Racing Duldroms

[Mrvyper2u]

OK...thing in the racing world are kinda slow right now. there is a moratorium in the MotoGP on testing during December, all the series are done. Everyone is enjoying the holidays. Testing will start in January in almost all series, That is an interesting time of year and I will try to keep you updated on times etc.
Rossi will be defending his title,Colling Edwards will be joining him on a Yamaha.
Nicky Hayden will be mated with Mad Max Biaggi on the Honda Respol team.(Interestingly Biaggi is not confirmed at this point), I think Nicky will have to show something this year or his GP Days will be numbered at least with Honda.
Kawi and Suzuki show some great improvement toward the end of last year. we will have to see if they kept pace with the others or fell behind again.
Aprilla is almost certainly not going to be there. KR Proton is highly questionable.
KTM will probably have some type of presents this year. either with Proton or their own bike .
Curtis Roberts has not been confirmed to be back on the Proton , probably because Protons presents is questionable. But it looks like Ben Boz is going to WSBK with Team Renegade. on a CBR1000RR so there maybe a spot for Curtis on the Erion team in the AMA.

Speaking of WSBK, Looks like the factories will be back in some shape or forum. Chris Vermulen made a very very hard charge at the title last year on a Kitted CBR, Seems the other factories took notice and are getting into the fray. It dont look like they will be directly involved but will be supporting teams, the same as Honda did with Ten Kate last year..
As mentioned previously rumor has it the Ben Boz will be moving to WSBK again. He won a championship on a Duc a few years ago and looks like he will be returning to capture the title again. Aprilla maybe back also.
Troy Corser is going to run a Gixxer ( I think, actually he tested an 03 gixxer earlier this year and set the fastest lap)
Chili is going to be running a Honda( I think)
Ducati will have 3 riders I belive this year. Regis Laconi, Toseland and Lorenzo Lanzi Laconi and Lanzi ran in the last AMA race this year. Lanzi is showing good promise.

Mladin will be defending his title on a all new Gixxer1k, its practically built to his specs, Ben Spies will be on a Superbike this year.
Jake Zembke will be teaming with Migue DuHmel at Factory Honda,
No offical word as who will be with Erion (Curtis???? who knows, It would be great to see a Michael Barns or Geoff May get a chance)
Kawi and Yamaha will not be running Super bikes again this year.
Ducati is teaming E Boz with former WSBK Champ Neal Hodgeson. They will also be switching to Dunlops this year.

Daytona will be run on a new course configuration and the 200 will be run with Formula Extreme spec bikes.(highly modded 600s basically) this is do to tires exploding and speeds reaching nearly 200 mph. (that kid with the RC51 should come on down)
Last year several tire failures durning testing and a few during a couple races forced officals to take a serious look the track layout and bike speeds. Ben Spies exploded a tire at nearly 190 mph and luckly did not hit anything. but the friction of his body sliding on pavement at that speed cause serious burns that took him months and an operation to recover from.
Well that is enough of my blabbering. all this info was just off the top of my head, If I miss stated something ...sue me...LOL..

[Chuckracer]

Great summary, Mrvyper2u.

I think the most interesting thing to watch this season will have to be Neal Hodgeson on the Ducati in AMA Supers. Neal can apparently be quite the out-spoken bloke on occasion, and it will be interesting to see if Mat can get him flusterd.

I definitely don't envy Nicky H. this year. Talk about pressure! I agree, he really has to step it up now, and while I think he will do a good job, I don't think he's ready to string together an entire season of that sort of intensity. He is still being judged unfairly by many, me included, and really should be just learning again this year. Unfortunately, big business don't work that way.

Corser on a Gixxer, Chili and B Boz on CBRs...crikies! I may just have to start watching WSB again!

Daytona is going to be really strange this year...

[Mrvyper2u]

I think Neal will struggle a bit this year. he has to learn all the tracks except maybe Laguna,
I dont think Nicky has to string together wins but he should string some podiums and definatle needs to be in the top 5 consistantly all year. Part of helping him do that will be if he can step up his qualifing . He generally qualifies poorly then has to march his way through the field. From experence its a LOT easier to start up front and hang on then to try to claw your way up.
Im pretty confident about corser on the gixxer and he light up the track(I think it might have been valinencia on a 03 machine)
In not to sure about Chili, I swear I read he was going to be on a Honda. That guy is awesome. and hes 40 how can you not root for him. Last year he embarrased Ducati by using a 2 year old bike and he won a race or 2 and was always in the hunt.
If B Boz goes back to WSBK he is going to have to step it up.(I think you have said that in another post) he has great potenial but he is not consistant.
Daytona is going to be different. My bro is going down again this year. I cant afford to. he went last year also. said you have to see those bikes in person going by at 200 sliding around. TV dont do it justice.
Oh yeah now that I think about I think troy baliss is going to be on a honda in MotoGP. that should be really interesting.

I love racing ..wish I could go right now...Damn...4 more monthes..

[skillzman1]

And the Supercross season is about to get underway ........did anybody see the 250 class lineup for this year...the best ever!!

Carmichael,Pastrana,Reed,Stewart,McGrath.......and the list goes on this could be some of the best 'actual' racing in MX in 10-15 years!!!............

cold shower time for me!!LOL

[Chuckracer]

Cool newz (to me, anyhoo) on the SX front! Man, that IS some line up...gonna be interesting. Any predictions? I don't follow it closely enough to know any info...

Daytona is a rush...I raced it a few times in the early ninties, and have been there a few times a a wrench. Racing there on a modded Hawk was...pretty funny! Going down the back straight takes the better part of a week, it felt like! I'm riding along, all the way under the paint, doing all of 125 or something, staring at the front fender through the steering stem...! Look up...nope, not at the chicane yet...back under the paint for a while...!

In 98 I crashed my brains out in the dogleg on a GSXR 750...I collected another rider coming into that left, drifted wide and lost the front. Ugly, and expensive.

That learned me sumptin' proper...now I like telling others how to do it! He he he...

[Mrvyper2u]

LOL..funny this post started out as I was going to post the tv schedule for MX and some drags...and I started blabering..
a couple of my buddies raced down there last year with CCS... One guy had a n EX500 one had a TZ250 and the other had a rz350 it think..all modded...
they had a blast...the EX was up on against the wall...(just because someone said it didnt have enough power to get up there LOL)

Heres a link to him up on the bank
http://www.classicbikes.com/03-2004-daytona-jimmy2.mpg

[skillzman1]

Daytona is a rush...I raced it a few times in the early ninties, and have been there a few times a a wrench. Racing there on a modded Hawk was...pretty funny! Going down the back straight takes the better part of a week, it felt like! I'm riding along, all the way under the paint, doing all of 125 or something, staring at the front fender through the steering stem...! Look up...nope, not at the chicane yet...back under the paint for a while...!



:lol :lol I know what you mean about the Hawk.....that was the first 'street' bike I ever rode...a buddy of mine has one he cant seem to bring himself to sell....he let me borrow it for a week(very trusting!!)and the thing really was quite snappy and agile....but getting it above 95-100 in any 'quick' amount of time was kinda weak!

yanked the front tire every time you clicked a gear though!!

"nope not at the chicayne yet"......thats killin' me ...I gotta go catch my breath!!! :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol