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Danny is always injured and has killed a lot of bikes once almost costing nicky and hrc the title,sic also was very inconsistant and wrecked his bikes,in comparison Cal is very much a newcomer and still learning, his results are at least as good as sics and he got a factory ride,even though i am a brit i think cal deserves a factory ride on merit,as for finishing were he should, he is a constant podium threat,give the boy the bike and the support and we would have a contender in my opinion.
I'm still not one-hundred percent, I got sick on the flight home, which I will post the story and the complaint letter I have issued the airline in the social meet up thread later; but I've managed to pop in on the forum here and there between shots of NyQuil rather than tequila (which I am considering retiring).
Your post above, and similar sentiments by others... has reminded of a comedian I once was watching, who had the audience rolling, and then he said: "You're all laughing now saying, haha, yeah yeah ha-ha, that is until I get to that one part of my show where you will say, hey....... you man!"
A few thoughts regarding Crutchlow ( I'm only writing until the effects of the latest dose of NyQuil takes its toll, so I'll be brief):
PERSPECTIVE! This seems to be lost at the moment when talking about Cal Crutchlow. First, let me say, I have been genuinely impressed with his lap times, no doubt the man is super talented. And given the relative safety of being 7000 miles away from the Brit contingent, specifically Lil Red & Arrabi, and for you here I won't repeat my thoughts on the merits of Cal being promoted into the series, or his performance years 1 & 2--summarized I'd say there were 'lacking' relatively speaking. Regardless, we can't negate that Cal has been in the top slots during testing, practices, quals, and most importantly, the last two races. I haven't had a chance to read all the chatter on the media outlets, press releases, and interviews, etc., as I can barely get up for a cup of water between visits to the toilet and the bed, but let me say a few things. Sometimes we have to analyze things a bit deeper to seek that perspective. For years it seemed 90% of GP spectators were falling over themselves to tell us how Rossi was infalliable, and who could argue against them, as the record seemed to indicate they were right. But if you were motivated, as I was, to scratch beneath the service, there was plenty of evidence to support the alternate view that VR was not/is not as good as we have all believed (I won't bore you here with all the exclusive entitlements he enjoyed which I have made a forum career of pointing out that indicate (at least for me) his recorded is artificially padded). But lets look at a few things I have thought about regarding Cal's performance so far (I am reminded by a quote from LeviGerrett who was heard at the track saying after Cal made a braking mistake: "This is what Cal does."
1.
Cal should send the designers of Qatar and COTA flowers; whom had F1 in mind when they designed it, providing the run-off possible for Cal to finished both these races in one piece; OTHERWISE, we would be talking 2 for 2 (100%) DNFs to start the season! I replied to somebody who said GP should avoid F1 tracks, well, if Cal has scrutinized his performance, I doubt he would make the same conclusion. I'm thinking he should be praying for F1 tracks, that is until he can figure out how not make mistakes on braking (a generally accepted Yamaha strength). This is a carry over of the last two years, Cal is NOT a relatively "new comer" in this regard, not to the series, not to this bike.
2.
Cal should send Ducati flowers. Cal on a Ducati would have been relegated to finish behind Dovi and ahead of injured Spies, and the increased interest in his career would have been in the exact opposite direction. Cal deserves praise for beating Rossi, who just came off a horrible performance at Ducati, but he had a brake issue at COTA riding on Spies' bike (so it seems). Cal should expect to be behind VR regularly once in Europe, and passed with relative ease as he did so at Qatar.
3.
Cal should send Bradley flowers. Why have Pedro, Hayden, and Rossi seemed deserving of castigation, criticism, and general disapproval? The answer is, because they have been handed their ..... by their teammate. Lets shelve the fact that Cal would have been sitting on a Ducati had he got what he made abundantly public he wanted; but the best measure for us to ascribe significance to his performance for comparison is gone! We now have Bradley Smith as his teammate (sitting in the standing below all 4 .... Ducatis, even a guy with a bum wing AND a couple of CRTs) who is getting beat by DuCRT and proper CRTs in races he finishes. Given his teammate is far inferior in performance, we are forced to SPECULATE just how “inferior” his M1 is to the factory M1s. That speculation has been inclined to give Cal all the benefit of the doubt (and rightly so, but the magnitude may be debatable). That Cal is beating his teammate is hardly cause for kudos (sorry to my Brit friends, but the kid, as likeable as he is, simply is being out classed). Which brings me to the next and probably most important point of all regarding PERSPECTIVE.
4.
Cal should send Andrea Dovizioso flowers. Just how impressive would Cal’s performance be if he had Dovi as his teammate? Well, Dovi is now at Ducati; notwithstanding, this is the man who was responsible for flustering Rossi in Qatar AND finished one position behind Rossi at COTA. This, on a bike that Rossi declared repeatedly (where his followers echoed in stereo) was a machine ‘un-rideable’! I can sure you, if Cal had a massively inferior bike to the factory’s, he would be telling us at every opportunity! People are still speculating if he has a 2012 spec M1 engine/bike, where he already tweeted last round that he has the same lump as Lorenzo & Rossi. He also mentioned after Qatar, he messed with the mapping, lowering the power, finishing the race with a measure of fuel reserve (where as Rossi ran out) which may have affected the outcome. Anyway, the point being this, who here believes if Dovi had remained Cal’s teammate, that Cal would have beat him both rounds? If Dovi finishes ahead of Cal, in your minds eye, then who is ready to demand Cal get “factory” support?
5.
HRC 2nd seat: I completely agree with your take about Cal or anybody of his ability (which means a few riders) deserving to get Pedro's seat. The midget has done .... all with it, and he's been given every opportunity. Its time for a change. If they go after Cal to replace Pedrobot, I'm all for it. At this point it would be something like a lateral move, with the ADVANTAGE that Cal (who has had plenty of practice falling the last two years) has proven to be gritty and won't break apart like a fragile china doll that is Pedrosa.
Sorry buddy, I’ve generally agreed with everything you’ve posted, and believe you me, I am 10x more self-conscious and insecure about Arrabi’s judgment on my takes, given his positive perspective on Cal than I would be from you or Lil Red (God help me at Laguna). But despite his good finishing and great lap times, if you dig a bit deeper, the man still has to quit repeating &
repeating mistakes in races and
ride flawless; I know, sounds an absurd and outrageous demand (as I say this from the comfort of my bed) YET,
keep in mind, the top 3 podium finishers actually rode to PERFECTION! This is what it takes at this level (that and a top bike
).
