Where do you get this "passion" stuff from? Do you think they get their skill, determination, bounce resilience, work ethic etc from a packet of corn flakes? Must every rider be the same smiley person? Is everyone in your work like that? As for chatter, see here http://www.suterracing.com/news/details/132 Most of the grid has has it and it would bring on arm pump.
From his own mouth actually, He no longer has the desire to do this and is off home. We have all heard him say it. No one is questioning his ability and i dont care much if stoner or anyone else does not want to do the corporate marketing thing. Except when(if) they then whine that life isn't going their way because they cant or wont do what is required. The brands that some people are reluctant to promote as well as they might are actually the reason they get to do the job they love and it would be a good idea to remember that. The contract is a reciprocal thing, we the fans know this and understand when we are getting short changed. I suggest the great aussie racer sets up his own team, spends a huge amount of money playing with his new train set and not have to bow, scrape or doff his cap to anyone. Lets see how big his family is in his pit garage then and what kind of a warm fuzzy feeling he gets on race day morning from them. And no not everyone in my work is like that, least of all me but i dont expect my employer to let me play with their million pound toys in the shop window either.
Stoner may be saying that, but not Pedrosa. Yet he has no passion either .......apparently. As for brands. Is VR out promoting Marlboro products? I doubt it. If he is he has gone back on his principles. Did Stoner not race to the end of his contract in the same way he always did? I seem to recall him bagging a few wins at the end of that last season. What amazes me about this whole episode, is that the very people who can't stand Stoner, who should be delighted to see him go are still moaning about him. Still going on about cheese sandwiches. Some of the Stoner bashers who criticise him at every turn are starting to sound like bigots. If they think he wouldn't be much company to share a beer over, do they think their opinions here make them sound like fun to be around? I don't think so. Moan, moan, moan. Of the current grid, I reckon Edwards is the only one I would like to share a pint with. But then he media is obsessed with the aliens plus Rossi you don't really get to know what the others are like.
Yes, as was Eddie Lawson. Phil Read was not Mr Outgoing either. But apparently, the world will end if GP racers don't behave like pop stars
Bigots , that's rich coming from you. Priceless. I'll tell you what, if you stop posting about your man then it will all go very quiet on the subject i'd guess. Even you would not want to spend time with him it seems.
Never let me down everytime I've seen him he's given 100% on track, and thats what I demand from a racer seeing as how I'm one of the paying public,I dont give a flying whether he's popping up on telly pluging Hondas or a spanish bit of piss that ignites when you chuck a match at it.
I think its "sports men " of these times ..... most sports now (discounting Crown Green bowling) are full of Prima Donnas. May be bloody good at their chosen sport but too pandered to. Also very few like the old school charmers. Football jeez .... (don't hate me for saying the f word) is a prime example. It used to be an honor to represent your country now they moan about that!!! I prefer the Barry Sheene, James Hunt, and George Bests of the world back in the day. Proper geezers. Not a bunch of moaning minnies like those of today. Stoners a great rider ...... has it all .. I suspect also don't they have a baby ??? could be another reason. Barry Sheene's wife used to hold pit boards and stuff. If I was a racers wife I would want to be in the thick of it , sadly I would be no good at holding a brolly as at 5ft 1 I would not reach up high enough.
Peter, i did not mean short changed from a racing point of view, i hope thats not how it came across as its not what i meant. I mean from a marketing point of view only. Those fans that expect autographs and to see their people wearing the corporate branding and turn up smiling for functions have a justification for that expectation. Nothing more.
I can understand your point of view Desmo but I personally dont care whether he or any of the other racers smile and carry out their contractoral obligations, yes I appreciate racing times have changed with the arrival of satelitte tv bringing umpteen million chances to plug your brand in commercials, but I suspect true race fans dont even consider whats on the side of the fairing when they are watching a race. The only time we are interested is when we like the look of the bike i.e. Rothmans and pepsi colours of old to name two. Racers years ago just got on with racing thats why we romance about the good old days of Sheene and James hunt, but if they were around today they'd have those obligations too. So yes I know what your saying but cant understand why people get hung up about a racers "obligations" ffs let the corporate dildos worry about it.Race fans these days seem to be more concerned about how a rider manages his off track persona than what he does on it ,seems to me they've lost the jist of being a "racing fan". And I'm not having a go here about anyone personally because I want to come over all media savvy :biggrin:.
I've been a bit harsh towards Casey and his fans in this thread, sorry about that, but the gist of my comments I still stand by. As a racing fan there is nothing better than watching Casey slide his Honda around the track the way he does, his riding skill has never been in doubt here, but the mere fact he has thrown in the towel so early makes me wonder? If I was him and in my traditional hold my cards close to the chest mode, I'd not have let on until far later ... I dunno? His sulking and moaning does not help either I suppose? ... between you and me, after each race for the last year or so he looks totally worn out, totally stressed out from win to second to third or not even on the podium ... anyone else notice that? Lorenzo can look like he's just been on a bicycle ride to the shops in comparison on the same after race celebration, Casey always looks so stressed and knackered. I guess what I'm saying is, he's announced his retirement, not too early in his career, but too early in the season and as a consequence race fans have said, Oh , OK then and are concentrating on what Cal and other riders that are doing so well can do that really have the fire and win passion to do so. And there is nowt wrong with that. IMHO.
For once it would be nice to have rain at Silverstone, it happened last year too with disastrous consequence for Rossi and Stoner But again shows how even so early Rossi made the Ducati work so well in the wet. My mistake. Cant believe it come round so quick this year ... Silverstone just two weeks away? Silverstone is so flat, poor viewing area's for spectators, remind me, what went wrong with Donnington Park?, excellent viewing area's all around the circuit, especially Craner Curves Redgate, Holywood, Craner Curves, where you could see three or four corners flow ... Silverstone you mostly see one corner at a time.
If you dig through the net you'll probably also find him in a Japanese advert selling used girls knickers out of a big brand vending machine as well, dosnt really mean a lot does it? Again I like Rossi as a racer but I'm also not the sort of guy to bother buying shit just because somebody else famous has told me too. David Beckham is the worlds most famous brand and marketing giant and far outstrips Rossi on that front I can assure you, I like him but do I wear his pants from H&M or buy his aftershave? Nope. And for the record, david Beckham has never been the best footballer which most professionals will agree on, so clearly being the best isn't what the marketing is all about. Are you running bridgestones then Imola? do they make you feel n ride like Rossi? Oh I bet they're marvellous
The fact you know he advertises H&M suggests the advertising is working... Really guys, I'm very disappointed in you. Another Moaner thread and nobody bothers to tell me about it. I'm hurt, really I am:frown: Anyway, Stoner will pass through the annals of history in the same way Read and Lawson have - unnoticed. Only the educated motogp fans will remember him, your average raceday fan will have forgotten all about him within a couple of years. Will Ducati bring out a Stoner rep, like they have with Bayliss? No, they won't, despite him bringing glory to the firm. And why not? Attitude. All you people who say the marketing schmooz doesn't matter are so far off the mark it's unreal. It matters immensely. It matters to the teams, who need maximum airtime to bring in sponsors. It matters to the sponsors in order to sell their wares, as damodici has so ably pointed out. And it matters to the racers to raise their profile, earn more money and get the top rides. Stoner got the rides by sheer skill and determination, there's no doubt about that. But he's pretty damn good at pissing the teams off, too. That's his legacy, that's what he'll be remembered for. The Moaner.
Oh I'm not saying the advertising isn't working, I'm just saying it doesn't matter to me or many people I know. The fact I know what pants David Beckham advertises is more a brand awareness success, it's still not made me buy I was just pointing out that by posting a pic of Rossi advertising tyres and saying he's Mr popular is I feel a little irrelevant. People who buy a Bayliss rep IMO must have to big massive fans of him, same as the hayden rep they've been selling in the states, but again it's up to those people what they do with their money. As you point out proper race fans won't forget Casey Stoner as they're aware just how talented the bloke is/was Passing interest fans probably won't, but I'd also bet they don't know much about anybody bar rossi. I don't care much for what the big corporates like or want, in fact nothing could be further from my mind. The majority of people who'll remember moaner for being a moaner are Rossi hardcore fans and moaners themselves. Besides, who bloody cares, I thought we weren't doing this bashing anymore?
I think the biggest difference between Rossi and Bekham is, Rossi has a brain, every time I see Bekham talk he reminds me of George Bush and his various public goofs, he's not exactly clever is he? his wife too is as shallow a bimbo as they come ... Becham ... Bexcam or whatever his name is is a totally fabricated persona for us minions to gush praise and worship too. I reckon, times will look back one us unkindly as a cult of celebrity worship, we put some of these people up on a pedestal for mostly no other reason than they look cute and fill a gap in our worthless lives ... apparently. Sod those Prima Donna's, lets stay with Motorcycle racing for discussion.
I think I speak for the majority of mankind when I say the end of the season can't come soon enough...
