Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
We spend lots of time debating the top three riders, or the top four if you count Pedrosa by default. This title is done and dusted, and the rest of the season is a mere formality.
Two Brits, Smith and Redding, stood on the podium( if fully dry would not have otherwise been there) but lets shelve that for the moment. (Btw, I'm sure the feed mentioned this somewhere, but when was the last time two Brits stood on the podium?) Anyway, here is the topic for discussion:
What other riders do you consider to be underrated or overlooked and could make a serious splash if given a competitive machine?
A few members mentioned Loris Baz, based on his open class podium at Misano (4th place). I actually think this would be a good example of a guy with talent that has been overlooked because of the bias that he is too tall. Perhaps intuitively that makes sense, but I think Simonchelli and Rossi have gone a long way in debunking this theory. And I would venture to say, the small guy is right for the job theory has been debunked by Pedrosa.
I think Wsbk guys don't get a fair shake in GP, though Cal Crutchlow may have damaged this assertion. I think Bradl has been a disappointment, despite a Moto2 title, so the theory that a GP rider must come from GP doesn't quite hold water. Again, Pedrosa has debunked that myth also me thinks. And the idea that a rider from a national championship not being able to win a title was debunked by Hayden, who came third in the championship in 2005 after being promoted in 2003, then secured a world title in 06. So are we missing some gems out there that are being overlooked?
Another rider that comes to mind is Josh Hayes, AMA champ. Deemed too old. Yet conducted himself well during his GP & Wsbk wildcards. Van der Mark is another kid who I would say deserves a look. The Wsbk Honda is crap and we are not seeing his true potential.
Two Brits, Smith and Redding, stood on the podium( if fully dry would not have otherwise been there) but lets shelve that for the moment. (Btw, I'm sure the feed mentioned this somewhere, but when was the last time two Brits stood on the podium?) Anyway, here is the topic for discussion:
What other riders do you consider to be underrated or overlooked and could make a serious splash if given a competitive machine?
A few members mentioned Loris Baz, based on his open class podium at Misano (4th place). I actually think this would be a good example of a guy with talent that has been overlooked because of the bias that he is too tall. Perhaps intuitively that makes sense, but I think Simonchelli and Rossi have gone a long way in debunking this theory. And I would venture to say, the small guy is right for the job theory has been debunked by Pedrosa.
I think Wsbk guys don't get a fair shake in GP, though Cal Crutchlow may have damaged this assertion. I think Bradl has been a disappointment, despite a Moto2 title, so the theory that a GP rider must come from GP doesn't quite hold water. Again, Pedrosa has debunked that myth also me thinks. And the idea that a rider from a national championship not being able to win a title was debunked by Hayden, who came third in the championship in 2005 after being promoted in 2003, then secured a world title in 06. So are we missing some gems out there that are being overlooked?
Another rider that comes to mind is Josh Hayes, AMA champ. Deemed too old. Yet conducted himself well during his GP & Wsbk wildcards. Van der Mark is another kid who I would say deserves a look. The Wsbk Honda is crap and we are not seeing his true potential.
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