Some cheater bike news for you folks. Safe to say the BSB team is as factory as it gets. Pretty cool. Now to see if Redding will come out of the gate like Bautista on the cheater bike. “The team placed an order for two bikes direct to Ducati Corse at the final round of the 2018 season in October,” said Iain Hopcroft, the Team Manager of Oxford Racing Ducati. “However it wasn’t until earlier this year when the team went to the factory at the start of February to work with the staff to build the race bike.” https://www.britishsuperbike.com/ne...-behind-the-scenes-with-oxford-racing-ducati/
Honder built all those world class special bikes not too long ago. Isn’t that considered stepping up?
Trust me, I know what it's like to be emotionally invested in a brand. The Oxford Racing Team looks like a serious effort! Redding better cut the crap and win every race.
You know Redding isn't going to the Oxford team though, right? Oxford used to be known as Moto Rapido, the team Hopper rode for. Redding is going to the PBM team; the official Ducati team in BSB.
Just because it's the rule doesn't mean it's right, or even the best solution. I understand Dorna's reasoning behind it - to make the performance of all machines as similar as possible for close racing and the best show for the fans. But even you stifle the development, then just put them all on Bone Stock R6s, let Kawi paint theirs green, yamaha blue, ducati red, honda would drop out, and suzuki a nice shade of white and the racing would be the closest ever. People still want to see cutting edge of what's possible and some ass kicking I think. Hopefully Rea, Haslam, Chaz, Melandri and the rest of hte yamaha guys have an answer.
They (PBM and possibly MR, no idea about them) actually “test” a lot of parts before wsbk team gets them, mostly that occurs during the season due to test restrictions.
Not sure why you're upset with me ... I'm not saying I agree, but its the rules, and if Bautista has another performance like PI, they will be reducing the revs. As far as cutting edge, it hasnt been that way in years. Spec tires, spec ecu, aerodynamics rules, etc. etc...
Not upset at all. I agree with spec tires, to an extent in that it's not something the manufacturers can control anyway. However I would be just as ok if there was a tire price cap. Run whatever you want, but you only get X amount of them, and they must be purchasable by all teams for X amount of money. That way you don't have to build a bike to suit a specific tire. Ducati struggled with this once GP went to Bridgestone only. I prefer there to be a spending cap of sorts, and let the guys innovation and creativity be seen. I understand this has its faults too. Nothing's perfect.
If he's smart, he'll pull a Rossi and just motor away a little on the last lap so no one's the wiser.
well, putting MotoGP riders in "lower series" is cheating now, when the bike is somewhat good out the box? bautista can win in WSBK because he could put a factory MGP bike iwthing podium reach. plus he's a skinny mother effer. redding is a crazy m'effer , also friggin skinny and even somewhat smart to take it down a notch on the unpredictable Barilla MGP bike to avoid crashing and terminating his only source of income (his ability to ride). i've said it before on FB: if you have the brain and muscle/nerve processing power to be a mid-pack MGP rider, you are ahead of the game in the other classes . marginally in WSBK, quite a bit in BSB, i assume. we shall see.
One of the answers from the talking heads about his subject that I really can get behind is not a large talent gap between WSBK and MotoGP riders but rather the crucible in which they are subjected. MotoGP is simply a step up from WSBK in terms of bike, team, tires, etc. with the most minute and minor details being the differences between success and failure. When your in that environment, you are required to operate at that level - and its likely a level that is simply greater than in the "lesser" series. Your attention to detail, your maximizing track time in practice, your feedback, your sensitivity, your demands on your team and crew. All are at a higher level. This maximizes your talent. And when your talent is as high as Marquez, Lorenzo, Rossi, Rea, Dovi, Bautista, Chaz, Melandri, and on and on and on - getting that last half a percent out of the rider matters.
The lesser series is the one that doesn’t meet the riders or sponsored needs. Can’t understand how people can call one series a lesser series when a rider can make a living in that lesser series and obviously there’s sponsor money to do that. Or they can ride for free or pay for a ride in the “premier” or upper level series from where they are at. Different riders want different things out of racing, some want fame, some just love to win, others need to out food on the table. I’m sure if racing was an ideal world and pay scales were equal to the tiersof racing you were at, you may see all the greatest talent in one series. Unfortunately racing isn’t like that and never will be. Some are better off using their personal sponsors and buying a ride, others using mom and dads 16th mortgage on the house, others it’s nothing to for over a mil or two for the kid to go have fun, others can get a great ride for a team and just bring their talent (and PR stuff, etc) etc etc.
Are you the first guy to run Dunlops on the bike.....BSB, WSBK and even ASBK they're all on Pirelli's right?
Ducati finally makes a bike that's the same displacement as everyone else and gets called a cheater bike because an ex-MotoGP rider waxed the field in a couple of races!? LOL In the last few years Davies was the only one that could really bring the fight to Rea on a 1200cc (call that one a cheater if you want), and now he was way behind, along with all the other Ducatis. But Bautista wins by 15 seconds, (about 25-30 in front of the other Ducatis) and it's a cheater bike...
