
whole shebang starts all over again for Yet Another year. Once more in to
the breech! Those amazing yound men and their flying machines.
No real technical changes this year compared to the past couple of years in
any of the major series. Still running spec tires in WSBK, still running
990's in GP, and we've already had our first FX 200 in the AMA.
Next year we get the new smaller GP bikes, and the possible departure of
Rossi, but modulo the annual musical chairs, it's pretty much same as the
old boss this year.
From a spectator point of view, the most significant thing we'll see over
here in the US is a new announcer for the AMA on Speed as they struggle to
squeeze us motocycle folks among beer bars and 24 hr NASCAR reruns. Dunno if
we'll get the same team for WSBK or not, but I'm supposing we'll get the
same team in GP as we've had for quite some time.
Are there any real track changes for GP or WSBK this year? I don't recall
any, but I don't know. AMA gets a brand new track at Miller in the middle of
Utah, the loss of Pikes Peak, and 2 rounds at a, probably, very different
Mid-Ohio, as it's supposed to be completely resurfaced thus removing its
...umm... character as well as rumored new scoring for the final round to be
held there.
Lots of shuffling about in the GP paddock. Max is GONE! All GONE! Pons got
stuffed (boy did that just suck). I still don't know under which shell the
pea is. Obviously the 3 to watch are the 3 we were watching at the end of
last year: Rossi, Melandri, and Hayden. Rossi as he rides his "Never say
Never to Tobacco" CAMEL Yamaha, Hayden on Repsol, and Melandri at Fortuna.
Over on Soup, Dean Adams had an interesting article the other day about
Nicky, reiterating somewhat Marks continuing lament about American riders in
GP. It's going to be a hard year for Nicky I think.
They managed to steal Vermeulen away from SBK, he'll get some decent
experience, but I don't know if we'll see much of him this year unless the
Suzuki has suddenly become that much better.
WSBK is, well, WSBK. Chili is still there, there was rumors he may have
retired. Corser is still there, and much the same crowd as last year. From a
"TV Show" point of view, WSBK puts on the best show. I love their
announcers, and the racing is usually quite close. The downside is that it's
not quite on the technical edge of the AMA, and simply the fact that the
older riders do well there just tells me there's something just basically
wrong in the series. I like watching Corser and Chili and, of course, Haga,
as well as the rest as much as any, and we're getting fitter with better
workouts and nutrition etc., but motorcycle racing really is a young mans
game, and when the young men aren't quite there, it just says...I
dunno..something. I'll still watch it though, just the best show so far.
AMA this year is going to be ... interesting I think.
I do hope to see a solid showing this year by the Hondas, that's what I
really want to see this year. I understand why they weren't up to speed last
year, but they've had their year, and they've got a new bike, and they've
got the riders. Both Jake and Miguel save for Daytona are focused on the
series, and I have high hopes for them.
Meanwhile we'll be watching to see if Spies has managed to find the 1-2
seconds to keep up with Mat while Aaron runs blocker, and also whether
Hodgson can take what he learned last year and do anything with the Ducati.
But last year the Ducatis didn't do too spectacular in WSBK, Eric did "not
bad" last year with it, but was only rarely in the hunt save for Laguna (no,
I'm not forgetting Pikes Peak), and progressed more through Suzukis
misfortune. I really think it's up to the Hondas to rein in the Suzukis. The
sub plot will be if Ben Bostrom can do better than Neil, and frankly I will
be surprised if he does. We'll see if the Bostrom freestyle form can do
better then Neils more methodical technique.
I will be surprised if the Haydens break the top 5 by the end of the year.
The bikes doing allright, they're (well, Tommy notably) good racers, but
they have to deal with a LOT more set up flexibility that they simply don't
have the experience with, so raw talent will have to see them through as
they figure it out. Problem is that the others have raw talent as well as
setup, and that puts the Haydens in to a learning season this year.
I do expect to see the Yamaha's with their new "specials" leveraging that
extra bit coming out on top this year, both in SSport and SStock, and I
think a lot of pressure is going to be put on Jason DiSalvo. I never cared
much for him, but the kid does perform. I don't know how healthy Hacking is,
and Eric is on Yet Another good bike. Jason has been taking names in
testing, and his FX bike is just stupid fast if the Fontana times mean
anything for the season.
I don't know if Jason is racing 3 series, or two. I can't imagine he's
racing three, but I don't know who else will be racing SSport with Hacking,
as Eric is in SStock and FX. Maybe Jason isn't in SStock, and that's just
Eric and Jamie. Does Graves have a fourth this year?
I can easily see it being the Jason and Eric show in FX, and I do think that
the 200 will be particularly good this year if the Hondas are up to speed
with the Yamahas, and the Yamaha's don't implode. We'll have Miguel, Jake,
Jason and Eric in Daytona on factory hardware. Hopefully the new Buell can
survive the 200 as well, it will be interesting to see. Yessir, should be a
really good race I think.
It would not surprise me to see Jason take FX or SSport this year. I doubt
that Eric can take SStock, simply because he won't have the tuning options
available on the bike that he's used to and may not come to grips with it
until later. His best chance is in FX, but it's on a brand new bike, both
for him and the teams. The Yamaha teams haven't had that much flexibility in
quite a while.
I am looking forward to Miller this year, I'm really interested to see that
track. It looks like they made a track that we can actually run Superbikes
on flat out, unlike Barber. It probably won't be as pretty to look at as
Barber, but save for Laguna, none of the Western tracks are particularly
nice that way anyway.
Also, it's good to yet a 4th factory effort in AMA with Kawasaki coming
back, so the field should be a bit deeper this year, but in truth the I
don't see anything slowing Mat down and everyone else is simply going to
have to catch him.
So, no lists from me placing people. I would be just giddy if Nicky brings
the cup home, but I dunno if it will happen -- I'm skeptical. I don't care
who wins in WSBK, but it will be a great show to watch, and while I doubt
we'll see anything as good as the final FX race last year, I hope to see
Miguel and Mat screaming and swearing at each other all season this year.
And, of course, the best part is sitting here and BS'ing with y'all on
r.m.r. You think there are rivalries on the track, they're nothing compared
to the bench racing action we have here!
Mark? You want to fill in the blanks?
Regards,
Will Hartung
Posted by Bummers on February 17, 2006, 7:06 am
Will Hartung wrote:
> Pre-season! Prognostication!
>
>
> Lots of shuffling about in the GP paddock. Max is GONE! All GONE! Pons got
> stuffed (boy did that just suck). I still don't know under which shell the
> pea is. Obviously the 3 to watch are the 3 we were watching at the end of
> last year: Rossi, Melandri, and Hayden. Rossi as he rides his "Never say
> Never to Tobacco" CAMEL Yamaha, Hayden on Repsol, and Melandri at Fortuna.
> Over on Soup, Dean Adams had an interesting article the other day about
> Nicky, reiterating somewhat Marks continuing lament about American riders in
> GP. It's going to be a hard year for Nicky I think.
>
> They managed to steal Vermeulen away from SBK, he'll get some decent
> experience, but I don't know if we'll see much of him this year unless the
> Suzuki has suddenly become that much better.
Errrrrr.................Capirossi?
and.....................Gibernau (reborn!)?
................Pedrosa?
................Stoner?
>
> WSBK is, well, WSBK. Chili is still there, there was rumors he may have
> retired. Corser is still there, and much the same crowd as last year. From a
> "TV Show" point of view, WSBK puts on the best show. I love their
> announcers, and the racing is usually quite close. The downside is that it's
> not quite on the technical edge of the AMA, and simply the fact that the
> older riders do well there just tells me there's something just basically
> wrong in the series. I like watching Corser and Chili and, of course, Haga,
> as well as the rest as much as any, and we're getting fitter with better
> workouts and nutrition etc., but motorcycle racing really is a young mans
> game, and when the young men aren't quite there, it just says...I
> dunno..something. I'll still watch it though, just the best show so far.
>
I think you forgot one little Aussie on a Duc.
> AMA this year is going to be ... interesting I think.
>
> I do hope to see a solid showing this year by the Hondas, that's what I
> really want to see this year. I understand why they weren't up to speed last
> year, but they've had their year, and they've got a new bike, and they've
> got the riders. Both Jake and Miguel save for Daytona are focused on the
> series, and I have high hopes for them.
>
> Meanwhile we'll be watching to see if Spies has managed to find the 1-2
> seconds to keep up with Mat while Aaron runs blocker, and also whether
> Hodgson can take what he learned last year and do anything with the Ducati.
> But last year the Ducatis didn't do too spectacular in WSBK, Eric did "not
> bad" last year with it, but was only rarely in the hunt save for Laguna (no,
> I'm not forgetting Pikes Peak), and progressed more through Suzukis
> misfortune. I really think it's up to the Hondas to rein in the Suzukis. The
> sub plot will be if Ben Bostrom can do better than Neil, and frankly I will
> be surprised if he does. We'll see if the Bostrom freestyle form can do
> better then Neils more methodical technique.
>
> I will be surprised if the Haydens break the top 5 by the end of the year.
> The bikes doing allright, they're (well, Tommy notably) good racers, but
> they have to deal with a LOT more set up flexibility that they simply don't
> have the experience with, so raw talent will have to see them through as
> they figure it out. Problem is that the others have raw talent as well as
> setup, and that puts the Haydens in to a learning season this year.
>
> I do expect to see the Yamaha's with their new "specials" leveraging that
> extra bit coming out on top this year, both in SSport and SStock, and I
> think a lot of pressure is going to be put on Jason DiSalvo. I never cared
> much for him, but the kid does perform. I don't know how healthy Hacking is,
> and Eric is on Yet Another good bike. Jason has been taking names in
> testing, and his FX bike is just stupid fast if the Fontana times mean
> anything for the season.
>
> I don't know if Jason is racing 3 series, or two. I can't imagine he's
> racing three, but I don't know who else will be racing SSport with Hacking,
> as Eric is in SStock and FX. Maybe Jason isn't in SStock, and that's just
> Eric and Jamie. Does Graves have a fourth this year?
>
> I can easily see it being the Jason and Eric show in FX, and I do think that
> the 200 will be particularly good this year if the Hondas are up to speed
> with the Yamahas, and the Yamaha's don't implode. We'll have Miguel, Jake,
> Jason and Eric in Daytona on factory hardware. Hopefully the new Buell can
> survive the 200 as well, it will be interesting to see. Yessir, should be a
> really good race I think.
>
> It would not surprise me to see Jason take FX or SSport this year. I doubt
> that Eric can take SStock, simply because he won't have the tuning options
> available on the bike that he's used to and may not come to grips with it
> until later. His best chance is in FX, but it's on a brand new bike, both
> for him and the teams. The Yamaha teams haven't had that much flexibility in
> quite a while.
>
> I am looking forward to Miller this year, I'm really interested to see that
> track. It looks like they made a track that we can actually run Superbikes
> on flat out, unlike Barber. It probably won't be as pretty to look at as
> Barber, but save for Laguna, none of the Western tracks are particularly
> nice that way anyway.
>
> Also, it's good to yet a 4th factory effort in AMA with Kawasaki coming
> back, so the field should be a bit deeper this year, but in truth the I
> don't see anything slowing Mat down and everyone else is simply going to
> have to catch him.
>
> So, no lists from me placing people. I would be just giddy if Nicky brings
> the cup home, but I dunno if it will happen -- I'm skeptical. I don't care
> who wins in WSBK, but it will be a great show to watch, and while I doubt
> we'll see anything as good as the final FX race last year, I hope to see
> Miguel and Mat screaming and swearing at each other all season this year.
>
> And, of course, the best part is sitting here and BS'ing with y'all on
> r.m.r. You think there are rivalries on the track, they're nothing compared
> to the bench racing action we have here!
>
> Mark? You want to fill in the blanks?
>
> Regards,
>
> Will Hartung
>
>
Posted by Champ on February 17, 2006, 10:02 am
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 05:51:37 GMT, "Will Hartung"
>Are there any real track changes for GP or WSBK this year?
Assen has been cut in half, unfortunately.
--
Champ
Posted by T3 on February 17, 2006, 11:39 am
Will Hartung wrote:
> Are there any real track changes for GP or WSBK this year? I don't recall
> any, but I don't know. AMA gets a brand new track at Miller in the middle of
> Utah, the loss of Pikes Peak, and 2 rounds at a, probably, very different
> Mid-Ohio, as it's supposed to be completely resurfaced thus removing its
> ...umm... character as well as rumored new scoring for the final round to be
> held there.
Assen has been trimmed, again...
>
> Lots of shuffling about in the GP paddock. Max is GONE! All GONE! Pons got
> stuffed (boy did that just suck). I still don't know under which shell the
> pea is. Obviously the 3 to watch are the 3 we were watching at the end of
> last year: Rossi, Melandri, and Hayden. Rossi as he rides his "Never say
> Never to Tobacco" CAMEL Yamaha, Hayden on Repsol, and Melandri at Fortuna.
> Over on Soup, Dean Adams had an interesting article the other day about
> Nicky, reiterating somewhat Marks continuing lament about American riders in
> GP. It's going to be a hard year for Nicky I think.
>
> They managed to steal Vermeulen away from SBK, he'll get some decent
> experience, but I don't know if we'll see much of him this year unless the
> Suzuki has suddenly become that much better.
What about Geebernu and that "other" Rossi, the Capi one?
>
> WSBK is, well, WSBK. Chili is still there, there was rumors he may have
> retired. Corser is still there, and much the same crowd as last year. From a
> "TV Show" point of view, WSBK puts on the best show. I love their
> announcers, and the racing is usually quite close. The downside is that it's
> not quite on the technical edge of the AMA, and simply the fact that the
> older riders do well there just tells me there's something just basically
> wrong in the series. I like watching Corser and Chili and, of course, Haga,
> as well as the rest as much as any, and we're getting fitter with better
> workouts and nutrition etc., but motorcycle racing really is a young mans
> game, and when the young men aren't quite there, it just says...I
> dunno..something. I'll still watch it though, just the best show so far.
Speaking of "older" guys, what about that other Troy? I expect Bayliss
to give Corser all he can handle. (if not more) And what about Barros?
>
> AMA this year is going to be ... interesting I think.
Interesting?
>
> I do hope to see a solid showing this year by the Hondas, that's what I
> really want to see this year. I understand why they weren't up to speed last
> year, but they've had their year, and they've got a new bike, and they've
> got the riders. Both Jake and Miguel save for Daytona are focused on the
> series, and I have high hopes for them.
I don't know, but if testing means anything I'd expect to see Austin's
guys giving Mat a go. I'll even go a "GARGANTUAN" step farther and say
that I like Ducati to take Daytona, to bad it won't be the Daytona they
always wanted. (eat shit and die Mark;) And speaking of the D200, it
might just be decent this year, Miguel really wants #6 and the new Yam
is like you said "crazy fast!" I don't know if any Buells are going to
run, though I did hear they held a very private one day test there last
month, if so, I'll be pulling real hard for anyone on the
glorified/bastardized H-D!(yeah, even if he's a limey!) Wouldn't that be
a hoot? Hell, it might even drag a few of the posers out of the beach
bars! (or not)
>
> I will be surprised if the Haydens break the top 5 by the end of the year.
> The bikes doing allright, they're (well, Tommy notably) good racers, but
> they have to deal with a LOT more set up flexibility that they simply don't
> have the experience with, so raw talent will have to see them through as
> they figure it out. Problem is that the others have raw talent as well as
> setup, and that puts the Haydens in to a learning season this year.
I'll be surprised if they don't, in fact I expect to see Tommy in the
mix well before then! It may be a learning year for the ZX, but 'Ol
Earl's racing team has a DNA thing going on...
>
> I do expect to see the Yamaha's with their new "specials" leveraging that
> extra bit coming out on top this year, both in SSport and SStock, and I
> think a lot of pressure is going to be put on Jason DiSalvo. I never cared
> much for him, but the kid does perform. I don't know how healthy Hacking is,
> and Eric is on Yet Another good bike. Jason has been taking names in
> testing, and his FX bike is just stupid fast if the Fontana times mean
> anything for the season.
SStock might just be a Yam walkover, especially if Eric gets it
together, but don't forget about them damn Haydens, they'll be there too
no matter how good the LE is and forget Yates for a repeat, 3peat or
whatever, it ain't gonna happen.
>
> I don't know if Jason is racing 3 series, or two. I can't imagine he's
> racing three, but I don't know who else will be racing SSport with Hacking,
> as Eric is in SStock and FX. Maybe Jason isn't in SStock, and that's just
> Eric and Jamie. Does Graves have a fourth this year?
SSport is always a dogfight, but watch out for young guys like Eslick..
>
> I am looking forward to Miller this year, I'm really interested to see that
> track. It looks like they made a track that we can actually run Superbikes
> on flat out, unlike Barber. It probably won't be as pretty to look at as
> Barber, but save for Laguna, none of the Western tracks are particularly
> nice that way anyway.
Me too...
>
> Also, it's good to yet a 4th factory effort in AMA with Kawasaki coming
> back, so the field should be a bit deeper this year, but in truth the I
> don't see anything slowing Mat down and everyone else is simply going to
> have to catch him.
We'll see...
>
> So, no lists from me placing people. I would be just giddy if Nicky brings
> the cup home, but I dunno if it will happen -- I'm skeptical.
I wouldn't count on that happening either, unless of course Vale gets
hurt...
I don't care
> who wins in WSBK, but it will be a great show to watch, and while I doubt
> we'll see anything as good as the final FX race last year, I hope to see
> Miguel and Mat screaming and swearing at each other all season this year.
WSBK, a battle between Oz guys!
You're right about the Mat/Miggy thing, those guys truly do not like
each other and while it was knocked back an octave or three last year,
if the Honda can keep up expect that to heat up again too...
>
> And, of course, the best part is sitting here and BS'ing with y'all on
> r.m.r. You think there are rivalries on the track, they're nothing compared
> to the bench racing action we have here!
>
> Mark? You want to fill in the blanks?
Be careful what you ask for!....
Posted by Mark N on February 18, 2006, 12:59 pm
Will Hartung wrote:
> WSBK is, well, WSBK. Chili is still there, there was rumors he may have
> retired. Corser is still there, and much the same crowd as last year. From a
> "TV Show" point of view, WSBK puts on the best show. I love their
> announcers, and the racing is usually quite close. The downside is that it's
> not quite on the technical edge of the AMA, and simply the fact that the
> older riders do well there just tells me there's something just basically
> wrong in the series. I like watching Corser and Chili and, of course, Haga,
> as well as the rest as much as any, and we're getting fitter with better
> workouts and nutrition etc., but motorcycle racing really is a young mans
> game, and when the young men aren't quite there, it just says...I
> dunno..something. I'll still watch it though, just the best show so far.
Yeah, it's like they decided to follow the BSB model a few years ago and
ended up with exactly that, old guys and home-brewed non-factory
machines. Getting the GP blood looks like a good thing on the surface,
but in the end it's just aging guys who couldn't make the cut in GP any
longer. And the big fish, Biaggi, got away. They lose their one young
star, Vermuelen, plus Bostrom, Hodgson's still over here as is the best
SB racer in the world, Mladin, Byrne landed in BSB. The returning group
includes Corser (age 34), Haga (31), Kagayama (32), Laconi(30), Walker
(34), Chili (42), Abe (30). Names, maybe, but all older guys with
careers marked with failure. Toseland's still there, but he lost luster
last season, Lanzi doesn't look to have that much star power, and
Neukirchner? Now they get Bayliss and Barros, the two oldest guys in
MotoGP last year, plus returning washout Xaus - what does it take to be
a Spaniard and lose a ride in GP? Think Checa...
And the factories aren't back either. Ducati and Suzuki are in again,
Honda still keeps WSB at arm's length, Kawasaki probably has upped the
factory R&D a bit, and Yamaha simply isn't in the game. And no Aprilia
or Triumph or serious MV Agusta involvement. The whole thing just seems
like a mess to me. Yes, the racing will be very good some of the time,
but there's just no there there.
And those announcers are just awful, screeching like cats with their
tails stepped on, stupid nicknames flying around like snowflakes in
Montana in January...
> AMA this year is going to be ... interesting I think.
>
> I do hope to see a solid showing this year by the Hondas, that's what I
> really want to see this year. I understand why they weren't up to speed last
> year, but they've had their year, and they've got a new bike, and they've
> got the riders. Both Jake and Miguel save for Daytona are focused on the
> series, and I have high hopes for them.
I'm not convinced they really have the riders. It's hard to say, but you
subtract the '04 SB wins, when their bike was almost certainly better
than anything else, and all those FX wins, and what do you have? A
handful of wins over the last half dozen years and no championships.
They're good, certainly, but good enough?
> Meanwhile we'll be watching to see if Spies has managed to find the 1-2
> seconds to keep up with Mat while Aaron runs blocker, and also whether
> Hodgson can take what he learned last year and do anything with the Ducati.
> But last year the Ducatis didn't do too spectacular in WSBK, Eric did "not
> bad" last year with it, but was only rarely in the hunt save for Laguna (no,
> I'm not forgetting Pikes Peak), and progressed more through Suzukis
> misfortune. I really think it's up to the Hondas to rein in the Suzukis. The
> sub plot will be if Ben Bostrom can do better than Neil, and frankly I will
> be surprised if he does. We'll see if the Bostrom freestyle form can do
> better then Neils more methodical technique.
I think Ducati will do better this year, but it's probably not because
the bikes will be better. The assumption is that the team will be better
grounded here, Hodgson will have a year under his belt, and Ben will get
on with the Duc better than Eric, who never really did. I'm actually
kind of optimistic about Ben, and I think he'll do surprisingly well.
Not championship-level, but he probably won't go winless.
> I will be surprised if the Haydens break the top 5 by the end of the year.
> The bikes doing allright, they're (well, Tommy notably) good racers, but
> they have to deal with a LOT more set up flexibility that they simply don't
> have the experience with, so raw talent will have to see them through as
> they figure it out. Problem is that the others have raw talent as well as
> setup, and that puts the Haydens in to a learning season this year.
Tommy has four seasons on SB, real SBs, so that shouldn't be a big issue
to him. The bike is a question mark, but they ought to be able to mix it
up at least on occasion. Mixing it up probably means with the Hondas and
perhaps the Ducatis, but the Suzukis will be tough. Their bikes are
fully proven, Mat is Mat, Ben is perhaps the best young guy in the
series and with the experience to make a move now, and Yates is still
Yates. So that's tough, but the Haydens and that whole team will be
pushing hard, with little else to distract them (RL is also doing
Supersport).
> I do expect to see the Yamaha's with their new "specials" leveraging that
> extra bit coming out on top this year, both in SSport and SStock, and I
> think a lot of pressure is going to be put on Jason DiSalvo. I never cared
> much for him, but the kid does perform. I don't know how healthy Hacking is,
> and Eric is on Yet Another good bike. Jason has been taking names in
> testing, and his FX bike is just stupid fast if the Fontana times mean
> anything for the season.
>
> I don't know if Jason is racing 3 series, or two. I can't imagine he's
> racing three, but I don't know who else will be racing SSport with Hacking,
> as Eric is in SStock and FX. Maybe Jason isn't in SStock, and that's just
> Eric and Jamie. Does Graves have a fourth this year?
>
> I can easily see it being the Jason and Eric show in FX, and I do think that
> the 200 will be particularly good this year if the Hondas are up to speed
> with the Yamahas, and the Yamaha's don't implode. We'll have Miguel, Jake,
> Jason and Eric in Daytona on factory hardware. Hopefully the new Buell can
> survive the 200 as well, it will be interesting to see. Yessir, should be a
> really good race I think.
>
> It would not surprise me to see Jason take FX or SSport this year. I doubt
> that Eric can take SStock, simply because he won't have the tuning options
> available on the bike that he's used to and may not come to grips with it
> until later. His best chance is in FX, but it's on a brand new bike, both
> for him and the teams. The Yamaha teams haven't had that much flexibility in
> quite a while.
The whole support class situation has been turned on its head this year,
and it's not going to be good. The factory riders in SSport are Spies,
Hacking and RL Hayden, and Hacking has a new bike and no SB to think
about. SStock has Hacking, Bostrom, DiSalvo and Yates, so that could be
a good fight, but I think the Yamaha homo specials will have the edge.
FX will be DiSalvo and Bostrom, period.
There will be support guys chasing them, Attack guys Attard and
Buckmaster in the SS classes, Erion boys Gobert and Hayes in SStock and
FX, Jordan guys Rapp and Holden in SStock, etal. But expect to see the
same guys on the box most weekends.
My best guess is the Yamaha boys will each win a championship - Hacking
in SSport, unless his health isn't there, DiSalvo in FX and Bostrom in
SStock. Or vice versa. I think Eric will pick it up when race time
arrives, DiSalvo still hasn't shown he can maintain consistent speed in
races and not just the flying lap in practice, and Hacking's focus will
be squarely on the SSport championship, something he might well have won
last year had he not gotten hurt. DiSalvo could break through in a big
way this season, but that will be hard to see with the thinness of the
competition. But the story of the year is Yamaha, because they are not
in SB and because they will dominate the leftovers.
> I am looking forward to Miller this year, I'm really interested to see that
> track. It looks like they made a track that we can actually run Superbikes
> on flat out, unlike Barber. It probably won't be as pretty to look at as
> Barber, but save for Laguna, none of the Western tracks are particularly
> nice that way anyway.
What I'm personally looking forward to is to be going to Turkey, the
best, fast new GP track, at the end of April, and then to Miller, the
fast new AMA track, a few weeks later. It'll be an interesting hands-on
comparison of the two series and the worlds that they operate in.
Although I'm thinking Istanbul will be just a bit more interesting than
Salt Lake City. And I'll miss Fontana in the process...
> Also, it's good to yet a 4th factory effort in AMA with Kawasaki coming
> back, so the field should be a bit deeper this year, but in truth the I
> don't see anything slowing Mat down and everyone else is simply going to
> have to catch him.
Yup, Mat's the champ, unless he gets hurt, he has some bad luck and the
points system sabotages him, or he starts to lose it (33-year-old family
man now) and Spies seriously steps it up. The only other guy I can see
winning it is Hodgson, and I just don't see that happening.
> So, no lists from me placing people. I would be just giddy if Nicky brings
> the cup home, but I dunno if it will happen -- I'm skeptical. I don't care
> who wins in WSBK, but it will be a great show to watch, and while I doubt
> we'll see anything as good as the final FX race last year, I hope to see
> Miguel and Mat screaming and swearing at each other all season this year.
The best thing this year is that the focus is squarely on SB again and
no one can complain about no premier class, not that that was ever
seriously in doubt. And we should all heap abuse on Yamaha all year
long, and hope they sprout some balls next year. Build it and they will
come...
> And, of course, the best part is sitting here and BS'ing with y'all on
> r.m.r. You think there are rivalries on the track, they're nothing compared
> to the bench racing action we have here!
>
> Mark? You want to fill in the blanks?
Me? What do I know?
> Regards,
>
> Will Hartung
See you at Sears this year?
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>
>
> Lots of shuffling about in the GP paddock. Max is GONE! All GONE! Pons got
> stuffed (boy did that just suck). I still don't know under which shell the
> pea is. Obviously the 3 to watch are the 3 we were watching at the end of
> last year: Rossi, Melandri, and Hayden. Rossi as he rides his "Never say
> Never to Tobacco" CAMEL Yamaha, Hayden on Repsol, and Melandri at Fortuna.
> Over on Soup, Dean Adams had an interesting article the other day about
> Nicky, reiterating somewhat Marks continuing lament about American riders in
> GP. It's going to be a hard year for Nicky I think.
>
> They managed to steal Vermeulen away from SBK, he'll get some decent
> experience, but I don't know if we'll see much of him this year unless the
> Suzuki has suddenly become that much better.