Crutchlow to Motogp.....?

In my opinion, the reason Tech 3 took Crutchlow is twofold. First, no one has really set themselves apart in Moto2 as a prospect ready for the big leagues. I think the two men who look like they could have some success on their day would be Elias and Iannone. Elias had his chance and likely won't get another real one. And Iannone has proven to be wildly inconsistent, I think Honda, Yamaha and Ducati will be eager to scoop him up after another season of polishing in Moto2. So in reality, Yamaha didn't have many great options to choose from. Crutchlow was a gamble, but so were just about any of the other options.



Which brings me to the second point that many have already made: his passport. It's well documented Dorna need a Brit on the grid to bring viewership to the BBC. So Poncheral is likely to get a healthy chunk, if not the entirety, of Crutchlow's contract subsidized by Dorna and perhaps even Yamaha Japan as they've developed such an infatuation with Cal.



Crutchlow is a risk, but one with few financial repercussions for the Tech 3 team. If it were me, I would have given the nod to Haslam.

Austin said:

In my opinion, the reason Tech 3 took Crutchlow is twofold. First, no one has really set themselves apart in Moto2 as a prospect ready for the big leagues. I think the two men who look like they could have some success on their day would be Elias and Iannone. Elias had his chance and likely won't get another real one. And Iannone has proven to be wildly inconsistent, I think Honda, Yamaha and Ducati will be eager to scoop him up after another season of polishing in Moto2. So in reality, Yamaha didn't have many great options to choose from. Crutchlow was a gamble, but so were just about any of the other options.



Which brings me to the second point that many have already made: his passport. It's well documented Dorna need a Brit on the grid to bring viewership to the BBC. So Poncheral is likely to get a healthy chunk, if not the entirety, of Crutchlow's contract subsidized by Dorna and perhaps even Yamaha Japan as they've developed such an infatuation with Cal.



Crutchlow is a risk, but one with few financial repercussions for the Tech 3 team. If it were me, I would have given the nod to Haslam.

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personally i would have liked to seen johnny rea get the nod....maybe next season.....or the season after that

frosty58 said:

personally i would have liked to seen johnny rea get the nod....maybe next season.....or the season after that

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Certainly over Cal, however he too is very hot and cold-especially considering Spies and what what he has been able to achieve in Motogp-Factory ride will probably change this next year though. I believe its a very big mistake by both Cal and Tech III. He would have definitely factored strong in WSBK next year-but in saying this I would certainly not have predicted him to win the WSBK title in 2011 with the likes of Max, Haslam on a Beemer, Johnny R-even Checa. This makes the promotion up to the big time even more questionable in my mind.

Austin said:

First, no one has really set themselves apart in Moto2 as a prospect ready for the big leagues.

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I disagree. Elias is MILES ahead of the field in quality and speed

Tom said:

I disagree. Elias is MILES ahead of the field in quality and speed

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For sure +1

Tom said:

I disagree. Elias is MILES ahead of the field in quality and speed

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He's miles ahead of the pack but he's not miles ahead of Iannone, who has been paying dearly his inexperience in terms of points but has demonstrated to be really fast, -- something that in a spec engine series is outstanding.

J4rn0 said:

He's miles ahead of the pack but he's not miles ahead of Iannone, who has been paying dearly his inexperience in terms of points but has demonstrated to be really fast, -- something that in a spec engine series is outstanding.

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Yes but Ianonne was almost that quick in 125 last year and it got him nowhere. I'm not doubting he is an excellent rider or that he has a lot of potential (look at simoncelli), but overall he is far from the complete rider, nowhere near as good as Elias and not ready for motogp

Tom said:

I disagree. Elias is MILES ahead of the field in quality and speed

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Elias has been the strongest rider in the class by a wide margin, no doubt. But like I said, he's had his chance in MotoGP and I don't think anyone is going to give him a worthwhile seat. Best case scenario, he winds up at Suzuki. And I say this as an Elias fan.

Austin said:

Elias has been the strongest rider in the class by a wide margin, no doubt. But like I said, he's had his chance in MotoGP and I don't think anyone is going to give him a worthwhile seat. Best case scenario, he winds up at Suzuki. And I say this as an Elias fan.

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I disagree. You say Elias has 'had his chance' i think he has had a chance. I don't see why he shouldn't have another and i think he's a better rider now than he ever has been

Tom said:

I disagree. You say Elias has 'had his chance' i think he has had a chance. I don't see why he shouldn't have another and i think he's a better rider now than he ever has been

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There are not so many riders capable to ride a MotoGP bike competitively. Elias has been another victim of the 800cc formula, I also hope to see him returning to the premier class, possibly with the 1000cc in 2012.

Austin said:

Elias has been the strongest rider in the class by a wide margin, no doubt. But like I said, he's had his chance in MotoGP and I don't think anyone is going to give him a worthwhile seat. Best case scenario, he winds up at Suzuki. And I say this as an Elias fan.

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Hey bro, I had been meaning to ask you. How is London life man?



This is why I've always contended that MotoGP is NOT about the "best" riders in the world and that the series results do not represent rider talent. Suzuki is a career killer. Most casual fans (99% of all who follow the sport) routinely misjudge the results on the Suzuki GP and relegate its riders to being ..... Now lets look at Elias' moments of brilliance, takes a statellite Honda to a win, and a couple of podiums on a satellite Duc for which Melandri, on the factory never scored higher than 5th. Brief moments of brilliance, ok, yeah; but was this his MotoGP "chance"? How much better do the satellite B riders have to perform to continue in the series? By that standard Loris & Capirrossi should be long gone. By Toesland's dismissal standards (and I'm one of the ones who thinks he didn't get a fair shake) if Simoncelli, Aoyama, Kalio, Espargaro, Bautista, don't drastically improve, then we should let them go too. Is that having their "chance"?



Just a thought. Anyway, I may be preaching to the choir, as we both admire Elias.

Jumkie said:

Hey bro, I had been meaning to ask you. How is London life bro?



This is why I've always contended that MotoGP is NOT about the "best" riders in the world and that the series results does not represents rider talent. Suzuki is a career killer. Most casual fans (99% of all who follow the sport) routinely misjudge the results on the Suzuki GP and relegate its riders to being ..... Now lets look at Elias for a moment of brilliance, takes a statellite Honda to a win, and a couple of podiums on a satellite Duc that Melandri, on the factory never scored higher than 5th. Brief moments of brilliance, ok, yeah. But was this his MotoGP "chance"? How much better do the satellite B riders have to perform to continue in the series? By that standard Loris & Capirrossi should be long gone. By Toeslands standards (and I'm one of the ones who thinks he didn't get a fair shake) if Semioncelli, Aoyama, Kalio, Espargaro, Bautista, don't drastically improve, then we should let them go too. Is that having their "chance"?



Just a thought. Anyway, I may be preaching to the choir, as we both admire Elias.

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If you had any doubts about Toseland, they should have been erased after his performance this year. Yamaha certainly removed any doubts they might have had.For a 2 time WSBK, his performance this year was pathetic.



I dont think anyone expects rookies to win, or even contend. What they want out of them is progression, and signs of maturity and leadership. Someone like Kallio who bins a bike what seems like every race, is killing his team. They will run out of parts to fix the bike before they run out of engines Even though Simoncelli has scored more points than Bautista, i am more impressed with Bautista's progression, than i am with Simoncelli, epsecially when you consider what Bautista is riding.

povol said:

If you had any doubts about Toseland, they should have been erased after his performance this year. Yamaha certainly removed any doubts they might have had.For a 2 time WSBK, his performance this year was pathetic.

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Pathetic? He was out of the series for two years and comes back to a new bike. He's got four podiums on it, most finishes were within the top 8 (only twice did he finishe one 9th, and 10th) without exception has been in the top 10 every finish (and that means something in WSBK as oppose to GP). Hes had a several DNFs but a few while leading his teammate. He's 7th overall, his teammate is 5th (who is headed to GP). If we are to believe that the R1 Yamaha is inferior as some think (and as you do in GP because of recent Honda results) then surely you will use the same logic to determine the R1's win capability. There I go with those pesky "statistics" that don't mean anything, eh Povol? Pathetic is a rather strong word and does NOT represent his year back in WSBK. He won the last WSBK title by 5 points, not exactly dominant stuff but also an indication to the very real parity in the series. Riders have ebbs and flows in their careers. Did he adapted quickly to the M1 or R1, not so much. But "pathetic" year back in WSBK, well his podiums indicate another reality.

Jumkie said:

Pathetic? He was out of the series for two years and comes back to a new bike. He's got four podiums on it, most finishes were within the top 8 (only twice did he finishe one 9th, and 10th) without exception has been in the top 10 every finish (and that means something in WSBK as oppose to GP). Hes had a several DNFs but a few while leading his teammate. He's 7th overall, his teammate is 5th (who is headed to GP). If we are to believe that the R1 Yamaha is inferior as some think (and as you do in GP because of recent Honda results) then surely you will use the same logic to determine the R1's win capability. There I go with those pesky "statistics" that don't mean anything, eh Povol? Pathetic is a rather strong word and does NOT represent his year back in WSBK. He won the last WSBK title by 5 points, not exactly dominant stuff but also an indication to the very real parity in the series. Riders have ebbs and flows in their careers. Did he adapted quickly to the M1 or R1, not so much. But "pathetic" year back in WSBK, well his podiums indicate another reality.

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He will finish behind a rookie teammate who we all agree is not ready for GP. For a 2 time champ, getting on a championship bike and getting a few podiums is pathetic. Obviously Yamaha thought so as well. With his inspiring run of late, he might just finish 8th in the points, right behind that juggernaut Guintoli. At the beginning of the year, some had Toseland as a long shot title contender. As it turned out, he was a long shot podium contender. Plus, most indicators point to him thinking he is a lot better than he is, and dont mind telling his team why nothing is ever his fault. But hey, thats what makes the world go round. I think his year was pathetic, you think it was pretty good, no biggie.. As far as Yamaha, who said it was inferior. In the right hands, its dominant

Well he ain't no Ben Spies that's for sure. Hell he ain't even an Edwards for that matter. By all rights he should have finished ahead of Crutchlow this year and Edwards last. So for me JTs year sucked - pathetic - maybe not, but not up-to-par either. He's where he belongs and we'll see if he has the ability to step-up against the onslaught of youngsters next year.

povol said:

He will finish behind a rookie teammate who we all agree is not ready for GP. For a 2 time champ, getting on a championship bike and getting a few podiums is pathetic. Obviously Yamaha thought so as well. With his inspiring run of late, he might just finish 8th in the points, right behind that juggernaut Guintoli. At the beginning of the year, some had Toseland as a long shot title contender. As it turned out, he was a long shot podium contender. Plus, most indicators point to him thinking he is a lot better than he is, and dont mind telling his team why nothing is ever his fault. But hey, thats what makes the world go round. I think his year was pathetic, you think it was pretty good, no biggie.. As far as Yamaha, who said it was inferior. In the right hands, its dominant

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This is incredible, but I have to agree.



Massimo summed it up well when he said, rather impolitely in regards to his 2010 pilots, that they learned more in 40 minutes with VR just seeing if he could ride again, than they did all season with the Brits.........

Talpa said:

This is incredible, but I have to agree.



Massimo summed it up well when he said, rather impolitely in regards to his 2010 pilots, that they learned more in 40 minutes with VR just seeing if he could ride again, than they did all season with the Brits.........

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We dont agree on politics and human worship, but we probably have more in common than you think when it comes to racing. Not who we pull for, but racing in general, and in the end, its racing that brings us all together, the rest is just playful banter.

povol said:

We dont agree on politics and human worship, but we probably have more in common than you think when it comes to racing. Not who we pull for, but racing in general, and in the end, its racing that brings us all together, the rest is just playful banter.

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+1

twice in one day..........all we need now is for Barry to post something semi intelligent, hmmmm maybe I ask too much

Jumkie said:

Hey bro, I had been meaning to ask you. How is London life man?



This is why I've always contended that MotoGP is NOT about the "best" riders in the world and that the series results do not represent rider talent. Suzuki is a career killer. Most casual fans (99% of all who follow the sport) routinely misjudge the results on the Suzuki GP and relegate its riders to being ..... Now lets look at Elias' moments of brilliance, takes a statellite Honda to a win, and a couple of podiums on a satellite Duc for which Melandri, on the factory never scored higher than 5th. Brief moments of brilliance, ok, yeah; but was this his MotoGP "chance"? How much better do the satellite B riders have to perform to continue in the series? By that standard Loris & Capirrossi should be long gone. By Toesland's dismissal standards (and I'm one of the ones who thinks he didn't get a fair shake) if Simoncelli, Aoyama, Kalio, Espargaro, Bautista, don't drastically improve, then we should let them go too. Is that having their "chance"?



Just a thought. Anyway, I may be preaching to the choir, as we both admire Elias.

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Life is good. I moved into my new flat in Arsenal last week and just getting adjusted to my class schedule and getting back to work. Getting my Sky set up next weekend so I can watch the rest of the season on Eurosport and be able to access internet at my place rather than a coffee shop like I am now.



And in no way do I disagree with your idea that MotoGP doesn't necessarily house the best riders in the world. I thought Elias was very deserving of his factory spec 212 last season and would like to see him on competitive equipment in the big class, but I just don't see it happening. He's a notoriously slow-to-adapt rider, and with the formula change, that means he likely can't be of true benefit to a team until 2013, by which time he'll be 30. That's a pretty big gamble for a team to take, knowing they will need to invest in him for at least two, perhaps three seasons to see a return on their investment.



And yeah, it is a bummer that you get riders like Edwards, Capirossi, Kallio, Melandri and the like taking up seats and not doing much while you have riders like Elias on the outside looking in. It's a sad state of affairs.

povol said:

Even though Simoncelli has scored more points than Bautista, i am more impressed with Bautista's progression, than i am with Simoncelli, epsecially when you consider what Bautista is riding.

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+1

povol said:

He will finish behind a rookie teammate who we all agree is not ready for GP. For a 2 time champ, getting on a championship bike and getting a few podiums is pathetic. Obviously Yamaha thought so as well. With his inspiring run of late, he might just finish 8th in the points, right behind that juggernaut Guintoli. At the beginning of the year, some had Toseland as a long shot title contender. As it turned out, he was a long shot podium contender. Plus, most indicators point to him thinking he is a lot better than he is, and dont mind telling his team why nothing is ever his fault. But hey, thats what makes the world go round. I think his year was pathetic, you think it was pretty good, no biggie.. As far as Yamaha, who said it was inferior. In the right hands, its dominant

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Exactly. I'm not sure it was pathetic, but it was a very, very disappointing season. Can't say I'm terribly surprised, though.