Moto GP is much like formula 1 - there reaches a point where one particular type of design is correct within the rules, so racing something that is different to everything else is simply wrong, and will not win. About the only significant variation seems to be V4 and I4 engines, and even then each circuit will favour one or the other.
Especially when there is only one type of tyre, everyone will have to build there bikes around whats best for that one tyre
But the gp bike has nothing to do with the road bikes, I don't see the connection at all, other than the name on the tank. Honda sell step-thru's, would you suggest that they build a spine-framed gp bike with three semi-automatic gears..?. And maybe, just maybe, they've had enough of building trellis frames, can't do what they want with a carbon monococque, and think there's mileage in a beam frame - the beam frame works, after all, as many jap bikes have proved. They are working on new theories, and it'll take time to bear fruit. Be patient. What the petition boils down to is luddite 'fans' who want the gp bike to look like their ageing old 916 so they can boast about it down the pub...
i think you'll find, The RC Hondas do have semi Automatic gearboxes allready....... and the 999 is THE most successful Ducati ever..............fact, from a 998 Luddite:wink:
Not from a sales perspective it wasn't/isn't. And my guess is Ducati will measure success from how many units they've sold.
keep up at the back........so if the topic is saying success at the track sells bikes win on suday sell on monday then clearly it doesn't as the 999 will always be Ducatis most successful bike ever in appearance versus wins and as you say it apparently didn't sell very well.... thank god there was a load of yellow tat to boost the turnover the last couple of years....
Perthetic excuse for a petition. If ducati pulled out of moto gp there wouldnt be an underdog to prey for a come back
To make a 360 degree turn in direction would mean that you are travelling at exactly the same direction you were travelling in the first place. To take a 180 degrees turn would be the equivalent to turning back.
Technology does make its way down the classes to the road, TC etc must have started somewhere and I'd guess its first use was in GP not WSB or any other testing platform. This is the reason the class has to be open to allow pretty much anything goes Success at a world stage sells bikes, whether direct models or just brand related. If it didnt, marketing directors in every co would pull the budget
What an absolute muppet, 360 degree U turn? So keep heading in the same direction then. Whoever this idiot is he clearly doesn't know the meaning of loyalty, you have to endure the difficult times before you can enjoy the good ones. I'm confident Ducati will get there again but in the meantime I'll continue to support them and not try and suggest I know better than their own engineers.
Actually, traction control and abs appeared on road bikes first before appearing on the racetrack (Honda Pan European, and later the BMW R1200R), although that's not to say the systems weren't previously developed from the car racing world. And while there's no doubt racing improves the image, it certainly doesn't directly relate to bike sales; Ducati may have been long gone had it not been for the Monster, a pure road bike, and their best selling sportsbike (the 848) isn't even eligible for any racing class apart from it's own series. And for me the gp rule book isn't nearly the free-for-all we'd like it to be. To be fair to the organizers, tight control measures have worked well in moto2 and moto3, but it's not working at all in motogp. Unfortunately Ducati have to abide by these rules, which means they have little choice in becoming more and more like the japanese gp bikes, because that is the layout that best suits the regulations. You also have to take into account impending rule changes such as control ECUs, and realise that Ducati don't have the facility or budget to knock out a brand new bike to suit every new crackpot regulation dreamt up by the suits. What they've done in motogp to date has been pretty miraculous, and more glory will come. But hey, everyone has an off day...
Not if he doesn't want to and you can't make him. He appears to be saying he'd rather do anything other than MotoGP. So how would you convince him to come back?
Alf, Enduring in difficult times is not the same as agreeing with everything the object of your loyalty does. There are some very clear examples of what unquestioned loyalty can cause in the last century's history. I don't think anyone who signed or will sign that petition will one day show up in a HonYam T Shirt having switched preference. on the contrary, i think the petitionn states clearly that fans prefer to withdraw from GP over seeing their brand go somewhere 'spineless' by trying to copy just to get a win in a class so few give a toss about. I read it as being willing to preserve heritage over wanting to win at all cost.. the petition says: we either win the Ducati way ( by doing something out of the ordenary) or we withdraw. What we don't want is to win on a Yamhonati.. We're not talking to the engineers. to them we say : go develop the carbonframe. Or come up with something else: we believe in your capacity to come up with great ideas .. but F..ck alubeam's ... we're talking to management. Management that for the last 3 years has shown they don't have a clue. As tehy wouldn't be up shit creek, where they are now ofr all of us to see. and for the guy not being in 100% control of the english language : not really an issue is it? As to sellng more bikes now then in the 916 days. Of course we do. Like Porsche now keeps selling more cars now they have a line up of non-911 models. But Porsche will never loose the 911 or it will loose it's soul...
Kope999R I'm not saying I agree with everything they've done but I'm not saying they should withdraw from Moto GP due to the "shame" they're causing their fans either. I'd rather see them compete and try to overcome the current difficulties they're having than have them quit. I'm all for people expressing their own opinion, but to encourage others to sign a petition that's saying your team is an embarrassment and should no longer compete goes against the whole idea of sport. It is a competition after all, should we give up just because we're not winning, I think not, but that's just my opinion.
It seems we agree more than we think! If The wsbk test in OZ are something to Go by ( Checa fastest) there s nothing wrong with The frame ! So Lets hope they get it right !
