Rossi ;(

[Incognito]

Hmmm Max..
I used to think he was wicked until I watched Doohan take him apart ( remembering a race when Max was black flagged, but continued racing) even bought a Biaggi replica AGV lid for my second ever one.

[Ken Oath]

Don't get me wrong, Max is/was a very talented rider. He's probably a very nice person.

But Max didn't appear to have the ability to say, "I wasn't the best rider on the day."
His quoted comments were always about how the bike wasn't good, the tyres weren't good, etc.

I do feel a bit sorry for him, coming up against Doohan and then Rossi...in a different era, he could well have had a championship or two under his belt.

[Incognito]

I thought he might do something more on superbikes last year, seemed to start off well, and lose his way a bit

[Ozboy]

Tex

I wonder also, with the lack of success of Bayliss had this year on his Ducati, is he too past it now?
Surely that is using the same logic that you used in your statement ?

Bayliss lost the title when he lost his finger at Donnington, that was just unfortunate. He retires at the end of the 08 season.

Rossi is by no means "over the hill', runner up 2 years in a row, hes still got it. It's the fact that Stoner has more fire in him to see him either runner up or World Champion for the forseeable future. And Rossi doesn't like that.

[Col]

Rossi is by no means "over the hill', runner up 2 years in a row.

Not that it makes any difference, But didnt Rossi finish 3rd this year.. No points at Valencia whilst Pedrosa win's....

[Ozboy]

Yes Col, you are right.
As I posted I thought maybe I should check this to be 100%, forgot bout Danny.
Thanks mate.

[Ozboy]

Don't get me wrong, Max is/was a very talented rider. He's probably a very nice person.

But Max didn't appear to have the ability to say, "I wasn't the best rider on the day."
His quoted comments were always about how the bike wasn't good, the tyres weren't good, etc.

I do feel a bit sorry for him, coming up against Doohan and then Rossi...in a different era, he could well have had a championship or two under his belt.

Sounds familiar!

[Ajax]

I like seeing new shiznit on new bikes. MotoGP should be about teams and manufacturers making the best bikes to win. These new modifications then filter down to the production bike that i go buy. (And several of you guys sell )

Rossi can whinge all he likes about traction control but his winning all the time made racing boring. We dont like to watch the same race everytime. If traction control changed it to make the racing more even then good on it. As long as technology progresses to make the bikes faster.

Also good luck to anyone that can ride those bikes without traction control. I dont think they would ever be able to use full throttle so its a waste making the bike more powerful ... which is what all of you want isnt it? More HP in your bike that you cant use?

[Ken Oath]

With thanks to ranmar850, I've lifted this pic he posted in another thread.

Do you think Vale & the anti-TC brigade would approve of this?????
The officially approved MotoGP racer for season 2008.

No rider aids to get in the way of the guys with balls the size of pumpkins.




I don't see no Traction Control here.

[Ken Oath]

For those interested, there's an article on MotoGPMatters.com - Kropotkin Thinks
about TC in general.

The guy makes some interesting pints, including this par on Vale.

Valentino Rossi is complaining about the pervasiveness of electronic traction controls. I infer this is a complaint about Dani Pedrosa, since Casey Stoner claims to be using little or none of the stuff. Riding a bike nearly identical to Pedrosa's, Nicky Hayden began to find success after (reportedly) trimming the electronic controls way back. This implies that only certain riders are benefiting from a computerized nanny, and that all of them have the option of limiting its influence. Am I to believe that Rossi - who, when he was winning everything in sight, was as sideways as anyone - believes he was being trounced by Casey Stoner's tires and Dani Pedrosa's computer engineer? Has he just defined the limits of his abilities for all of us to see? Is he really that ashamed of his bike? Or is this some back-handed mind game he thinks will fool everyone next year? Either way, I consider it a fairly remarkable retreat from the greatness he once exuded.

In the full article, the makes some intersting points, including some observations on F1.

BTW, 16 days to the resumption of testing.

YES.

[Ozboy]

Nice Ken Oath, funny that Casey doesn't use the TC much, it sure as hell looked like TC helped him out on turn 12 at Phillip is.

[Ken Oath]

Ozboy, I've got no idea mate, I just posted the stuff....I mean the author did use the word reportedly.

Anyway, just while reading your post, I had a flashback.

A few years back I was a flaggie at Wanneroo for MCRCWA, and remember taklking to another flaggie, who had just returned from the MotoGP at PI.

This would be about 2003/2004.

He reckons that Rossi's two bikes were vastly different, one having heaps of TC.
From memory, he based his assumption that on one bike, Rossi would lay rubber at a certain corner, the other bike wouldn't yet was just as fast.

So I suppose, (if what was said to me was true) then perhaps Vale is only against TC because he hasn't got the best one.

I don't know, but it makes for a good argument.

Cheers

[Ozboy]

Yeah I remember the 04 GP at PI.
Bayliss had the Duc at full noise on turn 12, mate it was awesome. You could see the back slide out a bit then line up again and it would do this through the entire corner, sounded unbelievable.
I miss the 990cc days.

[Jamathi]

I miss the 500cc 2stroke day's!
Diesels are entertaining but the 2 strokers were better!
Sitting back for being taken apart, never mind it is only my view!
Bloody lovely bike the Classic Snort with a more modern featherbed commando standing behind it.

[Veefore]

I say this as a Rossi fan...


Whilst it does sound like whinging, he has a point.


However, he has to harden the fuck up.


Normal people continually need to learn new shit in their jobs to stay employed. If he can't adapt, perhaps he should find another profession.

I have just been reading a book by a noted columnist and race engineer from Cycle World Magazine in the US and he talks about how riders develop their riding styles to suit the machines that are around at the time. As time moves on and machinery changes the ways and means that those riders used to go fast become less and less effective. Meanwhile, new riders are coming through with their techniques being developed to suit the newer bikes and so the cycle continues. He says that he has been watching and engineering bikes for riders since the late 60's and that even the very best riders have trouble making wholesale changes to the riding styles that got them to the top.

[Jack]

I have read Casey quoted on several occasions as saying he wishes he could ride the 500cc 2-strokes. Just like his childhood heroes.