Stoner tightening the screws....

[Speeddog]

Glad to see he's getting the hang of the mind games.

""The truth is that Honda already had a good bike even before my arrival: it just needed new strength coming from the outside, fresher strength able to make the difference without being frightened by this role."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97159

[zooom]

"It's not true Honda spent so much money, because it's not a company of stupid people. It made no sense to invest a lot on a bike, the 800cc, on the verge of being retired, while in the meantime the new 1000cc was being developed.

except for the fact that Honda was a major catalyst in getting the 800cc era implemented and it would have been a pock mark and then some to them for to have not gotten a championship in an era they spurred into existance....but I guess that doesn't matter at all...and while he does say they didn't spend alot in development on 2011 on that bike, while that may have some truth, they did alot of that development on the 2010 bike before his arrival for to make that 2011 machine be what it was....

[gm2]

and while he does say they didn't spend alot in development on 2011 on that bike, while that may have some truth, they did alot of that development on the 2010 bike before his arrival for to make that 2011 machine be what it was....

that is the case tho.  they finally had it sorted by about the middle of 2010.  and of course they did a ton of development before that.  to your point, they had been working their asses off (not very successfully) since the bike debuted in 2007 and got left in the dust.  considering their push for the 800s, if they hadn't won at all in that era: hara-kiri time.

[fastwin]

They probably gave up trying to make it Pedrobot's bike and just started making it a better bike all round. Everyone who rode it last year did OK on it... Stoner, Dovi, Super Sic, Dani, etc. Well sorted scooter on tires that worked well on it ridden by good (some great!) riders. What's to go wrong with that formula?

[zooom]

They probably gave up trying to make it Pedrobot's bike and just started making it a better bike all round. Everyone who rode it last year did OK on it... Stoner, Dovi, Super Sic, Dani, etc. Well sorted scooter on tires that worked well on it ridden by good (some great!) riders. What's to go wrong with that formula?

hell, look at Dovi the 2nd half of the 2010 season when SmurfyMcDouchnozzle still wasn't putting it on the rostrum

[duccarlos]

Before they built a bike that only the midget could ride. Since 2010 the focus changed as soon as they understood they could get Stoner. What Stoner did do was show that he is by far a better rider compared to Brittle Bones. When you put a great rider on the most sorted bike on the grid, you get last year's domination.

[desmoquattro]

Before they built a bike that only the midget could ride. Since 2010 the focus changed as soon as they understood they could get Stoner. What Stoner did do was show that he is by far a better rider compared to Brittle Bones. When you put a great rider on the most sorted bike on the grid, you get last year's domination.

...or 2007's

[fastwin]

What he said.

[fastwin]

Ah... were these comments really necessary? Doesn't this kind of crap feed the "Stoner is a whiny pregnant dog" attitude?

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Jan/120126f.htm


I don't remember Vale smack talking about Honda or whiny boy.

[koko64]

I do.

[derby]

"It made no sense to invest a lot on a bike, the 800cc, on the verge of being retired while in the meantime the new 1000cc was being developed."


he's right... absolutely zero sense (unless you're a japanese company in the final year of a competition class you pushed for and hadn't won a championship in yet).

 

[Triple J]

Ah... were these comments really necessary? Doesn't this kind of crap feed the "Stoner is a whiny pregnant dog" attitude?

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Jan/120126f.htm


I don't remember Vale smack talking about Honda or whiny boy.

He isn't whining. They asked a question, and he answered it. He's right, the Duc wa a POS in 2009, 2010, and as Rossi found out - 2011. He's also right that it'd be very surprising if Ducati is suddenly fighting for podiums this year.

[fastwin]

Meh... maybe I just took it the wrong way. Don't mean to start the "Stoner is a whiner" thing again.

I'd sure like to see a Duc fighting for a podium. Damn sure hope they are at least ahead of the CRTs. I've just got a feeling that even with the displacement bump this year we could be seeing a whole lot more of Stoner winning races. I hope for better competition from the Yamaha and Ducati camp but I just don't see Stoner getting any slower over the off season or the Honda having any Ducati-like sorting problems.

Oh well... hey, when's the first WSBK race?

[derby]

...or the Honda having any Ducati-like sorting problems.

like they did in 2007? the maiden rc212v was a friggin POS.

[fastwin]

I think they got it figured out. Again, maybe they decided not to "Pedrobot it".