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Motorcycle Racing - Discussion of all aspects of racing motorcycles.
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Posted by Mark N on June 22, 2008, 1:24 am
Champ wrote:
> jacksurf@sbcglobal.net wrote:
>> All of you willing to write off Nicky, shame on you!
>
> Shame on me? Why? I have no 'reason' to support Hayden.
>
>> Let's not forget
>> Colin edwards and kevin Swhantz didn't have half the success Nicky has
>> had as quickly as he got it.
>
> Er, I don't think so - Schwantz won races in his first season. Nicky
> took 3, iirc.
Ah, Nicky, an interesting case of the RMR psychology. I think it's fair
to break folks down to three groups, the ones who think he has the
talent and desire to be pretty much as good as anyone (perhaps excepting
Rossi, for the True Believers), but he's been in a poor situation to
fully display that, the folks who view him as a fitting receptacle for
all their anti-American, anti-Superbike, anti-Honda, anti-whatever
feelings, and the folks who are essentially neutral. Now, based on the
posts around here, one could believe that last group doesn't actually
exist, or at least they aren't very vocal.
What we see around here is mostly the second group, and that's probably
because this is an international newsgroup. Most of the folks in that
category can hardly give up on Nicky, because they pretty much wrote him
off from the beginning, first believing he didn't deserve that ride, the
hard core Euro GP crowd probably believing the ride should have gone to
Barros or Capirossi or Katoh or 250 champ Melandri, and the SB crowd
feeling it should have gone to Edwards. Part of what offended them was
that American Honda had stepped in to make sure it happened, which is
ironic given how often sponsors have stepped in to make sure certain
riders get hired. But the notion of an AMA rider being hired directly
into a top factory seat is somehow abhorrent to the European
sensibility. Never having worked his way up in Europe, never having
raced on a "pure racing machine" 250, he had all kinds of strikes
against him.
So even though he was only 21 and had never ridden internationally,
never raced on any of the tracks GP uses, we had stuff like Pablo
calling him "a bust" by the middle of his first year. Then the series of
thinly-veiled shots that followed - he couldn't pass, he couldn't ride
in the rain, he couldn't win, he couldn't win in Europe - and of course
one must buy into the simplistic notions that the Honda is always the
best bike, he always gets whatever the other Repsol rider gets, there is
nothing about any of the recent Hondas that suggest they're designed
with Pedrosa in mind. Now obviously some of these folks aren't that
extreme, but they never really separate themselves from the more extreme
version of this position.
Now I certainly haven't given up on Nicky, but what I have given up on
is him being very successful on the Repsol team next to Pedrosa. Pretty
much everything is against him there, from Puig's and Repsol's influence
to the "compact bikes for compact riders" strategy Honda has been
employing to the very different machine requirements between them. Based
on that Soup pole, I would say almost everyone thinks so - except
perhaps those who love to have him in that situation so they can go on
criticizing him. So he needs to move on, and right now Ducati is easily
the best option.
Champ, to your point, don't forget that Schwantz did several GPs in '86
and '87 before going over full time in '88 (I believe he finished 5th in
one of the GPs in Spain in '87 on the GRV prototype), he'd also done the
Match Races, and he was three years older than Hayden when he moved
over. And of course racing is very different now, no one can win on
talent and desire alone today, the machines and tires play much more of
a role, and the machines dictate riding style more than ever.
It also took Schwantz five full years in GP to figure out what it took
to win a championship - win when you can, always finish, and get on the
box as much as possible - and Hayden certainly figured that out earlier.
Fitting that they're at Donington now - Schwantz rolled in there 15
years ago with four wins and nine podiums in nine races and a 23-point
lead over Rainey, got taken out from behind by Doohan on the first lap
and walked out with a 3-point lead, a very sore wrist and a championship
he'd led almost all year in very serious jeopardy. Somehow I think Nicky
can relate to that...
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Posted by on June 20, 2008, 11:41 pm
>
> he should go to ducati!
Sure! Then again, Ducati is just interested in the huge dividends the
Australian market offers, and will close its mind -like all other
brands- to the diminutive US market, and just refuse to support a US
rider. Where is Al Sharpton in the MotoGP grid to cry out for justice?
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Posted by on June 20, 2008, 9:24 pm
> I dunno for sure, but I'm thinkin' this might not bode too well for the
> Nickster's tenure at Repsol, then again, some say he's overstayed what
> little welcome he had some time ago..
He ONLY got the gig because he is sleeping with the bosses wife, would
HAVE to be the reason, no?
NOT 1[one] PODIUM this season, says it all really, look where his less
experienced team mate is....
TOTALLY out of hie depth, will go down in history as a guy that *won*
a championship on somebody elses misfortune, ie a totally unworthty
one.
Give the ride to DeAngelis and stop the rot at HRC
Cheers
P/X/O/
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Posted by Andrew on June 20, 2008, 9:54 pm
> I dunno for sure, but I'm thinkin' this might not bode too well for the
> Nickster's tenure at Repsol, then again, some say he's overstayed what
> little welcome he had some time ago..
He ONLY got the gig because he is sleeping with the bosses wife, would
HAVE to be the reason, no?
NOT 1[one] PODIUM this season, says it all really, look where his less
experienced team mate is....
TOTALLY out of hie depth, will go down in history as a guy that *won*
a championship on somebody elses misfortune, ie a totally unworthty
one.
Give the ride to DeAngelis and stop the rot at HRC
---
I believe the rot at HRC started when they listened to the midget instead of
the world champ.
To each his own.
--
Andrew
00 Daytona
00 Speed Triple
71 Kawi H1
05 Squiddo
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