New Duc for Nicky

[ducnymph]

Good for Nicky!! I really help this improves the rest of the season for him. It's been so disappointing to see him running in the back. Now, let's see some more Nicky up front!

[EvilSteve]

No comment from any of you about how Stoner is smoother than Nicky? How does that factor into the "Casey relies on the electronics" arguments?

I really hope the new bike works for Nicky and the rest of the Ducati riders, it sucks that they're at the back.

[Spidey]

I'm pretty sure that the "Casey relies on electronics" is BS.  Nicky has said a couple of times that casey runs a whole lot less traction control than Nicky does. 

BTW, Nicky was 14th in Catalunya testing and even slower than his race pace.     I'm about ready to give up on Hayden entirely.  The Duc just isn't working. 

[Jester]

No comment from any of you about how Stoner is smoother than Nicky? How does that factor into the "Casey relies on the electronics" arguments?

I really hope the new bike works for Nicky and the rest of the Ducati riders, it sucks that they're at the back.

I've given Stoner his due when it comes to his unique skillset and that motorcycle.  Him and the Ducati are just a match for each other, but have you also seen the interview with Melandri?  He thinks if you redevelop the Duc or put Stoner on a Japanese bike, he won't be quite the top dog he is now. 

It doesn't really matter though.  People fall into good situations and he's in a place where he can exploit his talents and ride the way he likes to.  If he didn't have talent he wouldn't be up front, but his talents and the Ducati go hand in hand.

[EvilSteve]

And I've contended that, in fact, lots of people want to write Stoner off and over time all the justifications they've put forward are proving to be false.

"Stoner is uniquely suited to the Duc, he was crap on the Honda" - it was his first year in MotoGP, he was always a crasher & it was one season, would you say Pedrosa is crap?
"Stoner relies on the electronics & that's why he can ride the Duc" - Nicky has said that he's got lower TC settings and is super smooth

I guess the reason I find it so irritating is because it always seems like a dismissive swipe at Stoner saying "well, he's basically Quasimodo & no one else can ride the thing, if you put him on any other bike he'd suck". Based on what Nicky has said, why exactly do we think him being super smooth and turning his TC way down would make him unsuited to other bikes? All the Duc riders have said that the rear end pumps in corners, how do you get around that, apparently not by hitting it really hard & relying on the TC. The only way to make it work (apparently) is to be ridiculously smooth. That is a very good quality in a rider, having a very good sense of feel and being very smooth makes you go fast, so why exactly does everyone hate on Stoner?

If people just don't like him, fine, I don't really care but don't mask your (not you specifically) dislike for the guy with half assed and transparent "reasons" to dismiss his skill. He's apparently riding around a bike that's impossible for anyone else to do well on *AND* around the usual problems with race bikes (clutch, steering damper, etc.) and still at the very pointy end of the championship. What's the kid got to do to get some respect?

[derby]

What's the kid got to do to get some respect?

an adriana stoner sex video couldn't hurt...



just sayin'...
 

[EvilSteve]

 

[zooom]

bet it'd sell/market faster and better and more repetative than "One Night in Paris!"...at least amongst the motorcycling community!...LOL...just kiddin wit ya Casey!

[Cider]

I actually thought Stoner was pretty fast on the Honda.  He did crash a lot, but he got a surprise pole position too.  When was the last time we saw a satellite Honda on pole, even without a rookie?

[Spidey]

an adriana stoner sex video couldn't hurt...

They're the only couple in existence that comfortably fits into a twin sized bed.  Actually, that's not completely true.  I'm sure Pedrobot and Papa Smurf can comfortably spoon on a baby-crib mattress.

[sbrguy]

what the heck does it mean when hayden says the bike "pumps" in the corners?

[EvilSteve]

As I understand it, it means that the rear end of the bike compresses & uncompresses, i.e. bounces. Anyone have a better explanation?

[Spidey]

I'm just paraphrasing what he said, but rather than the rear just sliding, it hooks up and then unhooks and then hooks up again.  This either causes (or is caused by) the rear suspension and the rear of the bike to pogo, or "pump."  Then he said that this pumping of the rear (sound dirty) causes the rest of the bike to do the same.

So basically, as he gets it in the corner, the chasis starts bouncing around.  Casey apparently has figured out how to either deal with the chassis getting all out of whack or ride the bike (different throttle application? -- Hayden did say that Casey is a lot smoother w/ the throttle) to limit the pumping. 

[derby]

that's basically what i understand it to mean: the electronics and the suspension are fighting each other as the tires slip.

[Jester]

I would like to bring up the point about the smooth throttle application though.  As we've seen by watching Stoner's duc, no matter how smooth he may be applying throttle, that bike bucks regardless.  So it doesn't seem to me that he's really figured anything out... its not as if he is able to stop the thing from fighting itself.  I honestly think he just has more balls than anyone else and rides through it with the faith the bike will stay underneath him.  Kallio found something during Monday's test... so maybe we have someone new with the cojones as well.  Either that or he adopted the changes Hayden is going for and found success with it.

Stoner is good no matter which way you argue it, but Hayden is a good rider too.  So it stands to reason that Stoner's skill set just happens to match that bike.  You can see that as an excuse or just accept it for what it is.