[alanheng]

What a pompous ass!!!



"At least I was racing for victory instead of sixth place!"..................



That's a pretty cheap shot at Rossi. We all know that if Rossi's team didn't want him to focus on the Championship, he'd be going balls-to-the-wall at every race.



Poor sportsmanship is far too prevalent today.



(first post)

 

[rog]

I don't get that. Though it's _possible_ that's what krj meant, it's yet more likely he was referring to his own peformances year to day, where starts well and then goes backwards to 6th or 7th. What's too prevalent today is not giving someone the benefit of the doubt and taking everything said in the worst possible light.

jeez

p.s. pompous and childish is also the little first post 'victory' claims.

 

[acruhl]

I agree, how in the heck is that to be taken as a cheap shot? Roberts and Rossi are friends. I think what he was saying was "I was a bit more fortunate than I have been in the past".



What kind of candyasses do we have hanging around here anyway?

 

[kamagi]

I completely agree with you, KR.Jr probably meant that his past performance in early season races. I have been watching and reading all his interviews in the past and he would never put other fellow racers down in anyway.

 

[colin]

I agree entirely with the explanation (the comment was directed at his performaces to date this year and not Rossi), but Roberts has a wild side too. Remember the Portugese GP last year? He deliberately ran into a backmarker while dicing with McCoy for the lead. He later ranted about backmarkers stating "These guys are in the bubble. They don't see flags, other riders, nothing. They shouldn't be out there." He tacitly admitted that he intended to run the guy off the track. Roberts is a nice guy, but there's some wild stuff in there too....

 

[Louwtjie]

*hehe*



Rossi is a kid ... even though he's probably one of the best riders in the world ... he's italian, he was behind Cappa en Max, what's he going to do ... sit in 6,7 or 8 and get a couple of points ... at a Italian circiut !? No ways. He over-cooked it big time. Doohan will have a few words with him after that !



Roberts ... don't like him, most of the top superbike riders will wip his ass ( after his comment that the best riders in the world will now be on 4 strokes ). Jeeze, for starters, Colin beat him in the US. He's a smooth carefull rider ... will always be good, but not great.



In the race, due to the rain, power was relative. Kenny is a good rider, and his style makes him a great wet rider ... even with that, he wouldn't have finished in first have he stayed on 2 wheels.



So, why was he world champion last year ? Don't know... most of the contenders was too inconsistent... but this year ( after winning the previous one ), he complains that the Suzi is not up to the job. Look like it did just fine last year ... and seeing that most of the guys are riding bikes that are the same as last ... what's going on now ?



Could it be that the new guns ( up from 250 ) and the front runners got a wakeup call ? Shape up or ship out ... there is a 4-stroke GP1 grandprix coming ... and owning a team ( being part of one ) are going to be a very good thing for the old wallet !



Cheers.

 

[FieryErmine]

You're insane. This year's Suzuki has a new engine and a new chassis and they're having some problems dialing it in. The bike was delivered late.



Roberts won the most races last year. Gibernau isn't anywhere near him, neither was Aoki. The Suzuki isn't a great bike, and Roberts does well on it. Give the guy his due. He's the champ.



Robin.

 

[BBD_Racing]

It pains me to see KR struggling with a bike that is clearly not up to the Honda and Yamaha competition.



It also amazes me to see these idiots claim that he is anything less than a great rider. The Suzuki has never been the match of the Hondas and rarely the match of the Yamahas, yet KR has racked up a good number of victories in two years. He is a great rider. He's a thinking rider with the mind of an engineer.



As for his statement, you'd need to be rather dense to not see it for what it was: The World Champ sick of being midpack this year. It always feels better to be racing for a win than racing for a midpack spot and it is even worse when your plate says #1.

 

[CrustyOldFart]

Dude, you're jumping to conclusions here. Kenny has been frustrated the entire season to date by starting fast and hard, then using up his tires and being forced to "race for sixth place".



I agree that poor sportsmanship is far too common in athletics today -- that topic and reasons therefor could be debated endlessly. It amazes me though, that you could have such clarity on that issue and not realize that your own comments emerge from the same self-centeredness and, dare I say it, pomposity.



Think before you type, my friend.

 

[hawker]

Actually, KR had been talking very openly about how his bike wasn't up to snuff a few races ago (might've been at Brands, or Monza), and until the team got its 'logistics' together so that they started getting what they need from development, he didn't see how he could improve.

That's what he's talking about, not VRossi. All things being equal, VRossi might very well be responsible for KR being second instead of first, but it's the bike that is responsible for KR 'racing for 6th' rather than for the podium.

If you think about it for a while, you'll remember that KR has slagged off on other racers like never, so I think you need to reinterpret.

 

[Reric]

Duh

These bikes have WOTS on them and who ever has the biggest watermelons hanging will either crash

or win the race. KRJ needs to grow bigger watermelons or quit whining.It looks silly and childish. A 250 could beat these guys if someone could hold the throttle wide open (WOT) all the way around the track. I can't maybe KRJ can't.

reric

 

[spindizzy]

He deliberately ran into a backmarker while dicing with McCoy for the lead.
That would be stretching the truth more than just a little. He was about 5 seconds behind McCoy - it was Rossi he was losing ground to and struggling to keep 2nd place.

 

[Louwtjie]

Insane ?



Changes are made to improve things ... why don't they use last years bike ? Cappa is racing on last years model Honda, while Rossi has the new one.



Just remember 1 thing : You don't just order a new engine every year for your YPF or YRF ! The things they change are VERY VERY small ... they can't afford to redesign a whole motor and take a chance on it !



Look how long it's taking the 4-strokes to get up to speed ... it's not even lapping close to the current 2-strokes.



Read my remark again. He won the most races ... because others lost it ! I don't believe he was the best rider ... and don't tell me he's great just because he's got a dad called "senior".



Doohan said it the best: ( after Kenny made his of the map comments on has-beens ) "When you win 5 chanpionships, then I'll listen."

 

[Louwtjie]

Yes, I'm not a payed 500 2-stroke racer ... so I can say what I please most of the time.



My point still stands:



If last years bike won him the 1'st place ... why is he racing for 6'th now ?



Consider that most of the guys are racing bikes that are more or less the same as last year... only Rossi has a "brand new" Honda.



Also remember that the bike which dyno's out the most horses won't win a race just because of it... the bikes already produce too much power for the tyres to handle... it's how you put the power down that get's you in front.



*think*



*think*



Yep.

 

[das]

Yup, you're insane. You need to watch the races, and listen to what people are saying, instead of just reading a 3-paragraph blurb about who crashed and what the finishing order was.



Were you watching how easily the Honda's and Yamaha's just whistled past him on the long straight? I'm guessing it has nothing to do with KR's willingness to twist the throttle on a straightaway. His bike just wasn't up to speed.



Roberts won last year because of a number of reasons. There were more than the normal number of wet races last year, and he's very good in the wet. He certainly benefitted from some mistakes by others, but so did everyone else on the grid. And, if you were paying attention, you would know that there hasn't been that much of a change in the equipment quality since last year... Robert's bike wasn't the best bike last year, either. He won the championship by winning when he could, and getting maximum points when he couldn't. In other words... by racing smart. Yes, Roberts really was the best 500GP racer last year, and that is why he won.



That being said... I too, sometimes dislike Roberts' attitude. He sometimes comes off sounding like he deserves to win. That's partly just the attitude of a good racer (many others sound the same way), but it seems like it's partly just his personality. He's got a long, long way to go before anybody starts putting him up there with the likes of Doohan and Agostini, or even KR Sr.



But the fact is he's a damn good racer, and if you can't respect that, why do you even pay any attention to the racing series at all?

 

[das]

Think. Think. Yep... you're still not paying attention.



There's lots of factors why Roberts won the championship last year, and is racing for 6th spot most races this year. And so far, I haven't seen much evidence that it's either Roberts' brains or bravery that's holding him back this year. It seems to be a combination of things, including (but not limited to):



Rossi is hauling ass more, and crashing less than last.



Biaggi has picked up his pace considerably, too, probably in reaction to Rossi.



Roberts' bike, while altered from last year's, doesn't appear to be any more competitive (it was down on top speed last year, too (note to Louwtjie: we're talking about actual speed on a given straightaway, not horsepower)).



I don't recall Roberts and his team complaining quite as much about their tires last year. Maybe it's just that my memory is fading, but he seemed to be one of the few people NOT complaining a lot about tires last year. This year, that situation seems to be mostly reversed.



But, perhaps the most important factor is... you cannot really compare one season to another so simply. The bikes change. The tires change. The weather changes. The tracks change. The competition changes. Everything changes.



Why do you think they go through 2 days of practice and setup changes before each race? All the big names raced the same manufacturer's 500cc bikes at this track last year, why not just save everybody the time and trouble, and just reuse last year's settings? Because it's not that simple.



Think. Think. Yep.

 

[crg]

Just saw this race on Speedvision last night. I already knew the results, as I had read them here. Luckily my hotel for the week has speedvision, so I watched anyway. It was a fantastic race to watch, but I kept on hoping that what I knew was going to happen wouldn't.



It took a lot out of Rossi's drive for second, when I was just waiting for him to loose the front on the paint. Still, fun to watch.



Now I know that Speedvision is an acceptable replacement for high-speed internet access...

 

[Robbed]

More or less the same is not the same. Funny how everyone mentions applying the power, without thinking about it. Honda increased power every year, only to have Doohan rip the engineers a new one. They would then reduce power for better delivery.



Your comments sound like someone who has read a lot of posts, but hasn't been to the track. If the Suzuki was that good, why isn't Gibernau competing? He was at least in the running of a few races last year, and this year he isn't even close.



Every setup changes when the weather changes, so you can't make too many assumptions based on previous races, or years. Note that Computer analysis doesn't exist for motorcycles to the same degree it does with cars. There is a correct way to drive a car, but there are so many variables on a bike, that the setup is different for each rider.



Spend some time at the track, adjust the settings to your liking, then come back a month later. If you ride hard, adjustments will have to be made. Same bike, same rider, same track, but on a different day. Now do that with different riders, different tracks and different weather. Not very simple, and more money (Honda, then Yamaha) makes a hugh difference. Slight improvements can mean all the difference. BTW, I think the comment too much power for the tires to handle is taken too literal. Too much at one point can still be too little at another. On a rain slicked road, a scooter can produce too much power if the suspension is terrible.

 

[spkrplus]

Not more so than poor editing. Poster should try reading something besides comic books and motor magazines aimed at pimply-faced imbeciles (only three exclamation points?) Maybe "kaboom" or "zowie" might have been a nice effect. Did Kenny tell poster while visiting his home that this is what he meant, or did he learn this on the Psychic Hotline? I recommend poster to slowdown, take a breath & find another way to get stroked besides pointing out imaginary faults of perceived heroes, hopefully something more reality-based.