Hayden WILL tame the beast it seems!!

It all sounds very promising for Nicky....so I do genuinely wish him all the best success at Ducati....So long as he does not beat his teammate.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (redsilver @ Oct 30 2008, 01:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I will submit that in the 60's & 70's, that when American racers grew up in grand national doing both road racing & dirt track, that they learned a flexible style that allowed them to ride like Pedrosa, or Melandri on one hand, or like Stoner or Hayden on the other. Don't forget they rode the 250 strokers too! Riders like Lawson, Roberts Sr., Spencer, Schwantz, Rayborn could ride either style as required by the bike, weather, tires, etc.. Non-American examples of riders who can do this would be Doohan, & most notably Rossi. With the demise of multi-discipline racing you've now got the superbike/dirt-track venue, or the 125,250,gp line of development. Riders seem to develop with one talent or another but not both. Pedrosas style is the antithesis of Haydens, but it is very fast & probably easier on tires & machinery. The good superbike/dirttrack guys don't mind the bike bucking, slithering, & sliding they have the experiance & comfort level to give the bike its head. Somtimes its the fast way, and sometimes it's not...

Unfortunately we have one or the other with the current crop of riders.... If Nicky can't shake & slide he's nervous, If Marco can't keep the wheels inline he nervous!

Bring back the multi-track grand nationals!

Are you sure about that?
Marco PI

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Reel Nauti @ Oct 29 2008, 08:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>On the other hand, I think Marco has played his last card with Kawasaki cos I don't think he can develop that bike. I hope I'm wrong......................................................

To be continued.....................................................

I hope your wrong about this as welll, I want to see Marco at the pointy end again, but the Kawi seems to be a tough nut to crack!

It's good to hear Ducati think they have made the right choice, it's still early yet but so far so good.

Whens the first race?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Red R6 07 @ Oct 30 2008, 02:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Are you sure about that?
Marco PI

Yeah, you're right! I forgot about that! Maybe Marco has forgotten somthing!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mylexicon @ Oct 29 2008, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I've never seen anyone ride a Honda so slowly when trying so hard. If the Ducati can convert Nicky's zeal into speed we may be on the brink of witnessing something truly amazing from both Stoner and Hayden.

I'm still somewhat cautious though. Nicky is very picky about feel from the chassis. He's not out of the woods yet, but it the initial indications seem positive.

I still hope he can find some time at Jerez. He's still way off the pace in the dry.


Nicky might need to relax a little more. Some times if you try to hard, you ride slower.

I remember watching Alain Prost back in his day. He was so smoooooth the car looked like it was going slow. Rossi is also very smooth as well as Biaggi. If he could combined some of those traits with the talent he already has he might pick up a couple tenths.

Here is an excerpt from wiki on Prost

"Prost employed a smooth, relaxed style behind the wheel, deliberately modeling himself on personal heroes like Jackie Stewart and Jim Clark.[3] He was nicknamed 'The Professor' for his intellectual approach to competition. Skilled at setting up his car for race conditions, Prost would often conserve his brakes and tyres early on in a race, leaving them fresher for a challenge at the end of the race.[4] Motor sport journalist Denis Jenkinson described Prost as "a very warm and uncomplicated man who doesn't rely on passion or inspiration. Nor does he indulge in showmanship or ......... He is capable of a level of mental discipline beyond the comprehension of most people."

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MigsAngel @ Oct 30 2008, 01:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It all sounds very promising for Nicky....so I do genuinely wish him all the best success
Oh c'mon man, we all know you're lying. Read your own posts buddy, all of them look for some angle to .... on Hayden. Now he looks to have a bit of promise and your gonna change your tune?

Here, let me remind you...he is an American. (You know, that nationality you hate).

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MigsAngel @ Oct 30 2008, 01:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It all sounds very promising for Nicky....so I do genuinely wish him all the best success at Ducati....So long as he does not beat his teammate.

Yeah, don't you think we know when a redneck is trying to act like an intelligent European sophisticate?

Don't get above your raisin'. You and Nicky are two necks in the same truck. Just accept it.

Besides aren't you playing to the Shinya crowd these days?

Guys at Ducati were saying that they would know right away if Hayden would do well on the beast or not. This is good news to hear that they feel they have made the right choice. More saddle time and Nicky will hopefully improve his dry time.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bootsakah @ Oct 30 2008, 11:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Guys at Ducati were saying that they would know right away if Hayden would do well on the beast or not. This is good news to hear that they feel they have made the right choice. More saddle time and Nicky will hopefully improve his dry time.
Just to play devil's advocate, was there really a chance in hell that they'd say anything else?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Reel Nauti @ Oct 29 2008, 03:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'><u>"He certainly is very brave," Preziosi told Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport. "With the telemetry you can see that in certain situations the bike wobbles in a scary way, even more than with [Casey] Stoner, but he doesn't get off the gas.

"I think we've made a good choice."
</u>

I'm very cautious about all of this. Nicky did 'fair' all things considered (first time on unique bike, bstones, new team, emotions, etc.) But racing is another complete animal.

As far as the team's comments, what were they gonna say, 'oh crap we made a mistake?' I suppose I'm a bit cautious because the last two years have been such a disasters, two years wasted and now he is a bit older and increased pressure. If he doesn't do well it may be curtain time in the future. ....damn, my post season depression is in full swing!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mattsteg @ Oct 30 2008, 10:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Just to play devil's advocate, was there really a chance in hell that they'd say anything else?
No. Its the first two days of a year's contract. Hell they didn't even cop to Melandri's westys until mid season.

But also keep in mind, they may now have a better clue what wasn't harmonizing in the Melandri-Bike combo. If they did everything they thought on there end to help him, perhaps they see that missing part in Hayden's potential.

I don't understand why they just don't give these guys a month to test! Damn this .... is frustrating.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mattsteg @ Oct 30 2008, 12:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Just to play devil's advocate, was there really a chance in hell that they'd say anything else?

YES...they could have said the same .... they did bout Marco all year.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mylexicon @ Oct 30 2008, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yeah, don't you think we know when a redneck is trying to act like an intelligent European sophisticate?
The words pot, kettle, and black immediately spring to mind.

Don't know Jumkie...if that bike requires to be ridden like it was stolen, hence he had the hammer down when it was trying to spit him off, might be a good thing? I'm gonna wait till next test before I draw any conclusions.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Bootsakah @ Oct 31 2008, 03:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Guys at Ducati were saying that they would know right away if Hayden would do well on the beast or not. This is good news to hear that they feel they have made the right choice. More saddle time and Nicky will hopefully improve his dry time.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Oct 31 2008, 04:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I'm very cautious about all of this. Nicky did 'fair' all things considered (first time on unique bike, bstones, new team, emotions, etc.) But racing is another complete animal.

As far as the team's comments, what were they gonna say, 'oh crap we made a mistake?' I suppose I'm a bit cautious because the last two years have been such a disasters, two years wasted and now he is a bit older and increased pressure. If he doesn't do well it may be curtain time in the future. ....damn, my post season depression is in full swing!


I would suggest you do a bit of research on Casey's times on the bike after he stepped off the Honda. It took him a while to appear at the pointy end of the timesheet and even longer to outshine Loris who didn't really have a handle on the bike.

Nicki is being compared to Casey who does have the package sorted and is perhaps the fastest guy in the whole field.

First in a wet test and a good time in any case on a new bike with new tyres. Casey didn't jump straight on and hit warp factor 9. I'm still betting on Nicki getting it, he is nowhere near as fragile as Melandri.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (xx CURVE xx @ Oct 30 2008, 12:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>YES...they could have said the same .... they did bout Marco all year.
A year ago Marco and Ducati weren't exactly publicly negative.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE ("Marco a year ago")<div class='quotemain'>"Today we worked a lot on the engine and electronics, to understand how the bike reacts to every kind of change," said Melandri. "It's been demanding because the throttle feeling is very different to what I'm used to. This afternoon we started working on the chassis, making some important, if not radical, changes. During the last half hour of the day I could feel we were improving and that we were starting to go in the right direction for my riding style. It was maybe too late to better my lap time but the sensation was really encouraging. Generally I'm very happy because I'm beginning to understand this bike's huge potential. All I've got to do is work hard to get it set up for my style."Other than it being clear from the events of the past year that you don't try to make the Duc something it's not (so Hayden is talking about adapting to a fast bike rather than adapting the bike to him) what's coming out now isn't that different from what was being said a year ago.

They're saying what we already knew would be the right things to say. That he jumped on and was immediately OK is decently promising. That he led in the wet is also promising. I still need to see fast times in the dry before I can have anything beyond cautions self-affirming optimism.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mattsteg @ Oct 30 2008, 12:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>A year ago Marco and Ducati weren't exactly publicly negative.

Yeah..they also didn't say anything good like they have with Nick off the bat...

they started out saying "Owe he just needs more time on the bike..or...he hasn't found his confidence on the GP8 yet" etc etc etc.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mattsteg @ Oct 30 2008, 12:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>A year ago Marco and Ducati weren't exactly publicly negative.

Yeah..they also didn't say anything good like they have with Nick off the bat...

they started out saying "Owe he just needs more time on the bike..or...he hasn't found his confidence on the GP8 yet" etc etc etc.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mattsteg @ Oct 30 2008, 06:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Just to play devil's advocate, was there really a chance in hell that they'd say anything else?

Yes, they would have gone something like this: "This is just the first ride for Nicky on the Desmosedici and he still needs to get adjusted to a new team, tyres and bike. There is no pressure on him to perform right now and we shall give him as much time as he needs............blah, blah, blah".

But what it actually said was: "Marco is a wimp and backed off whenever the bike bucked. We told him there was nothing to fear since our TC is superb and he could ride through it. So we hired Nicky who has more balls than brains and he proved us right the first time he got on the bike."