Hodgson lands Ducati GP ride

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 5 2007, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>1. Not as annoying as mamola

2. I dont think he has got his head around (shock horror) people who aren't American winning races.
1. Didn't we cover this once?
2. Ah ha! I knew you were anti-American.

I think Hodgson is pretty much finished as far as being an upper echelon racer. being a test rider is like being on the bench in sports. You may be on the team officially, but you have none of the respect of the front runners. He should have swallowed nis pride and raced BSB. I suspect he did not because his arse was already sore from getting it kicked all over the U.S. that he knew the hungry guys in BSB would jump at the chance to stomp a World Champ all over the U.K as well.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 6 2007, 01:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I think Hodgson is pretty much finished as far as being an upper echelon racer. being a test rider is like being on the bench in sports. You may be on the team officially, but you have none of the respect of the front runners. He should have swallowed nis pride and raced BSB. I suspect he did not because his arse was already sore from getting it kicked all over the U.S. that he knew the hungry guys in BSB would jump at the chance to stomp a World Champ all over the U.K as well.


i think bearing in mind the tunning regulations imposed on the Dukes in AMA Neil did the best he could do.

that said - i do rekon this might be his last opportunity to impress the racing world

i would have loved to see him back in BSB cos my hero Chris Walker owes him one !

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (baldylocks @ Apr 5 2007, 08:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>i think bearing in mind the tunning regulations imposed on the Dukes in AMA Neil did the best he could do.

^^I am impressed by your defense of your countryman, but The reason the Ducati was not successful was because the rules were actually fair. Not Ducati's version of fair mind (give us a big advantage) you but, fair meaning the field was as level as it can be considering the differences in engine configuration.

On a positive note, (sort of) if one of the factory riders gets injured and cannot race Hodgson will be the first substitute called in. So their may be hope afterall.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 5 2007, 09:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Not as annoying as mamola

We have covered this and you know where i stand. I think Mamola is great for the tv coverage and his insight is mostly worthwile and accurate.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 5 2007, 09:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Whitham is the best commentator out there.

Sorry but no. Whitam is quite easily the worst voice i ever hear coming from my television, he has never ever enlightened me with anything useful nor does he serve any entertainment value. Plus hes ........, i am surprised he can even operate his microphone given how thick he is.

Like i said before, burnicle has been annoying me with his Biaggi predjudice but overall hes not bad. Whitam however is terrible.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 6 2007, 01:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>considering the differences in engine configuration.

A 1000cc twin is well down on power when compared to a 1000cc four.

I know Ducati can still win with the rules as they are but why should they have to spend £millions to keep their bike competitive when the likes of Ten Kate can pick up a CBR and make it just as quick for a fraction of the cost.

If the rule changed doesn't come then Ducati will pull out of WSB & BSB aswell as AMA and the racing world will be a worse place as a result.

I see your point but your logic is flawed. You risk makinb the rules more "fair" for one and less "fair" for everyone else. For the sake of pure parity Ducati should race in a twin series or manufacture a four cylinder machine, maybe a v-four configuration. This is the only way I can see things being fair. I say big up to AMA for not folding under the Ducati "if we can't have it our way we will just go home". Manufacture machines that can be competitive within the confines of the current rules. Their version is like me engaging you in a footrace after footrace which result in me just losing by a narrow margin. Then me asking for a head start to make the rules "fair" for me, because since I did not win then obviously the rules need to change because I am special. Forget about it, I dont think most people will miss Ducati on the AMA grid at all. Mat Mladin was quoted last year as saying that Ducati's biggest problem was not the rules but the riders. He went on to say that if Bayliss was here they would have been in title contention.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Apr 5 2007, 03:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Nice job finding those numbers WHMP...

No sweat for the numbers Fish! Kind of ‘did not find them’ but more like ‘have them on an Excel file’… I just filter and apply dynamic tables to it, plus a couple of average formulas and ‘Boula’ (not that I speak French at all)… Anyway, trouble with the file is that I did it in Spanish so if I change the column titles to English all the dynamic tables go to hell. I could upload the roar data if you like though; just need Ben to tell me how to upload an Excel file?

Testing or not its a golden if not last chance for Neil to land himself a full time ride on a competitive bike.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 01:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>We have covered this and you know where i stand. I think Mamola is great for the tv coverage and his insight is mostly worthwile and accurate.
Sorry but no. Whitam is quite easily the worst voice i ever hear coming from my television, he has never ever enlightened me with anything useful nor does he serve any entertainment value. Plus hes ........, i am surprised he can even operate his microphone given how thick he is.

Like i said before, burnicle has been annoying me with his Biaggi predjudice but overall hes not bad. Whitam however is terrible.


Oooh touchy Tom!!!! have you been taking arguementative supplements?

I stand by all I have said about Mamola, Ive held that opinion of the guy for a long time, and it's not going to change now.

Your comments on Whitham (you cant even spell his name, and youre calling HIM thick!!!!) are well wide of the mark. Jamie Whitham has forgotten more about bike racing than you will ever know, and doesnt just press Google when he wants to say something. Whithams career has seen him win BSB title, and race in WSB, WSS and GP, the guy also fought lukemia to come back to racing, and keep banging in good results, including a 2nd in BSB against ex GP rider Niall Mackenzie months after finishing chemotherapy.

No entertainment value? don't make me laugh, he is an excellent,knowledgable commemtator, and if you have ever seen him race, you would know that he was one of the most exciting racers to come out of Britain in a long time.

I think youre comments are more taking a dig at the guy I like coz I dont like Mamola. Youre reply really sucks pal, if Whitham is as crap and annoying as you are saying he is, then why has he made a successful caqreer as a racer, journalist and commentator, and you are sitting in front of a computer using Google to "show" us how much you know about GP.

Pete

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 6 2007, 12:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Oooh touchy Tom!!!! have you been taking arguementative supplements?

I stand by all I have said about Mamola, Ive held that opinion of the guy for a long time, and it's not going to change now.

Your comments on Whitham (you cant even spell his name, and youre calling HIM thick!!!!) are well wide of the mark. Jamie Whitham has forgotten more about bike racing than you will ever know, and doesnt just press Google when he wants to say something. Whithams career has seen him win BSB title, and race in WSB, WSS and GP, the guy also fought lukemia to come back to racing, and keep banging in good results, including a 2nd in BSB against ex GP rider Niall Mackenzie months after finishing chemotherapy.

No entertainment value? don't make me laugh, he is an excellent,knowledgable commemtator, and if you have ever seen him race, you would know that he was one of the most exciting racers to come out of Britain in a long time.

I think youre comments are more taking a dig at the guy I like coz I dont like Mamola. Youre reply really sucks pal, if Whitham is as crap and annoying as you are saying he is, then why has he made a successful caqreer as a racer, journalist and commentator, and you are sitting in front of a computer using Google to "show" us how much you know about GP.

Pete

Now i appear to have touched a nerve. Firstly, i wrote this reply after having a few drinks, so the spelling errors and shortness are standard, but i am more sober now so don't worry.

I assure you that i am not being harsh to Whitham (is that it) just because you don't like mamola, i know we will not see eye to eye on him anytime soon. Also, i am aware of the excitement Jamie provided as a racer, and his heroic comeback from illness and this doesn not form part of my judgement.

My dislike for Whitham comes pureley from him as a commenator, where i find he never adds anything of much value, although i do think he dumbs down the technical stuff so that normal people understand. I find he often mis identifies riders and is slow to pick up on changes in the race. Also you must notice that he often recalls events totally wrongly. Did you when he and Burnicle discussed Haga riding the R7 in 1998 and then when people texted in to tell them thats wrong they said "in fact we didnt see nori on the R7 untill 2000" which is wrong again.............................. idiots.

Lastly, and probably the significant difference in our takes on the situation is that his northern humour does not appeal to me and i find his voice is unpleasant to listen to.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 01:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>nori on the R7 untill 2000"
tom haga was on the R7 in 00. can't remember if it was the 1st or 2nd year of the 750 tho.

Haga rode the r7 in 99.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 6 2007, 03:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Their version is like me engaging you in a footrace after footrace which result in me just losing by a narrow margin. Then me asking for a head start to make the rules "fair" for me, because since I did not win then obviously the rules need to change because I am special.
What you suggest here is pure nonsens...., unless of course you had only two legs, and the others had four.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Forget about it, I dont think most people will miss Ducati on the AMA grid at all. Mat Mladin was quoted last year as saying that Ducati's biggest problem was not the rules but the riders. He went on to say that if Bayliss was here they would have been in title contention.

Someone should advice Mladin to talk about racing, not engineering.
Talking about things he know little about seems like his problem.

I'm not a Ducati man myself and the market for Ducati might not be as big in the US, but in the rest of the world Ducatis stand out as icons. Icons of racing and design. I guess you could say they are the Ferarri of Motorbikes and with that position you don't want to force/kick them out if you have any sense of business.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Now i appear to have touched a nerve. Firstly, i wrote this reply after having a few drinks, so the spelling errors and shortness are standard, but i am more sober now so don't worry.

I assure you that i am not being harsh to Whitham (is that it) just because you don't like mamola, i know we will not see eye to eye on him anytime soon. Also, i am aware of the excitement Jamie provided as a racer, and his heroic comeback from illness and this doesn not form part of my judgement.

My dislike for Whitham comes pureley from him as a commenator, where i find he never adds anything of much value, although i do think he dumbs down the technical stuff so that normal people understand. I find he often mis identifies riders and is slow to pick up on changes in the race. Also you must notice that he often recalls events totally wrongly. Did you when he and Burnicle discussed Haga riding the R7 in 1998 and then when people texted in to tell them thats wrong they said "in fact we didnt see nori on the R7 untill 2000" which is wrong again.............................. idiots.

Lastly, and probably the significant difference in our takes on the situation is that his northern humour does not appeal to me and i find his voice is unpleasant to listen to.


Look at the brightside Tom, we don't have to listen to foggy telling us all how great he is anymore, he made both mamola and Whitham sound amazing as commentators.

Pete

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 7 2007, 03:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Look at the brightside Tom, we don't have to listen to foggy telling us all how great he is anymore, he made both mamola and Whitham sound amazing as commentators.

Pete

no doubt

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Apr 6 2007, 08:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I'm not a Ducati man myself and the market for Ducati might not be as big in the US, but in the rest of the world Ducatis stand out as icons. Icons of racing and design. I guess you could say they are the Ferarri of Motorbikes and with that position you don't want to force/kick them out if you have any sense of business.

^^^Ducati is a great brand, but the comparison with Ferrari is utter nonsense. Ferrari is an icon because they made their reputation for being winners. Ferrari won by building better race machines than everyone else while staying within the parameters of the rules, by outworking their competition. Ducati on the otherhand seems to be content with complaining about how unfair the rules are even while they are stomping the competition. The rules in AMA Superbike are fair for everyone, not giving Ducati an unfair advantage. Neil Hodgson finished the championship in 5th place, how can you make the argument about how unfair the rules are. I could see if they finished in 10th place or worse, but Hodgson simply got outridden by 4 other riders. Ducati was not forced out they left while complaining about the rules. They only seem to be satisfied with the rules when they win the championship, and even then they want more. Icons of racing and design you say? Why cant they build a better machine that doesnt require the rules to be slanted in their favor? Their solution to remaining the most dominant bike is more displacement. Some reading may say I know nothing about Ducati, not true. I test rode the 999 last year, and while the bike is beautiful and attractive i found the Suzuki GSXR-750 to be just as fast while turning better, requiring less maintenance and costing less than 1/3 of the cost. The AMA did not "kick" Ducati out, Ducati tried their usual tactic of lobbying for "Ducati rules" and the AMA rightly Kept things fair instead of turning into Ducati-cup racing (WSBK in recent years).

I see no mention of the twins inherent advantages of usable power, great torque delivery, and better traction. Everyone moans and complains about their disadvantages, well they have enough advantages to even out the playing field.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 7 2007, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>^^^Ducati is a great brand, but the comparison with Ferrari is utter nonsense. Ferrari is an icon because they made their reputation for being winners. Ferrari won by building better race machines than everyone else while staying within the parameters of the rules, by outworking their competition. Ducati on the otherhand seems to be content with complaining about how unfair the rules are even while they are stomping the competition. The rules in AMA Superbike are fair for everyone, not giving Ducati an unfair advantage. Neil Hodgson finished the championship in 5th place, how can you make the argument about how unfair the rules are. I could see if they finished in 10th place or worse, but Hodgson simply got outridden by 4 other riders. Ducati was not forced out they left while complaining about the rules. They only seem to be satisfied with the rules when they win the championship, and even then they want more. Icons of racing and design you say? Why cant they build a better machine that doesnt require the rules to be slanted in their favor? Their solution to remaining the most dominant bike is more displacement. Some reading may say I know nothing about Ducati, not true. I test rode the 999 last year, and while the bike is beautiful and attractive i found the Suzuki GSXR-750 to be just as fast while turning better, requiring less maintenance and costing less than 1/3 of the cost. The AMA did not "kick" Ducati out, Ducati tried their usual tactic of lobbying for "Ducati rules" and the AMA rightly Kept things fair instead of turning into Ducati-cup racing (WSBK in recent years).

I see no mention of the twins inherent advantages of usable power, great torque delivery, and better traction. Everyone moans and complains about their disadvantages, well they have enough advantages to even out the playing field.

here here

The best commentator in the world is the one and only GEOFF CANNELL.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 6 2007, 02:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>like me engaging you in a footrace after footrace which result in me just losing by a narrow margin. Then me asking for a head start to make the rules "fair" for me, because since I did not win then obviously the rules need to change because I am special.

except, it's nothing like that - it's not about you getting a head start because you can't win without one - it's about you not taking on me when you've got a hole in your lung and the only way you can plug it is with a $1,000,00 note - ok, crap analagy but you see where i'm coming from.

It's costing ducati a fortune to keep their bikes competitive - they aren't going to make 1000CC twins for the road any longer (because they are under powered compared to the 1L fours) and therefore -they've no choice but to withdraw or request rule change.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Apr 6 2007, 12:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Jamie Whitham has forgotten more about bike racing than you will ever know, and doesnt just press Google when he wants to say something. Whithams career has seen him win BSB title, and race in WSB, WSS and GP, the guy also fought lukemia to come back to racing, and keep banging in good results, including a 2nd in BSB against ex GP rider Niall Mackenzie months after finishing chemotherapy.

No entertainment value? don't make me laugh, he is an excellent,knowledgable commemtator, and if you have ever seen him race, you would know that he was one of the most exciting racers to come out of Britain in a long time.

here here - Whit' is 24 carat pure entertainment

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>My dislike for Whitham comes pureley from him as a commenator, where i find he never adds anything of much value, although i do think he dumbs down the technical stuff so that normal people understand. I find he often mis identifies riders and is slow to pick up on changes in the race .

granted - but it's easy for you sitting at home scratching your balls and picking your nose while watching the race - these guys have to talk about the race in real time - live and in front of millions of people. it doesn't stop me shouting at the tv when they get it wrong tho

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Also you must notice that he often recalls events totally wrongly. Did you when he and Burnicle discussed Haga riding the R7 in 1998 and then when people texted in to tell them thats wrong they said "in fact we didnt see nori on the R7 untill 2000" which is wrong again.............................. idiots.

again - it's easy for you sitting at home with your pc and your Racers Almanac but try recalling facts of the top of your massive head and see how many istakes YOU make.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Apr 6 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Lastly, and probably the significant difference in our takes on the situation is that his northern humour does not appeal to me and i find his voice is unpleasant to listen to.

Well you'd love me then - NOT

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ Apr 7 2007, 02:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I see no mention of the twins inherent advantages of usable power, great torque delivery, and better traction. Everyone moans and complains about their disadvantages, well they have enough advantages to even out the playing field.

again, I think your missing the point - there will be no 999's to race - allow the 1300's to race OR Ducati can't race - it's as simple as that