I predict a top 10 in the 200. If they hit the pit stops right it's possible to get into the top 5. Good luck BMW.
How about "We had a pretty good year, so we're going to go ahead and throw down a few million Deutchmarks on a race bike for sheets and giggles"...Isn't everyone confident going into any event? What do people expect them to say? "We are going into Daytona fully expecting to get our asses kicked". That would be a new one, eh?
Motorcyclist magazine said they were 4 seconds off. At Daytona, that is meaningless. In all the years I've attended the 200, there was only 1 race that was anywhere near that close, the year Duhamel and Mladin were swapping the lead for 200 miles. 2001 maybe, I forget. It will be fun to see BMW at the event no matter how the do. Wish Buell was in the game too.I had read somewhere else they were several seconds off the pace the 600's were achieving. I'd like to see them do well, but I'm not holding my breath.
I read somewhere that War HD was thinking of running it again. Remeber Jeremy McWilliams rode the XB until he broke something in the transmission a last year? or the year before.Motorcyclist magazine said they were 4 seconds off. At Daytona, that is meaningless. In all the years I've attended the 200, there was only 1 race that was anywhere near that close, the year Duhamel and Mladin were swapping the lead for 200 miles. 2001 maybe, I forget. It will be fun to see BMW at the event no matter how the do. Wish Buell was in the game too.
Duhamel, Hodgeson on Hondas, Eric & Ben Bostrom and Jason DiSalvo on Yamahas, Chaz Davies on Attack Kawasaki, Jake Zemke on the Erion Honda, Roger Lee Hayden on the Kawaski, Larry Pegram on Ducati are just a few.Is it just me, or does it seem like to y'all that there aren't any "big names" in the race this year? Usually I know at least a few of the contenders, not this year. Also, it seems that M/C racing is increasingly becoming all about the team, and not the individual. I got that impression especially watching Superbike in 07.
I guess there are a couple of names I recognize. I'll root for Duhamel since he's an old fart like me! He either won or was second in the two best 200 races I ever saw. If I recall correctly, he either won or was second with a broken ankle one year.Duhamel, Eric & Ben Bostrom, Jason DiSalvo Roger Lee Hayden
Superstock and supersport races are thurs- motocross friday night- superbike and fx sat.I guess there are a couple of names I recognize. I'll root for Duhamel since he's an old fart like me! He either won or was second in the two best 200 races I ever saw. If I recall correctly, he either won or was second with a broken ankle one year.
How about a MoFo meetup before the race? I used to buy my tickets in advance, but since I'm meeting at least a couple guys at the track I'm going to buy on site this year. Saturday am? Or Friday night for pre-race hangover inducing adult beverages?
Looks like I'll ride up Wednesday after work, stay thru Sunday. Still need a place to stay? I can make arrangements for you even if I'm not there yet.What day do you want to be there again? How many days early can you take off?
Nah, if I head out Wed morning I should be fine- I'll call you and get your Mom's address again and you tell me the time you will get there and I'll be there soon after. The Editor of the magazine I work for may need a place, however. The place that he was scheduled to stay at has fallen through and I believe he's scrambling. I figured I'd bring my sleeping bag and hang out in some corner if it's alright.....Looks like I'll ride up Wednesday after work, stay thru Sunday. Still need a place to stay? I can make arrangements for you even if I'm not there yet.
No problema, Kirk. There's room for your pal cause Mike decided not to go. (He just bought a brand new 08 Electra Glide Ultra, and then decides he doesn't have money to go to Bike Week!)Nah, if I head out Wed morning I should be fine- I'll call you and get your Mom's address again and you tell me the time you will get there and I'll be there soon after. The Editor of the magazine I work for may need a place, however. The place that he was scheduled to stay at has fallen through and I believe he's scrambling. I figured I'd bring my sleeping bag and hang out in some corner if it's alright.....
That and Yoshimura Suzuki doesn't compete in the FX class and for one race isn't going to spend the $500K or more that it would cost to build 4 competitive bikes....The majority of Superbike snobs (Mladin and Spies are 2 that come to mind) will sit it out because they think riding the 600s are beneath them...
American Honda doesn't compete in FX, either. You see them doing a one-off for the 200, though. Yosh operates the team, but Suzuki gets to pull the strings. They could, absolutely, take a couple of spec supersport bikes and produce an FX contender without breaking the bank. It's the riders that won't do it. H3ll, Get Tommy to ride one. Bet he'd do it. Excuses are for the weak or the lazy. Yosh doesn't want to play in the 200 because they're too worried that the platform they would race can't keep up with Kawi, Yamaha and Ducati. Pity, really.That and Yoshimura Suzuki doesn't compete in the FX class and for one race isn't going to spend the $500K or more that it would cost to build 4 competitive bikes.
Maybe the reason moneybags Honda is throwing a million dollars at a support class race is because the best they can do in the premier class is compete for third place.American Honda doesn't compete in FX, either. You see them doing a one-off for the 200, though...