Honda

Aren't going to compete at Suzuka this year.
http://tinyurl.com/b77rhj
Considering they own the track I find that pretty amazing.
Things are getting tough . . .

 

Sadly I feel this is only the beginning for many teams in auto racing.

 

What do you care? According to you, all motorsport turned to shit one
Wednesday afternoon in 1987.

 

What do you care? According to you, all motorsport turned to shit one

Actually it was in 89

 

Yeah - but it's a home event. If they were pulling out of an overseas
event I'd see where they are coming from. But for them to pull out of
this is pretty scary. This economic downturn looks like it might hurt.
And I think we can swap the word "might" for "will".

Yeah - I was thinking of that when I originally posted. I could just
imagine the shouts of glee from the Hatz' cabin in the woods.

 

That's unfortunate, though how relevant enduro racing is to modern

I'd agree with that

So how is the shitcati team going at Suzuka? Would one last that long?
I highly doubt it either!

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:04:36 +0900

I presume that's less expensive than the factory bike type racing, but
is it as useful to the factories?

I suspect it's more useful to the punters but it doesn't give the
factories a proving ground for new ideas.

Also, with modern bikes is 6 hours enough?

Zebee

 

Does anyone outside Japan care about Suzuka?
Has 'Guzzi, Harley, Triumph, Norton, BMW, Benelli etc. ever made even the
token effort that Ducati has?
Now that Honda has seen the irrelevance too it'll be just a faint memory
soon.

 

Yeah, but that was my point. It is highly relevant in Japan and I was
amazed to see them pull out.

 

It _was_ highly relevant.. perhaps this is an indication that it is no
longer the case.

Nev..
'07 XB12X
'08 DL1000K8

 

I was amazed too.... (very fucken amazed!)... but that's not what I was
talking about. I was just explaining to Biggus why Ducati have never really
made much of an effort.
Honda giving up is so amazing I'm already suspicious that they've discovered
a weakness in the latest CBR1000R-RR-whatever and they're just doing this to
avoid having their arses handed to them on a plate by their "lesser"
compatriots!

 

Fark what a ripper!
I'd never heard that story before; thanks Deevo.

 

As a round of the World Endurance Championship, it's still pretty
freakin' significant. What will have changed for the shoestring-budget
European teams who compete in World Endurance this year is that HRC's
budget won't crash their party at Suzuka.

 

Um, you do know that the Le Mans 24 Hours - and the Bol d'Or, for that
matter - are held to this day, and pull a good few hundred thousand
spectators, right?