As you know, 2007 has been a very difficult season for me – both on and off the track. At the very start of the season it became clear that we were had a horsepower disadvantage to some of our rivals and then as the season went on the gap between the tyre manufacturers became more and more evident. It meant that on many occasions I have not been able to battle as I would like and I am sorry for this – for myself and for the fans watching on the television.

There have been some very good moments where the bike and tyres have worked perfectly – like Jerez and Assen – but we haven’t been consistent enough and in the end we conceded the title with three rounds to go to Casey Stoner. The press are already trying to create problems between Casey and myself but I don’t think this will happen because he is a smart guy and I think he is a fantastic rider, who deserved to win the championship this season. I just hope we can come up with something during this winter to make sure that I can fight him on level terms in 2008.

Away from the track I have been saddened by the loss of two of my greatest heroes – Colin McRae and Norifumi Abe. First of all was Colin, when we were at Estoril. He was my favourite rally driver and one of my idols for all of my career. I knew him well and we had done some races together. He was great fun and I remember one time with him and Graziano in a car just having some fun and making some slides…he was a good friend also of Graziano. I think it’s a great loss not just for rally but for all of motorsport, many people knew him and he was a great talent. He was also a very good motorcycle rider and we would always talk a lot about racing. He didn’t win as much as Tommy Makkinen or Carlos Sainz, who I also like, but was my favourite because he was crazy! I saw him drive in person and his style was so impressive. I remember watching a special stage with McRae and I noticed that all the people took two steps backwards because they didn’t know what was going to happen! He was a good friend and I will miss him a lot.

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_003.jpg
Just a few weeks after Colin’s death we heard the terrible news about Norick. When I was young he was one of my idols and when I first started racing I used to love Japanese riders, everything about them – their riding style, the design of their helmets and leathers and their calm nature. They were very different to what I was used to in Europe and I quickly made good friends with guys like Sakata, Ueda and the Aoki brothers. My first memory of Norick was that fantastic race at Suzuka in 1994, when he was fighting with Mick Doohan and Kevin Schwantz - even though he crashed at the end. I used to get out of bed early and watch the video of that race before I went to school, so it was a great honour to eventually meet Norick when I started Grand Prix racing back in 1996. As a person he was exactly like I thought he would be and I made a special tribute to him by calling myself ‘Rossifumi’, like Norifumi. One of my best memories is the 500cc at Jerez in 2001. Norick led the race but then we had a great battle and I won – it was like a dream come true for me to fight with him and beat him. After he left MotoGP he would always come and say ‘hello’ to me at the circuits and we stayed close friends. In fact, the last time I saw him was just a few weeks ago at Motegi and now I can’t believe he is gone. He was a quiet person but very good fun. It’s a real shame and I really feel sorry for his family at this time.

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_004.jpg http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_005.jpg
There has been lot’s going on in the MotoGP paddock recently, like the discussions about a possible control tyre for next season, although I don’t want to discuss this subject at the moment. One thing I am very excited about next season, though, is the night race at Qatar. I think this something new and very interesting, although we don't know until we try how it will be on track. I hope it will be a success. I tried it last year with a street bike and although the light was good, the problem was the shadows. It's really important that the light around the track is good enough so that this isn't a problem. I hope this well be the case. It's a new experience and it's the first race of the new season, so I am sure it will be a great success. I think that it will be good for television, and I hope people will be interested in it and it will bring bigger crowds.

There hasn’t been much time for a holiday this year – certainly not since the summer, with so many races in such close proximity. However, I did get chance to spend a couple of days in Tokyo before the Grand Prix of Japan and I really enjoyed myself. I have been visiting Japan for over ten years now but this was actually the first time I had spent any real time in the capital city. I had been there before for work but this time I was able to go and spend some free time and it’s a very funny place. It’s a good city. A couple of friends came with me and we toured around the city, stayed in some different places. I suppose it’s like all the big cities - it never sleeps and there are so many different things to do (that is my kind of city!). Tokyo for me this time was different – it completely changed my opinion. We also had an event there before the GP in Shinjuku Square. The crowd was unbelievable; there were so many fans there. I have to say thank you to all the people who came to the event and also to the GP – I’m just sorry the result couldn’t have been different! Maybe it would have been if it didn’t rain…

http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_006.jpg http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_007.jpg http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/img/pic_008.jpg There have been some strange rumours recently about me leaving Yamaha or MotoGP. I would like to say that this is definitely not true. I have a contract for next year with Yamaha, I am very happy here and I still have a lot of motivation for MotoGP. I will have a new team-mate next season in Jorge Lorenzo and I will be sad to see my great friend Colin Edwards leaving the team. Lorenzo is a big talent, as he showed with that amazing victory in the 250cc race at Phillip Island, and I think guys like Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner have shown that it is quite easy to make the step up now from a quarter-litre bike to an 800cc machine. It will be interesting to see how well he does in the test after the race at Valencia, and James Toseland too. It is always good to have new World Champions added to the MotoGP grid and they can only make the racing even more exciting in 2008.

Now I am in Malaysia and ready for another tough weekend. They have re-laid the surface so we will have to see how our bike and tyres perform on Friday morning but our target for the final two races is unchanged - to fight for the win. Sepang is another of my favourite tracks and I've had some great races there. Last year's battle with Loris was especially memorable, and I would really like to have the chance to fight like that with my rivals this year. We know that our bike generally goes well there and we have a lot of data from so much testing there, even if our bike has changed quite a bit from the start of the year when we were last there and the track too, but hopefully we will be able to find a good package and be competitive. We have two races left and we are going to be doing everything we can to win them both so we can end the season in a good way.

Thanks for all your support during a difficult year!

Ciao


LINK (http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/race/topics/2007/11-14/index.html)

I just like to say Go Stoner

I just like to say Go Stoner

I should ban you :lmao

kind of an emotional review of the year. I feel like I just got a christmas card.

hopefully he stays happy next year tho, seems that he's very stressed lately.

^ He got his a** handed to him this year, so I can definitely see his frustration.

I guess when you are on top for so long, it is hard to accept defeat.

well... he's gonna have to learn, like most other champions before him, that there IS stuff to life, other than racing.

It's very possible to be a happy person in life, and not win. I mean look at Ant West, dude is happy as a pig in shit JUST TO BE ON THE GRID.

Mind you, if I could go up to the current world champion and say "remember that time when we where 12 and my daddy beat up your daddy?" I'd be pretty smug too.

^ He got his a** handed to him this year, so I can definitely see his frustration.

I guess when you are on top for so long, it is hard to accept defeat.


well yea......look at all the former champions of any sport that either stay too long, or come out of retirement...only to suffer humiliation and defeat. Boxing is good for that, Jordan's return to BBall with the Wizards, Deon Sanders trying to play for Baltimore, etc etc

I think Rossi still has it, just needs to get things sorted. If he is washed up, then I guess everyone else that finished behind him in the championship needs to hang it up as well, and his race wins this season meant nothing too....

I think he learned, but it is still hard to accept.

Rossi also gets a rough ride from the Italian press when he does not win.

ya, he's built up a huge image for himself, and he's gotta start to get over it. He's started to honestly believe it I think.

i love how people say he is washed up. Did you not see stoner flying down the straights the first few races of the season? rossi catching back up in the corners? Had he been able to hang int he straights and take a few more victories things would be different. I don't see how people can even think he's washed up when the bike obviously had issues. Anyone who says the bikes were dead even is just um...blind or stupid. Even another article I read stated it looked like stoner had 7 gears where others had 6. If the tires were the same even with rossi crying do you think this much press would come about them? He WAS at a disadvantage, period. That is racing, but you can't blame the rider for that...that's very illogical. He might be washed up, but this year w/ the bike and tires obviously causing problems it's hard to say it was him. I'm not defending him as I could care less if he's washed up and is in the back of the pack next year, but at least then you can say he's washed up and have facts to support it. When he came in 3rd with obvious issues...that's kicking ass. Obvious problems, 3rd in the championship and people talking about washed up? WTF does that make nicky?

Nick was lucky, never anything else.

Rossi isn't necessarily washed up, but he sure doesn't have his head screwed on straight.

Where you watching in 2004 when Rossi came to Yamaha Corey? 'cause the Honda had every bit as much of a HP advantage then as the Ducati did this year, and it didn't stop him from winning races left and right, aswell as the title. Besides that, talking about the first races of the season is talking ancient history. The tech gap then, and the tech gap at the final round, will not be anything like each other.

Nick was lucky, never anything else.

Rossi isn't necessarily washed up, but he sure doesn't have his head screwed on straight.

Where you watching in 2004 when Rossi came to Yamaha Corey? 'cause the Honda had every bit as much of a HP advantage then as the Ducati did this year, and it didn't stop him from winning races left and right, aswell as the title. Besides that, talking about the first races of the season is talking ancient history. The tech gap then, and the tech gap at the final round, will not be anything like each other.

You are so wrong to say he doesn't have his head screwed on right.... :lmao Where the hell do you get this from? Can you not see he doesn't have the tools that he once had?

Why is this so hard for some to see?

yes the yamaha was down in power when he moved over and still won, but it wasn't as noticeable as this year AND even then honda didn't have a guy as good as stoner. just because he won against a bike w/ more power doesn't mean you can do it everytime. Stoner is damn good and rossi can't overcome the bike enough to win. Sure he did it before, but put stoner on the honda back then and i think he would beat rossi also. if you put a so/so motogp rider on a great bike then put a great rider on a so/so bike it's anyone's game, but put a very good rider on a very good bike then a very good rider on a so/so bike it's nearly impossible. All there is to it.

For that matter put stoner on the honda now... now way in hell he would be where he is now.

Sorry stoner fans, the bike is what made the difference this year....

Bike, Rider, Tires.


this year Fiat Yamaha didn't have ANY of them.

Was Rossi's bike down on power? yes. Did he have the best tires? no.

has he fought back from worse in the past? yes.

his head being unscrewed isn't the ONLY problem. But it's definitely a problem.

I should ban you :lmao


:twisted :lol

For that matter put stoner on the honda now... now way in hell he would be where he is now.

Sorry stoner fans, the bike is what made the difference this year....


Next year will be the true test for Rossi, will see how he does then, hopefully a bit better then this year. ;)

it won't be a true test at all biga unelss you know that his bike will be able to hang going down the straights and that the tires will be just as good. w/o knowing that i dont' see how you can say it will be a true test. If ducati ups their bike the same as yamaha does then it won't be a test of much other then seeing if rossi is so much better than stoner that he can overcome his bike so much that he can beat stoner on a better ride. Would be nice to see them on the same tires and not walk away down the straights, then it would be a good test. Nearly EVERYONE admits stoner had an advantage. If he has it next year, then it won't be much of a "true" test imo.

well then what about guys like Barros and Hopkins and West and Vermulean? they don't have the best rides, but should they be in consideration for "greatest of all time" status?

Biaggi never once in his career had a bike on par with Rossi's, should he come back into consideration?

Good reading. :corn


Ride safe.

it won't be a true test at all biga unelss you know that his bike will be able to hang going down the straights and that the tires will be just as good. w/o knowing that i dont' see how you can say it will be a true test. If ducati ups their bike the same as yamaha does then it won't be a test of much other then seeing if rossi is so much better than stoner that he can overcome his bike so much that he can beat stoner on a better ride. Would be nice to see them on the same tires and not walk away down the straights, then it would be a good test. Nearly EVERYONE admits stoner had an advantage. If he has it next year, then it won't be much of a "true" test imo.


I believe Yamaha will up their performance next year for sure, as far as tires go Rossi got what he wanted so he better be happy with them :lol, but you are right I'm sure Ducati will up the pace for next year as well, they got the title, and they probably would like to keep it ;)

Nick was lucky, never anything else.

Rossi isn't necessarily washed up, but he sure doesn't have his head screwed on straight.

Where you watching in 2004 when Rossi came to Yamaha Corey? 'cause the Honda had every bit as much of a HP advantage then as the Ducati did this year, and it didn't stop him from winning races left and right, aswell as the title. Besides that, talking about the first races of the season is talking ancient history. The tech gap then, and the tech gap at the final round, will not be anything like each other.

lol Jr...

During 2004, I don't recall his M1 blew up or a chuck of tire ripped off from his tire in the middle of the race. Also, yes the RC211V had more hp also back in 2004, but during the straights in Shanghai or Mugello, I don't recall the RC pulled away as fast as the GP7 did this year. If you haven't watch these 2 obvious races, you should check it out, you can clearly see how hard Rossi was trying to make-up those gap in the corners and braking, but there is only so much you can make-up, the RC was quicker in the straight too, but it was just at the limit where Rossi is still able to make it up. I dunno man, this year, when the tire worked well, didn't he still won a few races? Yes there are couple of races where Dani finished ahead with the Mich, but that's how many races? And Dani isn't exactly suck either. You cannot make a generalized conclusion saying the Mich are fine just because Dani did ok in those couple of races. ;)

Nick was lucky, never anything else.

Rossi isn't necessarily washed up, but he sure doesn't have his head screwed on straight.




How was Nicky " Lucky ". If it had been a 2 man MotoGP field, then yea, you would be right, Nicky would be " lucky ". The fact is , he beat every other rider out there too. It's more than just beating Valentino Rossi. What was everyone else then, " almost lucky " ? Am I missing something here, if so , somebody please straighten my ass out because I still just don't get it.

How was Nicky " Lucky ". If it had been a 2 man MotoGP field, then yea, you would be right, Nicky would be " lucky ". The fact is , he beat every other rider out there too while either the other riders are down or injuired or got a mechanical problem. It's more than just beating Valentino Rossi. What was everyone else then, " almost lucky " ? Am I missing something here, if so , somebody please straighten my ass out because I still just don't get it.

I fixed the post for you... :crash

I didn't reply to Mark on the other thread on SBF, but this will sum it up. If you guys can accept the odds of winning a championship with only 2 wins in a 17 races season, then why you guys cannot accept the odds of someone winning a championship with a bit more luck than usual?

In racing, we all know there are 3 things that are crucial: skill, package, and luck. Any one of these missing will not work, and it's a fact. :fact

Let me give you a perfect example in life. In a school class of 20 students:

2 students: always +90% during the entire year.
2 students: always +80% during the entier year.
1 student: always around 75% suring the entire year.

On the final exam day, and there is no retake if you miss it, the 2 90% students got sick, didn't come to the class and receive a 0%. The 2 80% students, for some odd reasons, they came really late to the class and only able to get a 40%. The 75% student, finished as usual with a 75%. And because of the 0% and 40% those students got, it was enough for the 75% student to have the highest overall average of the year.

Did he got the highest overall average of the year? Yes.
Was he more lucky than usual on this one? Yes.
Would he have got the highest average if the 2 90% students weren't sick and the 2 80% students weren't late? No.

What happens the year after when the other students didn't get sick or being later? The 75% student is back to be at the 75% position.

:corn

ok Saint, lets break it down.

who would you say the top 5 or so riders where? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Valentino, Biaggi, Gibernau, Capirossi, Pedrosa

I mean you could put other ones in there, but that's who I'd put in, just bare with me for a minute.

Lets go over each of their seasons:

Valentino; blew engines, chunked tires, crashed, general mayhem, I'm surprised he finished aswell as he did.

Biaggi; Ran his mouth off and got thrown out of the series before the season started. His own fault forsure, but has NOTHING to do with his ability to ride a bike, and you can't help but ask the question "what if he hadda been in the series still."

Capirossi: Taken out by his teammate and spends several races out with injury, or atleast riding thru SERIOUS handi-caps, after kicking ass and taking names the first half of the season on a track that was neither a bridgestone track, nor a ducati track.

Gibernau: Mechanical failure sends him spiralling into the dirt at Catalunya, his fucking ambulance gets into a car accident on the way to the hospital and breaks his shoulder, in addition to the injuries he sustained in the crash, and in the end, Stoner crashes him out, and to add insult to injury, steals his ride later that week.

Pedrosa: struggles all year with a bike that's WAY to big for him, was developed around a guy that's a full 8" taller than him, and then adapted to fit guys "only" 5-6" taller than him. Remember the crash at Turkey? ASIMO was fighting for the lead, on spent tires, bike tucks the front, and he doesn't have enough strength to save it off of his knee.

Now I'm sure I'm gonna hear an earload of "the 06 bike was developed around Pedrosa" but that's a collosal crock of sh*t, Honda tore the bikes down at the end of 06 'cause they where done with the 211v's. Pedrosas was exactly the same as Elias' or Melandri's, it was a customer spec bike, he didn't have the extra hp that Hayden did, the updated chassis geometry that Hayden did, the new suspension linkage that Hayden did, the new fairing that Hayden did. That bike wasn't fancy, or developed around Dani, Dani got the same bike everyone else got, despite being on the skunkworks team.

Now lets review Haydens luck for just a second. I actually only really need to bring up 1 thing here.

WHY did he have that seat? Because Honda America demanded it for North American advertising is the ONLY logical reason. Since 2002, he was teammate with Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Max Biaggi and Dani Pedrosa. However Honda had known race winners in Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Makoto Tamada, while Nick is hanging around in 10th place. Why is it that Alex gets only 1 year to show what he's got on that bike, Nick gets 3 before showing a race win, and even that was an "out of the blue" race win.

And then finally.... would Hayden have been able to win it, if he hadn't been on the best bike on the grid? You'll no doubt disagree with me, but I think this years results, and the results from 03-05 definitely tell a tale.



Vale: Yes, I've seen those races. It's interesting that you guys are all the sudden talking only about hp, not about handling, when I recall a couple of years ago it was "any monkey can go fast in a straight line, and speed doesn't make that much difference in laptimes." Interesting how that changes when someone else wins eh?

IF Rossi is so sound mentally, why did he pull in twice in the rain at Motegi, the time where he pulled in for a tire the first time, then freaked out and came in a second time when the tire didn't feel like he expected, he comes into the pit, talks to Burgess for a minute, and then goes out on the same damned tire. That's ok tho, that's not his fault, that's Michelins fault, it's Yamaha's fault, it's Burgess' fault, it's my fault, it's the devils fault.

IF he hadda stayed in the race, and not pitted, he certainly would have gotten second in the championship, since he only lost it by 1 point. Would he have had something for Stoner? no, probably not, but it goes a LONG ways towards showing his mental state, to make a mistake like that.

Not to mention all the shit he's saying in the press. Nick atleast is enough of a man to suck it up, and not make excuses.

Vale: Yes, I've seen those races. It's interesting that you guys are all the sudden talking only about hp, not about handling, when I recall a couple of years ago it was "any monkey can go fast in a straight line, and speed doesn't make that much difference in laptimes." Interesting how that changes when someone else wins eh?

IF Rossi is so sound mentally, why did he pull in twice in the rain at Motegi, the time where he pulled in for a tire the first time, then freaked out and came in a second time when the tire didn't feel like he expected, he comes into the pit, talks to Burgess for a minute, and then goes out on the same damned tire. That's ok tho, that's not his fault, that's Michelins fault, it's Yamaha's fault, it's Burgess' fault, it's my fault, it's the devils fault.

IF he hadda stayed in the race, and not pitted, he certainly would have gotten second in the championship, since he only lost it by 1 point. Would he have had something for Stoner? no, probably not, but it goes a LONG ways towards showing his mental state, to make a mistake like that.

Not to mention all the shit he's saying in the press. Nick atleast is enough of a man to suck it up, and not make excuses.

Jr, if you read my post again, I did mention about Rossi tried to make up the difference in the corners and braking, and I also mentioned there is only so much you can make up.

The GP7 isn't that bad in handling as we thought it was, you can clearly tell from the wet results.

And about the Motegi mistake, fine maybe that's really his own mistake, but that mistake is enough for anyone to conclued that he doesn't have it in his head anymore? Then all those greatest champions such as Senna, Schumi, etc. should have been concluded with that also when they made a mistake in their not-so-great years?

About Nicky is enough of a man to suck it up? C'mon we spoke about this before, and we all have agreed why. It's not that he "didn't", it's he "couldn't" in his current position.

Those are good posts ,a lot of info in those, Jr and Val. Still seems to me the " luck argument " still hinges on too many " what if's " . What if Max , What if Sete , What if Loris , What if Rossi didn't have so many ,.. etc. While it certainly makes for interesting debates, it doesn't affect the " What Was " , and that was Nicky beating everyone in 2006.

I still think that Sete would've been the one to unseat Rossi if things would've been different . " If ".

ya, that's 100% correct. At the end of the day, Nick got it done, and noone else did. I personally don't think it was skill that got him his crown, but he DID get it, and he DID wear it like a man.

I still think that Sete would've been the one to unseat Rossi if things would've been different . " If ".

C'mon Saint, you made it sound like luck has nothing to do in racing, and it's not true, you do need luck in racing, nobody can deny that. Actually you do need luck in everything in life.

About Sete, I don't disagree with you, I really think he deserved a title more than Nicky does. At least he was fighting for the win almost throughout every race in the entire season. How many times did Nicky fought for a win throughout his entire career?

I fixed the post for you... :crash

I didn't reply to Mark on the other thread on SBF, but this will sum it up. If you guys can accept the odds of winning a championship with only 2 wins in a 17 races season, then why you guys cannot accept the odds of someone winning a championship with a bit more luck than usual?

In racing, we all know there are 3 things that are crucial: skill, package, and luck. Any one of these missing will not work, and it's a fact. :fact

Let me give you a perfect example in life. In a school class of 20 students:

2 students: always +90% during the entire year.
2 students: always +80% during the entier year.
1 student: always around 75% suring the entire year.

On the final exam day, and there is no retake if you miss it, the 2 90% students got sick, didn't come to the class and receive a 0%. The 2 80% students, for some odd reasons, they came really late to the class and only able to get a 40%. The 75% student, finished as usual with a 75%. And because of the 0% and 40% those students got, it was enough for the 75% student to have the highest overall average of the year.

Did he got the highest overall average of the year? Yes.
Was he more lucky than usual on this one? Yes.
Would he have got the highest average if the 2 90% students weren't sick and the 2 80% students weren't late? No.

What happens the year after when the other students didn't get sick or being later? The 75% student is back to be at the 75% position.

:corn

ok Saint, lets break it down.

who would you say the top 5 or so riders where? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Valentino, Biaggi, Gibernau, Capirossi, Pedrosa

I mean you could put other ones in there, but that's who I'd put in, just bare with me for a minute.

Lets go over each of their seasons:

Valentino; blew engines, chunked tires, crashed, general mayhem, I'm surprised he finished aswell as he did.

Biaggi; Ran his mouth off and got thrown out of the series before the season started. His own fault forsure, but has NOTHING to do with his ability to ride a bike, and you can't help but ask the question "what if he hadda been in the series still."

Capirossi: Taken out by his teammate and spends several races out with injury, or atleast riding thru SERIOUS handi-caps, after kicking ass and taking names the first half of the season on a track that was neither a bridgestone track, nor a ducati track.

Gibernau: Mechanical failure sends him spiralling into the dirt at Catalunya, his fucking ambulance gets into a car accident on the way to the hospital and breaks his shoulder, in addition to the injuries he sustained in the crash, and in the end, Stoner crashes him out, and to add insult to injury, steals his ride later that week.

Pedrosa: struggles all year with a bike that's WAY to big for him, was developed around a guy that's a full 8" taller than him, and then adapted to fit guys "only" 5-6" taller than him. Remember the crash at Turkey? ASIMO was fighting for the lead, on spent tires, bike tucks the front, and he doesn't have enough strength to save it off of his knee.

Now I'm sure I'm gonna hear an earload of "the 06 bike was developed around Pedrosa" but that's a collosal crock of sh*t, Honda tore the bikes down at the end of 06 'cause they where done with the 211v's. Pedrosas was exactly the same as Elias' or Melandri's, it was a customer spec bike, he didn't have the extra hp that Hayden did, the updated chassis geometry that Hayden did, the new suspension linkage that Hayden did, the new fairing that Hayden did. That bike wasn't fancy, or developed around Dani, Dani got the same bike everyone else got, despite being on the skunkworks team.

Now lets review Haydens luck for just a second. I actually only really need to bring up 1 thing here.

WHY did he have that seat? Because Honda America demanded it for North American advertising is the ONLY logical reason. Since 2002, he was teammate with Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Max Biaggi and Dani Pedrosa. However Honda had known race winners in Marco Melandri, Sete Gibernau and Makoto Tamada, while Nick is hanging around in 10th place. Why is it that Alex gets only 1 year to show what he's got on that bike, Nick gets 3 before showing a race win, and even that was an "out of the blue" race win.

And then finally.... would Hayden have been able to win it, if he hadn't been on the best bike on the grid? You'll no doubt disagree with me, but I think this years results, and the results from 03-05 definitely tell a tale.






Champ is a Champ, luck or not. He IS the 2006 MotoGP champion, no matter how much you guys try to explain it away. Saying "Nicky Hayden, 2006 World Champ" is like throwing salt in a wound with you guys....:r1lover:lol

actually I'm fine with him having won the title. What's done is done.

However when people talk like he's a great rider and about to come out swinging and save the day, I laugh... hard.

Champ is a Champ, luck or not. He IS the 2006 MotoGP champion, no matter how much you guys try to explain it away. Saying "Nicky Hayden, 2006 World Champ" is like throwing salt in a wound with you guys....:r1lover:lol

Yes what is done is done, he got the title in 2006, all I was saying is he got a bit more luck than others, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that think the same.

Actually, you said the same thing back in June 2007, not sure why you suddenly changed your mind...

http://www.sportbikeforum.net/showpost.php?p=370338&postcount=35

Hayden's title was a fluke at Honda.

:mock :mrgreen

C'mon Saint, you made it sound like luck has nothing to do in racing, and it's not true, you do need luck in racing, nobody can deny that. Actually you do need luck in everything in life.


I'm not trying to say he didn't have ANY luck, I'm just saying it certainly wasn't ALL luck :mrgreen

Yes what is done is done, he got the title in 2006, all I was saying is he got a bit more luck than others, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that think the same.

Actually, you said the same thing back in June 2007, not sure why you suddenly changed your mind...

http://www.sportbikeforum.net/showpost.php?p=370338&postcount=35



:mock :mrgreen


Ohhhh.....don't be taking me out of context there Val.....

I meant that Honda viewed his title as a fluke, and developed the new 212V....without taking the title seriously. No matter what people say, the 212V WAS NOT designed for Nicky. If Honda honestly took his title seriously, they wouldn't have put such a drastically changed and resized motorcycle under him.

Sorry, but there's a LOT more going on behind the scenes with Honda and the 212V development than we'll ever know. A lot of things just don't add up.

i will no longer speak and let val and R1Lover do all my speaking for me on this issue :)

Jr, if you read my post again, I did mention about Rossi tried to make up the difference in the corners and braking, and I also mentioned there is only so much you can make up.

The GP7 isn't that bad in handling as we thought it was, you can clearly tell from the wet results.

And about the Motegi mistake, fine maybe that's really his own mistake, but that mistake is enough for anyone to conclued that he doesn't have it in his head anymore? Then all those greatest champions such as Senna, Schumi, etc. should have been concluded with that also when they made a mistake in their not-so-great years?

About Nicky is enough of a man to suck it up? C'mon we spoke about this before, and we all have agreed why. It's not that he "didn't", it's he "couldn't" in his current position.

I can't believe I missed this reply.

cornering, and off corner drive, means WAY WAY more, than outright hp ever will. IF Rossi was able to get on the jam earlier, hp wouldn't stop him from walking away, that's the difference between the Honda and the Ducati. The Duke has a solid engine, and a good electronics package. And Rossi has his head on sideways. Senna and Schumi have had bad years too yes, and with the same thing, for the same reasons. To go out and say "if Rossi had a Ducati he'd win" is 1) speculation, and 2) biaggi-esque

and EVERYONE hated Biaggi.

I'm not saying that it was all Stoner that won this year, but I'm certainly not gonna say that Rossi would have dominated if only he'd had the Ducati. It's pretty clear that he tried the mindgames on Stoner, and Casey didn't cave... Rossi did. He was genuinely scared.

Ohhhh.....don't be taking me out of context there Val.....

I meant that Honda viewed his title as a fluke, and developed the new 212V....without taking the title seriously. No matter what people say, the 212V WAS NOT designed for Nicky. If Honda honestly took his title seriously, they wouldn't have put such a drastically changed and resized motorcycle under him.

Sorry, but there's a LOT more going on behind the scenes with Honda and the 212V development than we'll ever know. A lot of things just don't add up.


Actually Mark, I've no problem accepting Rossi or Melandri or Capirex lost the title in 2006. For me it's really isn't about what if this and what is that. All I was saying is Nicky fans cannot accept the fact that he was quite lucky in that year.

In my student example, the average 75% student did get the highest average in the end, but can you call him the best student of that year and beat everyone else? To me, no, he was just there at the right time at the right place. I guess to each of their own. But inside every student, teacher, and parent's mind, they all know who are really the top students in the class during that year, and they all clearly know that the 75% student did not beat those students that were absent and late. But the truth is, like you guys stated, it's the end numbers that counted.

And I wasn't taking about the RC212 Mark, I was talking about the RC211V in 2006. You don't believe Nicky got all the advantages over all the other Honda riders during that year? I think Jr has stated all those points already, so I'm not going to repeat them.

:)

I can't believe I missed this reply.

cornering, and off corner drive, means WAY WAY more, than outright hp ever will. IF Rossi was able to get on the jam earlier, hp wouldn't stop him from walking away, that's the difference between the Honda and the Ducati. The Duke has a solid engine, and a good electronics package. And Rossi has his head on sideways. Senna and Schumi have had bad years too yes, and with the same thing, for the same reasons. To go out and say "if Rossi had a Ducati he'd win" is 1) speculation, and 2) biaggi-esque

and EVERYONE hated Biaggi.

I'm not saying that it was all Stoner that won this year, but I'm certainly not gonna say that Rossi would have dominated if only he'd had the Ducati. It's pretty clear that he tried the mindgames on Stoner, and Casey didn't cave... Rossi did. He was genuinely scared.

Jr, you're not wrong about this at all, to be able to corner, and off corner drive early is a huge factor and advantage. But you forget to look at one thing, since the M1 can corner and get off the corner drive earlier than the Duc can, however the speed is still down by like 18 km/h to the Duc, that tells you something right there about the M1 in the power department.

By the way, in all my posts, I've never said give Rossi a Duc and he will surely win. The Duc is working for Stoner, but it doesn't mean it will work for Rossi. But I do believe if the M1 this is year is a bit better, just a bit better, I believe Rossi can be a little more competitive. Like I said before, even a blind man can see that the 2007 Yamaha/Mich package is probably the worst Japanese package in 2007.

:)

And I wasn't taking about the RC212 Mark, I was talking about the RC211V in 2006. You don't believe Nicky got all the advantages over all the other Honda riders during that year? I think Jr has stated all those points already, so I'm not going to repeat them.

:)

Nope....I don't dispute that at all. He was on the superior 211V, and that's a fact. Pedrosa was on that customer-spec bike.

You just kill me with all those percentages and averages....some things aren't so black and white. Sometimes, things just happen. :mrgreen

And....what you hear coming out of Nicky fans is resistance to non-Nicky fans that say it was "ALL" luck. Luck helps, but it does not alone win titles....someone still had to twist the throttle and get the motorcycle around the track. So, there has to be a bit of skill and ability in there too. Even though he only won two races, he still finished top-three numerous times....in races where luck really had nothing to do with it. He just raced and finished well. If you're going to say it was ALL luck, you have to at least give the guy credit for getting his bike around the track for 20+ laps, and still bringing it home in second or third. The boy DOES have skill on a motorcycle.

:imwstwish people would give stoner credit

I'll give him credit.....


He has a very hot wife.... she is smokin' :lmao





















Credit for what? winning the championship? Yes I will give him credit for that as well. Now unlike some others I will not give him credit for being the best rider on the field like others are saying... .he had the best overall team and that's why he is the champ. Is he the best rider out there? not a chance.....

he might be... I have no idea. But I definitely don't know that it's Valentino either, it might be Guintoli for all I know.

You just kill me with all those percentages and averages....some things aren't so black and white. Sometimes, things just happen. :mrgreen

And....what you hear coming out of Nicky fans is resistance to non-Nicky fans that say it was "ALL" luck. Luck helps, but it does not alone win titles....someone still had to twist the throttle and get the motorcycle around the track. So, there has to be a bit of skill and ability in there too. Even though he only won two races, he still finished top-three numerous times....in races where luck really had nothing to do with it. He just raced and finished well. If you're going to say it was ALL luck, you have to at least give the guy credit for getting his bike around the track for 20+ laps, and still bringing it home in second or third. The boy DOES have skill on a motorcycle.

I was just trying to make it clear with an example out of racing... :lol

Yep, you just said it yourself, "he still finished top-three numerous times... and still bringing it home in second or third." Do I need to say more? I wish those guys who actually won those races would got more credits too... ;)

By the way, I never said it's "ALL" luck, all I was saying is he got more luck than usual. To make it clear, I updated the sig just for you... :lol :P

:imwstwish people would give stoner credit

I did give a lot of credits to Stoner... :yes

Credit for what? winning the championship? Yes I will give him credit for that as well. Now unlike some others I will not give him credit for being the best rider on the field like others are saying... .he had the best overall team and that's why he is the champ. Is he the best rider out there? not a chance.....


I bet you didn't give much credit to Rossi then, when he won the first Championship, after all he was on the best team with the best bike.

Like it or not, the bike still has to be ridden, if it is all bike then Caprix should have done better as well.

I bet you didn't give much credit to Rossi then, when he won the first Championship, after all he was on the best team with the best bike.

Like it or not, the bike still has to be ridden, if it is all bike then Caprix should have done better as well.

I think he was referring to NH... :r1lover

I think he was referring to NH... :r1lover


Oooohhhh :crash


:lol

I bet you didn't give much credit to Rossi then, when he won the first Championship, after all he was on the best team with the best bike.

Like it or not, the bike still has to be ridden, if it is all bike then Caprix should have done better as well.

On the first one? nope not much at all..... he had to earn his level of respect, and he has more then done that.


Let's see where Stoner is in 5 years and see if can do it again or if he is a one chump like others.

On the first one? nope not much at all..... he had to earn his level of respect, and he has more then done that.


Then you never watched that season, cause he deserved it. :fact

Not only did he deserve it, but he didn't have the best bike. Ukawa and Criville did.

Then you never watched that season, cause he deserved it. :fact


I was talking his FIRST one.... not the first one in the 500 class....


:r1lover

junior where did anyone say "IF ROSSI WAS ON A DUCATI HE WOULD HAVE DOMINATED"? Nobody has said that, all there is to it. Tilbury where did anyone say they are not giving stoner credit? He did a damn good job, but the best rider ever was on a shitty bike so it's not like I can bow down on my knees and declare him the all time best. it's his first time.

1. Stoner did damn good
2. Rossi was on a shitty bike
3. Would be nice to see rossi on a bike to compete so they can duke it out
4. Hayden's luck ran out

that's all that is beind said. If you don't agree with those 3 then fine, but people are adding in way too much ad-lib and this is never ending

but the best rider ever was on a shitty bike

I didn't realize Giacomo was still racing.

I didn't realize Giacomo was still racing.

:lol

Soon Jr, soon, just 7 more wins and he will take that record away from Giacomo, and he already took the most podiums one... :mock :mrgreen

when he wins every race 5 seasons in a row, we'll talk.

when he wins every race 5 seasons in a row, we'll talk.

:lol

I think you're being exaggerated, Giacomo never won "every" race 5 seasons in a row, I think 1 season only... :fact 1968, and that's a 10-races season, and I think the next year they changed to the new 15-points win system... :yes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomo_Agostini#Complete_Grand_Prix_motorcycle_ra cing_results

One thing I got to give Giacomo though, it's that he competed and won many times in IOMTT also... :thumbup :thumbup

lol, ok, well his win ratio completely destroys Rossi, as does his consecutive and total championships.

He has more wins, and started less races, and won more titles.

actually they changed the win system mid-year in 1968, in 250's 2 different guys won the championship, LOL, 1 by the old system and 1 by the new.

lol, ok, well his win ratio completely destroys Rossi, as does his consecutive and total championships.

He has more wins, and started less races, and won more titles.

True. But until today in the entire GP history, the closest person's records to be able to compare to Ago is VR... :yes

I can bow down on my knees and declare him the all time best.

So, while you are on your knees, you think Vale is the best??? :crash




:lol :fawkdance

Why are you guys on your knees?? :lmao

Why are you guys on your knees?? :lmao



Only Corey is on his knees :fact :crash

Only Corey is on his knees :fact :crash


Well that's normal!! :lmao

I know you're talking about analbus

I know you're talking about analbus

:lmao :lmao

Good Read.......Comments included. :lmao

Junior needs to crawl out of the 1950's and move on to an era that he was at least alive in..... :fact :lmao

And R1Lover needs to learn to realize that he can't consider someone "the greatest of all time." without atleast knowing what else is out there :fact :lol

actually I don't think either of them are GOAT, infact I don't think any 1 person ever is or can be. And all things change, even the greats will fall. I didn't think that Doohan would ever stop winning.

I never said of all time....

I live in the recent years..... not the past like some people :poke :lmao

CHILDREN!! ENOUGH!! Go to your rooms and no supper!! :lmao :lmao

no it's cool, you're right, you didn't say "of all time" Corey did :) you just jumped into defend.

It's ok tho, 10 years from now Rossi will be forgotten and someone else will be up for consideration for "best of all time"

ya but about that time or later you will be defending Rossi then.... :poke :lmao

sure will be.

Actually, come to think of it, I think Rossi is in the past now. :yes

Actually, come to think of it, I think Rossi is in the past now. :yes



:lol :imwst

:lmao

I have some boxing gloves if you guys want to borrow them. :rofl :rofl

:D oh I've got all the gear necessary.

I WAS just joking tho, before anybody gets too upset.

:imwstwish people would give stoner credit

if he wins the championship this year i'll give him credit. i still think it's his bike that won

could be ya. But Rossi certainly lost second place all on his own.

if he wins the championship this year i'll give him credit. i still think it's his bike that won


The bike must have rode it self :crash

Infractions loading up and ready to fire..... :poke

LMAO, that sig is pretty funny.

It's a shame tho that there's no admins who aren't Rossi fans, 'cause a little payback would be only fair right?

LMAO, that sig is pretty funny.

It's a shame tho that there's no admins who aren't Rossi fans, 'cause a little payback would be only fair right?

What are you talking about? Biga uploaded it himself... :fact :lol:lol

lol, uh huh, SUUUUUUUUUURE he did.

lol, uh huh, SUUUUUUUUUURE he did.


:lol


I saved my new Vale sig

you gotta find a way to get it in now.

I missed it Vale post it up..... lol

are you talking about this one ???



VVVVV

are you talking about this one ???



VVVVV

No Saint... this one VVVVVVV :fawkdance :lol

I missed it Vale post it up..... lol


Did you buy a new Harley????? :dunno

No Saint... this one VVVVVVV :fawkdance :lol

Now see, that right there is some skill. Even in the middle of a high speed get off , Nicky still finds time to wave to some hot chicks up in the stands.

Tell us how you really feel about Nicky Val.....Stop holding it in!! :lmao :lmao

On a different note.... Has anyone heard of the tax troubles he is in?? Are they still going to bring that one forward?

LOL - Maybe someone should make a Rossi Tour 2008 Sig showing him behind bars... :crash