[edward44]

Yes, for sure. Even 03 races were a yawner most of the time while the supersport races were more interesting when you could catch them on NASCAR channel. On the other hand,

the 250 MotoGP class is something of a bore while the 125s put on a great show with slipstreaming and multiple lead changes. The fact that they are mostly teenagers adds to the fun as picking a favorite-such as Casey Stoner- and following their progress is what makes an interesting series. It seems that the MotoGP class is sucking all the interest away from the other classes and a rethink is needed

of the rest to keep them from fading away.

 

[KPaulCook]

WSB could of been the NASCAR of motocycling.

You make a good point about MotoGP 125. World WSB seems to be ran by idiots. I could be the NASCAR of Motocycles vs MotoGP being the Formula 1. The thing that WSB had over MotoGP was that the average Joe could go buy a stock motorcycle much like the WSB bikes. Granted NASCAR is not stock car racing anymore but fans to identify with their Fords, Chevys and Dodges.

 

[34763]

As if MotoGP 2004 weren't already going to be interesting enough with all the top riders, we now get the added excitement of Xaus randomly crashing a bigger, badder Ducati. I hope d'Antin's stocking lots of extra parts ...

 

[sarnali]

Re: WSB could of been the NASCAR of motocycling.

Durn right kpaul, my Chevy Venture is the exact same van as a Nascar driver could buy to haul his dogs and kids around in, Thats why I bought it.

Win on Sunday, haul your kids to school on Monday.

 

[KPaulCook]

Xaus is a paradox

That's funny. When you look at Xaus from a physical stand point, the guy is big stud who obviously works out at the gym. Fogerty said in an interview once , he thought Xaus had more natural talent than anyone. It would be incresting to contrast the style of Xaus with Baylis and Capirossi on the MotoGP bike.

 

[edward44]

Re: WSB could of been the NASCAR of motocycling.

How about dropping superbike and having 2 classes of supersport: 600 and 1000cc. No factory iron-they have all pulled out anyway.

Stock bikes with limited mods for safety and handling. No special breaks for twins. TV coverage for all not just front runners. In fact this fixation on the front of the pack is a real drawback to TV viewing it seems to me.How many times would you have liked to have seen Colin Edwards this year? How many times did you see him? But then were are luckey to see anything at all with Fox Sports running( are ruining) the show

 

[sidefx996]

Yeah, the more he's throws it down the road the more promotions he gets. Who knows where this may lead if he crashes the GP bike a few times. Maybe Ferrari will replace Schumacher with him in F1 next. No doubt he's a super talent but damn look at the accomplishments of say Colin Edwards and what he had to go through to finally get a decent GP ride. How about a FOURTH title for Mat Mladin, do ya think maybe he deserves another shot at GP?

 

[KPaulCook]

Excellent idea

Great idea. Probably more folks could identify with this anyway.

 

[SeanAlexander]

Re: WSB could of been the NASCAR of motocycling.

"How about dropping superbike and having 2 classes of supersport: 600 and 1000cc. No factory iron-they have all pulled out anyway."

I think that's what's already happening in AMA Superbike. It looks like Kawasaki and Yamaha are not going to be running Superbike, but will concentrate their efforts on the 600cc Supersport, 1000cc Superstock and to a lesser extent 600cc "Formula Extreme" classes for 2004. I wouldn't be too suprised to see Honda join them in 2005, leaving "Superbike" to die on the vine with Suzuki as the only OEM still running.

 

[SeanAlexander]

Xaus is from Spain. That's pretty much all you need, by way of explination for WHY he gets special consideration in motorcycle racing circles.

 

[KPaulCook]

Good Point

Yep it hasn't really hurt Yamaha to just run 600 and 1000 cc bikes has it. Maybe Kawasaki is looking at that and saying we don't need to run superbike. You are probably right about Honda.

 

[KPaulCook]

Are budget deficits bad?

"Are deficits bad?

Persistently large deficits can be bad for the economy since they can lead to higher long-term interest rates and can depress national savings. In addition, large debt amounts can lead the economy down an unsustainable path. Each of these effects could harm the economy. Furthermore, deficits simply push off the burden to future generations. This is particularly troubling with the coming retirement of the baby boomer generation.

However, deficits do allow the government to finance vital national priorities, and can buffer the effects of economic fluctuations. The current level of deficits will hopefully prove to be, in OMB director Bolten’s words, "manageable." However, the persistence and the magnitude of the deficits, especially considering current and future needs that are going unmet, as well as the unprecedented dive from surplus to deficits, are a sign that the current administration is not acting in a responsible manner on tax and budget issues" see attached article for more.

Bush is evil