The Circus is in Town

I just watched the AMA Supersport race from Laguna Seca and boy was it hilarious! They can't make that stuff up. It was like watching a bad movie about motorcycle racing that most motorcycle fans would walk out on. Poor Josh Hayes would've been better off trying to ride a bull in the PBR tour without a rope. He took two nasty falls over the weekend, the second of which caused a red flag in the Supersport race. Jamie 'Hacker' Hacking or THE HACKER, as he should be called, took the brake lever off of Josh Herrin's Yamaha in the corkscrew. He then helped assist Hayes into turn six soon after to cause the red flag. He later decided to ridicule Josh Herrin, on camera, by calling him 'Rossi' due to his devotion to Rossi (since Herrin wears the same number as Rossi and rides the same brand and probably has Rossi posters all over his bedroom leaving no room for his 'Panic At The Disco' poster and he probably has a Rossi tattoo and Rossi's biography and a scale model of Rossi's bike and Rossi replica helmet, hey, I like this guy).

So, guess who won the race and took those points away from Hacking? Yes, it was Josh Herrin. That karma thing sure is kooky.

Speaking of karma. When is Laguna going to get their card punched? (We'll probably have to wait until 2010 when their contract is up with MotoGP.) Then we'll see the tumbleweeds roll across that track like a ghost town. The organizers did a great product placement for Mazda when the flimsy sign at the top of the hill blew directly into the path of the riders forcing them to ride right through it as well as ride over the top of a sandbag as well. Miraculously no one was killed or even went down. But come on Laguna folks! What are you planning for next year? How about one of those banners that football players run through at gametime? You can put it right at the top of the hill before the corkscrew to make the race, and that corner, even more infamous. Or the banner could be placed at the finish line to make it more dramatic. Maybe someone will die this time. It's seems as if this is what you're shooting for in the end.

No Turkey? I love Turkey!

The 2008 MotoGP schedule has two rounds in the U.S. Really it's 1.5 rounds, since Laguna Seca is not the real deal. Indy should be able to bring it up a notch or two from Laguna. First of all, they've hosted Formula 1, so they can handle the big show. Second, they are bringing the support classes and keeping out the AMA. This is the way it should be done. Not the half-assed version we see at Laguna where the AMA guys are relegated to sharing a pop-up tent on pit road and the 125s and 250s stay home. It's crucial for the MotoGP fan to see the support classes. Where do you think Rossi came from? Pedrosa? Stoner? Jorge Lorenzo will be yet another contender coming from the lower ranks and one to watch as Rossi's Yamaha teammate in '08.

Laguna is on life support. Sure they've got a contract until 2010. (That was a wise move on their part.) Because if their contract was any shorter it would not have been renewed due to their lack of a high quality event and a track suitable to go karts. The director at Laguna said the more the merrier, welcome to the party, and so on with regards to Indy. What that really means is that they better start talking to World Superbike before Miller Motorsports Park actually gets it's act together and gives the place the appearance of not actually looking like an abandoned airfield. Because Laguna will not be holding any world class events after 2010.

Now let's talk Turkey. This is one of the best tracks on the MotoGP circuit for viewing and for racing (according to the racers themselves). Unfortunately it's off the schedule for '08. Is this because Bernie Ecclestone (the Director of F1 Motorsports) purchased the place? Will MotoGP go back there? Hopefully.

Can Bernie purchase Road America and make it what it can be? Yet open it up to MotoGP?

AMA Suzuki Superbike Team Challenge

Who will win the AMA title? Who cares? It's not like America is rooting for one or the other. There's not a hugely passionate fan base for either rider (at least that I can detect). If Spies wins it, so what? He had the championship in the bag, but has been riding as of late like his testicles were made of glass. He was abruptly reminded that they weren't, at Road Atlanta, when he flipped off the bike while snaking through that silly section of curves that serve no real purpose but to make the bikes look like they're on a slalom run. You can't pass there, so the only hope is that you crash, I guess. Spies took a nice shot to the jewels in that crash which was good. Perhaps it'll wake him up in time for Laguna Seca.

Mladin rode like he wants the championship that he supposedly knows nothing about. His coy on camera antics are as tiresome as usual. Just quit being yourself Mat. Just for once. Then maybe someone will care that you've won the title again. Or maybe not.

Blue flag? What blue flag?!

The only closely contested championships in motorcycle racing these days are the support classes. The most interesting one out there is the AMA Supersport series which can and will come down to the last race of the season. The Road Atlanta race was sure fun to watch, what with all the lead changes, the upcoming Martin Cardenas, and the battling veterans all racing quite closely. It was too bad the backmarkers influenced the outcome of the race. They affected the leaders on the last two laps by not simply getting themselves out of the way. No I don't mean just holding your line and letting the leaders pass you, I mean get out of the way! Pull off the racing line and let the race happen. I know you're vying for that $50 cash payout or that 28th place position but it's just not that crucial. Both times the lapped riders got in the way on the final turn which has only one real line through twelve and both times they were not battling for position.

Just pull over and shut it down. That blue flag is not there for your viewing pleasure. It actually means something!

Just reread my last Moto GP post

Why not just read the previous Moto GP post. To sum it up it will just say Stoner kicks everyone's arse in a bad way. Again!

Stoner wins again, blah blah blah...

Let's face it, Stoner is kicking everyone's butt so bad in the premier class that the race is over before it starts. If he doesn't go down in a turn one melee in each race, it's game over. At least Hayden and Hopper at getting some airtime. Poor old Rossi doesn't look like his old self since the cavalry, i.e. the Michelin custom tyre truck doesn't bring his magic rubber anymore.

Speaking of World Superbike...

It's coming back to the U.S. at our finest desert racing facility at Miller Motorsports Park. Will anyone show up? Can we party like rock stars in Utah?
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Aug/070822mmp.htm

You snooze, you lose, or at least get some rest.

The AMA Superbike races at VIR gave me an excellent chance to catch up on my naptime. Watching Spies protect his championship lead while riding around the course like he was made of glass really inspired me to drift off to the land of nod. Mladin deserves the Suzuki cup championship hands down unless Spies can find his lost balls and actually put it on the line.

Hopefully someday the factories will actually put for the effort we see at the World Superbike Level where they actually care about winning. Although until AMA gets it together I can't imagine they will.

Not enough Subs!

It looks like the AMA Free Subway sandwich giveaway fell short. Although, we did get to enjoy the overanxious corner worker sprint across the track like a boy trying to save his dog. It was on turn one of the first lap when a rider went down and this guy timed his crosstrack dash to just mist the last place rider. It was no less than heroic.

Unfortunately he must have been all tuckered out and sitting at the wrong corner when Josh Herrin went straight across the grass and into the tire barrier. We got to sit at home and watch him pound on the bike while it burned his leg for the usual agonizingly painful eternity before anyone got there. Mercifully for us viewers they cut to commercial.

VIR claims to be world class on their logo. They should change it to "World Class My Ass". The backside of the track looks like it was laid out by a kid with a crayon. Are those turns or did the asphalt guy have one too many? The runoff areas are vast. Unfortunately they are also grass covered. Ever try to ride one out at 100mph on grass only to find a comfy and cozy tire barrier waiting to snap your spine in two. Bikes don't stop or turn so well while on slicks. Trust me!

I knew T-12 was bad news.

Miguel Duhamel got fairly messed up today at Road Atlanta. Not surprisingly it was in the infamous Turn 12. Have you ever watched a race there and thought "Man I sure hope nobody goes wide there...". Maybe you haven't, but I sure as heck have. Watching the bikes round that corner after the downhill and sprint for the checkered flag you can't help but notice the cement wall waiting for someone to make the smallest mistake. Sure they try to make it safe by putting up an airfence among other things, but it's just not enough. There's just no runoff and no time to slow down if you run it wide. It's a good think Duhamel is alive.

To paraphrase from Ronny Reagan "Road Atlanta, tear down that wall! Or at least move it."

AMA does it again, again...

I just watched race one at Mid-Ohio. Good thing: they repaved the track and it appears it was not done by someone from California.

Bad things: It's still a dangerous place to race. They don't race in the rain there because there would be lots of dead people. Speaking of dead people. I can't remember the racer who crashed in race one but did anyone notice him crawling off the track on his hands and knees after a serious highside? Anyone? Hey you guys trying to pick up that motorcycle! There's a rider crawling for his life to get out of harms way and not one of you morons came to help. I guess that's what happens when you've got two safety marshals per corner. At least they got to the bike in time to offer CPR. They're complete incompetence brought out the red flag as well, thus completely altering the race for no good reason except that they're incompetent.

Have you ever seen what happens when someone crashes outside of the U.S? An army of people come to assist the rider and clear the debris to make sure the race continues and that the downed rider is ok and off the track quickly and safely. Maybe the AMA can offer some people free tickets and a Subway sandwich with a large beverage of their choice to man the corners. If it rains they can throw in the umbrella while they wait for it to clear up.

How about Laguna Suca?

This year's round of MotoGP at the Laguna Seca circuit was nothing short of underwhelming. In fact, it sucked. The only things that were impressive being the performance of Casey Stoner who punished the field from start to finish. He flicked that Ducati through the corkscrew like he was on a bmx bike. Flawless.

Tough guy award goes to Marco Melandri who raced into a podium position with a broken ankle. The x-rays didn't show it immediately but follow up x-rays confirmed it after the race. Nice one Kurtis!

Did anyone notice the giant red, white, and blue bowling ball that wiped out nearly the entire field of American riders? I think there must have been twenty or so on the grid and the last man standing was Roger Lee Hayden (a wild card rider racing a very unfamiliar bike nonetheless). At least he got tenth. He went on to win his Supersport race too.

Nicky Hayden took care of himself and Hopkins on the first hairpin at turn two of the first lap. He first blew the turn trying to make up too many places off the start and then he abruptly hooked right back into Hopper who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll bet Hayden's off Hopper's xmas card list this year. Cross them off the list of top finishers too.

Edwards had his usual backwards run through the field. Tires? Maybe. Whatever. See ya!

Miguel "My pussy hurts" Duhamel said his head just wasn't in the game. He took a tumble earlier in the weekend and he just wasn't into it. He said he'd like more time on the bike next time. Guess what? There isn't going to be a next time. If he would've just stuck it out he probably could've finished second in the American contingent. It wouldn't have been hard.

The fool me twice award goes to this years resurfacing of the track. They used every technology available to them and still managed to put plenty of bumps into a brand new surface. I guess the bikes didn't have enough chatter so they added some in. Did they have an army tank race earlier in the month?

I almost forgot to mention the ridiculous amount of advertising and continuous interruption to the racing courtesy of Speedvision. Thanks, dickheads!

LAGUNA SECA REWIND (Part 1)

So much to talk about, and all the time in the world in which to do it. First let me say how glad I was watching from home. No hassles to speak of. No endless lines, no water shortages during triple digit heat in a treeless landscape. Just some delicious snacks and a clear view of the race.

Now to the dark side. Having to watch this thing on American T.V. is a miserable experience. Sure, they aired qualifying, which is remarkable for Speedvision, but I'd have to say that we got to see about one third of qualifying action due to the absurd amount of commercials and the useless Greg White "insider" features. I've recorded it on my DVR and if I'm bored, I'm going to keep track of how much time was used up due to advertising. It was not pretty. Speaking of qualifying...
A major thumbs up the arse to Kurtis Roberts for his "I'm just going to ride around at about 30mph on the racing line and hope that nobody hits me". Oops! Marco Melandri, apparently not used to American unprofessionalism, caught his handle bar while attempting to avoid completely smashing into Roberts. Who was just cruising around the track during green flag qualifying. Luckily Melandri wasn't hurt too bad considering the runoff area is a big as a shoe box in most areas. He was able to do quite well in the race and was one of the fastest all weekend. Well done Marco.

Another notable event in qualifying was the Carlos Checa/John Hopkins incident on the uphill out of turn six. Checa was supposedly slowing for a waving yellow flag and Hopper came right up his tailpipe at full pace and decided that offering a karate kick, instead of trying to avoid him and continuing on, would be the best thing to do. Regardless it screwed Hopkins out of good hot lap during the waning seconds of qualifying. Who's fault? I'm not sure. Ultimately, it wouldn't matter.

Speaking of incidents...
This month's Dani Pedrosa award must go to Sylvain Guintoli for nearly killing Alex Hoffman in the first free practice. Guintoli forgot to look at his track map ahead of time and went straight at the corkscrew. Unfortunately Hoffman didn't and he paid a heavy price. His hand is messed up and he was completely knocked unconscious. Lucky to be walking around I hear.

Who is going to win at Laguna?

I'm going to say Hayden for the hat trick. Of course I'm letting emotion get in the way, but it would be cool to see it happen. He does have the mental edge at Laguna and has shown that his Dani Pedrosa edition RC212V has been retooled to fit an adult sized rider. Two podiums in the last couple of races. 14th to 3rd in the dry at the Sachsenring even though he thought his cracked exhaust was going to do him in. He just may do it.

Other American hopefuls are Edwards and Hopkins obviously. Edwards can make it happen this year. He's just got to get some balls. Hopper still doesn't know what it's like to ride hard on shagged tires so I'm not going to put any money on him. Now he's off to Kawasaki next season where he can attain a whole new bag of excuses.

I'm not putting money on anyone, so I guess this is all conjecture. Unless somebody out there wants to throw down. I'll put $20 on Hayden to win.

Now as far as the championship contenders are concerned, will either one finish? Stoner has been mistake free so far. That in itself is a miracle. Rossi has been thinking about ralleye racing too much and has taken his eye off the ball a couple times. What will their fate be? Tune in to FOX and get the crap bored out of you listening to the announcers. I would recommend turing off the volume and doing your best British accent and make your own kind of music.

The race is on!

The real competition is heating up this season to see who the worst former world champion American announcers will be. Freddie Spencer has years of experience making completely inane commentary and completely boring the crap out of the viewer. Kevin Schwantz is making a huge surge for a rookie though. This season he is leading the "I've completely missed what's going on during the race while I engage in chit chat and color analysis" category. It's embarrassing to watch these guys call a race. I've taken to turning the volume down and just doing the work myself. It's far more exciting. Although, I must admit, listening to the toilet flush is more exciting and compelling than listening to these guys.

Bring back the European guys! They get it spot on every time. They don't miss the action and they're insight is geared toward someone who actually is a MotoGP fan not a NASCAR watching moron who accidentally lost their remote control and is too lazy to change the channel manually.

Here we go again!

Laguna Seca is looming on the horizon once again. This year I'm sitting it out at home. I'll wait for the GP circus to arrive at Indy thank you very much. I'm sure they'll find a way to make it a cluster once again out there. I'm really looking forward to watching it live on Speedvision where the announcers are complete clowns and then we'll be treated to endless commercial interruption during a LIVE broadcast! Can anyone get a hold of the feed from the regular announcers? I'll pay for it. Please?

Speedvision should do what is done for a football (soccer) match and run banner advertising during the race. That way none of the action is missed and advertisers like DR Chipper of Geico will still be happy. Or just put a boatload of commercials on before, during and after the completely moronic Greg White feature interviews. Just don't eliminate Ben Bostrom walking around the paddock looking at what kind of food is available. That cannot be missed!

If a Rider falls in the desert, will anyone hear him?

If a Rider falls in the desert, will anyone hear him? Or see him? Or find him? Hello?

I finally got a look at AMA Superbike race 2 from Miller Motorsports Park. A big hand goes to the track marshals once again. After Mladin highsided it into the dust the camera stayed on him for a while. How long? Close to a minute. Get out the stopwatch and see for yourself! It is a f*&#ing joke! Where else could you see such neglect except from AMA organizers. It's a good thing his injuries weren't life threatening because there was a pack of vultures about to land and have themselves a feast. Mladin must have thought he was in the outback for a few minutes. He didn't see the vultures as he was more worried about the dingos. It was nice that they gave his team ample time to get his bike fixed up and ready to go.

An AMA event would be a great place to get your hands on a slightly used factory superbike as someone with a pickup truck could probably rush in and grab it before the safety trucks arrived. Actually, you wouldn't need to rush. Just take your time.

They do.

Nice garages at MMP. Too bad the track is as visually appealing as the vacant lots in a Wal-Mart town. I know they can't grow grass out in the desert. Oh wait, they can. Have you ever been to Arizona to play a on one of their golf courses? Plenty of grass there. Even at Losail they break out the Astro Turf.

AMA, Please Explain...

I just watched the AMA Supersport race at Infineon Raceway (the same place that claimed the racing career of Vincent Haskovec) and I am completely confounded by the race result. According to AMA timing and scoring they gave the race to Josh Hayes even though it was Jamie Hacking who crossed the line on the last completed lap before the red flag came out. Yes, the red flag came out due to the fact that someone crashed bad enough into some obstacle to need the race to stop. Regardless, it was Hayes who grabbed the lead for less than ten seconds, between a couple of turns, when the flag came out. Is this how it works in the AMA rulebook? I've got to get me a copy.

MOTO GP AGONY

I just got back from the dentist. They jabbed a needle into my gums to make me numb. The jammed a tray full of resin into my mouth to make a form and some of it squeezed down the back of my throat until I gagged. Then they ground my cracked tooth down to a nub to fit for crown. Lastly, they put in another tray for my botton teeth which dug into my gums on the side that wasn't numb for a solid five minutes. Does this sound unpleasant?

Well it was nothing compared to watching yesterday's Moto GP at LeMans. When Hayden binned his RC212V from fourth place with only a couple laps to go it was like a punch to the gut! The whole race was simply not fun. I think I'm going to volunteer to select race tyres for Colin Edwards. My method will be to put on a blindfold, walk up to the tyre rack and pick whatever feels nice to the touch. I couldn't do any worse than he or is team is doing this season. It was pathetic to see him go from first to last on the first lap. His first pole down the toilet. I think I'll simply sneak into the Bridgestone truck and grab the first two tyres I can get my hands on. That should do.

And Hayden? What can anyone say about the season he's having. Hopefully he'll have a good finish at Laguna. But I'm not counting on it.

FREE HAYDEN T-SHIRT RETIRED (For now)

I feel like I'm to blame for Nicky Hayden's bad season this year. I've been wearing the free Repsol t-shirt with Nicky's image on it for most of his races and I think it's brought him bad luck. Sure, I know there's a time differential from 8 to 12 hours but I think the moto gods know I'm going to wear it while I watch. I'll keep it in the drawer this weekend and we'll see what happens. You can thank me if he gets a top 5. Maybe then I'll roast the shirt on the campfire.

FONTANA STINKS

Nice race track California. It's just like all your other race tracks. They suck! Hay bales, cones, guardrails, it looks like Daytona and Daytona reeks. I'm sure there are abandoned Wal-Mart parking lots all over this country just waiting for an AMA National to arrive California style. Just put up some tyre barriers, some hay bales and you're set. Don't forget the cones and perhaps some of that yellow police tape.

I finally watched the Supersport race from a couple weeks back and it was amazing to watch the race restarted THREE times! That means four starts in all. It was really exciting to watch Josh Herrin's Yamaha burst into flames after he crashed it and see no track workers in sight for a really, really long time. It's a good thing he wasn't aflame, he'd be in the burn ward right now, whatever was left of him.

Off to Infineon or whatever they call it.

STRAY MONKEYS EVERYWHERE!

It looks as if a couple of riders have gotten rid of some very big monkeys from their backs in the Moto GP ranks. Young Casey Stoner has been riding some completely flawless races this season and it shows. He's got a firm grip on the championship at this point. Unlike last year, when we saw him throw his bike down the track several times. Often while at the front or at least in contention for the podium. I'm sure the LCR Honda wasn't the best bike on the grid, but it wasn't the worst either. Stoner had so many crashes that I thought DNF was a team sponsor.

Not so this season. Sure the Ducati is fast as hell. It also seems to do quite well in the twisties. But Capirossi is on the same bike, so it can't all be the bike. Plus, no matter how good any bike is, it's never crash proof. Stoner has been pressured quite often by the likes of Rossi, et al. Yet, he has rarely put a wheel wrong, and certainly not made a serious mistake all season. Yes these are early days, but it will be fun to see how far he goes.

Monkey number two belongs to Mr. Hopkins himself. Finally he gets his podium, and in grand fashion as well. The top three were riding in a class by themselves in Shang Hai. Pedrosa finished a distant fourth and never really was a threat for the podium. HRC has got some work to do on the RC212V. Poor Hayden didn't even get a chance to ride a bad race on his own. It was given to him by Elias who contended that Hayden braked too early. Watch the replay Toni. You're going about ten miles per hour faster than anyone else around you. Remember, you can't win the race on the first corner but you can certainly lose it. Also, to finish first you must first finish and lastly, always keep the rubber side down. I don't think double nickels on the dime works in this instance, but I'm sure I can use it somewhere in my daily routine.

Ok Honda, no more excuses.

Watching the AMA Superbike races this past weekend revealed how superior the Suzukis are. We've all known that for a while. Of course their super secret, advanced use of traction control surely helped. (How nice for them to be able to develop something during actual race situations for years.) What matters now is how others respond. American Honda has been on it's own since HRC cut them loose a couple of years ago. It's a tough climb but it must be done. An indicator (aside from how fast the Suzukis leave them) is how the other teams entering the fray are doing. Yamaha, for instance, seems to be doing quite well. Eric Bostrom is excellent at the start and was actually able to hang with the Suzukis for a while. All this in their first few races in the Superbike class. It does show how important to development the Superstock class is (was). Suzuki used it to get Spies, et al some practice laps at each venue. Yamaha used Superstock to develop their bike for the future Superbike entry. Honda didn't, and it shows. Miguel has been riding the wheels off that Honda but as you watch each competitor (including the Hondas) get passed by the Suzukis you see their lap times fall away instantly. No use trying to catch what you can't, just hold your position. Kawasaki seems to be a few steps behind as well, but they too are new to this game of Superbikes (At least in it's current form.) Hopefully they'll get a podium or two this year. Maybe then AMA Superbike will be as competitive and interesting as World Superbike. Because right now it's not.

Let's also not forget MV Agusta. How cool is it that they are developing their bikes in AMA? They've had some problems, yes, but it's nice to see them cracking the top ten now and then.

Speaking of Superstock... Good riddance. It was a class that was nothing but cancerous to the whole series. These bikes were not stock! They were heavily modified and I really had no use for their existence. It was like a hiding place for manufacturers whilst Suzuki dominated Superbike for years. Was it all done so Mladin could feel good about winning even though no other true works bikes were on the grid for several years? It was like the AMA made a class for each manufacturer to win at. Just like Formula Extreme (which should also be tossed into the toilet). Honda owned that. Suzuki gets Superbike. Kawasaki Supersport and Yamaha gets Superstock. That way everyone can stand on the top box and be a winner, everybody except the fans.

Hey SPEED! What are you thinking?

I really enjoy SPEED Channel's new interview team. They have added a new dimension to Greg White's inane question and answer schtick. When interviewing the riders they now bring in a four color light reflector that virtually blinds the rider by reflecting sunlight directly into their eyes. I've seen these devices in studios and they're used effectively to add a warm glowing light to the subject. But when you seem them being used in broad daylight on people who are seconds away from a competitive event it strikes me as being completely moronic!

Next time just bring a huge convex mirror and see if you can burn the retinas right out of each riders head. It would make for great t.v. If you don't succeed, at least turn one will please the crash vultures since the front row will go in completely blind.

Rossi get his comeuppance.

My pal Angry Jim mentioned that Valentino Rossi caused the crash at Istanbul this past weekend. Queue the tape...

After further review, Rossi, after going off the track on the fastest corner in Moto GP, came back into the middle of the pack and stuffed it into the next turn causing a couple riders to brake extremely hard, go wide, and create a chain reaction crash that took out four other riders (including Rossi's teammate Colin Edwards III). In NASCAR it would've been one of those times when the guys who got crashed out would've gone on to the track and tossed their helmet at Rossi's windshield. As Karma would have it, Rossi was paid back by getting passed by half the field and ending up tenth! Ha! It was awesome seeing Alex Hoffman blow past him on the Pramac Ducati. As well as Randy DePuniet on that funky green Kawasaki.

CHEATER PROSPERS!!!

I just got done reviewing AMA Superbike Race 1 from Barber Motorsports Park 2007. And just as I suspected, Mat Mladin had made the most blatent jump start I've seen since when he did it last year during the season. If you've got the tape or DVR image at home I suggest you take a look at the rider in the second position on the grid. Yes, it's Mr. Mladin. Yes, he's so far out of the box that my dead cat would've waved the meatball flag. Does he have a special agreement with the AMA? How about with SPEED? Neither one of the announcers said anything about the start unlike when Michael Barnes jumped the start in his Supersport race and was brought in for a drive through penalty. I've seen that bastard Mladin get away with this before, but really the blame lies with the AMA Officials (if you want to call them that). Cheaters win again. Of course Mladin's been cheating for years with traction control. But hey, who cares, right? It's all about winning.

Bridgestone got it right!

It was a phenomenal race at Istanbul this past weekend. Those pesky Ducatis flexed their muscle once again and the Bridgestone shod riders took 1st through 6th. The battle for third was all race long and a real nail biter but the real subplot was the new tyre regulations, which I have to learn more about, which seem to limit the choices for tyre compounds. It seems as if Michelin had guessed wrong and anyone with their rubber was in big trouble. It reminds me of the F1 USGP a couple years back when Michelin didn't have a tyre that could handle that dangerously silly track at Indy. All the Michelin teams pulled out in protest and the race was run by the hand full of teams on Bridgestones (Ferrari being one of them). That race was a total joke and now Bridgestone is the Spec tyre for F1.

Will MotoGP go this way? We'll have to see. World Superbike does it. F1 does it. I'd suggest Dunlop start making an offer to AMA Pro Racing. I can't really say if a spec tyre program is the best for tyre technology in general. It might even out the field and make for better racing at times. But will manufacturers improve their product without competition?

THE SPANISH INQUISITION

Does Nicky have a chance at a repeat? A snowball's chance in hell maybe. With the new 800cc bikes made especially for former 250cc riders like Pedrosa and Stoner on the track (and in Honda's case they went to extremes to make this bike as small as possible, since Hayden looks like he's riding around on a pocket bike) and with the Spanish sponsors Repsol funding the project heavily, it doesn't look good. Throw in the fact that Dorna is a Spanish corporation and one can't imagine the results being good for Hayden. He'll be lucky if he sees a podium before mid-season.

Cynically speaking, it's a sound business decision really. Spain is crazy about motorcycles. Pedrosa is a national hero, as is any Spaniard on two wheels. And a lot of money and advertising is at stake all throughout Europe.

Back in the States young Hayden couldn't get a good seat at The Olive Garden.

As far as the other factories go, Yamaha kept the ergos reasonably roomy to accomodate Rossi's height, which in turn helps Edwards, and has resulted in a very competitive package. Will anyone touch Rossi this year? I doubt it.

The Ducati's are fast but it seems as Capirossi is no where to be found. What's his story? Stoner can be magnificent when he stays upright but he's up against Rossi who makes very few mistakes (except when the championship is on the line).

Hopkins has his chance this year but he threw away a golden opportunity at Jerez. Maybe the hand caused it. Maybe not. What happened to Vermeullion? Is he trying to get back into World Superbike the hard way?

MAN, THAT DUCATI IS FAST!

The opening round of the 2007 MotoGP season at Qatar is complete and we now know who was ready to play. The Desmosedici GP7 kicked everybody's ass in straight-line speed and from the looks of it aren't too bad in the corners either. Stoner who's had a crash prone beginning to his premier class career looked absolutely flawless first time out on the Duc. Rossi was up against it this time, with Stoner making no mistakes, no matter what pressure he attempted to apply. Hopefully Casey will keep the rubber side down this season and emerge as a title contender. Capirossi will be up there as well, no doubt.

As far as the current world champion goes, Hayden seemed at a loss all weekend on the new RC212V. Hopefully he and the bike can come together to mount a title defense. Even though the Yamahas weren't the fastest, they seem to handle pretty darn well in the corners and they weren't the slowest bikes out there. Pedrosa has no intention of waiting around for Hayden this year either, so look for a massive uphill climb for the Kentucky Kid. Massive.

IS THIS THE BEST WE CAN DO?

While watching coverage of the AMA Supersport race at Daytona I began to realize just how crappy that course is. I know people talk, talk, talk about the banking but who really gives a damn? The track looks like an MSF course set up in the parking lot of a local high school. You can see the tar filled cracks all over the place, the cones directing the racers, and the guardrails at every corner. It's simply nothing short of HALF-ASSED. Why can't the motorcycle establishment in this country just get it together and help create or at least renovate a group of road course tracks worthy of having an AMA National event? Did anyone watch the corner workers' mad dash to get Danny Eslick's bike off the tarmac as the second wave of Supersport bikes rounded the corner? Did you see the guy drop the bike and then tumble to the ground like a drunken fool? It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Daytona is a joke. It's a mere skidmark of what it used to be. A great part of the world takes motorcycle racing seriously and is willing and able to build safe, beautiful and interesting road courses. At least the AMA boys are off to a purpose built racetrack at Barber (albeit a track without an actual straightaway). Then off to Fontana for another parking lot event, California style. And yes, they have banking too! BFD.

After that we're off to Sears point which consists of another ridiculous go-kart track layout with lots of useless turns and no straight. Thank god for Road America.

DVD Review

To add to my motorcycle DVD collection I've picked up 'The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid' a follow up to the movie FASTER by Mark Neale, et al. I've written just a little synopsis as I don't have a background as a film critic (unless I've got a couple Guinness in me).

Although it's not as inspiring as FASTER, The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid is a great little movie to watch. (It appears that the Doctor himself was not directly interviewed for the movie and most of his dialogue is from post race interviews but that will have to make due.) The best part of the film is the blow-by-blow commentary provided by Edwards, Hayden and Hopkins as the 2005 US MotoGP is broken down into several distinct viewpoints. It's a shame every race couldn't be given this treatment, but that is what makes it special.

We get to see what this race meant to the Americans (Hopkins included) and how the Europeans reacted to the unique course itself. For someone who was in attendence, this film is especially enjoyable. It's a nice keepsake of the return of Grand Prix motorcycle racing to US soil. It's great to watch Hayden take it to 'em in such dominant fashion as well. I guess I would give it 4 out of 5 wheelies?

Here's a link: http://www.dtkmovie.com/

Hey SPEED! Are you there?

Are you listening SPEED channel? Could you do us motorcycle fans the huge favor of squeezing in Moto GP qualifying on your NASCAR filled airwaves? Perhaps you could find a slot between watching Dale Jr. brushing his teeth and Tony Stewart on the toilet. We fans don't care if it's at 4:15 am on a Wednesday. We've got TiVo. We're used to being treated like the redheaded stepchild. Just slap it on there somewhere. No, there won't be tons of crashes. No there won't be lots if chit chat that you can understand. But worry not, we'll explain everything later. Oh, did I mention that several Americans are battling for the title? Did you hear that an American actually won the championship in '06?

You can slap your American flag all over the place. Cram the hour with commercials telling us 'that you're thinking of a number' and it's your credit score. Show us how the DR Chipper works on brush and those out-of-control weed patches. Tell me which insurance company knows us motorcyclists better. Just show us qualifying. PLEASE! You might even find it interesting. Oh, I know you showed us qualifying during the USGP at Laguna, but it's a great big world out there and we'd like to see it from time to time. Thank you.

CORKSCREWED (part 2)

The next year (2006) managed to top the first. Sure getting in was easy, it always is. But getting out was absurd. If you wanted to bring a car in you had to pay an additional $50. (What, and no valet?!) This was to encourage the use of motorcycles which is fine if you live within a few hundred miles as I don't. The rest of us poor slobs were left to try our luck on the shuttle bus heading back to the parking lot at Fort Ord. Keep in mind that the heat was insane that weekend. It was 111 degrees on Saturday and 106 on Sunday. The water main had broken (probably sabotaged by the makers of Aquafina) and people were not in the best mood.

To add to things, the track was coming apart in chunks and the newly added bumps made it even more embarrassing for those of us who care about these kind of things. (America's finest track my ass.) Here we are trying to show the world our best effort and this is all we can come up with? Can we not hire the folks from Europe who know how to construct a track properly? Not only was the surface falling apart, but let's face it, Laguna Seca is a glorified go-kart track. The bikes don't get out of 4th gear EVER since there's really no straightwaway to speak of. Barber has the same problem and they had to repave their surface as well. (Although much credit must go to Mr. Barber for doing what he could.)

Back to the exit strategy from hell part 2...

Let's just say it was a free-for-all to get to the buses. How many thousands I don't know but if you did a little math. Calculating how many could fit on a bus, add the time that bus takes to go to the remote parking lot and back, factor in the time that these buses waited until all the buses in line were filled, instead of heading out once they were, take in to account that several buses were not filled to capacity due to the fact that passenger traffic control couldn't count how many people were allowed onto the bus even though the maximum capacity was printed on the side of the bus, multiply that by how many people opted out of the $50 parking pass and you've got a hell of a lot of people. Then let there be no real order to the lines to get on the bus. Hundreds of people were just jamming right to the front and it was a hot and sticky mess after weather like that.

My partner and I waited for an hour and forty in the line which moved no where. This, after circumnavigating the race course to avoid the massive traffic jam trying to cross the track bridge. More bottlenecks than a California vineyard. We retreated and found a place to sit and grab a beer and just wait. After a good hour and a half we went to have a look at the lines, hoping to see some progress. Nope. The line was better organized. But now it stretched for a half mile, all the way down the hill and wrapping around next to the service road. No shuttle for us.

Time for Plan B. We got on one of the last city buses leaving for Carmel. We certainly lucked out there since we might still be waiting at the track to this day. We took that back knowing that it would only be a mile walk back to where we were staying. But it was a chance worth taking. As providence would have it. Someone hit the stop button out on the highway and we got out at as good a spot as we were going to get. We then hiked it up the winding cliff road to the house carrying our gear. We then grabbed a shower and borrowed a car to drive back to Fort Ord to get our rental car which was another hour round trip. And our adventure was done. Sure, this all might sound like a lot of whining, etc. But how in the hell can Jerez de la Frontera host 200,000 fans on site on race day.

Just get your shit together SCRAMP! This year I'll be watching Greg White and the rest of the yokels from the air-conditioned comfort of my humble abode. Go Nicky, and Colin, and John, and Kenny Jr.

CORKSCREWED? Indeed! (Part 1)

For those of us who've been to the USGP at Laguna Seca, the last two years, I just want to say...
don't get CORKSCREWED!

If Steven Colbert can coin a phrase, so can I. I would define 'corkscrewed' as getting the shaft in a most expensive and time consuming way. I've never seen such a messed up situation in my life as I have at that track these last two years. Each year being different, yet equally as messed up.

2005 was the return of the USGP to our soil. That year cars were allowed to park on the grounds with the parking fee included in the cost of the ticket. How nice! Getting in was ridiculously silly and slow. But nothing would prepare us for getting out.

This was the most ridiculous exit strategy since the second Gulf War. We were in a car on Sunday instead of the bus (which I'll get to later) and it took us over two and a half hours to get out to the main road. Add to that the two plus hours we waited at the track to 'avoid the rush'. The only exit road for cars was two lanes and traffic was restricted to one lane only. They had to keep the other lane open for the occaisional shuttle bus that would pass us going the opposite way into the track every 10 to 15 minutes. Thank goodness! Motorcycles were not allowed to split lanes and were being ticketed if they did so. Many bikes overheated and were sitting on the roadside. Nice work gents.

The main reason we took the car on Sunday was because trying to get the shuttle bus back to Carmel was like trying to grab on to a helicopter at the fall of Saigon. Extremely poor planning California style. People were fighting to get on buses in a frantic state in this was only Saturday. If you got on an your friends didn't you just had to hope you'd meet again someday. We had had enough and decided to drive in ourselves on Sunday. We would've been better off coming in on horseback. Although I'm sure we would've not been allowed to split lanes either and the Sheriff's department would've probably had to shoot our horses on site. And then given us a ticket.

Is this the best we have to offer?

No Yokels PLEASE!

Hey SPEED!
Please let us Moto GP fans hear the regular commentators for Laguna Seca this year. Sure, Freddie Spencer was a phenomenal rider and no one can scream like Ralph Sheheen. But please let us hear anouncers that know what the heck their talking about. People that can identify the riders before I can. People who know more than I do. Plus the quality of production looks like it was done by middle schoolers from a small Nebraska town (no offense to you cornhuskers).

Also, I beg of you. No more moronic interviews with Greg White. Last year he had a couple of gems, my favorite being when he walked from the back of the pit garage to the front and proclaimed how 'fascinating' it was that the average Joe doesn't get to do this. Hey Greg, I still don't get to do this. Just because you were there doesn't make it more more magical to me. It's like watching a live concert on TV. It's still on TV. I wonder if Greg has heard about the on-board cameras as well. At least that is something worth watching, not some clown telling us how exciting it is to be there.

Made in China?

It looks as if Harley Davidson is preparing to go out for Chinese. After another year of record profits they're putting the squeeze on their employees. Now, we all know that many of the parts are already manufactured outside the US but don't be surprised to see HD go the way of maximum profit no matter what the cost. Remember when Wal-Mart boasted Made in the USA on the majority of their products?

440 Harley employees were temporarily laid off today due to the strike. I don't know the full story behind the strike at this point but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. Stay tuned.

I guess those of us with rice burners (or whatever they are called) will sadly have the last laugh. Maybe the domestic Harley factory will be focused on a workforce that can polish chrome and mount American flags and leather fringe on the handlebars.