What is it...

[pennyrobber]

One of my favorites is Alvaro Bautista because he tends to be a slow starter but always fights his way to the front. Also, he always seems to be having a good time and is in high spirits during podium interviews.

I am also a big fan of Loris Capirossi because he is just plain likeable. He tries his ass off and when he's interviewed he is always appreciative.

Racers like Pedrosa and Kimi Riekonen turn me off because they never seem like they are enjoying themselves.

[Super T.I.B]

Troy Bayliss FTW. All round nice guy and someone I could have a beer with. (if only  )

+1 on Loris.

Barry Sheene as well. RIP. 

[tufty]

It's also hard to talk when you're dragging half a million mouths on your penis.

LOL, You'd better start keeping to the shadows. You have a mark on you.

[zooom]

Troy Bayliss FTW. All round nice guy and someone I could have a beer with. (if only  )

 

huge +1 here on him!

I think my personal problem with Dani is because of how he is poised and pawned by Puig...but it is also the frightening Eddie Munster nervous smile that he has that really kinda bugs me too....his race craft seems...well...not well thought out when it comes to seriously dicing on someone and he has made some passes that made me rather cringe that he was going to take someone out( nothing as far as a specific incident comes to mind immediately)...

I like it when the racers are seemingly enjoying what they are doing and express themselves earnestly...like Colin did after the Donnington race for example...that seems to be a trait  that has been weeded out by the necessity to be a perfect poster boy...the personality seems to get left behind when they have to express thanks to everyone and mention all of their sponsors for to get the dollars out of those contracts ( I somewhat think that is part of the reason that WSBK now has that desk for resting helmets for post race interviews so that those sponsors can get their name in without the racer having to specifically mention them and they be able to give the comments they want to amidst the cooling down that goes on afterward)

[gm2]

To some people, every thing he does is perfect. He can do no wrong. Yes, he is an amazing rider. Yes, he has the potential to be the best ever. But he is not there yet. And I find it hilarious when people sycophantically turn every thing he does into a display his greatness. 

what he did in the ama was amazing.  some of the hardest racing i've ever seen between those two.  but what he's done this year.. fan or not, you can't really run out of superlatives.  he simply should not be capable of this, this soon.

that said, i don't really care what these guys do when they're not on their bikes.  you can be a rossi or a stoner with the media.  or you can wear a "six million dollar man" rhinestone studded jacket to the awards banquet... whatever.

[mitt]

In general, I like the anglophone riders first, out of country / historical pride - American, British, Aussie.

I agree with the Bayliss fans - he just seems like a guy you could go to a pub with and have a great time.

mitt

[EvilSteve]

Spies has amazing talent & is obviously very fast. I hope he doesn't end up the same way Toseland did in GP if/when he switches. The transition seems to be very difficult for SBK guys (Hayden, Edwards, Bayliss, Toseland, Xaus, Vemeulen, etc.) - it takes a lot of time & they don't always have time. I think Spies was faster than Mladin in a lot of cases but I believe at least one of his championships in the AMA was dependent on the suspect (IMO!) disqual(s) that Mladin received during the season. I think a lot of people don't give Mladin the credit he's due because they don't like him.

I like Edwards & Mladin for the same reason - they don't buy into the whole PR thing & just get on with it.

I normally have respect for riders who are good, (not a complete list) Rossi, Spies, Stoner, Bayliss, etc. But I think the performance of a racer is contextual. Hodgson for example was 2nd or 3rd in WSBK until the faster guys left & then he won the championship. He's a great guy (I've been lucky enough to have met him a couple of times) but I don't know how fast he really is. That's why I was a Schumacher fan, he was incredible but not perfect either.

Rossi is amazing but he has this "super clean" image which really isn't true. People want to ignore his faults because he's so good. He will fight dirty if he needs to & the mind games that he plays are pretty bad. Other riders have got really bad reputations from doing the same things but Rossi seems to have the whole "teflon" thing going on.

I like Stoner because he's really, really fast, because he doesn't buy into the whole PR thing and because he's an Aussie. I think his recent "illness" is a little suspect & smacks of other issues. Schwantz wrote an article on soup about it which may be on the money. I hope he turns out to be a more mature rider and shows that he's capable of competing over the long haul but we'll see. I think his last couple of seasons suggest that he is capable of performing when he's not always winning but this season is different, Lorenzo is adding into the mix among other things.

I like Melandri, Capirossi & Dovizioso because they're good. Melandri has been awesome on the Hayate. I think Hayden is a stand up guy but just isn't one of the top riders. Pedrosa just always seems to have issues of some kind preventing him from really shining. We're blaming the bike right now apparently but I don't know. He seems to be really good sometimes & just so so the rest of the time. Not to mention that Puig comes across as a total douche.

Lorenzo looks like he'll be amazing but if he switches bikes he could be in trouble. He's on the best bike on the grid as developed by the best rider so he's really able to just focus on racing. If he switches to Honda (or somewhere else), he may end up having issues.

I'd love to see Haga win this championship & then retire, he deserves it & would be in a much better position if it weren't for the injury.

[gm2]

I think Spies was faster than Mladin in a lot of cases but I believe at least one of his championships in the AMA was dependent on the suspect (IMO!) disqual(s) that Mladin received during the season.

it was for sure only 1 season: 2008. and the championship was not exactly dependent on that; they were fighting and it was very close, just like 2007.  the crank thing ended it and gave ben the title w/out the fight but there was no forgone conclusion for either rider prior to all the AMA technical bs.

btw, you should go back and watch the 2007 season.  especially the last race, but really the whole season.

I think a lot of people don't give Mladin the credit he's due because they don't like him.

absolutely.

[EvilSteve]

Well, it's not like I'm watching this season...

[Spidey]

In MotoGP, I root for Stoner over Rossi, and Rossi over Midgety McRepsol and Lorenttttttho.  I would root for Hayden and kinda do, but it's pretty pointless.  He was more fun to watch on the 990s. 

In WSBK, I root for Spies and Haslam's fiance's boobies, and whoever is gonna do the next craziest thing (Xaus, Kiyo, Rea, Biaggi, whoever).  I like Haga and would root for him 'cept that I'm such a Spies butt-boy that I just can't do it. 

I'm not exactly sure what it is that I like about any specific racer, and don't think I'm ever really consistent in the attributes that make me like/dislike someone.  I know that I don't expect the riders I like to be angels or not to whine or to be nice guys.  In fact, I'm often annoyed when they're too nice or too quiet about problems (Hayden).  And I get sick of all our discussions about whether someone is a whiner or not or whether they were a pregnant dog in their post-race interview. 

I expect racers to be racers -- aggressive, professional, sometimes not professional, and even a bit mean sometimes.  I love someone like Rossi or Bayliss or Spies who will hunt a guy down in the last couple of laps and absolutely kill their soul.  Likewise, I don't tend to like the guy who is always being hunted down and/or who always loses (Sete, Max B, Lorenzo, Fabrizio).  I like Stoner and Mladin, who are just faster than everyone else, touchy, and unapologetic about it.  Or someone like Haga, who will go balls to the wall, even when a normal human would slow the make the beast with two backs down (unfortunately, he's just not as interesting to watch this year, likely because of the bike).  Or old-man Capi, who can and will, deliver an old-school ass-whoopin' every once in a while.  And if a racer not that interesting on-track, it helps if they're interesting off-track, like Edwards or Haga or like Rossi *used* to be.  There are a buncha others that I like for various reasons-- Melandri, Dovi, some of the WSBK Brits, Simoncelli, etc., but again, there's not one single reason why.  I know that it's not about whether they're nice or whether they whine, but it's not totally divorced from their off-track persona.  I don't have to trust a racer or think he's a good guy.  I just want him to be a racer. 

I don't like Pintsize Mcmake the beast with two backsstick or Douchebrizio.  I used to not like Biaggi, but he's grown on me a bunch.  So has Lorenzo.  Sete is a sack of ball sweat, but he's interesting as a racing commentator.  And JT just makes me sad.  Hopper no longer really exists, which is a blessing because he is dumb as a f'n rock and other than his awesome wheelies never lived up to his hype.

Disclaimer:  these are my opinions today, and today only.  I'm a fickle little pregnant dog, and might change any or all of them on a moment's notice.

[EvilSteve]

[kopfjäger]

John McGuinness

[Jester]

  Hopper no longer really exists, which is a blessing because he is dumb as a f'n rock and other than his awesome wheelies never lived up to his hype.

 

[duc996]

Capirossi i like,he loves his fans ,super nice guy.

[OT]

John McGuinness

+1

All those IoMTT riders deserve more recognition.  Hard to believe that race used to be a "MotoGP championship".

I really enjoyed the Guy Martin (where's my tea?) interviews on TV this year