i think that foggy should certainly have had more support from the UK media..he was all but ignored..maybe it was his lack of charm or the absence of Brut 33, who knows...but 4th division also-ran football would (and still does) take precandence over motorbike racing in this cuntry.... and we wonder the Spanish are mopping up?
I hate to disagree Funks, but I met Foggy at the NEC and I thought he was a nice bloke - but that was after he finished racing, to be fair... It's always the same old thing with us Brits though - do you want a winner representing the country or do you want someone who you can have a beer with? At the highest levels of sport it's almost impossible to have both. I have to agree about the bias that motorsport has always suffered from though... It seems to have become the accepted norm that anyone that represents the country and does reasonably well in any sport is immediately in line for an award of some kind, EXCEPT if it involves motorsport. The one thing that we actually are world leaders at always seems to get ignored...
i dare say he is charm personified these days...a bit mellower, money in the bank, no need to be so focussed..he was a tool in the day though...always slagging off the other riders, and the cocky overtake past Robert Ulm cost him his career...i saw a few things that i found quite unpleasant when i met him back in the day..it was race day though....but he didnt redeem himself in any intereviews either..humourless...remember that catfight with chili?!?! hilarious...nearly scratched each others eyes out!! it was great to see a Brit winning in WSBK, when it was still called WSB...he was all but ignored by the press in this country..a great rider..any bloke with the balls to ride at the IOM always gets my respect..he even got the unofficial lap record did he not? forgive him sins eh..they say Sheen was an utter, utter piece of excrement when the cameras were off, so go figure.
I don't know who "they" are, but I met Barry Sheen at Donnington when I was marshalling for the Transatlantic Races in the early 1980's. The man was an absolute star... More than happy to chat with anyone, and to take the piss out of himself. The flash git was the only one to turn up in a helecopter, but was too short to reach the rotor-blades to put the tie-downs on them; my mate (who is 6'7") had to give him a hand.
God first Bayliss is testing it, now Carl endorsing it! Another shameless attempt to link the panigale with the race track and ...success? In the vein hope to sell to the masses cos a former hero says " yeh this bike is good" ... Now where's my cheque Much like the superlegerra thingy! Reminds me of when a car finishes its run from the factory and they throw all the special bits on! As a final/special edition, panigale and it's derivatives will be binned at the end of next season Bologna are probably already penning its successor, nice pay day Carl but your reputation and legacy are being pimped'.
Funny how no-one complains when Stirling Moss is trotted out to talk about cars... Remind me again, how many world titles did he win ?
errr...precisely none...but he's so old and posh, no one seems to notice. Foggy was a bell end, but a least he was a champion bell end. Ducati are having a tough time of it in terms of racing at the moment..they need to start winning to reinstate their glorious reputation...im certain that its only a matter of time...oh, and money... If the fanny gusset doesnt start winning races, it may end up as a white elephant like the RC45, it will also usher in its successor sooner rather than later.
I loved watching him race and his aggression and determination but never was a real fan, like I was of Edwards or Bayliss.
That final race Edwards v Bayliss was the best race Ive ever watched. I love Edwards, he is a top dude.
At least Ducati respect their riders. More, it seems, than the Japanese manufacturers do; they appear to be only interested in the bike, the rider being just another employee.
I used to go to school with him. He was, er, a character. He spent all his afternoons after school on a motor crosser in a field behind his parents house. My biking buddies and I could see he had more talent than we were ever going to have. Can't argue with his success.
Met him before he won his first wsb title at a hotel I was staying at for the Ally Pally show, also present were Whit, Hizzy, Macca, etc etc. They were all beered up and all v v friendly. I asked him along with all the others for an autograph (I was only 21) and he was great. But he did come across as a tool in interviews however he was a british success story and I can remember following him to all UK wsb rounds. He was and still is a true champion
Off topic, but there's no denying there's something mighty fine about the Ducati race bikes of that era..
