WSBK Silly Season 2009

[djb]

hi all, I follow motogp but havent followed WSB for many a year, not sure when I was following it regularly but at least 5 years anyway...

waddya all think, should I get back into it, reading your posts (and bickering cough cough) makes it look like next year will be pretty neat with diff companies involved (although one would suspect that BMW, KTM and even Aprilia will be behind the eightball compared to the regulars...that we shall see , I know...)

anyway--how about some blurbs to convince me it is more interesting than motogp? (basically I follow the 250s and GP for now) Go ahead, dont hold back...

cheers

[chunder]

Put simply, just watch it and find out for yourself!

[jaybond]

Wondering who will be the line-up for PSG-1 Kawasaki? Regis is out. Not sure about Tamada .Maybe they can bring in Anthony West, who knows things could be good for Team Green next year.

Still remember Kawasaki was among the front runners back in the 90's....

[djb]

Originally Posted by chunder

Put simply, just watch it and find out for yourself!

chcuckle--didnt see this response til now....good answer, I think I just might!!

[JohnnyFiama]

Originally Posted by jaybond

Wondering who will be the line-up for PSG-1 Kawasaki? Regis is out. Not sure about Tamada .Maybe they can bring in Anthony West, who knows things could be good for Team Green next year.

Word on the street is that PSG-1 will be running Ducatis next year having bought up RG Racing. DFX are in line for the Kawasakis....

[Tazz]

Originally Posted by jaybond

.Maybe they can bring in Anthony West, who knows things could be good for Team Green next year.

No, it looks like West is going to WSS, with Stiggy

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/moto...ggy_honda.html

[Gerben24]

Well, there aren't any bikes left who can challenge for a championship in GPs and Superbikes, so good choice for somebody who 18 months back was riding a very second hand 250cc Aprilia, struggling to score some points!

The Stiggy bike is a proven winner, so he should get a shot at the championship next year (one more Aussie fighting for the WSS championship ).

[Tazz]

It's not like he had too many options to choose from :P
Good luck for him...

[cg7aa]

Originally Posted by jaybond

Still remember Kawasaki was among the front runners back in the 90's....

I too remember Akira Yanagawa in the 2000 season. Some sterling rides at Hockenheim and Monza. The Kawasaki had some poke in a straight line!

[Gerben24]

I remember Scott Russell, the only champion on a 4-inline (in 1993) until Toseland won it on the FireBlade in 2007...

[chunder]

Quickest bike in series was often a KAwasaki, Jochen Schmids bikes were always missiles in a straigt line! And when Kitagawa came over to Germany a fwe tiems he was always fast!

They always pulled something out at Sugo aswell with Izutsu, Kitagawa and Russell always doing well there.

Rememebr too that Gobert was winner on Kwak's and Rob Phillis against the might of Polen!

[jaybond]

I think nowadays, it's either Honda or Suzi, is the fastest bike.

But wonder what will happen if there's no air restrictor on the Duc? Could it match or even top the max speed chart? Or will it still stick to the principle that twins will always make less hp than 4 cyls?

[JohnnyFiama]

Provisional 2009 races announced:

March 1 Australia Phillip Island
March 14 Qatar Doha/Losail
April 5 Spain Valencia
April 26 Netherlands Assen
May 10 Italy Monza
May 17 South Africa Kyalami
May 31 United States Salt Lake City
June 21 San Marino Misano
June 28 Great-Britain Donington Park
July 26 Czech Republic Brno
September 6 Germany Nürburgring
September 27 Italy tba
October 4 France Magny-Cours
October 25 Portugal Portimão

No Brands so far..... anyone know why there is not a Japanses round anymore? Seems odd for a world championship with mainly Japanese bikes....

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFiama

No Brands so far.....

I heard Brands circuit directors fell out with Flamini. I'm pretty sure Brands will be added on later. Flamini wouldn't do themself a big favour without this round.

anyone know why there is not a Japanses round anymore? Seems odd for a world championship with mainly Japanese bikes....

It is Flamini's way of pestering the Japanese manufacturers. After they pulled out at the end of 2002, Flamini did not extend the contract with Sugo. The Japanese are still suffering for that...

[Rod Birley]

3 rounds in Italy and only one in UK, strange how things change around.

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by Rod Birley

3 rounds in Italy and only one in UK, strange how things change around.

Read my last post in the Vallelunga WSBK thread, and you'll feel even better about that.

[chunder]

WSBK is now the Max Biaggi show, has been since 2007,

Thats the end of it.

[JohnnyFiama]

Ok, I'll bite.... what are you basing that on? Biaggi is small fry compared to Ducati, BMW, Aprilia etc. If it really was the Biaggi show why didn't they engineer a deal to get him on the works Ducati?

I'd read that the organisers had had enough of him, they were effectively paying his salary so far during his time in WSB but that stopped this year.

WSB is in boom time and is so much more than one man. Max needs them more than they need him, where else would he go?

[Gerben24]

Here's my 10cents. I went to Monza this year, for the WSBK round. I was a bit surprised to see that Biaggi is NOT liked there at all. It was all about Bayliss, than Haga and Fabrizio was cheered for as well.

When Biaggi was knocked off his bike in the 2nd race people cheered!

Last year, I went to Mugello for the Motogp race. Biaggi wasn't in Motogp (for the 2nd year running), but speaking to the locals there, they still hated him with a passion!

I know it's the same on the east coast of Italy (think Misano, Rossi country).

It is only Vallelunga (which is nearby Rome), where he's liked.

So, Max Biaggi is not the reason there are 3 rounds in Italy. It is still all about Ducati!

[chunder]

Well the poepl on ehre can think what they like but who is usually the first camera they go to in the pits before a session?

Who gets most of the attention from teh cameras on teh track, who will the director cut to when he is on his own in 6th place! They dont so it with anyone else.

I dont think Max is at all popular in Italy, but he is seen as a villian and people love villians!

I can understand that the teams dont like it, but if Flammini is paying him money then you cant blame the tv people for doing it, they have to!!

[jhansen]

Two races a piece in Italy, Spain and England. After that, let's spread it around please.

[Gerben24]

As already is the case, superbike teams are only allowed to enter 2 bikes. That is why Neukircher is racing for Team Alstare Suzuki and Kagayama and Nieto for Team Suzuki Alstare. Sofuoglu has been racing for Ten Kate Honda Junior and Checa and Kiyo for Ten Kate Honda.

Next year Johnny Rea and Carlos Checa will be racing for the Ten Kate Honda team and Kiyo will be racing for 'just' a Honda team.

For Honda fans, expect proper Honda colours on his bike.

All three bikes will be prepared by Ten Kate.

[racer69]

And the reason for these silly rules are??

If they get near the 32 'full-time' entrant cutoff, aren't the 1 rider teams first to go??

[gomick]

shall be interesting to see how nakano stacks up against biaggi on the aprilia in 09...

[Gerben24]

Originally Posted by gomick

shall be interesting to see how nakano stacks up against biaggi on the aprilia in 09...

Has Nakano been confirmed???

Biaggi has the advantage of 2 years in WSB, being an Italian in an Italian team, having already ridden the bike and the biggest advantage, he knows the Pirelli tyres.

I hope Shinya wil be able to adjust to the new tyres (not his strong point).