Roadracing / roadracers BS thread

This is funny, when I was racing the national champ back home in the late 80's early 90's me and my buddy would take turns at filling the van up and when it wasn't your turn you went in the service station and bought two toblerone bars and two cans of coke and that would be all we would have to get us to the next meet.... Money was tight, would sleep in the van with the bikes unless we were at the track.
Ha ha, the days when all you cared about was when and where the next race was and how you could scrape enough money together to get there and then food and if we were lucky rarely accommodations...

 

Anyone on here from SoCal that do track days?

 

With the season approaching, who's looking forward to their racing season?

 

I'm excited for MotoGP and WSBK.

 

This, much of this.

 

I'm dying with anticipation. Here's hoping for 10 to 46. Or 1 to 04.

 

I am pushing for 04 as well. I'm a 93 fan but 04 and 05 are both good riders that I would like to see win one if 93 doesn't.

 

After his performance this year, I could do 05. I'm just glad the racing tightened up. New guys smelling blood is always good.

 

Competition tightened up because of the software or ECU regulation. I missed the chance to meet Dovi and Lorenzo last year before they raced at COTA. My friend owns a winery out here in SoCal called Doffo Winery. They are huge motorcycle fans and collect vintage motorcycles (mainly Ducati and Honda). Dovi and Lorenzo heard about it a few years ago and finally made it out last year. From what I heard, they are coming out again before COTA so I hope to get a few pictures in.

 

I'm glad they did that, and I've heard considerations of RPM limitations too. I'd be bummed about missing them too, yorgay isn't my favorite racer or personality, but shit he's a world champion and a far better rider than I EVER will be.

 

Well that's what I thought but my friend said Jorgay Gaylenzo is really different in person. He speaks timidly, quiet and really understands a bike and is super smart, nerdy in his words. I argued with him saying there's no way he's like that and my friend closed his statement with "Did you meet him or did I?" I basically shut my mouth after that lol. Buuuut, hopefully I find out for myself this year.

One more testing and we are ready to start the season.

 

Go back and watch Lorenzo in the smaller classes. He simply out rode everyone. There is a reason why he has so many championships. I know the Doctors fan club can’t accept that Jorge is doing better than their hero on the Ducati and claim it is a better bike than Rossi had (which I would say it is).

Some riders are very precise in what they need out of their machines. Others will simply over ride anything you give to them which destroys any attempts at development (Schwantz). The Ducati is a different beast than the high corner speed high precision bike Lorenzo prefers. Cal Crutchlow has shown that every bike is different and the winning Honda is not a magic combination. Ducati is fast in some people’s hands. Honda is very fast but only certain people can harness it. (Sounds like a Ducati doesn’t it?). Yamaha seem lost since Lorenzo or maybe ..... who knows what is going on at Yamaha right now.

Lorenzo has spanked Rossi, Dovi, Stoner and so on in motogp as well as the smaller classes. This Ducati is not his. It was not developed for him or around him. He is working hard to win. He is working hard to adapt. He will succeed or like MANY others will move on.

 

Speaking to your thoughts on Jorge, not sure if you remember Ron Haslam when he rode for Elf back in the 80's. No one could ride those bikes like him and that did not translate over to the big guys when he got his chance, but man he sure as shit could run a crazy Elf bike...
I was a big fan of his
Here is an interesting article about one of the bikes..
http://www.motorsportretro.com/2009/12/elfs-experimental-bikes/

 

Ron had the distinction of being fast at a time when there were lots of fast guys on mostly better machinery. Lots of fast brits in the 80’s who could have been legendary if they got a few lucky breaks at the right time. Just like his son Leon being fast is only part of the equation. The right equipment and a healthy season with no injuries can make or break your career.

I look at the current MGP grids and there is so much talent. (I mean all 3 classes). Who keeps and who loses a ride is anyone’s guess anymore. I was blown away at the suggestion that Hafizh Syahrin was the best rider with the most to improve for the Tech 3 ride. I would have called him inconsistent at best based on moto 2. But that quote surfaced and then the tests and well he seems to be doing the job. I bet the wallet behind him may have helped but you can’t just buy a ride like some suggest. Luthi who has been a favorite of mine for years has a lot of work ahead. Even Morbidelli is finding things not so easy. Is that the championship winning bike that is to blame or the team and it’s technicians or simply the riders? Jack Miller is loving his new Ducati compared to the Honda that Morbidelli and Luthi are on. Jack is finally showing what all the hype was about. Same with Rabat. He was lethal in moto2 and a nobody in MotoGP. I hope his early test pace continues as it would be nice to not see another rider destroyed by the bottom of the MotoGP grid. I don’t know what happened at Aprilia with Sam Lowes but Sam has one year to redeem himself. Anything but title contending will be considered a failure. He needs to show he deserves to be in the big show. I figure he will end up in WSB or retire from moto 2.

Lots of what if’s this season. A whole lot of questions for next year. Zarco will win? Zarco will ride for who in 2019? Tech 3 is a better ride on a year old Yamaha or a factory KTM?

 

Interesting qualifying in all 3 classes in Qatar. Can’t wait for the races.

 

So, are we gonna be spoiler free in this thread or are we saying fuckit? Because I enjoyed that shit but my friends don't watch MotoGP

 

If we could have a gentleman’s agreement no spoilers until Wednesday after a race weekend? If you still haven’t watched the race by then it is up to you to ensure you stay spoiler free. I know some weekends I am working and it takes me a couple of days to get all caught up.

Am I the only one who watches all 3 MGP classes as well as the support classes in WSB?

 

I used to watch all classes, but now with limited access on my part I only watch the main races in Motoamerica, WSBK and MotoGP.

I can get behind the spoilers after Wednesday.

Spoiler

I don't like spoilers.

 

It is now friday, lol

So, Zarco. Bro. He'll be the next Vinales: everybody's big hope until race 6-8.

 

To be honest I haven’t been watching MGP regularly for a number of years until I signed up for the MGP videopass 2 or 3 years ago. So I missed Maverick in the lower classes and can’t really judge his ability beyond Suzuki and now the Yamaha.

Zarco. Now he has raw talent and a real understanding of tires and tire wear. I am not ready to say he is Alien category but he is a real thinker and has great understanding of how to get the most out of his tires and equipment without being a techno geek like Bradley Smith. Smith spends more time trying to overthink setup and not enough time working on just riding the bike.

Now since I am the last Lorenzo supporter on the planet here is my take on him and Ducati. He is a very precise rider. He likes a bike he can push push push. Once dialed in he keeps hammering away at the lap times and decimates the competition. Look back to his days on the Derbi in 125. Not the best bike but it handled well and he was able to push the bike beyond the capabilities of the competition. Now the Ducati is not a handling dream. It’s mid corner speed and corner entry / exit is not as good as many others. For someone like Jorge he can’t just find that little bit extra. He is trying to adapt. But it isn’t easy to lose your strengths and have to learn and completely different style.

I raced 125’s and now racing a big twin it is completely different. I could always push and find more speed on corner entry and mid corner speed. Now I need more throttle and less entry speed. It isn’t an easy transition. I sympathize with Jorge. As confident as he has been his whole career and now he is being humbled. Remember this is the guy who finished 5th if I remember correctly 2 or 3 days after breaking a collarbone and then flying to Spain to have it plated and then racing. I could barely ride a motorcycle at street pace 6 months after having my collarbone operated on. That race for Jorge was legendary. I hope he can win on the Ducati. So far we have Capirossi, Bayliss, Dovi and world champion Stoner win on the Ducati. A pretty short list considering how many bikes and riders on the grid and how powerful that motor has been.

Preseason is over. Lots of fast times but the races have already shown something different from testing. I think we still have a few surprises this season. This may exclipse the ‘88 to early nineties as the best racing ever.