Firstly, I must dedicate this post to Chopperman(Roger), who quite rightly has given me a wake-up kick in the ribs (post). Either he is missing me, or has been bored and has been poking at a few ants nests.
Has Honda got all the ingredients for a world title in 2011??
1)Over the past year or two they have been poaching the likes of Suppo and some of Yamahas best engineers to form the basis of a strong team.
2) They are benefitting from the 6 engine rule ,by being able to have the deadly combination of the most powerful and longest lasting engines. Ducati have lost their speed advantage by reducing the rev-ceiling to make the engines last the season.From what I have seen, the Hondas have a lot more acceleration than the other bikes.
3) Signing Stoner. Many will argue ,but many commentators still regard him as the fastest guy in the field on equal equipment. Dennis Noyes and Kropotkin(?) I think, believe this to be the case.
4) Pedrosa getting stronger. I used not to rate him in the same league as the other 3 aliens, but have started to doubt this.
He has managed to largely eliminate all of his earlier weaknesses
- Poor wet weather rider- looks pretty good these days
- Poor under brakes- as strong as anybody this year
-Cant handle a one on one battle- done it a few times this year
I suspect Stoner will have his measure next year, but there might not be much in it.
Pedrosa will be spurred to perform at his absolute best.
5) Jeremy Burgess joins Stoner at Honda. Well maybe not, but it is a real possibility. Jeremy likes to nurture new young talent, and guiding Stoner to a repeat title and future consistent dominance could be the final satisfying chapter in the Burgess Story.
Both Lorenzo and Spies have team chief engineers they are happy with and wont want to replace. Ducati are a tight Italian team and may not want Burgess with them. Only jeremy knows what he is going to do next year, but a move to Honda could be the final piece that creates the "Perfect Storm for Honda
6) Rossi on the back foot next year. When the opposition was less strong as it was in 2003(?), Rossi was good enough to move to a weaker bike and still win. Now the opposition is much stronger, and the slimmest of deficiencies will be too much for Rossi to bridge. Don,t worry though boppers, because the Rossi legend will still be intact. He was never beaten on equal equipment while healthy (that was a fortuitous break- see Speedtv article), and he went down while fighting hard on inferior equipment, while trying to fulfill the Italian dream for all his fans. Good on him!
7) Will Yamaha lose the plot without Furusawa, Burgess and Rossi. Possibly not, but on balance you would have to expect them not to be at the same extraordinary level that they have achieved these past 3 years.
Thanks again Roger.....................you may have saved me from..................................neglect.
Has Honda got all the ingredients for a world title in 2011??
1)Over the past year or two they have been poaching the likes of Suppo and some of Yamahas best engineers to form the basis of a strong team.
2) They are benefitting from the 6 engine rule ,by being able to have the deadly combination of the most powerful and longest lasting engines. Ducati have lost their speed advantage by reducing the rev-ceiling to make the engines last the season.From what I have seen, the Hondas have a lot more acceleration than the other bikes.
3) Signing Stoner. Many will argue ,but many commentators still regard him as the fastest guy in the field on equal equipment. Dennis Noyes and Kropotkin(?) I think, believe this to be the case.
4) Pedrosa getting stronger. I used not to rate him in the same league as the other 3 aliens, but have started to doubt this.
He has managed to largely eliminate all of his earlier weaknesses
- Poor wet weather rider- looks pretty good these days
- Poor under brakes- as strong as anybody this year
-Cant handle a one on one battle- done it a few times this year
I suspect Stoner will have his measure next year, but there might not be much in it.
Pedrosa will be spurred to perform at his absolute best.
5) Jeremy Burgess joins Stoner at Honda. Well maybe not, but it is a real possibility. Jeremy likes to nurture new young talent, and guiding Stoner to a repeat title and future consistent dominance could be the final satisfying chapter in the Burgess Story.
Both Lorenzo and Spies have team chief engineers they are happy with and wont want to replace. Ducati are a tight Italian team and may not want Burgess with them. Only jeremy knows what he is going to do next year, but a move to Honda could be the final piece that creates the "Perfect Storm for Honda
6) Rossi on the back foot next year. When the opposition was less strong as it was in 2003(?), Rossi was good enough to move to a weaker bike and still win. Now the opposition is much stronger, and the slimmest of deficiencies will be too much for Rossi to bridge. Don,t worry though boppers, because the Rossi legend will still be intact. He was never beaten on equal equipment while healthy (that was a fortuitous break- see Speedtv article), and he went down while fighting hard on inferior equipment, while trying to fulfill the Italian dream for all his fans. Good on him!
7) Will Yamaha lose the plot without Furusawa, Burgess and Rossi. Possibly not, but on balance you would have to expect them not to be at the same extraordinary level that they have achieved these past 3 years.
Thanks again Roger.....................you may have saved me from..................................neglect.
