Nope.....been that way since Broaster first came on the scene with AMA road racing back in like 2012 I think it was with the M4 team.
is it that they are giving away free chik fil a to get more than 14 people to show up at the track to watch?
I'm skeptical of the performance of the Honda regardless of the backing behind it. The bike doesnt look much different then before and the manufacturer's numbers dont impress. Simply having another bike to turn laps doesn't lend credibility to the series.
Remember they are making a big push on the World scene too with Nicky Hayden and Bradl, so hopefully if they make progress there that will trickle down to our riders here.
I think it will do just fine in SBK trim, for the same reason the Honda has still been relatively competitive in WSBK for all of these years, even though it was an underpowered dinosaur off the showroom floor. When you are allowed to build/change/modify the motor, swingarm, wheels, brakes, electronics, gas tank, triples, linkage, suspension etc etc etc...the stock bike becomes almost irrelevant. Which explains why Suzuki has also been competitive in SBK trim all these years. In SSTK trim, I don't know. It only got a 10hp bump from last year, which still leaves it 15-20hp down to the competition (depending on which bike you are comparing it to). Maybe if the chassis is great and with the right rider, it might be competitive. But all things being equal, I think in SSTK trim it will struggle. But since it is being raced in SBK, as long as it has good backing, it should do ok.
I don't think I will be able to get him to come back. He had some injuries in World Supersport, followed by some less-than-ideally-executed surgeries, and last I heard was flying a plane for a living. Martin Cardenas is one of my favorite riders of all time. Really fast and a good guy, with a good heart. We won a lot of races and two AMA Pro Championships with him, and had a lot of fun doing it!
I hate to hear that. I loved watching him ride. The best memory I have of him was when he was chasing someone (I believe DiSalvo) on a 600 at Infineon (IIRC) several years ago. He made a mistake or got pushed off the track, something along those lines and lost alot of time. Then he went on a charge to make it up. I have never seen anyone ride a motorcycle that hard. He ultimately ended up crashing, but the way he rode in the laps prior to crashing was incredible, even inspirational. There was no doubt that he was on the absolute limit every second and was riding the shit out of that bike. The bike was literally never fully hooked up, it was either trying to tuck the front, or spinning, or sliding, or doing a wheelie, or a combination of all of them at the same time. I know it is weird that the best memory I have of someone is from a race in which they crashed. But I will never forget how hard he was riding prior to that. I mean he was fully committed and was pouring every ounce of everything he had into it. He was either going to win it or bin it. Unfortunately, it went the wrong way. But it was still incredible to watch.
If he was over on the left when he lost it and completely yard sales the bike, that is also the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him. He was , but I thought he was in the lead? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong. Edit: 2012 Infineon Raceway, Geico Suzuki, not in the lead.
Yep, that's it. That's the race im talking about. He was over on the left and hauling ass when it let go and the bike was toast.
Yeah "Marteen" (roll the r) was a great rider! He was just smooth and never looked as fast as he was going! Total control and focus. He NEEDS to come back. Let's get a petition going so that JU can bring it to him!
My favorite Martin story is his reaction to running an Endurance at Miller, he was still happy but not remotely a fan of riding that long