WSBK | 2023 | Silly Season

Elias would be great on the Duc. He would be a title contender for sure.

 

For real. Why the fuck does this guy not have a ride.

 

Why? For the reasons stated in my post plus he is Italian which matters for this team I'd bet, is young, is likely cheap enough, and has shown speed in WSS with multiple "fastest race lap" awards and finished as top Ducati on WSS this year - in the top 5 overall I think.

Other than that - I'm not too familiar with him - just thought based on who's available, he would get a call from me if I swapped jobs with Ciabatti for a day.

Not many up and coming stars in BSB that aren't locked up for next ear already, MA as I said isn't exactly overflowing with riders who could be battling at the front on that bike/tire combo, and there's not many WSBK riders available that I can see.

If Ducati wanted the title badly, all they have to do is send Pirro over after he's run through about 150 sets of the new spec Dunlops.

 

Well damn, I would have never guessed that. It feels like every time I see him in a potential podium position, he ends up on the ground. Caricasulo has seemed to me like the stronger Ducati rider and yet championship results back you up.

 

I believe he has the nerve to want to be paid

 

Wish him well, but if he was unhappy getting his butt kicked in MA, he's going to be furious in WSBK.

 

I'd rather get my butt kicked and have an air conditioned garage + semi to hide in instead of camping out under an EZUP with a salty face.

 

2nd in championship is getting your butt kicked? Do you know the Ducati works better or worse on Pirellis? It’s literally comparing apples and oranges since the bike was built and designed around the pirellis.

 

I agree on the Pirellis. But Petruxx never had the pace Gagne did, and often didn't have the pace of Scholtz or Peterson either. He never fought for a win once.

 

But we know he is capable of having the pace when on comparable equipment. I can’t compare a bike Stromboli built vs a factory duc effort built around another tire. I’m not saying Gagne doesn’t deserve to be over there but no one can say Pretux doesn’t.

 

Given the choice of Barni and WSBK or HSBK and MA, I’d be headed to WSBK too.

 

Well, he was it was either MA or retirement...

He's so full of shit his eyes are brown. I'm looking for him to implode in WSBK next year.

 

Petruxx certainly has the talent to be there, no question. The problem is he blamed everyone but himself all of last year. WSBK is cutthroat. I think he'll spend a year of fighting to stay in the top 10 and playing a blame game, but I hope I'm wrong.

 

I think the problem is the bike and the team. So far nobody has been able to get the Ducati to work with the Dunlops under race conditions. Some people have been able to get it to work well enough under some conditions to get race wins or podiums, but at great risk to the rider. I don't know what it will take or if it is possible to get that chassis to be good out of the truck and to stay consistent for an entire race weekend.

 

Also, in the unintended consequences camp.
If Petrux's results don't live up to expectations, Redding has his best ally when it comes to the combined weight (bike+rider) discourse.

 

I wonder if warhorse / corse pay or required to be paid. I also wonder if the answer changes for Americans

 

2022 BSB Champ, Bradley Ray, going to WSBK Yamerhaw team...

https://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/2023/Bradley+Ray+joins+2023+WorldSBK+grid+with+Motoxracing+Yamaha

 

Awesome to get to see how a bsb champ stacks up.

 

But only for part of the season, odd I thought.

A team funded to do only the Euro rounds isn’t gonna be competitive against the top 3 in the series.
I predict a bunch of 10th-14th place finishes for Bradley but wish him well, seems like a great kid.

 

Does Petrucci honestly think he's going to fight for podiums, let alone wins? Don't think so. I find it doesn't e he'd rather be riding mid pack in WSBK for less money than MA and actually have chance at winning.