[rsheidler]

>>pass a guy at 170mph with a few centimeters between the two bikes<<



From where I sat, it appears that on numerous occassions, there was exactly 0 centimeters between the bikes!



Whichever rider had won this round, it would have been hard to imagine a more deserving champion -- these have to be two of the best riders of recent history, not to mention, seemingly both are real class acts.



About the only way the season could have been improved upon would have been for the respective wins to have been a bit more randomly dispersed, rather than having Troy totally dominate the first part of the season, with Colin dominating the last!

 

[rsheidler]

After seeing Colin's performances this season, I realize that I have really undersetimated him in the past. Being a Ducati rider and fan, I had not followed his performance that closely, and for most of the season, I was cheering for Troy -- when I did start cheering for Colin, it was mostly because Troy's apparent runaway with the championship was getting boring -- how things change!



My understaning it that the goal is for Colin to wear the #1 plate on the 999 Ducati next season, then join the MotoGP team. I hope this works for him. That actually might be the best option -- maybe even a better deal than Troy got -- I doubt (although I hope I am wrong) that the Ducati GP bike will be all that competetive with the Honda (and now Yamaha) 4-stroke GP bikes at the beginning of the season. I expect 2003 to be largely a development season for Ducati in GP. This way, Troy gets to deal with the frustration of fighting for, say, 10th place with riders of much less talent. Given Yamaha's and Suzuki's learning curve, I would hope that by the end of 2003, the Ducati would be getting sorted out and 2004 could be the ideal time for Colin to move over there.

 

[rsheidler]

Re: Hondas loss is Ducatis gain.

Honda's approach to this situation it totally inexplicable!

From what I read, Honda's WSB efforts are directed (and financed) by Honda Europe -- apparently they had a bad year financially and wanted to cut expenses (of course, this was all being discussed at a time when the Ducati was still dominating the series -- mighta gone different if the factory had been a bit quicker in getting Colin the good bits). They reportedly told Colin that he did not have a ride with them next year because they would either bail out of the series entirely, or at least cut way back to a smaller team.

My suspicion is that Honda Europe might have been bluffing with Honda Corporate -- trying to get them to kick in the funding -- since presumably Honda worldwide would be the beneficiaries of the racing effort.

Anyway, what Honda does get from all the effort and $$ they have expended to help Colin win the championship is to see that #1 plate attached to a Ducati 999 all next season. I hope they are happy!

 

[rsheidler]

Re: Hondas loss is Ducatis gain.

No question about the fact that they would like an Italian or Spanish rider. Compared to other manufacturers, it seems that this has been Honda's aproach all along -- look at 125 and 250 GP and all the Honda factory riders are Japanese, Italian or Spanish. Aprilia, on the other hand seems to hire Japanese, French, German etc as well as Italian or Spanish -- maybe the manufacturer being Italian gives them ore flexibility re the rider's nationality.

At least among the hard-core fans, it seems like not all that bid a factor in their loyalities (didn't seem to detect a lack of support for Bayliss at Imola, for example, and I understand that Haga is a big favorite among Spanish and Italian fans).

In any case, what I DO NOT UNDERSTAND about Honda's actions is the apparant decision to blow off World Superbike -- either pulling out entirely or going with a small-scale effort. Racing has always been central to Honda's core values -- I cannot imagine old man Honda pulling out under such circumstances -- he must be spinning in his grave.

 

[rsheidler]

>>Honda ... screwed the pooch this time.... my dog got scared and ran to my wife for comfort<<



I think I may see a pattern here -- I am not sure it was the screaming that frightened your dog ;-)



Looks to me like Honda have decided to put all their eggs in the MotoGP basket. They have a hugely talented (and expensive) line up in GP but even when Colin reportedly offered to ride 2003 WSB for 1/2 or even 1/4 of his current salary, they were too cheap.



This is what I was afraid of when the FIM decided to go with 4-strokes in GP -- the amount of money everyone is now throwing into GP has gotta come out of the racing budget someplace else, or else they gotta find a whole lot of outside sponsors to pick up the tab (and calling the shots re rider selection -- hence the pressure for riders of certain nationalities). Not sure that either Suzuki or Kawasaki will field factory teams in WSB with all their money and manpower directed to GP, I hear that Yamaha have already ruled it out. I sure would hate to see WSB end up with Factory Ducati and Aprilia Teams and a bunch of privateers -- AMA last year was bad enough, with most of the field on Supersport GSXR750s.

 

[rsheidler]

>>Both guys are so sportsman like and what it truly amazing is that both absolutely refuse to give in or give up. Mentally, these guys are win, win, win. <<



That is exactly the combination that makes these guys (and a few others I can think of -- Rossi, any of the Bostroms or Haydens, for example) great. That combination of unfettered competetive spirit on the track, and perfect sportsmanship both on and off the track.



If you were a team manager, or a major sponsor, one of these guys would be exactly what you want -- they will do their absolute best to try win (even when they don't need to to take the championship) and you will never be ashamed to see them on TV wearing your logos, unlike some others I can think of.

 

[rsheidler]

>>I would not want my first season in MotoGP measured directly against Rossi's.<<



I was also making the connection to Schumacher. I wish Nicky the best, but I can't help but think that Nicky would have been better off with Yamaha instead. He would get a lot more factory attention (don't have to divide it amongst Rossi, Biaggi, Kato etc etc). Much better to be measured against Checa (who is one of my favorite riders) than Rossi and Biaggi.



Geezuz -- GP season still has several races to go, and already I am impatient for next season!

 

[rsheidler]

Gawdam, I hope you are right -- that could make for some great racing. Where did you hear this rumor? I had been hoping that something like that would happen (with either Honda or Yamaha) but hadn't picked up anything more than wishful thinking from other fans like me. Sure hope that turns out to be true!



Oh yeah, I agree with adding Kato to that list (at least in the dry)

 

[rsheidler]

Thanks -- damn, I hope that is right!



Not sure what the mass exodus of top riders/tuners/manufacturers from superbike to GP will mean for next season's AMA or WSB, but GP sure is shaping up to be exciting.

 

[rsheidler]

I agree with almost everything you say, but this morning amasuperbike.com (usually fairly reliable) reports that Xaus has broken off negotiations with Aprilia over Aprilia's choice of Pirelli tires for next year. Ditto for Frankie Chili.



Also, while I understand that Haga is still under contract to Aprilia, word is that it will likely be in MotoGP not SBK.