It's not over for Hayden yet

Bad luck and a not too good bike is conspiring against him.
May I be so bold as to say that Honda don't seem to care about him?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rgvneil @ May 7 2007, 10:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Bad luck and a not too good bike is conspiring against him.
May I be so bold as to say that Honda don't seem to care about him?

Honda care about him as much as they do any other rider of theirs. But HRC does respond to good performance, so they will probably throw extra weight at pedrosa this year as there main title shot (like they did for Nicky in 06)

Nicky is a damn good rider and I'd love to see him at the sharp end again, if only to piss off all his so called "fans" that now worship Stoner and Elias!

I dont see him taking another title, but, the guy can ride, sooner he's back at the front the happier I will be for him.

I know I have slagged him rotten, but Ive never denied I like the guy, or failed to rate him as a front runner. And I ve made no secret that I think HRC have treated him badly.

But some people wont believe the abaove coz everyone knows I love Rossi beyond reason, and know f##k all about anything.

Get back on it Nicky!

Pete

My memory fails me but who was the Spanish rider who last won the championship for Repsol and Honda< Creville? It was said that championship did more for Respsol revenue/brand than all the championships that Doohan won. Repsol desperately want a Spanish champion and it is plain to see HRC built there bike for the midget.

Hayden looks like a Monkey fckn football on his bike.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bojuhl @ May 7 2007, 05:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>My memory fails me but who was the Spanish rider who last won the championship for Repsol and Honda< Creville? It was said that championship did more for Respsol revenue/brand than all the championships that Doohan won. Repsol desperately want a Spanish champion and it is plain to see HRC built there bike for the midget.

Hayden looks like a Monkey fckn football on his bike.

The bike is almost exact same size as was said before…

My memory fails me too but then here is a data bases beauty:

1999 - 500cc - CRIVILLÉ, Alex - ESP - Honda
1976 - European Formula 750 - PALOMO, Victor - ESP - Yamaha

The problem for the "bigger" riders is not the actual size of the bike. The problem stems from the ergonomics. Meaning the distance from seat to pega and from seat to bars. That and the tiny wind screen that does not hide Hayden from the aerodynamic robbing wind rush. Hopefully he can do better very soon.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ogunski @ May 8 2007, 02:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>The problem for the "bigger" riders is not the actual size of the bike. The problem stems from the ergonomics. Meaning the distance from seat to pega and from seat to bars. That and the tiny wind screen that does not hide Hayden from the aerodynamic robbing wind rush. Hopefully he can do better very soon.

You mean that HRC gave him the wrong size bodywork when he asked for and got a new one? Bad bad HRC.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ May 7 2007, 02:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Honda care about him as much as they do any other rider of theirs. But HRC does respond to good performance, so they will probably throw extra weight at pedrosa this year as there main title shot (like they did for Nicky in 06)
I have agreed with you on many points on the forum, but one that you keep repeating I find to be the biggest crock of ...., is this idea you have that Honda has always treated Hayden as their number 1 rider. Only one time do I think they threw extra weight at him, only once do I think they treated him as their number 1 rider, it happened in one race, Valencia 06. That's it. Period. Other than that Pedrosa has been their hope in which they have put all their eggs in his basket. It’s a Spanish team, with a Spanish sponsor, with a great Spanish rider, who’s mentor thinks his little .... doesn’t stink. That should tell you who they think is number 1. Enough said.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ May 7 2007, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Nicky is a damn good rider and I'd love to see him at the sharp end again, if only to piss off all his so called "fans" that now worship Stoner and Elias!

I dont see him taking another title, but, the guy can ride, sooner he's back at the front the happier I will be for him.

I know I have slagged him rotten, but Ive never denied I like the guy, or failed to rate him as a front runner. And I ve made no secret that I think HRC have treated him badly.

But some people wont believe the abaove coz everyone knows I love Rossi beyond reason, and know f##k all about anything.

Get back on it Nicky!

Pete
You win the best post of the month award.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Orrmate @ May 7 2007, 01:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't get why some are talking as if its the end of his career or something. He's in his mid-twenties, he's probably not reached his peak yet, pretty big fanbase, plenty of sponsorship behind him.. Just because he ain't having a good year in 2007, doesn't mean he won't win another championship, or improve in the future.

Just my thoughts.
Orrmate, you make some great points. As a fan of course I'm still rooting for him. I'm not gonna concede this season until its over. Yes, no doubt he is struggling and a victim of a first turn melee to boot. But I think they will sort it out soon. He will still be a top contender. And maybe even a win outside of the US. I hope and believe what Pete said comes true.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ May 7 2007, 10:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You mean that HRC gave him the wrong size bodywork when he asked for and got a new one? Bad bad HRC.
Babel, lets not rehash old ...., but Honda hasn't always provided what riders have needed or wanted.

Racejumkie is right on the Hayden
and hrc issue. They finally gave him number one support in the last
race of the season!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Racejumkie @ May 8 2007, 07:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I have agreed with you on many points on the forum, but one that you keep repeating I find to be the biggest crock of ...., is this idea you have that Honda has always treated Hayden as their number 1 rider. Only one time do I think they threw extra weight at him, only once do I think they treated him as their number 1 rider, it happened in one race, Valencia 06. That's it.

We have covered this before, but my point remains the same. Honda are not stupid, over the winter of 2005 they wouldn't be so stupid to put more weight behind a rookie who doesn't fit his bike over their talented experienced rider on a wave of good form. They built the evo bike as a last ditch effort to beat Rossi/Yamaha to the title, and they entrusted it to Nicky. That doesn't sound anything like favoring the rookie. And if they thought their rookie was a better title shot than they guy who's been in the team for 3 years they wouldn't have bothered employing Hayden at all considering their was no shortage of riders dying for the Repsol Honda RCV. You may enjoy pretending that Nicky won against the odds because Honda secretly hate him, but its just not true.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pirkkalan GP @ May 8 2007, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Racejumkie is right on the Hayden
and hrc issue. They finally gave him number one support in the last
race of the season!
Hey Tom, this is my reply ^^^

I would much rather be in Nicky's place, than say Shinya! Nicky will come around!

Team riders get identical bikes Rossi/Edward, Pedrosa/Hayden get the same bike. While Rossi, most of us admit he is a genius, finished races up at front, Edwardd is at the back. What does that tell you? Edwards aint as good as Rossi. Similarly Pedrosa is finishing up in front, wheras Hayden....

As Jeremy Burgess put it, racing is 20% bike and 80% rider....

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Racejumkie @ May 8 2007, 03:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I have agreed with you on many points on the forum, but one that you keep repeating I find to be the biggest crock of ...., is this idea you have that Honda has always treated Hayden as their number 1 rider. Only one time do I think they threw extra weight at him, only once do I think they treated him as their number 1 rider, it happened in one race, Valencia 06. That's it. Period. Other than that Pedrosa has been their hope in which they have put all their eggs in his basket. It’s a Spanish team, with a Spanish sponsor, with a great Spanish rider, who’s mentor thinks his little .... doesn’t stink. That should tell you who they think is number 1. Enough said.
Jumkie, Jumkie, Jumkie... when it comes to Pedrosa and Honda you have a blind spot bigger than Texas.

They gave Hayden a new frame at Donington last year (which he said he didn't have time to test). Pedrosa didn't get that.

It's not all Spain all the way at HRC; it never has been and it never will be. The team personnel come from many different countries. Repsol maybe the sponser, but they don't pick the riders (they wanted Gibernau at one time, but were blocked by HRC). After all, how many full-time Spanish riders have ridden for Repsol Honda since the team started? Let's see... Criville, and... Pedrosa. Puig wields no power at HRC boardroom level.

Sure Honda could have given more help/worked harder at finding solutions to Hayden's problems between Brno and Motegi last year, but I don't see any evidence that it was because they were throwing all their weight behind Pedrosa.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rising Sun @ May 8 2007, 06:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Sure Honda could have given more help/worked harder at finding solutions to Hayden's problems between Brno and Motegi last year, but I don't see any evidence that it was because they were throwing all their weight behind Pedrosa.

Exactly, Pedrosa rode a standard bike all season, and it was basically only an adjustable swingarm pivot away from being the same spec as Melandris bike.

Really? I find that hard to believe.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rgvneil @ May 8 2007, 10:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Really? I find that hard to believe.

True, he had custom rear sets as well.
And a pair of support wheels of course

Opps, TE's wrath will be over me.

Tom: it's not being said (by me anyway) that honda hate nicky. They clearly think he's a top rider to keep him in 06. As for bikes being same for both - that doesn't sound 100%true. I don't know much about bikes but you could see differences between Pedrosa's and Hayden's bike last season. Exhausts or something if i remember right? And i thought it was generally excepted that Hayden was running experimental/quite possibly unreliable parts for honda (at least at start of season) where as Pedrosa was not?