Will put it this way, never the twain will meet between your side and mine as we are both to set in the way (pig headed to some) and we have diametrically opposed views on whether or not spec equipment is good/bad for the sport and/or whether it assists to lower or increase cost.
I also suspect that we differ in the view as to whether cost should play a consideration as for mine, it is a prototype series so allow development to find the limits of technology where I suspect your response would be 'but at what cost as development is expensive and only so few can afford it', which is a valid point/stance.
Its not just who the race winners were or how many, its how the races panned out even when the usual suspects were on top. Qatar, Argentina, Assen, Phillip Island & Valencia in 2015. Lorenzo's jaw dropping win at Mugello. Marquez's crazy ride at Silverstone. Rossi at Catalunya & Phillip Island. The furball at Sepang. Most of the season's qualifying sessions - especially Austria. Even the 'non-aliens' earned their keep with some great performances by Crutchlow & the Ducatis even when it was only to second or third place. People will still be rewatching them 10 years from now (and I mean the hoi-polloi, not just the purists).
So if it isn't about race winners, who cares.
Point is that nobody really cares (in the longer term) about second, third or whether that was a good race as essentially for those in the sport (not fans), the only thing that matters is racing and winning, albeit some know within their hearts that a win is as rare as Ezzy criticising the golden goose.
You may well be right in that some people will watch some highlights of the races, but just as you also stated about your review of the two stroke era, it is just as likely that those watching will not gain a relative perspective and they sure as .... sticks to a blanket will not know or understand that the series was first year of spec ecu, spec tyres and so on.
Is the competitiveness really artificial? Sure electronics development has been halted and tyre development is much slower. But the strongest manufacturers are still on top. The rider & constructor championship will still go to a Honda or Yamaha.
Its only that the Ducatis & Suzukis (& hopefully Aprilias) aren't as far off as they otherwise might have been. Without the spec electronics in play, Aprilia with its seven man engg dept probably wouldn't have bothered participating in the same series as Honda. It still can't threaten HRC/YRT dominance but maybe it could be fast enough for a good rider on a good day to 'steal' away a podium from a bigger team that's having a not-so-good day. Maybe 'steal' away a race win in Ducati's or Suzuki's case.
Artificial may have been a poor choice but the explanation or meaning with my use was artifically manufactured, so yes I do believe that the current climate of results is somewhat artificial.
As you state, the usual suspects remained at the top with the occasional interloper which believe it or not was not unheard of in the 500cc era or other four stroke years, but what we see now is DORNA trying to manufacture a close series by restricting the development of the very tools for which the sport exists.
You mean Bridgepoint Capital may look to off-load its stake in Dorna? (Dorna itself have anywhere else to go unless Ezpeleta or his successor wants to confine himself to managing WSBK.)
Correct.
I fully expect Ezzy to drop from the picture once the golden one moves to pasture with his job done, to increase the price one would pay by making the show seem to be competitive and thus artifically inflating (possibly) the asking price.
And yes, I expect it to be sold once that asking price is achievable or enticing to the business that owns it ......... and whilst I do not like Ezzy (or DORNA) I would simply say that if it occurs then good job, he was tasked and achieved.
Rossi too isn't going anywhere. He's already got his Moto2 project up and running, and a Yamaha-supported VR46 team in the premier class is pretty much a certainty. He plans to train and mentor the next generation of Italian riders (along with Asian hopefuls). Marquez is getting involved as well. Zarco spent this winter setting up his own training camp in France. I'm sure there are other riders with similar programs planned. Meanwhile Dorna is setting up a new feeder series for the British Isles and the existing feeders are expanding in SE Asia. Next year, Dorna plans to run 20 races. One of them will be Finland. The Thai govt yesterday approved the budget to bid make a formal bid for the other race.
I'm fairly upbeat about the long term prospects of the series and I think it'll succeed where F1 failed (call me naive).
You haven't been here long so I excuse it but I have always stated that VR will be running a team (as figurehead) once he chooses to retire. Of that I have no doubt whatsoever as whilst many of the yellow minions will say that the sport needs Rossi, I more firmly believe that Rossi needs the sport (big fish, small pond as to go elsewhere he would be a smaller fish in a larger pond).
I also believe the sport will survive, just as it has for many years before golden geese, DORNA and Ezpeleta when it was in an era of prototype bikes, multiple tyre brands, multiple tyre compounds, factory and privateer, fields of 40 or so riders. An awesome era actually.
And David slew Goliath. Glorious because it was so unlikely. But, in general, it still remains bad policy to let kids with slings to challenge giants in armor.
See, this is a major difference as well.
For me, you do allow children to try to slay goliath for often they will fail, but then they learn from that failure and may find another david with whom to team up and build a bigger, better slingshot. They also may fail but david and david then come across another david who has a slingshot but also a pointy thing that he puts in that slingshot and behold, they have an unexpected weapon that they have developed by lessons learnt and evolved into something that goliath finds difficult to handle, and may well be slayed.
Could Ducati have won without Stoner? How often does a rider of Stoner's calibre come along, let alone sign up with a 'minnow'?
Hate to admit but I did not pick Stoner to win that year (wish I had, money could have been made)
Rossi switched to Bridgestones the very next year and won his 6th title. Would a switch to Michelins in 2009 have revived Ducati's fortunes? IMO even if Michelin had delivered a competitive tyre built to Ducati's requirements it would only have slowed the rate at which the Ducati ship sank while they no doubt continued to blame Stoner for the decline.
Nope, but being allowed a choice may well have allowed them to win in 2010, or perhaps 2011 and so on, of that we can never know as what we do know for a fact is that the opportunity was not made available to them by DORNA and rule changes.
Now take the Ducati of last year on spec tyres. Can anyone doubt that a race-fit Stoner could have fought for the title on that? Dovizioso on that bike was at least as competitive as Capirossi on the GP7, probably a lot more.
Again, never know.
I would not have put money on him, but then, I didn't in 2007
No vested interest in Poncharal, I'd say the same about Jorge Martinez for example. Poncharal is just the first that springs to mind because of how vocal he is about his financial & technical constraints. I think he was chatting with BT Sport and discussing Honda when someone said something about their problems and he practically snarled in response - "Livio Suppo doesn't have problems. I have problems. Luccio Cecchinello has problems." It was funny and everybody laughed. Most team principals aren't quite that blunt though.
Tech 3 don't have a hope of seriously competing with the bigger factories especially over a season. With Ducati & Suzuki a major threat today, even a podium would be a major achievement. Their objective needs to be a realistic one i.e a conventional effort to be the top non-factory team rather than risk a debacle with an 'after-market' tyres. And start lobbying to reinstitute the rookie rule. At least Tech 3 can still attract riders like Zarco today, capable of posting consistently respectable results on an M1. I'm betting Morbidelli would be uncomfortable about what awaits at senior Marc VDS squad. Michael Bartholomew knows that he's got to up his results or his rider pool as well as sponsor pool will continue to shrink.
So Poncharal wishes that he had Suppo's issues etc , wow, no surprise there as in business most smaller companies want to be the bigger company not realising that often, a larger organisation has the same issues but of a larger magnitude but instead looking purely at the budget and turnover as signs of who may have it harder. Sure Honda have it easier that Tech3, but Tech3 has it easier than MarcVDS and yet I am sure that Ponscharal would say of MrcVDS 'tough' if they choose to whinge..
Looking for a bespoke tyre solution is probably a option that would be more interesting to the smaller manufacturers. The problem like I said before, is that not all suppliers have a serious interest participation in the series, and those that do want to be associated with the top riders & manufacturers, and any of the remainder willing to work with a smaller squad may not have what it takes to keep up with their primary suppliers, and those that are willing, capable & successful will go running the moment one of the big factories whistles. The Bridgestone story.
Definitely a smaller manufacturer thing, but also a smaller team thing as well were it to be chosen
As for the tyre companies, we will never know how many may wish to be involved as today they are not allowed so why even show interest when you may want a small controlled involvement but are in an era of all or none?
A smart company today will not show interest as they will let interest come to them and at this stage, the rules prohibit that interest.
