One week till the WSB season starts. Hooray!
You think our boy Ben's gonna do any good over there this year? Myself? I'd be very surprised if he didn't make a few waves, but given his unfamiliarity with the venues I doubt he'll be a "contenda," this time around anyway. A spoiler maybe, just no cigar, though if he comes back in '10, watch out...
We say this every year, but this year's WSB is going to be epic. I don't think there are any obvious winners but there must be 10 people in with a chance. So yes, I think Bens Pies will do very well and he will win races. But it's like he'll be racing against 5 Mladins and not just one. So winning the championship is going to be a tall order even though it may be within reach. There's a lot of unknowns here. - The new Yamaha, Aprilia, BMW, Suzuki - New circuits for Spies, Nakano, Byrne, Sykes - Haga in the factory Ducati team - Ducati providing satellite teams with the right equipment. Especially if they're beating them - The private teams having enough money to do a proper job, especially Sterilgarda, DFX and Stiggy Honda - The new Superpole format is bound to throw up some surprises as well
Spies will be a force just as Biaggi was and to a lesser extent, Barros. Both of those guys won races their first year in and Barros basically did it on a stock Honda. One has to put a lot of serious consideration in for Ben if Bayliss himself has him touted as a top two finisher, with Haga being the other one. I really really hope Nori wins it this year. That is great all the way around; the sport itself, Japan (who could sorely use a champion) and WSBK. Not that Ducati needs one. I'd rather have seen Nori do it on the Yam but I'll take it on the Duc. I understand they're pushing really hard to get WSBK back into Laguna though there are a lot of venues in the U.S. I'd rather see them at, such as Infineon or a neighboring track, still close to Napa called Thunderhill. Lots of room, close to a lot of cool stuff and a fun track that mixes Laguna and Infineon. A favorite of many AFM riders in Cali who've ridden them all. Great point about the "five Mladins". BMW will be the sleeper. Aprilia it before but never did anything with it and I can't believe none of these teams picked up Laconi. Regis is a bad dude on a bike. I don't blame him for quitting Kawi.
I like him at Miller, but beyond that we'll just have to see how fast he can get to speed on new tracks.. You think the Beemer's gonna do anything this year? I hope so! (BTW still lookin' for one! Ayup, WSB's loaded, kinda ironic too given how bad "most" everyone believed Flamini was screwing up by running the factories off a few years back, not to mention the control tire flap. Though TBH, I wonder what the future holds for a series that's 70% based on one continent, especially if the current money woes get deeper, as it probably won't matter a whole bunch how many great tracks you have if folks don't have the money to go...
It seems at this point that Yamaha has finally delivered the goods this year with the new R1. They've been so close in recent years but I think their lack of direct participation had hurt them. By all accounts the new Yam has the torque and grunt that last years bike sorely needed. That said, I really kind of wish Haga had stayed at Yamaha for another year too. Imagine Spies ditching Mladin and picking up Haga as a teammate! (no offence Mr. Sykes) Haga hasn't exactly been burning it up on Duc either. But then, we all know that Haga really steps it up during the races. Haga on the factory Ducati *should* be the odds on favorite for the title, but so far it looks like he's got some very serious competition to deal with in the likes of Spies, Rea, etc. Too bad the BMW and Aprilias aren't looking like contenders yet.
He's done pretty well so far, but the rigors of the road add another dimension and learning new tracks as you race might prove a little tougher for Spies than at a test. That said, I do wish him well...
Nice comment seen on another forum I hope someone really takes it to Foggy this year. Scott Russell is my choice for the title, even if I'm a Duke fan.
I was reading a local (NZL) car magazine and apparently we're getting a WSB round here (shiny new circuit, nearly finished) near Auckland in 2010. I did see the inaugural WSB finale at Manfield back in .... uhhh... 1988 according to Wiki; some Yank on an RC30 and in something that I've not aware has ever happened since, I watched as the riders swapped bikes and did a few laps. I seem to remember Fred Merkel riding Pirovano's Yamaha and saying "how did you ride that piece of sh*t so fast all season!" It was tight at the top that year http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Superbike_World_Championship_season
