Motorcycle Forums banner

Pascal Picotte Injured in Snowmobile Accident

11K views 33 replies 20 participants last post by  CarsSuck 
#1 ·
Poor Pascal

you just gotta feel bad for this guy. first his machine takes a crap all over him at daytona when he was about to have a strong finish. (7'th or 8'th???) now this.
 
#2 ·
Re: Poor Pascal

I'm with you on that one... Pascal deserves better.

Here's a thought...

Have you ever been at the track (pro or regional) and heard a bike that just didn't seem like it wanted to run. Now think of the last time you heard the Harley on the track... Scary, huh ?? (Then again, maybe it's just me...)
 
#4 ·
Part of me feels bad for Pascal, but then there is the part that says "He choose to ride for Harley instead of trying to get a bike underneath him that will give him the best chance to succeed."



That part of me feels no sympathy for Pascal. That HD has been craping on him for two years running now. I mean even after 6 or 7 guys crash or have bike failures the stupid thing still can't finish. It had a top 10 finish handed to it at Daytona and it still burns up!



What is the point of testing the same stuff over and over again. How much testing do you need to realize your not doing it right? I wonder when they test do they expect different results? That is the definition of insanity. To repeat yourself and expect different results.



Remember Dale Quartley? Although he wasn't a true privateer he probably was way closer to that then a factory boy (yes he did buy engines from rob muzzy). With that in mind he did do most of his own work and ran his own deal. Hell he won a superbike race! In fact I would dare say he had more success then HD. That my friends is quite sad. Considering all the connections, money and resources HD should be able to tap into and they just can't compete! To me that says one thing about HD and their superbike effort. One it's 2nd rate and HD really doesn't care about superbike racing. Harley.....get serious or get out!



Ok i'm done venting......
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I know what it's like...

Snowmobiles can really give you a beating. Usually you don't end up badly hurt (unless you hit a tree or break through some ice) but man, it's hard on your back and legs.

While I respect Pascal for giving it "the old college try", I think he would be a real threat to Mladin, Hayden, DuHamel and the like if he were on comparable machinery.
 
#8 ·
I think Harley should take all the money they are using for their Superbike effort and use it to make a pill I can eat to make my farts smell like a bed of roses on a warm summer day. Do something useful with the money rather than pissing it away on something that will never work. I hope Pascal gets well soon he is a real cool guy. I meet him back in the days when he used to ride for Suzuki.
 
#9 ·
HD will NEVER compete in GP's- they'll be laughed at a global scale as oppose to a nationwide scale in AMA. If they cant even build a decent road-tuned engine- then what makes you think they can built a purpose-built racing engine? Unfortantely April fools was 3 days ago.....
 
#11 ·
agreed, a racer's job is to do everything he can to succeed, and a team's is to do everything they can to support a rider. Piccote has held up his end on his machine. His job would now require him to either move to a different machine or for Harley to move to a new, competitive design that would allow for him to do a better job. He is at the end of his string as far as Harley is concerned, at the top of his game.
 
#13 ·
and it smelled like roses for BONGTOKER

Man, I laughed so hard at that one..I farted and then passed out !! Plllleeeeeezzzz ! Harley can't even compete in the US. What in the hell makes them think they can compete internationally ? I feel sorry for Pascal getting injured but HD must be lining his pockets nicely for him to stay with them as long as he has. Stick a fork in it buddy, it's done !
 
#14 ·
Please tell me you're a girl. If not, does your seat have a spire right where you sit on it at ? He's not a hero if he gets a podium. It means everyone else fell off or broke their bike. I also bet you could easily double that salary since he's been there for so long and has even longer to suffer under the HD banner. I do agree with your third sentence though.
 
#18 ·
I really enjoy reading the comments from your readers on news items. Especially from what I would guess, and this is my opinion only, are a bunch of armchair racers like myself and they think they have the superior knowledge to bash HD's racing efforts. How many of you are mechanical engineers, MMI grads, etc to comment on why they don't finish races. Point is that HD started from scratch and have to spend years getting up to the level that other manufacturers have been at for years.

As for why he rides for them? Probably the same reason that Duhamel did...try something different, show that you can ride competitively on a bike that is in development and make some money. HD has the $$ to pay these guys to stay. Imagine his worth to the other factories if he gets a first on that harley. As a fellow canadian, I can say that Picotte has come a long way from a crazy street squid that used to scare the stuffing out of his fellow riders. He's a millionaire now, and your US dollars are worth a bunch more than ours.

Snowmobiles? They are fast and with the great trails in Quebec, it is easy to go too fast. We just had our eighth snowmobile related death this winter in a small province. 100+ hp and 120 mph top speeds at night can be interesting.

Regards,

nidan
 
#19 ·
To try something different? For 3 years? LOL. Did you see how fast Miguel left that camp? Probably because he new back then what we all now know.



Harely is a buisness just like any other. Unlike the major Jap bikes Harely doesn't need to be sucessful at racing to suceed in their buisness.



If you think Suzuki sales of GSXR's haven't sky rocketed in the last 4 years then you are living on another planet. How the hell is a competative VR1000 going to sell more Hogs???? I can almost garuantee you that is what the top dogs at HD think. It's been 5 or 6 years since they started their AMA effort. If they really tried I know they could do alot more then they have. Harely doesn't need to race and win to sell bikes. It's the image that sells hogs. Not racing. That is the only thing they need to preserve to be successful. That lawyer that wants to pretend he is a bad ass biker on the weekend could careless if a hog ever wins anther race because that is not what it's about. Same for the weekend cruiser who just enjoys the sound and a cruise down some back road.



I believe that this is what holds them back. As long as they don't see racing as a necessity to be successful in the buisness they will never succeed at racing. Someone needs to grab the bull by the horn and make the AMA series a priority in HD. Otherwise they will continue to suck.



That my friend is just the plain truth. Until then I will continue to enjoy flaming HD.



I'm not an arm chair racer as you put it but I'm not factory mechinic/racer either. I'm just an amateur racer/mechinic. I never claimed to know why they can't finish outside of their lack of desire and effort(HD in general not the race team as I'm sure they are giving it 100% but probably don't get what they need from HD in terms of support).
 
#20 ·
I AM a mechanical engineer with an associate degree in internal combustion engines, but that doesn't mean I know a thing about Harley's racing effort. Regardless, my opinion is that Harley has had enough time to develop the VR1000 and they have reached the limit with that bike. They need to take what they've learned from that program, and start with a clean slate on a new bike.
 
#26 ·
Point is that HD started from scratch and have to spend years getting up to the level that other manufacturers have been at for years.
Good point. At least it gives those guys at Aprilia an excuse for their pathetic performance in WSBK last year and so far this year - if a company the size of H-D can't be competitive in AMA Superbike after many years of work, how can we expect a tiny company like Aprilia to have a chance?

-jake
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top