Smrz, B&G Racing to make immediate switch to Aprilia

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Interesting. Lots of talk about Smrz to BMW or B&G to switch to BMW. All along it was Aprilia they were after.

APRILLIA Good on them providing another bike

Ducati hmm whats the score bit of egg on the face

How does everyone reckon Smrz will do on the Aprilla? Are there any other customer Aprilla's racing in WSBK this year?

L8Braker said:

How does everyone reckon Smrz will do on the Aprilla? Are there any other customer Aprilla's racing in WSBK this year?

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If they get the parts (including gear cams), Smrz should go well. He's a big guy, but Camier has shown that bigger guys with less experience can still score podiums on the bike.



The only thing that bothers me about the B&G switch is that Ducati has knocked the luster off of the brand by voluntarily signing up for performance indexing.In 2006 and 2007, Ducati were parsing the Ducatisti for input about the upcoming SBK from owners and enthusiasts as to which direction they should take: 1000cc 4-cylinder or 1200cc twin. I wrote a very long email to the marketing department (per their request) as did many other owners, and I pitched the case for a 1000cc L-4 twin pulse Ducati that would sound like a Ducati and ride like a Ducati, but that could rev higher and have increased reliability due to smaller pistons and valves.



Ducati have done a great job turning the company around, but the SBK problems with performance indexing and the backlash regarding Ducati's "cheating" tactics were avoidable. Now the 1198 has the reputation of being a maintenance nightmare with rear grip problems that doesn't win championships. What a difference a day makes. In 2009 they missed the championship by a few points, now they have trouble running at the front, and the bikes have had quite a few failures this season (Checa's being the worst).



If only they had built a 1000cc L-4 with an SSS and then used their political power to push through a DSS for WSBK (if needed).



Oh well.