[vfrpinckney]

I'd like to hear comments from people that successfully used the web feed. Did anyone watch the full 8hrs? Seems like too much of a good thing.



#10 should be Jordan Szoke from Canada.

 

[25850]

how come no ducati team?

doesn't ducati contest this event? if not, why not? is it because desmo engines won't hold together for eight hours?

 

[646]

Re: how come no ducati team?

Yes

 

[MuzzyMatt]

There was a Ducati 996 out there--one 996--and it broke down after about 2 hours 15 minutes. I should know, I was there.

 

[evilgenius]

Re: how come no ducati team?

Duck fans will probably pelt me but the truth is if Ducati ran a team, they would've more than likely expired.

Ducati aficionados will tell you that Ducati doesn't want to "fund" an 8-hour team or Ducati doesn't deem the Zuka 8-Hour "prestigious" enough.

Truth is the Desmo engines would fail - not a design fault, more because of lack of endurance testing on Ducati's part. If they put some R & D into endurance type racing, they probably would finish an endurance race, even win some.

Hold the hostilities Duck fans, I like the Ducks and they're great bikes and can win races, just not endurance races...

 

[Oren_Laskin]

Re: how come no ducati team?

There's nothing quite like having to do a valve adjust on every pit stop.

 

[obandoj]

Re: how come no ducati team?

Desmodromic at that.

 

[417]

I used the web feed but only to check in occasionally and see what the placings were. I only have a 56k modem so had to use the narrow band view but that was OK except the pictures were too small to be useful in that mode. Due to time zone differences I hit my bed about 30 mins before race end when I could see the Hondas were fully in command and wasn't surprised to wake up in the morning and have it confirmed that Edwards and Kato had won. Hondas don't break down often - but sometimes crashes have got them unstuck in this race. They certainly got the result they wanted. Barros was the man but his team mate was too slow.



Cheers

Merv.

 

[jmeyn]

More, more...

Hey, tell us more!!!

 

[DucButt]

Re: how come no ducati team?

This from a Ducati enthusiast: Well put, evilgenius. Some cogent thought behind your opinion. Properly developed, I think Ducati could win endurance events. I have personally never experienced a Ducati mechanical breakdown (knock on wood...), and I do believe cost/benefit analysis drives Ducati racing budgets. The marketers have probably told the bean counters (or vice-versa) that winning endurance events will not increase sales figures enough to offset the cost.

Anyway, I appreciated your post.

 

[torkmonster]

If you were there then you must have been overcome with heat stroke because the Ducati finished in 50th position out of a total of 51 teams that finished the race. they were 46 laps down on the leaders and completed 173 laps. I also watched and taped the race on TV.

 

[MuzzyMatt]

You're right, but now I wonder what I was looking at that made me think that...

 

[34664]

I saw that Doug Polen was entered in the race, but I never heard how he did. Anyone know?