WSBK '12-Round 1 -Phillip Island (spoilers)

[gm2]

6kg = ~13lbs.  that's a lot to complain about.

[duccarlos]

It only seems fair to add that weight to the Ape.

[gm2]

it's a multi-faceted argument (understatement...) but the whole thing began when they let the duc have an additional 200 CCs.  the aprilians can rightly say they have a 1000cc bike just like everything else on the grid.  can't penalize them for doing it better.  outside things like gear-driven cams, anyway.

[Triple J]

It'd be interesting to see the top speeds of all the bikes. Aprilia shouldn't have to carry additional weight, for the reason gm2 said...but maybe the Duc shouldn't either if it's slower than the I-4 bikes. If the Duc top speed was in-line with the Honda, BMW, Kawi, Suzuki and Yamaha, then the weight isn't a bad thing.

I'm not sure what brought on the weight in the 1st place. Checa was dominant, but the next Ducati was in 6th place at the end of 2011...185 points behind Melandri. That seems like a rider thing to me, not a bike thing.

[gm2]

It'd be interesting to see the top speeds of all the bikes. Aprilia shouldn't have to carry additional weight, for the reason gm2 said...but maybe the Duc shouldn't either if it's slower than the I-4 bikes. If the Duc top speed was in-line with the Honda, BMW, Kawi, Suzuki and Yamaha, then the weight isn't a bad thing.

max was doing 325, carlos about 310.  haven't seen a list but i remember them saying the BMW and Kawi were around 320

[thought]

max was doing 325, carlos about 310.  haven't seen a list but i remember them saying the BMW and Kawi were around 320

seems like good enough reason to remove the weight... i guess they'll see how it works out after another race or two.

[gm2]

there's a whole formula for how they arrived at the addition of it; can't really look at the speeds or results at one track.

(imo it's a crap rule, either way.)

[zarn02]

That didn't take long...

http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/news/177121/1/althea_boss_concerned_by_biaggi_fight_back.html

Hm.

Personally, I've no love for additional "thanks for winning" weight. Or minimum weights in general, for that matter.

[ducpainter]

there's a whole formula for how they arrived at the addition of it; can't really look at the speeds or results at one track.

(imo it's a crap rule, either way.)

IMO it's just to keep all the 1K guys quiet.

Ducati gets an extra 200 cc cuz they're a twin.

You can add all the weight to the Duc you want (let's be reasonable) and it will still shine at what it's good at.

It will never be a straight line rocket....

[Spidey]

max was doing 325, carlos about 310.  haven't seen a list but i remember them saying the BMW and Kawi were around 320

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it already or not, but HOLY FACK, THAT'S FAST!!!!!.   

'member when the GP bikes broke 200 mph and that was a big deal? 

[zooom]

1st...I think Checa got some frequent flier miles for how much airtime he spent in race 1...and I think the extra weight added to the extreme element for points in that flight....

2nd...the way the Ape was passing 2 bikes at a time on the straight with relative ease was a tell tale as to how blindingly fast that bike is and how obscenely exploitive it potentially could be....that said, if Laverty gets well enough and starts railing just as fast as Max, we'll all know how much is the bike, and how much is the rider to a degree...

Holy Kaw is right....and to think...Kawi almost let Sykes go when they were in their upheaval of letting Paul Bird and Co. go as their "factory" team....

all 3 of the Effenbert bikes looked pretty damn planted and stable in comparo to last year...very threatening trio there...

Fabrizio...he didn't bin it....and was seemingly competitive....makes me wonder if the BMW Italia squad are using the Beemer 'lectrics or the Marelli stuff?

Haslam to put on the show he did with a screwed together leg the way he did....just WOW!!!

I think half of the 6KG they added to all the Ducs was just bolting back on a starter...

[gm2]

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it already or not, but HOLY FACK, THAT'S FAST!!!!!.   

'member when the GP bikes broke 200 mph and that was a big deal? 

in 2010 biaggi did 326.9 (203mph) at monza

and yeah.. stupid fast.

[gm2]

if Laverty gets well enough and starts railing just as fast as Max, we'll all know how much is the bike, and how much is the rider to a degree...

the first time he threw a leg over that bike he was the fastest guy on the track..

Holy Kaw is right....and to think...Kawi almost let Sykes go when they were in their upheaval of letting Paul Bird and Co. go as their "factory" team.....

how ironic is it that now paul bird is going to go be the worst CRT bike on the grid. 

i wonder who the new team poached as an electronics engineer.  i bet that is the single major difference in this zx-10: a codemonkey taught it to not eat the rear tire.

Fabrizio...he didn't bin it....and was seemingly competitive....makes me wonder if the BMW Italia squad are using the Beemer 'lectrics or the Marelli stuff?

marelli i believe.

and is it just me or was fab moving around all weird on the bike more than normal?  settle down dude.

Haslam to put on the show he did with a screwed together leg the way he did....just WOW!!!

and to finish race 2 in front of melandri...  ouch.

[zooom]

and is it just me or was fab moving around all weird on the bike more than normal?  settle down dude.
 

not just you....it was weird the way he was all kinds of squirrelly on the bike...

[OT]

A lot of riders seemed to be having to make traction/stability corrections coming out of turns.