WSBK Barcelona **spoliers**

WSBK Barcelona **spoliers**

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Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Saturday 6th May 2023
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I suspect that Bassani v Rinaldi is not going to go down well in Bologna hehe

stang65

391 posts

143 months

Saturday 6th May 2023
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Not convinced they'll be bothered. If Bautista had been involved it would be different but Ducati don't normally care about their lower level riders. Marini isn't getting grief for knocking off Bastianini for example....might have if it had been Bagnaia...

The Rinaldi/Bassini thing was started by Ducati with the playground level competition for the second factory seat (much like the Bastianini/Martin competition in MotoGP) so they only have themselves to blame really.

cherryowen

11,905 posts

210 months

Saturday 6th May 2023
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Bautista is currently on another level.

I'm reminded of Doohan on the NSR500, and Rossi on the M1, but pulling out between 0.9 and 1.3 seconds per lap on Rea and Toprak is insane. Surely the rev limit on the I4's has to be increased (if that's possible)?


LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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So the rev limits worked well then, I would guess Ducati have been sandbagging expecting this, I would not put it past them.

it does nobody any good, even Alvaro to be this dominant as we all just say what we did when rea was the same, best rider by far the best bike, tv viewers will turn off, as i now do as soon as he gets in front, it is boring, predictable and does little for what was a great series 2 years ago.

Of course he is good, he is a GP world champion, but was never alien level in the top class so it shows the level of Superbike sadly.

But for the show the damn things needs to be slowed. As for the other ride God only knows why they stick with Rinaldi, Bassani has had him for toast for two years.

But Ducati have a history of over estimating how good certain Italian riders are, Falappa, Lanzi, Fabrizio, Lucchiari and Giugliano all failed to deliver on the second bike.


Mr Dendrite

2,338 posts

216 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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While it seems an anathema to agree with LB66, I think that you are right. I really enjoy WSBK, in some ways more than MotoGP, but it’s getting ridiculous. I usually go to Donington on the Saturday but it hard to justify the cost this year if it’s going to carry on like this.

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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The thing is, people will say you dont like him because he is Spanish. I dont like Dorna full stop, I have nothing against Alvaro other than running off to Honda for dollars and then coming back cap in hand, no doubt lubed up by Dorna to have him winning.

But I didn't watch when Rea was dominant, or Biaggi or Fogarty for that matter, although Foggy was only really dominant in 95 and 99, the others years he won it he fought really hard with other for it.

If Ducati are prepared to build a bike that loses money at 40K and the rest cant compete, that is OK for a couple of years but it needs reigning in.


Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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Without wanting to provoke, why if you don't like Dorna do you watch any international bike racing then?

And to be fair to Ducati, it's only Bautista that can make it work properly, look at Redding for example. Came to BSB and won, came to WSBK and did okay but didn't exactly set the world alight in the process. Even Bautista himself didn't win the title first time round but he seems to be the only person able to use the bike to it's full potential, a bit like Stoner in 2007 or 2008 when he wont the first of his Moto GP titles, he figured out how to ride the bike and made it work - okay in Stoner's case having Bridgestones didn't hurt either.

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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Do you not understand that liking bike racing does not mean a love in for every post, it means I can see the good and bad, at the moment there is a huge monopoly in top class bike racing, they even tried to own BSB years ago! That worries me.

Don't get me wrong they do a lot more good than bad! But this ex GP rider thing in all classes in SBK is a concern for upcoming talent nationally, or talent trying to break out of national series, look at Tarran ffs, that bike is a pile of garbage yet he has proved his class in Supersport and SBK and gets the biggest lump of dog dirt in the grid for his troubles after trying to break into SBK for the last two years. He also got a pile of dog dirt in GP racing I might add.

The reason I raise it, is it did not used to happen before, very few ex GP riders dropped down. And there was more of a talent spread across national and ex GP riders, the move has clearly been to move ex GP riders in vast numbers into the SBK paddock. As they think it raises the profile, it might do, but at what cost long term for national road based bike racing.

As for Ducati the reason Redding was slower is the bike was different and he is about 3 stone heavier! Same as on any bike that helps and hinders depending on track. I once saw an article about Scott when he was talking about almost having eating disorders in Moto2 against Marquez etc as they were so light and there was no equivalency.

I feel that this was a plan Smarty had and it was ignored, he had been there for years and the fruits of his labours were starting to appear, it sees strange to me he just quit at the time all the other teams were starting to talk about the main class needing weight equivalency. I might be wrong but there is something fishy going on right now int eh top class.

Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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I fully understand that liking bike racing doesn't mean you have to like everything but i stand by my question, if you have such hatred for Dorna and their control of things, why on earth do you bother watching it?

However, i'm not here to provoke an argument, so you carry on with what you think and i'll carry on watching the racing i enjoy.

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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Lol,

Just because I do like the way they run things, does not mean I do not want to watch it, this is the trouble when you point stuff out on here, people automatically think you hate aspects of something so you hate all of it!

they do a lot of good, (as I said), but not all they do is great.

But today was forgettable for many reasons

cherryowen

11,905 posts

210 months

Sunday 7th May 2023
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After watching the other two races today, I think we can write this season off as a Bautista walk-over. A rider on top of his game, weighing about the same as a Jey Cloth, on the most powerful bike? The writing's on the wall. He's not going to repeat the second half crash-fest of 2019, being more familiar with setup.

Toprak will keep him honest, though.

Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Monday 8th May 2023
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Definitely a Bautista championship this year and quite possibly next year too.
Toprak must have been flying to catch Rinaldi on the last lap though and that was some ride by him.
Also, seems that Toprak is not at all happy with Yamaha if the conversation with Sofoglou is to be believed but BMW?

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Monday 8th May 2023
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I would guess the Yamaha GP talks have either ended or got to stalemate hence this position.

Kenan is not a GP fan and would prefer his rider to stay in SBK a paddock where he has some influence, he is a nobody in GP despite the Oncu brothers, so he has more clout with SBK teams.

Toprak would ony be doing an Alvaro, taking a ridiculous wage to ride a slower bike. But he might be able to fix it, it is clearly a decent bike, but do we think Redding really has a clue about bike setup? I dont think so sadly, Toprak might be a better solution.

HybridTheory

463 posts

38 months

Monday 8th May 2023
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I like to record and watch the race later so when my virgin box malfunctioned and didn’t record race one I wasn’t bothered as Bautista just wins every week by massive margins

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Monday 8th May 2023
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Me too sadly, I turned on yesterday, it was 3 laps in and he was already about a second in the lead, and as soon as saw that waster Rinaldi second I turned over to watch something else!

Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Monday 8th May 2023
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LukeBrown66 said:
Me too sadly, I turned on yesterday, it was 3 laps in and he was already about a second in the lead, and as soon as saw that waster Rinaldi second I turned over to watch something else!
You missed the last few corners then, Toprak caught and passed RFinaldi last corner and beat him to the line to nab second.

WSith regards to your comments about Toprak and BMW, maybe the money is a consideration but i definitely think he will make the bike move better than Redding has as you said, see Redding at Ducati for a prime example of that statement. Bautista the year before, won the first what was it, 18 races? Then got the heebejeebies, Redding was at the front but didnt set the world alight, Bautista comes back and essentially it's him in one race and everyone else in another.

I still think Redding's hissy fit where he punched the tank earlier in the year on live TV and then heard in the garage swearing about the bike, will come back to haunt him and you could be right, maybe Toprak will turn it around and make it a front running bike

Lost Soul

Original Poster:

39,909 posts

193 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
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Sykes has left Pucetti Kawasaki and is a temporary stand in at BMW for Van Der Mark, should be a hoot seeing as him and Redding slated each other on social media

Taz MacKenzie filling in for his Sperbike team mates at the Misano test apparently

FourWheelDrift

89,406 posts

290 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
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Lost Soul said:
Sykes has left Pucetti Kawasaki and is a temporary stand in at BMW for Van Der Mark, should be a hoot seeing as him and Redding slated each other on social media
arguepunch

Hungrymc

6,830 posts

143 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
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cherryowen said:
After watching the other two races today, I think we can write this season off as a Bautista walk-over. A rider on top of his game, weighing about the same as a Jey Cloth, on the most powerful bike? The writing's on the wall. He's not going to repeat the second half crash-fest of 2019, being more familiar with setup.

Toprak will keep him honest, though.
It is rather dull watching Alvaro just clear off.

But, Toprak is a fabulous rider and was back on top form this weekend. You’d say he is over riding the bike but he’s is dragging great performances out of it. There are a few riders I’d happily watch lapping hard even if there was no race, Toprak is high on that list and up there with a handful of motogp riders for entertainment.

poo at Paul's

14,314 posts

181 months

Wednesday 10th May 2023
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WSSP 300 races were again, utterly epic!!

Lad getting a long lap penalty for overtaking on the grass on start straight, (5th to 2nd) even though he got punted off there! So he does the long lap, and on the long lap extension, he overtook another rider who'd run wide...., but overtook him and still stayed wihtin the white lines! ............So they gave him ANOTER long lap for overtaking on the long lap! biglaughbandit
Never seen anything like it!!

Then he did it, and fell off!!

The top 20 were within 2 seconds over the line after what, 18 laps!!
Magic stuff, bloody love the SSP300 races!!