[17416]

It's completely silly to make sweeping generalizations after one week of racing. It's fun, though. So here come a few.



(1) Where the @#$!! is Yamaha? Haven't they heard of "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday?"



(2) With their ongoing progress in the world GP circuit and lack of same in AMASB, Ducati is showing us that they haven't got the money Honda throws into their racing program. Whether they are getting valid return for the money they DO spend on AMASB, I couldn't say.



(3) Ditto for Aprilia, though even more so for AMASB - did they have any starters on the grid?



(4) And Honda is showing us that even all their money won't buy guaranteed racing success, anyhow.



(5) And I betcha Suzuki is mighty happy about their return on their racing dollar in AMASB. They are to be congratulated for sticking with Mladin and sticking with the program well enough to take advantage of the rules changes.



(6) I'm glad now that I bought a ticket to AMASB at Pikes Peak - I sure hope that the thin air at PPIR (5500 feet elevation, approximately) keeps Mladin's crew from putting too much of it into his tires!

 

[rsheidler]

As you say, it is silly to generalize from one weekend, but after 3 weekends, the pattern is starting to jell.



In response to your points:



(1) OK, Yamaha chose not to contest SB, but based on how they do in other venues (WSB, BSB) they would not compete with the Suzuki anyway. Will need a more "race-oriented" version of the R1 to have a chance. They HAVE been very serious in 600 Supersport, and have been damned successful -- Hacking is the favorite to take the championship. Not bad in FX as well (more mods allowed than in SB).



(2) Not sure that Ducati (corporate) put much $$ into AMA -- Ducati Austin and Dream Team Racing get some technical support but probably little cash. Ducati have a big disadvantage in AMA vs WSB, BSB etc in that they must use smaller throttle bodies.



Ducati are certainly spending more money on race efforts, relative to their size, than anyone, but most of this is in MotoGP where they have seriously embarassed Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. They still spend quite a bit on WSB, although much less than in past years, and also support BSB.



(3) Aprilia have never participated in AMA Superbike in any factory capacity, and have pulled out of WSB to concentrate on MotoGP and on their dominating 125 and 250 GP programs. Since their primary market is Europe, where GP is far more popular and prestigious than superbikes, this is probably the best use of their money.



(4) I think that Honda, like pretty much everybody else, underestimated how competitive the Suzuki would be within the new rules. ALso, the RC51 is pretty much a lame duck -- little new development as this is probably the last year for this bike -- they are out of WSB and have a minor presense in BSB.



As for 600 SUpersport, I bet that Yamaha are outspending them. Honda's best 600 rider, Duhamel, is also contesting Superbike, which is his #1 priority.



(5) Absolutely! They have the only bike that takes maximum advantage of the new AMA rules, have an outstanding team and no question, Mladin is one of the top riders, who is at the top of his form this year.



What is interesting is that the Suzuki's advantage seems to be in the turns more than the straights -- the Hondas and Eric's 800cc Kawasaki seem to pretty well match them on acceleration and speed.



(6) Enjoy the races! It will be interesting to see how the elevation effects the team. It probably is as big an impact on the riders as the bikes -- the riders in the best physical condition will have an advantage.



Cheers

Bob

 

[The_People]

Agree completely. Smart man!



-The People

 

[13630]

I would agree with all your points except the second part of #4- I doubt that it is possible to outspend Honda on anything having to do with racing- Yamaha (and Kawasaki, for that matter) simply have a better bike this year, and are also dedicating more of their time and energy to the 600 class.

 

[wwalkersd]

Mladin's Tire

Well, I haven't seen the race yet (I was out riding ), so I'm not qualified to comment, but in the great American tradition, I will anyway.

Mladin obviously hasn't watched enough Biker Boyz and the like. If he had, he'd've thrown a cool 160 mph stoppie all the way down the straight, taking that blown rear right out of the picture. Might've kept it from tearing the tail up, too!

Right?

, of course.