World SBK | ROUND 04 | Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round | 05 - 07 MAY

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Not sure on that but even with 250 up on Kawasaki and 250 down on Duc they're still a 1000rpm apart.

Honestly I don't think that would matter anyways. Bautista has that Duc dialed in. Everybody else looks like they are riding on a greasy track.

 

Someone finally talked some sense into Bautista. He showed up with a grown-up hairstyle this weekend.

 

Third-place fight in Supersport was savage in the last couple of laps. That was some rude shit. Freddie Spencer would have disqualified the motherfucker before the checkered flag.

 

In my opinion the Rinaldi overtake was worse. Penalty was BS.

 

Bassani (spell check) is my new favorite dude other than GG and Baz. That punt back was definitely for the factory seat. Reminds me of Bestia on the Greseni bike last year.

 

I wanted to bitch about GG's lackluster performance but he was the first BMW across the line.

A win is a win I suppose....

 

That might just be the hollowest of victories...

4 riders:

- 1 out with a broken leg
- 1 racing with one good leg
- 1 taken out on lap 1

Yeah yeah, I know "first you gotta finish if you wanna finish first" but yeah, 20+ seconds behind the winner in a shortened race and once again NOWHERE on the opening laps of both races today.

We can now safely say Yamaha wasn't the problem, BMW isn't the problem, it's whatever goes on between his ears when the red lights disappear.

 

I think I'd look at it a bit differently. I think he is fighting more, being more aggressive, and showing more fight this year on a bike that is lower tier, than he was last year in the Yamaha.

Take feature length race 2 for example. He came out of thr first few corners in 6th, and fought to keep his position. That wasn't happening last year. He is making steps foward and doing better, IMO. And was best on the BMW all wknd. I think this can earn him promotion to the factory squad and can pay off in the long run if BMW keeps developing (a la Aliex/Aprilia), and it could earn him a ride on a better bike as age/retirements shake out the next couple of years.

 

Not a bad Sunday for GG. Held serve with slight improvement in the super pole race, which is a win given his bad starts. Finally a decent start in R2 but so so result. Odd that no matter a good or bad start, he settles in to similar result. Looking at competition 6-7th is probably an optimal finish right now so 10th wasn’t great but decent. Hoping he’s gaining confidence and can continue momentum.

Well it’s actual pretty easy to explain. It’s called rider talent. No way sir-crash-a lot is that much better than the rest. I get the feeling that on similar machinery Raz is the best rider in the series followed closely by Bautista and Rea. Rinaldi IMO is benefitting from the Duc and Bassani too. Petrucci isn’t even as good as Gagne at this point so the fact that he’s finishing as good as he is is all down to the bike advantage. Wonder if someone at Duc shouldn’t pull Baustia aside and tell him to slow down (more) when he has a 6 second lead. Or maybe he is given his propensity to crash has completely disappeared. He’s probably not even riding it near the edge and still built a 7 second lead near the end

 

That's what we call sarcasm. I'm well aware that Alvaro is the best Duc rider out there. I wouldn't doubt that Ducati did have a talk with him about reducing the gap at the finish, so they didn't get hit with sanctions.

 

GG was solid all weekend but I do believe that the bike chassis needs help. (never sorted out to be a front runner in wsbk) kinda wondering if the dunpops just suit the bike better over here

 

I'm starting to think BMW in WSBK is what KTM was in MotoGP a few years back.

Your last stop before you are shown the door...

Can't believe Sofaglow team are even talking to them.

 

I don't think anyone on the BMW will get shown the door and not be able to find a ride on the grid next year

 

I will say that compared to the first few rounds this year, GG showed much more "life" this round - maybe the bike is well suited there, maybe he was pumped up to have all his friends and family there for the first time watching, or maybe it's just that he's gelling with the new bike more and they are putting the setup pieces together.

Seeing Alvaro make the field look downright slow is crazy - he wasn't even remotely challenged and I bet could have put another 5 seconds into the field if need be - damn thats both impressive and frustrating at the same time as a fan.

I hope VDM retires, Toprack takes his Factory seat along Redding, and GG stays with Bonova/Pearson next year and has Baz as teammate again.

It's time to start wondering if JR65 will hang up the leathers after this season too - he knows next year is just collecting a paycheque now that Alvaro is back on the Duc.

 

the Ducs are rocket ships. plain and simple. It's not just "one guy" anymore. those things fly past anyone in front of them on any significant straightaway. Am i seeing things?

 

The Hondas do that too as long as they have good grip from the tires coming off the corner. They just don't seem to corner as well. Also, Bautista's Duc does it even more than the other Ducs due to his light weight and small size.

I agree GG looked much better this weekend. Top BMW all weekend long, and by a good margin. Remember prior to this year he has been riding R1s for at least 5 years, so a few rounds to learn how to get the best out of the BMW would be expected I would think. In the Superpole race he was just 3.4 seconds off Bautista and 1 second off the podium. In race 2, 19 seconds off the win and just 8 seconds off 4th place isn't too shabby for a privateer BMW. Even if his bike is a full factory spec, that team isn't getting the best crew, as those guys work in the official factory team.

 

Why would Toprack go to BMW?

I want to see Bulega replace Rinaldi next year.

 

#1. MotoGP team managers aren't exactly falling all over themselves to sign him, seems like his lack of pace during both tests he did diminished any interest.
#2. He knows and likes the WSBK paddock, Honda seems to have their lineup set unless Xavi fizzles out dramatically. Kawi - maybe Lowes takes off but do they want Toprack stealing Jonny's thunder? Ducati won't pay him much as they hold all the cards, same scenario as MM93 finds himself in essentially.
#3. Wouldn't it be amazing to win a title on a developing bike that nobody else could win on to show it's the rider not the bike?


...agreed on Nicola, he's earning Bassanni's seat if not Rinaldi's...

 

Any insight on Rinaldi giving up a 3.5 sec lead to lose second to Toprak? If I understood him correctly, he said the tire went off. Is that legit?