Mladin Continues to Whine

I believe that Speed is going to show the Superstock race along with the FX
"Honda Exposition Series" on the 13th. They're bundling the two races
together into a single hour.

(Not to necessarily blame Honda for its dominance in FX...no one else is
showing up).

We have to wait on Superbike to see how well EBoz can pick up the pace. As
tracks go, I think that Fontana is more an anomaly than the norm on the
series. We shall see. The critical bits, IMHO, are that the Ducati hold
together. He can't afford many, if any, more DNFs this season. Mat is too
consistent and his bike too reliable to give them that edge.

On the other hand, having only 6 "real" competitors makes it a bit less
interesting. As Geoff May said to Greg White's question "So, you think you
can get this thing up there today?" "Not a hope." The fact that an
essentially stock R1 PLACED so well in the race (but was waaayy down on
time) just exacerbates the whole thing, IMHO. It gets 11th. What's that say
about the rest of the field?

But we will know shortly, I think, one way or the other whether was have a
real race season on our hands.

MotoGP is definately the most interesting this year, and that shows with the
factory commitment. I think Rossi can pull it off.

Regards,

Will Hartung
()

 

Well thats actually not what I said to be precise. I alluded to the
fact that their are other whiners out there and they are American.
Actually, it was poor form in addition to being a rather flimsy straw
man and I did aplogise to Chris in a later post.

Come up with a new excuse for what? All I was pointing out that the
guy continues to win and just gets dumped on for it. In this
particular case it was because of one line in a page long op ed
column.

I don't need to make excuses for anything - I'm not a Mladin fanboy in
particular, I just do not like how he gets singled out for criticism
that applies to just about every other guy out there.

I have posted my views in other articles in this thread - I'm not
going to repeat them here.

oh, and the ad hominem attack really drives home your point. Right on,
bro.

Cheers
Dean.

 

I guess my personal view is a mix. I like a winner but I also like somebody I can actually *like*.
My perception is that most of the fans are like me. Sure people like a winner but they also
like someone they can relate to and can imagine actually liking as a person. That explains why
riders who don't necessarily win that often (Ben Bostrom) can still have big fan followings
(although Ben is actually a pretty damn good rider too). Of course my wife likes Ben because he is
cute but if that is what allows me to got to multiple AMA races around the country each year then I
am fine with that

More power to Matt. He is a good rider but I will never really be a big fan of his and I think the
same can be said of a lot of folks.

As far as marketing power, which by the way is why the factories race, it is a combination of
ability and personality. Factories race, in large part, because they think it helps them sell more
bikes. A really likable rider, who may not win all the time but has a large fan base, may sell more
bikes than a winner who no one likes. Who would draw more people to a dealership on a publicity
tour, Ben or Eric Bostrom or Matt Mladin? I think I know the answer and I don't think it is because
Matt is an Australian and Ben and Eric are Americans.

--Jim

 

somebody I can actually *like*.
It sure _is_ more fun when a rider fits our spiritual needs, I've got to
admit.

Not so sure myself that Matt wouldn't draw as many fans.
PS Matt actually is a Suzuki dealer!

Look at Foggy. He was pretty outspoken, and they'd flock to him.


--
Ed Light

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It doesn't mean that at all. Last year when GSXR1000 was THE dominant
superbike in AMA and the rules essentially played into Mladin's hands,
he made a very poignant statement, which reflected very much on his
sportsmanship and wisdom. To paraphrase, he said something along the
lines of "I'm not here to prove I'm the best, this is not club racing.
I get paid to win races. If I'm given an advantage, why shouldn't I
take it?" So, it's the same here. Mladin's a smart and experienced
competitor. If he sees an opportunity to improve his chances, he goes
for it. Why should he be bashed for it? Eric's no slouch either. He
is strong minded and I'm sure the Duc's gonna be sorted out before we
know it. I say sit back and enjoy the show. Finally, EBoz has
something to work with this season.

 

I wasn't talking about Mladin any more. I was commenting on the tactic of
fazing the other riders.


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So basically you just like whoever is winning the most races or championship
in any given time period? Does your favorite change from season to season?
Was Nicky Hayden your favorite AMA rider a couple of years back when Mladin
didn't do so well?

 

MotoGP will be great this year. I think Rossi will be on the pole often,
but I still wonder if he can hold the quicker pace for the entire race. I
think if Colin or Sete can be consistent they may get the championship,
but I think Rossi will be right there. I get the feeling that the Ducatis
will
not be much of a threat this year. Looks like Suzuki is looking a bit
faster though.

 

I hate Hacking (from US) and Hopper (US/UK). For years I didn't
Ow! There goes my heavenly cosmopolitan fantasy of motogp.

Colin appears to have matured from his former tendency to swear out
put-downs.

--
Ed Light

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