Carmelo the clown...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chockmoose @ Jan 14 2009, 08:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>He believes (Carmelo) that if the manufacturers cut back to one spare bike per team rather than the present one spare per rider arrangement, they will be able to expand their line-ups.

Ok I await the live coin toss pre raceday as to who gets the spare on a white flagged race, should be interesting!
Another thing 1 spare bike and a carbon cruncher like depuntit....hahahahahahahhahahahahah!

Now you've got it, Ezy.

MotoGP needs even fewer bikes. With a little luck, both riders will badly damage their primary bikes and then only one of them will get to race on Sunday.

Hopefully, a couple of the races will have under 15 racers and the FIM will refuse to sanction them.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mylexicon @ Jan 14 2009, 09:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Now you've got it, Ezy.

MotoGP needs even fewer bikes. With a little luck, both riders will badly damage their primary bikes and then only one of them will get to race on Sunday.

Hopefully, a couple of the races will have under 15 racers and the FIM will refuse to sanction them.
You clearly haven't read the rules, Lex. Should both riders damage their primary bikes, they will ride two up on the team's third bike for the duration of the race and split the points earned based on their finishing position. This same scenario applies in white flag situations.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chockmoose @ Jan 14 2009, 03:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>He believes (Carmelo) that if the manufacturers cut back to one spare bike per team rather than the present one spare per rider arrangement, they will be able to expand their line-ups.

Ok I await the live coin toss pre raceday as to who gets the spare on a white flagged race, should be interesting!
Another thing 1 spare bike and a carbon cruncher like depuntit....hahahahahahahhahahahahah!
ezy is looking at it from an accountant's point of view not a rider or team manager's. maybe if the greedy ....... gave some of there money to the teams rather that keeping all of it there wouldn't be a problem.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Jan 14 2009, 09:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You clearly haven't read the rules, Lex. Should both riders damage their primary bikes, they will ride two up on the team's third bike for the duration of the race and split the points earned based on their finishing position. This same scenario applies in white flag situations.

Randy Mamola world champion 2009!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xx CURVE xx @ Jan 14 2009, 03:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'> Randy Mamola world champion 2009!
would ducati be aloud to use the 2 seater if they run out of spare bikes ?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Jan 14 2009, 08:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You clearly haven't read the rules, Lex. Should both riders damage their primary bikes, they will ride two up on the team's third bike for the duration of the race and split the points earned based on their finishing position. This same scenario applies in white flag situations.

Wow. Picture DeAngelis riding 2up with his rainbow helmet. Epic.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72769
From the same article:

"In any case it's Kawasaki's problem: if they don't race [in 2009], I'll take them to court."

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ThePhorest @ Jan 14 2009, 10:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72769
From the same article:

"In any case it's Kawasaki's problem: if they don't race [in 2009], I'll take them to court."

hey..they signed a contract....... them

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xx CURVE xx @ Jan 14 2009, 04:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>hey..they signed a contract....... them
good point but playing hardball with teams will not encourage new ones to join the series especially in these uncertain economic times.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jan 14 2009, 10:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>good point but playing hardball with teams will not encourage new ones to join the series especially in these uncertain economic times.

So build better bikes...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xx CURVE xx @ Jan 14 2009, 04:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>So build better bikes...
allow turbo's then poorer teams can go fast cheap !

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jan 14 2009, 10:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>allow turbo's then poorer teams can go fast cheap !

works for me...i'd love to see a kwak explode

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jan 14 2009, 04:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>good point but playing hardball with teams will not encourage new ones to join the series especially in these uncertain economic times.
........ hardball is business and that is the agreement they signed when they wanted to enter the sport. If KHI who is the one who calls the shots for Kawi doesn't all of a sudden want to race because of the financial issues globaly tough .... for them. They signed an agreement knowing full well they have to race to a specific date and if that was unable to be fullfilled then there is an issue of contract breach. So this also looks bad for Kawi due to the fact they have sucked majorly and now want to pull the team. So now you have a group of serious underachievers that have supposedly no money from KHI. YEah ok as if they don't have the coin to race. I would believe Ducati, Suzuki, but not Kawi due to the financial backer they have in their parent company. I hope we somehow wind up with a few more bikes on the grid but realisticly I know that is almost impossible. Kawi should race period.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ROCKGOD01 @ Jan 14 2009, 05:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>........ hardball is business and that is the agreement they signed when they wanted to enter the sport. If KHI who is the one who calls the shots for Kawi doesn't all of a sudden want to race because of the financial issues globaly tough .... for them. They signed an agreement knowing full well they have to race to a specific date and if that was unable to be fullfilled then there is an issue of contract breach. So this also looks bad for Kawi due to the fact they have sucked majorly and now want to pull the team. So now you have a group of serious underachievers that have supposedly no money from KHI. YEah ok as if they don't have the coin to race. I would believe Ducati, Suzuki, but not Kawi due to the financial backer they have in their parent company. I hope we somehow wind up with a few more bikes on the grid but realisticly I know that is almost impossible. Kawi should race period.
ok ,so what would you think if they honoured there contract and turned up for the 09 season only to cruise around at 50mph getting in the way and generally being a pain it the arse. how much money and effort do you think they will put in ? better to have a series with teams that want to race rather than ones forced to race imo.

your comment "hardball is business" is what wrong with the world and why its so ...... up !

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jan 14 2009, 09:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>your comment "hardball is business" is what wrong with the world and why its so ...... up !

Sometimes when a company asks for a bailout, you have to say no.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jan 14 2009, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>ok ,so what would you think if they honoured there contract and turned up for the 09 season only to cruise around at 50mph getting in the way and generally being a pain it the arse. how much money and effort do you think they will put in ? better to have a series with teams that want to race rather than ones forced to race imo.

your comment "hardball is business" is what wrong with the world and why its so ...... up !
WRONG!!!! Hardball was never the problem. THe problem is tolerance and the want to bring EVERYONE who doesn't deserve it to the same level. THe whole problem with housing is that there has to be this giving money to people with NO credit, high debt to income ratio's, and a sence of entitlement. If one guy had the balls to stand up to special intrest groups who fight to have these stupid policies enacted we wouldn't be in this situation right now as a nation. But because people are afraid of being called names like racist, elitist, etc we had to give money to folks who never intended to pay it back in any capacity. And sure as .... we are in a situation that I hope we recover from but it is very doubtful at this point. IF you have any clue then you have to play hardball in business. You have to have a sence of self preservation for not only your job but also the company you run or work for to maintain some balance. Well the govt is really no different except that there seems to be this big push to put people who don't belong in it, there in the mix. THis has nothing to do with color or whatever. IT has everything to do with getting it right with qualified people for the jobs. You don't put a rider in a mechanics position for good reason. Look how everything got ...... up and it all reached something we thought would not be affected. Our precious sport is in dire need because of morons NOT playing hardball.

You seem to be overlooking the fact that the penalties for breaching the contract are rumored to be 20 million euro for each season missed through 2011. Kawasaki were claimed to spend somewhere around 60 million (not sure if that was in USD or euro) annually. They will play hardball. They will supply bikes or pay the penalty. Either way it is cheaper for them than to fund a factory effort.

They should take the hit and bail. Like Roger said, do you think they're going to have any commitment to improving the bike whatsoever? It's a .... bike to start with and making it better will only cost them more money, which they have said they aren't willing to do. Additionally, they will have little to no control over the image of the bike which has always been a sticking point with Kawasaki and they will have little to no control over who pilots the bike, another marketing blow for them.

What sense does it make to Kawasaki if they send out two ZX-RRs to Jorge Martinez, he paints them red and puts a couple of Spanish 250 kids on it, just for Kawasaki to pour more money into the project. Now they're investing in the team (which they don't want to do anymore) and they're getting none of the marketing benefits. It's lose-lose. I say bail.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Jan 14 2009, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You seem to be overlooking the fact that the penalties for breaching the contract are rumored to be 20 million euro for each season missed through 2011. Kawasaki were claimed to spend somewhere around 60 million (not sure if that was in USD or euro) annually. They will play hardball. They will supply bikes or pay the penalty. Either way it is cheaper for them than to fund a factory effort.

They should take the hit and bail. Like Roger said, do you think they're going to have any commitment to improving the bike whatsoever? It's a .... bike to start with and making it better will only cost them more money, which they have said they aren't willing to do. Additionally, they will have little to no control over the image of the bike which has always been a sticking point with Kawasaki and they will have little to no control over who pilots the bike, another marketing blow for them.

What sense does it make to Kawasaki if they send out two ZX-RRs to Jorge Martinez, he paints them red and puts a couple of Spanish 250 kids on it, just for Kawasaki to pour more money into the project. Now they're investing in the team (which they don't want to do anymore) and they're getting none of the marketing benefits. It's lose-lose. I say bail.
Blah Blah Blah!!! They simply have obligations to meet as per the agreement. All those points are very valid if they were to evaluate the situation if the contract year was up but when they agreed to join the sport they knew the rules. Now I agree with you about all of those points however it is a moot point.

Maybe they should sell more tractors