Best rider to never suceed above their expectations?

I just updated my avatar, and of course it's Anthony Gobert. I was just thinking, which riders have you thought that were going to make themselves a star, and haven't succeeded? He's my obvious choice, me being an Aussie. I saw him ride supercross in his late teens and he was absolutely the best in Oz at the time. When he moved to road racing, and especially when he changed from Honda to Kawasaki and raced in the WSBK for the first time at PI, I thought he could absolutely dominate the world of road racing. He had such natural talent, but he went off the rails (well thats debatable), but he blew his chances. I loved his quote that he wanted to win 5 500cc world title and then move to F1 and win that title too. Maybe he couldn't have done that but I believe he could have been a multiple top class world champ.
Does anyone else have a rider who, for whatever reasons, didn't fulfill their potential, who they think could of won major motorcycling titles?
PS, I'm pretty sure he moved from honda to kawasaki to race in WSBK but not totally sure. Lot's of brain benders between then!

At the start of 06, I saw lorenzo Lanzi race for the first time in WSB as a stand-in. He really impressed me, and obviously Ducati too as they gave him the factory ride with Bayliss. All through the remainder of the season I was waiting for him to get into his stride but it never really happened. Those in the know put his poor performance down to various personal factors and Ductati gave him the benefit of the doubt and resigned him for 07, but he never really took off. Toward the middle of 07, people were just putting him down saying he didnt deserve a factory ride, which I guess was true.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(WishIcudRideLikeRossi @ Nov 16 2007, 01:10 AM) [snapback]100886[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
At the start of 06, I saw lorenzo Lanzi race for the first time in WSB as a stand-in. He really impressed me, and obviously Ducati too as they gave him the factory ride with Bayliss. All through the remainder of the season I was waiting for him to get into his stride but it never really happened. Those in the know put his poor performance down to various personal factors and Ductati gave him the benefit of the doubt and resigned him for 07, but he never really took off. Toward the middle of 07, people were just putting him down saying he didnt deserve a factory ride, which I guess was true.


Yeah but didn't one of the head honcho's make a funny coment at their victory celebrations when Stoner got the title ..... " well now we know we need an Italian and and Australian to win titles " ...... well I assumed it was meant to be a funny remark .... maybe not so, and so long as they just have an italian they might have expected Baylis to go good



I'm not gonna say who the rider I think of is .... cos he is still out there LOL ... I just remember McCoy being dropped ( and he had actually won GP's ) and this new guy coming in to replace him and he was getting like 20th on the same bike. He still hasn't won a GP. Mind you 2007 was his best year yet ..... so maybe he's just working up to it slowly.

Oh and Hansford!! I allways expected him to clean up .. but meh ... not much ado at all on the world stage.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BarryMachine @ Nov 16 2007, 12:28 AM) [snapback]100889[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
Yeah but didn't one of the head honcho's make a funny coment at their victory celebrations when Stoner got the title ..... " well now we know we need an Italian and and Australian to win titles " ...... well I assumed it was meant to be a funny remark .... maybe not so, and so long as they just have an italian they might have expected Baylis to go good
I'm not gonna say who the rider I think of is .... cos he is still out there LOL ... I just remember McCoy being dropped ( and he had actually won GP's ) and this new guy coming in to replace him and he was getting like 20th on the same bike. He still hasn't won a GP. Mind you 2007 was his best year yet ..... so maybe he's just working up to it slowly.

Oh and Hansford!! I allways expected him to clean up .. but meh ... not much ado at all on the world stage.

Greg Hansford? Kawasaki? 350? I saw him race cars but i suppose he never got much recognition on TV for racing bikes? If there was any, (which I very much doubt), the only thing I remember was his funeral, and he had a kawasaki flag on his coffin? Only pictures I can google are Hansford on a KR750?

[attachmentid=2533]

stoner vs rossi , discus

come on ,we all no where it will end up so thats just cut to the chase, why make this thread any different ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roger-m @ Nov 16 2007, 01:06 AM) [snapback]100899[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
[attachmentid=2533]

stoner vs rossi , discus

come on ,we all no where it will end up so thats just cut to the chase, why make this thread any different ?

Roger, you've started it? Why not just lead us there yourself? I'm sure you've got an opinion on it!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roger-m @ Nov 15 2007, 11:06 AM) [snapback]100899[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
[attachmentid=2533]

stoner vs rossi , discus

come on ,we all no where it will end up so thats just cut to the chase, why make this thread any different ?

c'mon rog don't be so cynical...

me.....

i must say that colin edwards has been the biggest dissapointment for me. he was great on a sbk but he came to gps & just wrote a thick excuse book.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Son of Doohan @ Nov 15 2007, 02:52 PM) [snapback]100883[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
I just updated my avatar, and of course it's Anthony Gobert. I was just thinking, which riders have you thought that were going to make themselves a star, and haven't succeeded? He's my obvious choice, me being an Aussie. I saw him ride supercross in his late teens and he was absolutely the best in Oz at the time. When he moved to road racing, and especially when he changed from Honda to Kawasaki and raced in the WSBK for the first time at PI, I thought he could absolutely dominate the world of road racing. He had such natural talent, but he went off the rails (well thats debatable), but he blew his chances. I loved his quote that he wanted to win 5 500cc world title and then move to F1 and win that title too. Maybe he couldn't have done that but I believe he could have been a multiple top class world champ.
Does anyone else have a rider who, for whatever reasons, didn't fulfill their potential, who they think could of won major motorcycling titles?
PS, I'm pretty sure he moved from honda to kawasaki to race in WSBK but not totally sure. Lot's of brain benders between then!


If we have to count those who died before fulfilling their promise, I think the no.1 for the last 40 years is without any doubt Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen, who was beating Agostini with disarming ease back in the early '70s before dying in Monza in 1973, along with Renzo Pasolini. Sad memories - I was just a kid but those two were my favourites...! They never won a world title, but Saarinen would have surely won several in a row.

Among those who didn't die but somehow managed to waste their careers I think Marco Lucchinelli is a good example - he was an extraordinary talent and won the 500 world title in 1981 but then went rapidly down, losing himself in parties and cocaine.

Another

Kato, even rossi said things would have been very different had he lived.

oopps i said the R word

In the last years up to now, I think the best disappointment for me was Manuel Poggiali.. He won 125 title in 2001 and 2002 and dominated 250 the following year 2003, then he disappeared and the last season he was out of world championship. It's clear that something crashed inside his mind, but nobody knows what it is.
It's a mistery.

The name that springs to my mind is John kocinski, i think he was another example of an incredibly talented rider let down by his fragile mind.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(J4rn0 @ Nov 15 2007, 03:26 PM) [snapback]100905[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
If we have to count those who died before fulfilling their promise, I think the no.1 for the last 40 years is without any doubt Finnish rider Jarno Saarinen,

Good call

ya Id say Kato, he was japans best hope of top class champion if when that was when Rossi was at his best


Kato still has the record for most 250cc wins in a season I believe

max biaggi, did so much in 25os, amazed people in his first year of 500s and did so other amazing things.
but had he not been so much of a whinger, complaining about this and that all th time and got on with the job using what he had and trying to get the best out of it, he could have achieved so much more.

Norifumi Abe. His 1st race at the Japanese GP is legendary and still sends shivers up my spine when I see it. It's just a real shame that his career didn't go so well and an even greater shame he died so young.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BarryMachine @ Nov 15 2007, 06:28 AM) [snapback]100889[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>I'm not gonna say who the rider I think of is .... cos he is still out there LOL ... I just remember McCoy being dropped ( and he had actually won GP's ) and this new guy coming in to replace him and he was getting like 20th on the same bike. He still hasn't won a GP. Mind you 2007 was his best year yet ..... so maybe he's just working up to it slowly.


By "replace" him you mean be team mates? And didn't McCoy's constant crashing and injuries take himself out of the season? And didnt' the team go away the next year when the 2 strokes were banned? Now that the facts are straight, continue...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tom @ Nov 15 2007, 04:49 PM) [snapback]100932[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
The name that springs to my mind is John kocinski, i think he was another example of an incredibly talented rider let down by his fragile mind.

Indeed. JK was the most amazing rider on his "good" days, but strangely incredibly (by his "good"standards) poor on his "bad" days. I wondered at the time whether it was drugs related - not necessarily illegal. Plus the way he got fired...
Despite his up and down career, can't really say that MRNG has really got the random numbers quite so sorted as JK did

King of Slide Garry McCoy..
I think he's back riding WSS next year on a Triumph.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(frosty58 @ Nov 15 2007, 03:18 PM) [snapback]100903[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
i must say that colin edwards has been the biggest dissapointment for me. he was great on a sbk but he came to gps & just wrote a thick excuse book.


I agree... and i think the same goes for Bayliss well he won a race didn't he.

I remember those two had one of the best races ever round Imola... i thought they would be top riders in motogp.