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That's too bad cause WSBK has blown away Motogp so far this year for actual racing. Expected so much more drama and actual passing in GP especially the way last season ended
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That's too bad cause WSBK has blown away Motogp so far this year for actual racing. Expected so much more drama and actual passing in GP especially the way last season ended
Arrabbiata1
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Well it certainly was under FG sport. The inequities were absurd when the IL4s were restricted to 750cc, ultimately prompting the exodus of the Japanese factories.
I think that the concessions have been well managed and balanced under Dorna where all Ducati historically had to do was go running to the Flaminni's if ever their dominance was under threat.
Take nothing away from Chaz, although Imola favours the Ducati, Aragon didn't. No doubt there's substantial backing from Bologna this year and they seem to have a very strong base setting which travels well - but aside from that Chaz looks excellent on that machine. His mid corner speed is reminiscent of Fogarty, in fact at Assen it was like deja-vu.
Great ride from Camier at MVs home circuit, although from what Parish was saying, the factory has financial issues.
Supersport - wtf was Krumennacher thinking of??? I recall Haga pulling similar .... after a blow up at Donington in 2009 I think.
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Imola in the spring is probably one of the most gorgeous places on this planet to watch a race when the sun is out and the air is warm. Reminds me of why I miss the days of F1 racing there, but F1 is .... now so I lament it far less than I once did. Such a great place for WSBK to visit, and was looking forward to this race regardless of if it turned into another ZX-10R show.
But imagine my shock when Davies took off into the lead in the first race and looked to be doing a perfect reenactment of Aragon. He looks so comfortable on that bike, and I can't think of a guy on the grid who looks more at home with his machine than Chaz Davies. There's nothing to even say other than he rode absolutely flawlessly both races. One could have been forgiven for thinking that he was out for a ride in the Italian countryside with how calm and controlled his performance was. He was sliding that Ducati with minimal effort through the corners, and the contrast between him and Davide Giugliano is frightening. It's taking ever last bit of effort by Giugliano to maintain position in the top 5, and he never looks like he trusts the bike entirely. He almost made contact on that overtake on Camier before the final chicane. That was all avoidable as he had the corner easily. But it seemed to be the effort of a man racing for his job rather than a guy racing for position. Seeing Gigi sitting in the garage had me wondering if he was there solely as support for the Aruba.it Ducati team, or if he was there to explore options for MotoGP 2017. If it were the latter, Davies certainly made a compelling case at Imola as I expect him to do for the remainder of the season.
Even though the ZX-10R's are the better overall bikes, sometimes I get this feeling that they require a bit more work to get max performance out of, and those bikes were capable of beating the Panigale of Davies. Yeah Rea had the engine braking issue coming into the final chicane in race 1 where the bike was all over the place, but Sykes' inability to even get past a bike not operating 100% seems to show a guy who is frying out slowly in his head. Probably has nightmares about chasing Rea like the Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane, only he can't actually close the gap to lob a pumpkin at him. The Kawasaki garage looked very muted after race 2 ended. Storm clouds rolling into paradise. I still expect Rea to defend his title, but Davies splitting the two in the standings is looking more and more to be the outcome of this season.
Forgettable weekend for the Honda's which I think was to be expected given the nature of Imola. Nicky was displeased with himself saying even though it was a new circuit for him, it didn't excuse the performance. But in fairness to him, it's not like van der Mark did anything remarkable either.
Malaysia up next on the newly resurfaced track. I'm expecting this to be a Kawasaki 1-2, but the surface might make for a very interesting race especially if it is slick in any way.
@Arrab Krumennacher's decision to keep riding with smoke coming from the engine was inexplicable. I was found myself yelling at the TV for him to get the .... off of the circuit. Total absence of thought on that one, and he's lucky oil didn't start dumping all over the circuit.
But imagine my shock when Davies took off into the lead in the first race and looked to be doing a perfect reenactment of Aragon. He looks so comfortable on that bike, and I can't think of a guy on the grid who looks more at home with his machine than Chaz Davies. There's nothing to even say other than he rode absolutely flawlessly both races. One could have been forgiven for thinking that he was out for a ride in the Italian countryside with how calm and controlled his performance was. He was sliding that Ducati with minimal effort through the corners, and the contrast between him and Davide Giugliano is frightening. It's taking ever last bit of effort by Giugliano to maintain position in the top 5, and he never looks like he trusts the bike entirely. He almost made contact on that overtake on Camier before the final chicane. That was all avoidable as he had the corner easily. But it seemed to be the effort of a man racing for his job rather than a guy racing for position. Seeing Gigi sitting in the garage had me wondering if he was there solely as support for the Aruba.it Ducati team, or if he was there to explore options for MotoGP 2017. If it were the latter, Davies certainly made a compelling case at Imola as I expect him to do for the remainder of the season.
Even though the ZX-10R's are the better overall bikes, sometimes I get this feeling that they require a bit more work to get max performance out of, and those bikes were capable of beating the Panigale of Davies. Yeah Rea had the engine braking issue coming into the final chicane in race 1 where the bike was all over the place, but Sykes' inability to even get past a bike not operating 100% seems to show a guy who is frying out slowly in his head. Probably has nightmares about chasing Rea like the Headless Horseman chasing Ichabod Crane, only he can't actually close the gap to lob a pumpkin at him. The Kawasaki garage looked very muted after race 2 ended. Storm clouds rolling into paradise. I still expect Rea to defend his title, but Davies splitting the two in the standings is looking more and more to be the outcome of this season.
Forgettable weekend for the Honda's which I think was to be expected given the nature of Imola. Nicky was displeased with himself saying even though it was a new circuit for him, it didn't excuse the performance. But in fairness to him, it's not like van der Mark did anything remarkable either.
Malaysia up next on the newly resurfaced track. I'm expecting this to be a Kawasaki 1-2, but the surface might make for a very interesting race especially if it is slick in any way.
@Arrab Krumennacher's decision to keep riding with smoke coming from the engine was inexplicable. I was found myself yelling at the TV for him to get the .... off of the circuit. Total absence of thought on that one, and he's lucky oil didn't start dumping all over the circuit.
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There is no race track in San Marino, which is a small town on top of a mountain. The San Marino GPs are always held in Italy, be it Misano or Imola or whatever.
I love Imola, that's the town where I was born btw. I watched my very first race at the Dino Ferrari track when I was 4 years old (and it's there that a few years later the mechanic of my uncle taught me how to ride a bike). Sweet memories. Pity they spoiled it with all those chicanes, it was a great old style track. :cc_scooter:
Arrabbiata1
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Great post.
As much as I have always loved Imola, in spite of the previous episodes at Prima Variante I still miss Monza in May.
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Asia SBK and Malay SBK have already visited. The track is said to be much grippier than before resurfacing.
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Oh that is good to hear, I'm tired of these new paving jobs where the surface resembles more of an oil slick than actual tarmac. Sounds like they got it right unlike most circuits.
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I was really hoping to see WSBK back at Monza especially since they added the run-off tarmac at the Parabolica. The new bit about having a section with a chicane split off into the park area to bypass the Curva Grande for motorcycles is inexplicable. I love Monza, but I'm getting tired of a few race series whining that it isn't up to spec for their ........ needs. Yes Monza is a fast track...that's always been the point and why races there are so fun to watch; slipstream battles.
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Good Post JPS. I'd love to see Hayden replace Gugliano on the Duc but it won't happen.
I can't remember who it was, but there was a poster here a few years ago who highly rated Gugliano, to the point where he said he'd blow them all away once he learned to stop crashing.
I can't remember who it was, but there was a poster here a few years ago who highly rated Gugliano, to the point where he said he'd blow them all away once he learned to stop crashing.
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Grip will still be dependant on what else has run on there recently (at least on Friday until the Pirelli's have left their mark!). Been dry around here lately... not entirely sure about KL, so no idea how 'clean' the circuit is atm.
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Hayden WAS MotoGP WC in 2006...you don't see Repsol Honda chasing his signature now do you?
Gugs showed flashes of speed, but certainly since they have been team mates, Chaz Davies has been more consistent, and consistently faster. In their 3 years as team mates, Chaz has won 9 races to Davide's 0 and has finishes higher in the championship each season.
So how was he much faster than Chaz?
Gugs showed flashes of speed, but certainly since they have been team mates, Chaz Davies has been more consistent, and consistently faster. In their 3 years as team mates, Chaz has won 9 races to Davide's 0 and has finishes higher in the championship each season.
So how was he much faster than Chaz?
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