Single tyre rule doesn't seem to make any real sense. Suppose a Honda is the best bike to be on, why is it unfair if you take a less competitive bike like a Ducati and have a better tyre to even things up? Why should the brand of bike be the determining factor, rather than the combination of tyre/bike/rider? It must be good for tyre manufacturers (or they would decline to develop the tyres) and surely good for consumers. As for Rossi, tyre disintegration aside, I think he should retire. Whatever X factor he possessed has, I feel, deserted him. Accidents, Simoncelli's death, piles of titles with nothing left to prove, routine, conflicts with engineers, great personal wealth - add these together and you do not get a massively motivated hungry bike racer. Seeing as the whole shebang is calibrated in fractions of a second a lap, that makes all the difference between winning and coming 7th. If I were Honda or Yam or a satellite team manager, I wouldn't hire him - fairly poor value for money I think. Athletes don't go on forever. He's a genius on a bike but there comes a time...
Make you mind up 14 minutes previous to this post you posted this . "Taking corners at 150mph on that? No thanks. We're being too hard on Rossi of late."
A couple of races ago on a level playing field (i.e. wet) he finished on the podium. How soon people forget...
You can't blame Rossi for his performance in the race at Assen. if you have no rear tyre left, what are you meant to do? But previous comments suggested he was just useless in the race (though I accept that posters didn't know about the tyre). That is clearly being too harsh. On the other hand, I think you can blame Rossi's mindset for not outperforming Hayden consistently during qualifying. He has to be the better rider, judging by his results and career. So I think that he should retire now and go and do something else, which may be cars. I do think it is utopian to think that give him another bike and he will be World Champion again. Would he consistently beat Lorenzo? I don't think so, personally. Things sort of move on. Schumacher was totally dominant before he retired, since his comeback he has failed to set the world alight and is well behind his team mate this season (albeit he has had a lot of poor luck). He is surely less focussed than he was. Now he is merely hugely talented. Is not the Rossi situation comparable?
Less focussed, maybe. But less skilled..? I'll wager he'd be at or near the front on any competitive machine.
I have no doubt about his skill level. I doubt his focus level. I wonder how much more he costs to employ than Crutchlow? In pure VFM terms, were I investing a marketing budget, I know who I'd sooner sign. I don't blame Rossi in any guise. He's been the best ambassador for bike racing worldwide - probably ever. But the lack of performance of the Ducati must have severely taxed his motivation level. Is it ever likely to return to what it was? My gut feeling is no. He is two points clear of Hayden in the Championship. That is not normal. His wet win podium was spectacular, but over 8 races or whatever it is, you'd expect to see a bigger gap.
Also Ducati know nothing about alloy beam frames full stop! just like the carbon frames! Remember Casey won the championship on a trellis frame 800... go with what you know! the others have! I still think the WSB panigale will fail in race conditions if you ignore TB's hype of how good it is! We will see :wink: The Japs have tried everything and still they stick to what they know in racing, (For a good reason to)
Figaro hasit bang on; I'd live to see him up front and how he then reacts. It's that final 2% he's missing: the crash zone
i'll say it again : Rossi has been not good to Ducati... He's started with a dent that lost a year of development... then forced them to go on something they know sh.t about: ally frames... Now they are stuck with more of a CRT bike than a full factory... an engine under development in a frame they can't handle.. A bike that, when he leaves, will not attract a top rider ( read : one that can make the difference) For those who still believe he's hungry : he's always trailing Nickey on whom we have to rely to seem some fight - however short it lasts... time to stop the GP story. And START FOCUSSING ON WSBK... The competition there is at it's highest levels since it was invented... 3 rd has been Checa's best in 6 races... grtz Koen
Funny, I could have swore he was ahead of Hayden in the points standing. How could that have happened..?
They have not been good for each other, unfortunately the all Italian dream and romance has not worked out and it must be now time to split ... surely. Rossi has said he wants two more years and I sincerely believe he has at least two more years in him, but not with Ducati ... after this season its been two years with them now, almost half way through this year its still not happening, Ducati promise great things with the Laguna Seca engine, but even if that formula works it might be too little too late ... Cal needs to watch for this especially. If VR is not to fade out he really should want to look elsewhere than Ducati for 2013. At this stage, as much of a Rossi fan as I am ... I hope Cal gets a works Yam ride beside Lorenzo over Rossi. If Rossi signs with Ducati again it will be because he cant get the competitive Yamaha or Honda ride he needs to be a champ again ...IMHO. What was the story with Suzuki again? They were looking so good last year as a minority factory, any word of them back next year? My dream as a mostly Suzuki road bike owner would be to see Rossi on a Suzuki Moto GP bike ... guessing its not on the cards though If Cal signs with Ducati I just hope he's as good as he says he is and its just not for the big bucks, neither Rossi or Hayden are weak riders, they have both been giving it 100% in both their different styles. EDIT: ...if in a parallel universe you were to suddenly plonk Stoner back on this years Ducati (or even last years) I honestly don't think he would do much better than Rossi or Hayden ... he'd be about the same. Conversely, if Rossi were on Stoners Repsol Honda, or even a works M1, do you really think he would not have podiums or wins? He's far from finished IMHO.
Of course he is not finished , i agree that if you swapped the bikes the results would swap also. I also believe that Ducati know what the problem is with the combination of rider style and their bike, i include Vale and JB as Ducati in this context. They are talented engineers after all.Whether they can fix it within the constraints of the rules, the testing ban, and cash availability is clearly an obstacle they could do without. Biggest surprise to me is the difference in handling between the WSBK bike and this one. Although that in itself will give Preziosi a shed load of data to trawl through .
I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the reason why Rossi jumped ship from Honda to Yamaha......if you remember, Honda were spouting about how it was the bike under Rossi that was so good....Rossi said it wasnt the bike, but the rider that made the difference...and said that again when he won first time out on the Yamaha......I havent heard him say that this time.......
I'm amazed you have not noticed it mentioned before Neither have I ... if you mean the Ducati (that is) and that's because he has not said that. And your point is?
I can see what you mean but it's hardly VR that lights the fire is it? you can become WChamp without winning one race, but it's a long way from the glory days, no? Till he picks up Nicky to fight over place 6,7 or 8, NH tires are gone from trying to mount some sort of bravery... I understand how hard it is to see that stature of divinity on 2 wheels dwindle to mere mortalhood... the question is whater we want to see him fade to also ran... grtz Koen
