KrJr out

KrJr won't be riding again this year and his contract is not being
renewed.

So I guess that's it.

 

Is it?

That attitude is in your head, not mine.

Really? If he didn't ride on the limit for Suzuki because the bike
wasn't good enough and it wasn't worth it, why should he ride on the
limit for the Proton? And were McWilliams et al really so much slower
than he's ever been? neither of those seem "sure as hell" to me.

 

I can't believe that Suzuki puts in that clear spin of dismissal in their
statements, that is not classy at all: "Suzuki has made this decision
because it must look towards the future and the new breed of motorcycles and
racers that are due to arrive on the scene. .." Not very nice considering KR
got them a world title they still like to brag about. KR, on the other hand,
is very professional in his statements, thanking Suzuki despite the fact
that the team clearly has failed in providing him and Hopkins with a
remotely competitive bike. If Suzuki thinks they can get young riders *and*
improve the bike dramatically with just 2 bikes in the grid they're stupid.
A least one of the 2 riders must be experienced and with a proven ability to
run near the front given the amount of bike development they still seem to
need to go through.

I'd be interested to see what Roberts does on a more competitive bike, the
latter part of this season has seen him making a good case, which together
with his championship would make me consider him, if I was a team manager.

Hm. Just wondering whether in the near future Rossi will indeed take on the
challenge of becoming the only rider to win titles on all major bike brands.
I think him doing it on a Suzuki *and* a Ducati may be a stretch, but one of
the two... that may still be in the cards. Hopefully at that point in time
guys like Hayden and Melandri and Pedrosa can thwart his plans... And wow,
Pedrosa is indeed little, there was a picture of him standing next to Rossi
in Spain's El Mundo Deportivo paper, and it was like Stallone looking into
the Hulk's chest in one of the Rocky movies.

....pablo

 

I can't remember reading the latter anywhere, really.

As to the former: What you fail to take into account, Mark, is that in these
discussions the statements are not against the US riders themselves, but
rather against your extremely partisan portrayal of them. Which leads to a
polarized discussion quite naturally that probably doesn't really reflect
what either "side" of the argument really thinks about the riders. I think
that is the theme in these discussions.

I do not think at all that Roberts should leave the paddock, he is a former
world champion, and in the last few races he has shown his competitive fire,
and he had yet again a *very* impressive performance in the rain that proves
he is deserving. The problem from there is that for you the fact he is
deserving is because he is still one of the very best natural riders (which
given his DNA may very well be true), and for you that is a fact, whereas
others look at him with more reservations. It may or may not be significant
that he has shown more competitive fire as he learned that his time with
Suzuki was up, because it may indicate that he was indeed coasting some. And
while that's understandable from the point of view of a former world
champion who is riding an uncompetitive bike, a team manager is likely to
have a different view, and will eventualy revamp his team - which in turn
may explain the hidden (and unclassy) venom in some of the team manager's
statements.

Except Hinda keeps experienced riders on because they know they need them
for input. A team of young, inexperienced riders will be highly motivated
until they break a few bones on a bike no one's giving them set-up
references for. We shall see. Look at what happened to Fortuna Yamaha this
year: with Checa they got reliable top 10s, then they go for the "youth
movement" thing and wind up laughing stock of the paddock. The bikes are not
as bad as their results this year indicate, it's just that Xaus and Elias
without experience were in way over their heads. It was a predictable
result, and I think Suzuki may very well be heading the same route. Hopkins
is a great talent, but I think the team may benefit from someone with more
experience, which may explain why they talked to Biaggi some.

....pablo

 

pablo wrote:
efully at that point in time

I'm wondering if Ped's small size which has been a huge benefit for him
in the 125 and 250 classes will work against him in the MGP.

Paul

 

Maybe he'll ride a Honda-engined KR.


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It's about time

 

I don't know how he did in 2000 (yeah, I have seen the races...), but he
was a road block before and after. Not shame on Robert's, but it cannot
be only the bike... Wasn't Robert one of the guys having a technical
problem when loosing places against a women?

Henry

 

I think that's harsh - given KR Sr continued involvement in MotoGP, I don't
think he had a lot of choice when it came to location, unless he'd left his
family in the USA while he lived (alone) in Europe. To slam Roberts for
something he had no control over is over the top. It's not because anyone
felt they were "too good" for AMA, but rather because they happened to be
Americans living abroad, and actually in the case of Roberts Sr had been a
pioneer that deserves a lot of respect.

I think the situation is somewhat different inasmuch as growing up and
starting one's career under the shadow of a MotoGP legend like Robrts Sr
probably is tough, while growing up with the support of someone as
fun-natured as Graziano Rossi, who was very good but never a legend, is
easier to manage. I think the Roberts clan had access to more open doors
than the Rossis had, but whether Roberts' Sr truly gave his sons all out
support or let them fend for themselves to a large degree we'll never quite
now. What I have heard is that he was very tough and demanding to
*discourage* them from racing professionally, while Rossi Sr was supporting
and nourished his son's talent.

....pablo