WSB in the USA 2005

Oh what fun!
http://venus.13x.com/roadracingworld/scripts/NewsInsert.asp?insert=10336

"Flammini Group, the promoter of the Superbike World Championship
Series, may hold a round of the 2005 series in the U.S., on its
traditional date, in direct conflict with the MotoGP race that replaced
World Superbike on Laguna Seca's 2005 calendar.

No word yet on where the race would be held.

Whether or not AMA National classes will be run at Laguna Seca in
support of the MotoGP class has yet to be determined."

 

SBK may be done for. When Honda leaves a series, you know something bad is
around the corner. Hell they usually start new series!
I wonder if SBK will try for the AMA weekend at Barber, which is where I
assumed MotoGP (prior to the announcement) would be held in the US.

 

Years ago, Honda left a major series in Europe or the UK. The motorcycle
show at the NEC in the UK was covered in little stickers that one of the
other teams had been spreading. "Honda Enters. Honda Wins. Honda loses.
Honda Leaves."

 

As long as Ten Kate continue to win and place, they have a perfect back
door to get the exposure and they can funnel support through HRC Europe
without it being obvious and taking too much away from Ten Kate's
obvious talents. This isn't a whole lot different from the Yoshimura -
Suzuki relationship.

Note here that the official HRC team in the UK has been preparing a home
built 'Blade in case they lose their factory bikes next year. It tested
recently at Cadwell with Karl Harris up and was only 0.3s back from the
Suzukis.

 

What? Why is WSB "done for"?? Because Mark Nutfuck says so? He's been saying
this for years but it still hasn't happened, shame on you for being such a
muppet. God bless you, and all that!
AMA is probably on a par with the national series in India - nothing against
Indians, but they also just don't have the talent. Why do you still watch
AMA? Did you not see the level of AMA "talent" at the recent WSB races?
Where was it?

Fred

 

god what a fucking moron. no AMA guys because WSB is a Pirelli series, and
all of the top guys are on other brands of tires.
And if you failed to notice the AMA guys were a second and a half faster. Or
are your reading skills about the same as your perceptive ones?

 

It really isn't a fair comparison because of the Pirelli's.
But the problem is that it is no longer a win on Sunday sell on Monday
proposition. That is why Honda is gone. (yes, I understand TenKate gets
some premium HRC goodies.)

Why do they keep improving the RC-51? That should still be their SBK
platform. But they don't see a way to beat the Ducs I guess.

 

Okay fuckknuckle, admit that you've just started watching this year. I
didn't notice everybody using Pirelli tyres last year when the AMA boys
were taking part in the same race......did you? If your brain can think
back that far then you can remind me of the result last year?
This year the *factory* mega-bucks Honda was slightly faster than a
privately entered, non-factory supported CBR on Pirelli tyres with a rider
who had never riden the track before in his life. You trying to tell me
that all the AMA guys were 1.5 seconds faster than all the WSB crowd? Who's
the moron now?

BTW, the WSB Ducati lapped faster than the AMA Ducati.

Fred

 

Andrew wrote:
*bits snipped*

Pssst, don't tell that to Jim. You might spoil his day.....

And I understand that they *don't* get premium HRC goodies.....

Fred

 

I've seen an HRC sticker on Vermullen's bike. Doesn't that count?
I just saw that TenKate is receiving some prototype stuff in this month's
sport rider (or other US mag).
Perhaps that is a new development. I do KNOW that TenKate is a fabulous
racing firm, so they make anything they can dream up too.

 

God what a troll. This is the fiist year for Pirelli in WSB as a control
tire. Or you not notice that? What brand of tires was Chili on? Does Dunlop
ring a bell?
Last year only Steve Martin's team was on Pirelli. And last year was a joke.
Yates took out E Bos in the first corner of the first race and Mladin
decided that winning the AMA championship was more important that winning a
one off race. Stroked it around to fourth and didn't ride the second race
He was on superpole and fastest during normal qualifying by a fair margin.
None of the Honda guys rode WSB in 2003.
And no was just talking the top guys. There are 6 factory guys in AMA and E
Bos was the only one slower than the WSB guys.
Apples to Apples.
Oh and by the way my first race at Laguna was 1978...

 

Does the names Roberts, Spencer, Lawson and Rainey mean anything to you?
And Bostrom qualifies at 1:24.9 vs Vermulen at 1:26.9 (superpole) You have
an odd concept of " Slightly"

 

So why stand up for him then you Muppet? Your views on what doesn't make him
a dumbfuck obviously differ from mine - if you think he never talks utter
rubbish good for you.
I still don't understand why you say that WSB is dead, and neither do you
really? You don't go into too many details in your one-sentence
explanation. Like to expand a little bit T3?

Fact is that WSB is seen and supported my more fans world-wide than the AMA.
The level of racing in WSB is also much higher and the tracks are certainly
more challenging and better. In the AMA they are lapping backmarkers within
around 5 laps. What is going on there?!

If WSB is so bad, and in your expert opinion "dead", why do you watch it?

Fred

 

So if it's a troll why are you replying??! Can't resist eh?!

Jim, I know what happened last year! I am under the impression that you do
not judging by what you wrote.

As we already both agreed, they are running different tyres and different
spec bikes. How can you compare? Do you really think Yates or Mladin would
be faster than a Vermeulen at Philip Island, a Haga at Brands, or a Chili
at Misano? Not a chance.....

Which obviously goes to prove that being a racer doesn't necessarily mean
you know what you are talking about! I won't go into the tracks that I have
raced at either.... Hang on a second, didn't I just shoot myself in the
foot with that last remark?!!!

 

different, since health issues intruded

Oh yeah, throw out ifs... The only control guy is Ben B. And he broke the
track record at Laguna this year
Everyone else is utter speculation. And you seem adept at that

Yeah troll tell us all about it.. You even have a clue what the situation is
in the US?
You rip on guys who didn't ride the race and act like they should have.
The top locals don't ride WSB this year in any country

 

T3
Right, and who gives a flying **** if WSB is *dead* in the USA? Do the
Europeans, Australians or the Japanese give a shit? No! Stop watching it if
it's dead, or can't you? At one time the opinion of the US maybe meant
something.....not any more pal, sorry! Live with it.....

As far as the tracks in Europe go I have not only been to them but riden
most of them. Tell me which ones you have riden and we'll swap notes. Over
to you T3, the ball is in your court......

 

Been there, seen it, done it....

The top locals do ride WSB, but only in the US are they too coward ( might
lose right? ). How do you explain Shakey Burns winning both races as a
wildcard in last year's WSB race? Does this not count?

 

In Europe not the same thing.. You wonder why guys are getting lapped in the
US, which shows you know little about what's going on in the US.
There are 6 factory sponsored riders in the US. They get the best equipment,
with the best tires.
Then there are the spear carriers at the back. They are in the show because
the purse money pays most of the bills ( they aren't broke yet) and the AMA
has a 112% qualiying rule. They ride because they like the challenge.
Do the math. The leader does 9 laps to their eight. When do they get lapped?
Most races are 20+ laps here in the US. So if you can't do 95% of the
leader's time, you get lapped.

That was LAST year. Or is THIS year a difficult point to grasp?
Didn't see Rutter,Reynolds, Emmett, Kagayama or most of the BSB crowd at
Brands this year. (the race following Laguna)
Must be cowards. Perhaps the fact that it is a 100% Pirelli show now had
something to do with it?
Or is Ellison the only brave guy in BSB?
And also might mention that AMA fuel rules are different than WSB. So to
race in WSB, you have to have a different set up.
Building a one weekend unit isn't very cost effective, so unless the factory
team has a point to make, they save their money and take a pass...
So you're right, former racers have no concept of what they speak of...

 

How much is tyres an issue? Apart from Eric B this year everyone is on
Dunlops so it's effectively a spec tyre series (like BSB). Are the
factory team tyres significantly different from what everyone else gets?
How about some one like Josh Hayes?

There must be other reasons as well for the gap between factory and
private. Are a significant number of the private teams running
Superstock legal bikes in SB to get another race? Put that another way.
How many of the bikes on a typical AMA SB grid are only legal in SB?

 

It was a big step up for Hayes when he got moved up from the customer tires
earlier in the season

Most of the non factory units are slightly modified Superstock is limited
on the amount of modification that can be done (stock forks, wheels, brakes,
etc ...)
But you can't buy a turn key racebike, and most guys don't have the
resources to compete at the factory level.
That's what Ten Kate is looking at. Open spot in market for a developed race
unit. Not quite factory level kit, but a lot better than a breathed on
street bike, which is the other option,,,,