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KTM boss attacks Zarco's MotoGP Form

Holypuck said:
I see. I honestly had no idea, but then again I ain't from GB so...;)
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No problem with that, I like input from around the world its IMO important to get on with all nations if possible, regardless of politics, religion etc.
 
as zarco attempts to tame his KTM .... :D
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AJV80 said:
Yeah thats the one, It was a shame they stopped production of the RC8, a friend has an one and its a really awesome piece of kit.

Link Fixed
No More Superbikes for KTM - CEO Says They're Too Dangerous For Public RoadsTheRideAdvice.com
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I agree with Peirer, the modern superbike should not be allowed on the road, I've seen far to many fatalities on the road by people unable to handle them, a particular one in Surrey about 15 years ago, involved a hyabusa that was doing (police estimated above 130mph), on a single track road, long turn left bend and he's lost it, hit the wall on the outside then run into a car killing its occupants.
I lost a very good friend, who was riding his GSXR 1000, who lost it. They look like these.
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I'm sure someone will take issue with it, but better a ban on them than a ban on all motorbikes.
 
If it were only the death of idiots who can only go fast in a straight line - I would view it as a freedom of choice issue. Besides we have a surplus of idiots anyhow. When I lived on the Lower East Side in Manhattan I came to know at least six guys who were in wheelchairs from crashes on Hayabusas and as I recall less than half even had driver's licenses. But that they have such a large potential to maim or kill others makes a good argument for some restrictions. At least, there should be a graduated testing system for different categories of motorycles with the most challenging road tests for the biggest bikes, much as it is in Japan. You should not be able to just walk into a dealership with no license and buy a 180hp bike. That's just common sense.
 
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Calm down children...
Zarco has had flashes of brilliance a couple of times and thought he was going to be the bees knees which anyone who's been watching with one eye open knew he was a flash in the pan...
He's out of order in my eye one criticising the bike, the team or any other thing that don't suit him, but that's Froggies for you tbh.
Only my take on it so don't shoot the messenger
 
996bp said:
Calm down children...
Zarco has had flashes of brilliance a couple of times and thought he was going to be the bees knees which anyone who's been watching with one eye open knew he was a flash in the pan...
He's out of order in my eye one criticising the bike, the team or any other thing that don't suit him, but that's Froggies for you tbh.
Only my take on it so don't shoot the messenger
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I agree, I think its poor form for any rider to blame the bike/team while he/she works for them, regardless of whether its warranted or not. I can understand why Stefan is defending his brand but I still think the guy is a complete .....

KTM seem to be putting the bike and their 'must be a steel tube frame' mantra before the rider and anything else. Admittedly Pol is getting good results on the bike but he is the only one. He has had the most time on it and also the most input into its development (amongst the official riders anyway). It looks as if he is having to over ride the bike right to its limits compared to the other brands, it looks very unstable.
 
Perhaps. If you've ridden better machinery you'll be less inclined to adapt and be far more inclined to do whatever complaining etc. it takes to get the bike development in a direction where it better suits you.
 
misfit said:
Perhaps. If you've ridden better machinery you'll be less inclined to adapt and be far more inclined to do whatever complaining etc. it takes to get the bike development in a direction where it better suits you.
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It does seem logical that if you can first learn to ride a difficult bike fast then adapting to ride a more confidence inspiring bike later on should be an easier and quicker process, with it guaranteeing better results.

Mind you It didn't happen that way for Iannone. He went from riding the Ducati which was only just becoming a competitive bike at the time, to riding the Suzuki which was/is claimed to be one of the better handling GP bikes on the grid? He would crash often, he was fast when he first hopped on the bike in pre season testing though. It almost seemed (to me anyway) that the longer he rode for them and the more input he had into the bikes development the worse his results got?

I think a lot of it also comes down to the actual riders ability to adapt his style to a new bikes strengths and ride around its weaknesses.
 
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Barbedwirebikerr said:
Perhaps being a rookie with no experience of other GP factories is an advantage in this situation.
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I think you've hit the nail there Barbed, Oliveira's advantage in my eyes is that okay he's ridden KTM's in all 3 series, but it wasn't until he got on the moto2 bike, where its got a decent acceleration and the handling is closer to the MotoGP bikes (yes I know its not within 100bhp), but its a tricky bike as can be seen by the way to get the best out of it you need a certain "backing in" style, almost a invite the back end round a fair bit, which would on say the Honda spit you off (ignoring the MM antics).
 
AJV80 said:
I agree, I think its poor form for any rider to blame the bike/team while he/she works for them, regardless of whether its warranted or not. I can understand why Stefan is defending his brand but I still think the guy is a complete .....

KTM seem to be putting the bike and their 'must be a steel tube frame' mantra before the rider and anything else. Admittedly Pol is getting good results on the bike but he is the only one. He has had the most time on it and also the most input into its development (amongst the official riders anyway). It looks as if he is having to over ride the bike right to its limits compared to the other brands, it looks very unstable.
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The 'steel tube frame mantra' worked for Ducati ?
 
996bp said:
The 'steel tube frame mantra' worked for Ducati ?
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Did it? I'd say Casey Stoner made it work, nobody else could could ride the thing competitively. Probably why they went away from it a year after wining a championship with it..
 
Barbedwirebikerr said:
Perhaps being a rookie with no experience of other GP factories is an advantage in this situation.
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That has been said many times and is oh so damn true ............. no pre-conceptions of what to expect just get on and ride the wheels off it as best you can.

I recall someone (I think it was Stoner but others have likely also said it) saying that to many riders try to adjust the bike to themselves when the first thing they should do is adjust themselves to the bike.

that was paraphrased from a conversation but essentially the context was that until you know the bike, what it can do and its limits, why the hell are you trying to adjust anything as you may remove a strength to address your own weakness, thus you adjust to the bike and work from there
 
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AJV80 said:
Did it? I'd say Casey Stoner made it work, nobody else could could ride the thing competitively. Probably why they went away from it a year after wining a championship with it..
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They were reasonably competitive most years in the 990 formula.

The trellis frame bikes were a rather artisanal product though, I can remember Stoner saying even when he became lead rider they couldn’t provide him with a No. 1 and a No. 2 bike which were the same.
 
I wish I had read Stoner's biography sooner. He spent most of his early years trying to make the best of the machinery he got. With great success at that, and he never departed from this 'humble' approach to whatever bike he had to ride. He was particularly fond of the Honda since it was an easier bike for him to tame. I don't recall him speaking so much about his riding style, but more about a bike's characteristics and what he needed to do to it to make it go fast. He was clearly VERY special, a true alien.

Of course, this doesn't mean that he always got dud machinery to go quickly relative to the other bikes on the grid. What was invariably the case, is that he would be faster or as fast as anyone else with the same machinery.

What does all that have to do with Zarco? I guess it shows him up more than anything else. I don't think a top team will have much interest in him if he doesn't start delivering soon. He has no track record in MotoGP to earn him the same patience that Lorenzo has enjoyed while at Ducati and now Honda.
 
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