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What you dont know though is that Edwards was developing tyres and bits for the bike most of the time and he did nearly win quite a few races.
What I meant to say was that is Stoner and Dani werent there, put pretty much anyone on that bike and they would standa a chance of winning. Look at the NSR in the late 90's, Mick had developed it very well, and guys liek Criville, Biaggi, Okada and Cadalora took advantage of that. They werent as consistent as Mick but often were as quick.
Now to take apart the critique about Valentino's speed. You are right about Sete and Max, but let's be honest Vale would have beaten them in EVERY race were it not for tyre issues, weather or rider error. Stoner is doing pretty much the same.
My belief is that Casey is the fastest rider out there, but is not as good at developing a bike. He can do it, he has with the Honda, but Vale is far better at it. He goes about it in a different way and is old enough now to realise that pushing for results is not good if you are going to keep falling as he did earlier on.
Each method has its inherent advantages. But, and most importantly, what do you think might happen if the Ducati was close? I can tell you, Vale would concentrate on an area where the bike was good, make is perfect there, pass lots of people there and keep it close elsewhere. It's how he and Burgess have worked for years.
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