<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (basspete @ Jun 11 2008, 05:40 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yep, I too have been harsh on Hayboy over the last years, and I will quite happily admit that I said in 2006 that he would never win another title. However, I do not think that Nicky's results show his standard as a racer. Something has gone horribly wrong somewhere for him.
At the start of 2007, he was consistantly 4th, or thereabouts in testing. In GP, Nicky has always been a steady top five kinda guy, not many wins but always somewhere near the sharp end. Thats how he became the champ. So, no real surprises there, I dont think anyone (apart from some who will remain nameless) thought for a minute that he was gonna do a Doohan for 2007. What nobody saw, was the guy doin a KRJR and falling backwards down the rankings. Kenny had a bit of an excuse, the Suzook isnt the best out there, but Hayboy is on an HRC bike. I dont believe that someone from an SBK background is completely incapable of adjusting to an 800 after winning a title on a 990. I know they are very different, but, the change in Nicky's fortunes are shocking.
Toseland, for a SBK rider in his rookie year isnt doing too badly on an 800, so why is an ex world champ struggling?
My opinion has always been based on the fact that HRC are about the bike, not the rider. They saw the Wee Guy as a bigger threat to Rossi, and saw his stature more suited to the 800 than Nick. Therefore, HRC probably saw building a bike suited to their most serious challenger, (as they saw it) made more sense than building one to suit Nicky. Considering the guy had just lifted the title for them, I saw this as a kick in the nuts to the him. HRC didnt do Colin Edwards any favours after winning 2 world SBK titles for them, and Tose is in GP on a Yamaha after giving HRC another title.
My overall thoughts on all this? Nicky gave HRC the title they wanted badly, beating the "enemy" Rossi in the process. Do they say thanks properly? No because he did it on a Honda, and their bike is a race winner in their eyes. Had he done the same for any of the other factories, he'd of had a job for life. But, as Rossi says, thats not how HRC work.
I hope that they dont lift the title for a long time to be honest. I have owned a lot of Honda's, in recent years I have been a huge fan of Doohan, Cadalora, Rossi and plenty others while they were riding for HRC, but now I think they have earned the ole Roberts Team nick "The evil empire" more than Kenny's guys did. I know that they are trying to win the title, butwhat looks to me and many others as shitting on your riders to achieve this sucks.
Rant over.
Pete
Great Post.
HRC definitely saw huge potential in Hayden, and wasted no time in snapping him up in '03, pulling the rug from under the feet of Yamaha in the process as I recall. At around this time attention was turning to hungry younger riders combined with the switch to 4 stroke, and there were many lining up on the grid that were passed their prime, unable/unwilling to change their style and perhaps circulating for nothing more than the incentive of a huge pay cheque.
But, I never really believed that Nicky was part of the overall grand plan. HRC wasted no time lobbing Kato onto the diesel, as I recall fresh from the eight hour he landed the gig in Brno in '02. The full factory support that swung to Gresini the following year was intended to nurture Daichan and ended up benefitting Sete, which is why he was suddenly able to challenge Vale more convincingly than others in '03 and '04. All along Dani was seen as the up and coming understudy to Kato and it's a no brainer that HRC would have immediately installed Daijiro in Vale's vacated seat at Repsol in '04. Two years later, with all eyes on Pedrosa, I don't think HRC expected Nicky to win the title in '06, and as we know, they certainly didn't do as much as they could have done to expedite his championship bid in the process.
How many blades have HRC sold in the US since they signed Nicky? Hugh Laurie rides a Repsol Honda rep in House for Christ sake...hard to envisage happening when Ukawa had the ride. Clearly Nicky wasn't snatched up by HRC for merely commercial reasons, otherwise he would've been placed in a satellite team..they saw enormous potential coinciding with the coming of the 4 stroke era,
but they also percieved similar marketing potential which is just as dehumanising as their all pervading "it's all in the bike not the rider" philosophy. Remember another reason Vale left is because Honda wanted partial ownership of his image rights. A decade and a half before that, HRC lost Lawson for the same reason..they failed to acknowledge the real value of his talent, and treated him like any other employee. (In the case of Dani, they don't have to quibble about image rights...because he doesn't have one.) But when Pedrosa threatened to walk..even HRC took notice, and they're delivering, because since the tragic death of Kato he's always been the focus of the grand ultimate 'design'. Nicky is sadly irrelevant, out of the equation, and as Pete says there seems to be little in the way of gratitude towards his achievements and effort. Even if the Ducati doesn't suit him, the team will...it's a marriage made in heaven...I hope it happens for him both on and of the track
