Honda support for Hayden

I've been wondering about Honda's seeming lack of support for Hayden.
Given the points advantage and the reputation of Rossi, you'd expect
them to have put all their eggs in the Hayden basket. But they're not
even asking Pedrosa to move aside and preserve Hayden's point
advantage.

Could it be that Honda actually believe that Pedrosa is their best
chance to beat Rossi this year? Given the points difference, this would
be a stupendous vote of no confidence in Hayden. So much so that I
believe it cannot be the case. But it would explain a lot.

 

How many races has it been since either Hayden or Pedrosa beat Rossi?
Only a few, but he's coming up fast. And he does have quite a
reputation for winning championships.

 

I've watched more F1 than MotoGP in my life, and I've perhaps seen too
many drivers playing team orders from even before the first race. When
I started watching MotoGP, Rossi was partnering Ukawa. And I'm sure
that Rossi used to sail past Ukawa a few laps before the end of races,
and the commentators alluded to team orders. But since then Rossi keeps
on sailing past other racers a few laps before the end whether or not
he's in the same team. So maybe team orders aren't used as often as I
thought in MotoGP. I'm sure I've heard comments about possible team
orders in commentaries. But I haven't seen any in action.

 

ha escrito:

So you want all Honda riders to stop and let Hayden finish before them?
And it's not even the last race. This is motogp, not F1. And it would
be a defeat for Honda if they have to do that, and maybe they would
prefer to lose a championship better than do that. And it would mean
Hayden can not win it himself, alone, and I don't think he wants that.

I think you all should stop blaming Pedrosa and Honda because Hayden
is losing points.
It seems you prefer to make all kind of wild theories so you have not
have to criticize Hayden. Nicky has blamed himself this last race, he
has said he had not excuses. So if he doesn't use excuses, why would we
use them?
Dani is there to win, not to work to make other rider win.
If Dani was first, and Hayden finished before him in one race, would
you like Nicky to stop and wait so he didn't cut him points? You would
criticize Pedrosa, if Nicky had to do that.
If a rider can not win it alone, then he doesn't deserve it, and it's
better if other rider wins it. At least, before the last race.

 

I would like to see Rossi win. I wasn't blaming Pedrosa and Honday. And
there's no way that I want to see team orders in MotoGP. I'm actually
quite pleased to see no real evidence of team orders.

I was just discussing a hypothetical situation which I said was
unlikely to be true. If it was true, it would be damned criticism of
Hayden.

I'm extremely pleased to see that Dani is allowed to win for himself.
And why I agree with some of the criticisms of Honda, I respect them
for their sporting attitude in letting their riders race.

 

Mark N ha escrito:

In Spain, they talk about everything, we are not very patriotic if
that's what you think.
Maybe the point is that like Rossi says, Nicky doesn't know how to
develop a bike and how to prepare it for the race. Other riders can do
good races without his bike being perfect. Dani had not time to prepare
a perfect bike for Sepang race, and still he was third.
In the trainings Nicky was fast, but in the race he was not so fast. So
the problem is not the bike. That bike can be fast, he proves it in the
trainings, but then in the race he is slower than other riders.
And he is not the only one who has to prove things, all teams do
proves, Dani proved things too in the last races. Maybe to develop a
bike is too much for Nicky.

I prefer Nicky to win, because I don't like Rossi. But I don't think
you can blame Honda if Nicky lose the championship.

There is a very good interview with HRC vice president in a Spanish
magazine this week, Motociclismo, and he explains things very clearly,
they totally support Nicky. Maybe it's the press in your countries who
is biased and don't talk about "everything".

 

This sounds like the kind of problems that would normally be
experienced in pre-season testing. Though Yamaha had its own problems
earlier in the year.

 

It almost sounds like Hayden would be better off riding for Team
Roberts. At least he'd get new frames and pieces when he needed them.

For that matter, does anyone here think that Rossi would be winning the
championship this year if he was with Team Roberts?

 

What MN writes is the usual brain fart. "The first new frame he receives all
season". That means nothing. What do you guys think, that riders go "I need
a new frame"? That is NOT the type of feedback they'd typicaly give. There
are many things that get solved with suspension and other finetuning, and
Hayden's been getting new parts all damn year, for Christs sake. Plus the
fact it's the first frame he uses does not necessarily mean it's the first
one he rides - it's a very risky task to go for an entirely new frame. It's
probably just slightly tweaked in geometry. Anything too radical would not
make sense given the success Hayden's had as it is: he'd have fewer
references points etc etc

This is amateur talk. MN should talk after he's ridden a bike on a track at
least once. "I need a new frame". Tss.

....pablo

 

Mark N thinks:

Bullbarf. The rider's role in developing the bike is figuring out how
to
make the parts you have work best. The team's is fiddling with the
parts you have to make them work best, based on the rider's input.
The manufacturer's is giving the team new parts when testing and
team input says it might be an improvement.

Your doubt is unfounded. You thinking maybe the clutch is
unadjustable? Clutches on these booogers are multi-function
adjustable. Confusing as hell to a guy in over his head on
the development end of things.

Note that I agree, from the little to become public about the
clutch Hayden has, that a redesign of the clutch is in order.
He and the team seem to have made it work good enough
to still be leading the championship though.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.