Team Roberts may quit MotoGP

Kenny Roberts has admitted he is seriously thinking about switching his team to SBK.

He said in a recent interview that is team was employing more than thirty persons and he could jeopardize their future.

If he doesn't get the right package he is definitely considering switching to WSBK.

Frankly I think that would be a good thing, specially if he gets a factory contract to run a new bike like -let's say- MV Agusta, KTM, Aprilia, BMW...

When you've knowed Team Roberts at its peak (do you remember the Lucky Strike Yamahas? ), it's very sad to see them at the back of the grid.

It was great to try to beat the factory teams but it has been proved very difficult for them.

It's a shame if he leaves for WSBK but totally understandable. He must be going through truckloads of cash on a 1 bike team that's going backwards. If he does leave then I hope he does well in his new venture.

King Kenny can't get the money to run the team and without money you don't get results.
Since he decided to try and create a hybrid bike instead of sticking with the satelite team formula his results have been mixed.
He tried to prove you could beat the big Japanese makers by making your own bike/hybrid in Europe....but it is just not to be...so he was proved wrong. His experiment has failed and so should probably leave GPs for new fighting ground. He can win some money back that he has lost of late and maybe comeback in 4 years time to fight and get Kurtis his Whirled Title.

I think culling Kurtis might be a step towards improvement?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MigsAngel @ Sep 20 2007, 03:29 AM) [snapback]91832[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
He tried to prove you could beat the big Japanese makers by making your own bike/hybrid in Europe....but it is just not to be...so he was proved wrong. His experiment has failed and so should probably leave GPs for new fighting ground.

I dunno, last year they beat all the satellite teams except gresini and the only non-factory-team rider ahead of Kenny Jr. was Melandri. Heck, they beat the Kawasaki factory effort, and their one rider beat both Suzuki factory riders in the standings rather soundly and was only 17 points off of matching their combined total. The only factory team to have both riders ahead of Roberts was Honda. Those are pretty good results from a non-factory team running a one-off chassis...

antfan: Kurtis isn't the problem. Right now the bike just won't go (and there aren't really viable replacements for them anyway)

I think Kurtis has done a good a job as he possibly can, but I have never seen him as GP material, or having earned his right to race in the big league. I think they will do better as a team in WSBK, besides its good racing.

I say Ducati should supply them with engines.

Kurtis scored more points in his first three races of this season than krjr did in his whole season of this year.
(If im correct, which i think i am)

4 strokes have killed the privateer. Besides the inflated expense, you can't walk into an engine manufacturing outfit and ask for 230hp out of 1 liter. It's even worse now because you need around 220hp out of 800cc!!

Very few companies can make that kind of power reliably. Kenny tried early on with Proton, but that fell apart miserably.

Now he's at Honda's mercy. A big chunk of his budget goes to get the lump and you can guarantee he doesn't even get the really good stuff.

Sad day, but its been like this for a long time in 4 stroke racing. The engines are too good, too expensive, and too developed for a privateer or a new entrant to launch a team without a mega budget.

Its a good move for them, they had their shot and did well, but I don't see them improving any more without the money which they obviously don't have.

It would be sad to see them go... but I don't see them going anywhere in GP, or Kurtis for that matter.

i dont no why he doesn't go and race 250 or 125s for a bit, they always made a good 2 stroke's and its far cheaper.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(roger-m @ Sep 20 2007, 07:04 PM) [snapback]91878[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
i dont no why he doesn't go and race 250 or 125s for a bit, they always made a good 2 stroke's and its far cheaper.

team kr have been treated terribly by honda.no updates at all since they got he engine at the start of the season.as kenny has said theres no point throwing more money at it like other honda teams have because the updates just have'nt improved enough to justify the sort of money honda want for improvements,so called.the biggest worry for the sport is the lack of numbers on the grid.a worry for all parties involved in the sport.if were not careful were gonna end up with a dozen bikes running around each race.not good for whats supposed to be the elite class of motorcycle racing.on another point i have always thuoght that honda wealds to much power and influence on motrcycle racing.why did we move to 800's,because honda wanted it.maybe team kr would be better off with ducati but at the moment as livio suppo has said they don't have the resources to help anymore teams than the current factory team plus the d'antin effort.feel for kenny it would be a great loss fo moto gp.dorna need to get more teams on the grid for sure.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jackabean21 @ Sep 20 2007, 09:13 PM) [snapback]91891[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
team kr have been treated terribly by honda.



You must be kidding?

Do you think Honda supplies engines to Roberts for the money?

It was just to keep him in MotoGP.

And I don't think that LCR or JIR get a much better treatment from Honda.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coriolis @ Sep 20 2007, 08:37 PM) [snapback]91894[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>


You must be kidding?

Do you think Honda supplies engines to Roberts for the money?

It was just to keep him in MotoGP.

And I don't think that LCR or JIR get a much better treatment from Honda.

of course its for the money.why would honda do it just to keep roberts in mot gp?honda don't do sentiment.as kenny has said recently if dorna had'nt stepped in mid season then they would'nt have completed the season.thats dorna putting up the money not honda.the difference with lcr and jir is that they are better funded sponsor wise.

Here here... I am with them being supplied by Ducati.
That would be one heck of a ride...
The question is how much support would the get.

The D'Antin bike seems to not be able to make it without blowing up and Capirex declined the third factory seat due to the level of support not being available...

But I like the fact that Ducati offered team Roberts to supply them engines for the year. I would take the offer. ... Can't be any worse than they are right now.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Duc999 @ Sep 20 2007, 03:19 PM) [snapback]91926[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
But I like the fact that Ducati offered team Roberts to supply them engines for the year. I would take the offer. ... Can't be any worse than they are right now.


Amen. Even if they got a 2007 spec they would still be much better off in 2008. Come to think of it, why don't they buy as many surplus GP7 engines from this year as they can? Seems like they'd be much better off.

whos going to bring up the rear with such consistencey with kurtis gone?

Even at the beginning of the year Team Roberts said they needed a BIG sponsor other wise they would not be able to complete the year.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jackabean21 @ Sep 21 2007, 05:13 AM) [snapback]91891[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
if were not careful were gonna end up with a dozen bikes running around each race. not good for whats supposed to be the elite class of motorcycle racing. dorna need to get more teams on the grid for sure.


This is has been in the back of my mind for a little while now. It would be a sad state of affairs if this was to happen

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jackabean21 @ Sep 20 2007, 10:02 PM) [snapback]91900[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
of course its for the money.why would honda do it just to keep roberts in mot gp?

You're really wrong, Japanese have a very weird way to do things.

Honda is "helping" Roberts by providing them engines. Not for free obviously but it is to help Roberts which helps the championship who is in needs to have more teams.

Honda does not gain anything in image by doing that.

If it was otherwise they would supply RCVs to another team.

If they can build the engines, the chassis are no problems and they would earn much more money and results by doing this.

It is like when Yamaha helped Cagiva developped their bike just to keep them in the championship.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coriolis @ Sep 21 2007, 06:21 AM) [snapback]91970[/snapback]<div class='quotemain'>
You're really wrong, Japanese have a very weird way to do things.

Honda is "helping" Roberts by providing them engines. Not for free obviously but it is to help Roberts which helps the championship who is in needs to have more teams.

Honda does not gain anything in image by doing that.

If it was otherwise they would supply RCVs to another team.

If they can build the engines, the chassis are no problems and they would earn much more money and results by doing this.

It is like when Yamaha helped Cagiva developped their bike just to keep them in the championship.

how is it helping the championship with team kr running around last every race.of all the teams honda supplies engines to team kr are last in the pecking order and the reason for that is budget.if dorna had not stepped in then they would have folded half way through the season.kenny roberts words not mine.if honda was that concerned why did'nt they step in at that point to help.simple,they could'nt give a monkeys fk about team roberts.jnr sat at home in america thinking the same.he's probably wondering that this time last year we were on the rostrum at estoril and look at us now.if were not gonna get the same treatment as the rest of the satelite teams why bother.honda does'nt care about numbers on the grid.it would do away with all the two strokes tommorow if it could.as i've said honda wealds to much power in the moto gp paddock.who wanted to move to 800's,honda.reason so they said was that the 990's were getting to fast.well what do ya know,in only less than one season the 800's are nearly as fast.honda would like it if they were 1,2,3, every week regardless who rides them.but most of all if your a satelite team you can have as many updates as you like so long as the cheques clear first.thats why they like pedrosa because he's a typical honda man.when he wins theres no fancy celebration and he does'nt openly criticise honda.one of the main reason for rossi leaving them is because he coul'nt stand how they worked.so your right that honda works in a funny way but not always the right way same as any other team but the difference is that the other teams don't live in ivory towers and race hard and celebrate hard.i feel really sorry for nicky hayden cos i think after winning the title last year he has been treated like the second rider at repsol.i can remember when honda completely abandoned top level racing in the seventies and early eighties.don't think they would'nt abandon this paddock again because if their losing streak continues.yes i know they won last year i.e.not winning the world title in the next two or three years it could well happen.why has pedrosa taken so long to sign a new contract,because there in the .... at the moment and though he won't admit it publicly its true.honda believes the bike wins the world championship not the rider.always has done and always will do.where would they be if pedrosa decided not to sign a new contract today.in an even bigger mess.