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Posted by Mark N on November 19, 2007, 4:44 pm
Mark N wrote:
> So here's how the Soup interview went:
>
> Q You bring up the 2007 season. How do you look at it? Is it the worst
> year of your life?
>
> A From the time I got on that new bike, or from my shoulder injury last
> year at Portugal, and then the off-season, that put me behind coming
> into the season, and bottom line is the bike was too small, I didn't
> like it, I didn't feel comfortable on it.
>
> Q The 212, I can't think of another motorcycle that would be less suited
> to you.
>
> A Yeah. I certainly didn't gel with that bike. From the time I sat on
> it, it didn't feel right. When we pulled the blankets off it last year
> at Valencia, I thought, "Are you kidding me?" And I sat on it, and I
> thought, "No, this has got to be a joke. Is somebody trying to punk me,
> like the TV show?"
>
> And in the latest Cycle News, on the old and new 212:
>
> "The use of pneumatic valves will have some other beneficial side
> effects. The original Honda RC212V was designed to have a very high
> center of gravity and it appears that this was done mainly to try to
> help physically smaller riders like Dani Pedrosa use that high center of
> gravity and the throttle and brakes to help pitch the bike into its
> front springs or rear suspension to maximize grip under braking or
> acceleration. It didn't quite work out, though, with the smaller riders
> not liking the feel the bike gave them and the heavy riders having
> extreme difficulty in stopping the front tire pushing away from them."
>
> Are some of us still wondering who this bike was designed for?
More from the Soup interview today:
Q Conspiracy theorists will say that the bike was developed for
Pedrosa with input from his friend, Mr. Puig. Your thoughts?
A Well, you know, that's a touchy subject. People have probably
already formed their opinion. I can see where people get that. I can't
really argue with that point. Honda has a lot of belief in him. But I
can say there's people at Honda who I feel are truly behind me. A lot
of people, I guess, on this side, don't understand the politics that
go into MotoGP. There's definitely a lot, with sponsors, passports,
teams, things that go a lot deeper than tires, than just the rider.
That's another thing that made this season kind of tough, was
definitely a lot of things like that. That's a touchy subject. I don't
want to just BS you all and dance around the question too much, but I
don't want to say anything, because I really think next year, the
input on next year's bike, they listened to me a bit more. And even
this year, because I'm the main test rider at Honda, so they've got to
listen to me some.
Hmm...
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