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I first saw this lovely Indian several months ago, but was unable to track down any images. Then yesterday the owner of ‘Saltcracker’ contacted me out of the blue: it’s Lars Nielsen, the Danish owner of a Honda Gold Wing bobber that we featured two years ago. Lars’ Indian is a 1939 model with a ‘741’ engine, bored out from 500 to 600cc. He built this bike to run at Bonneville, in the 600cc Special Construction Vintage Supercharged Fuel class. (Yes, Saltcracker is not only supercharged, but also runs on methanol.) It’s sporting an AISIN supercharger from a small Japanese car, and a Keihin carb from a Harley Sportster. The front end was also originally from a Sportster, lowered 2”, but Saltcracker now runs Ceriani Grand Prix forks. (There’s barely a part on this Indian that hasn’t been heavily modified several times.) On his first time out, Lars clocked a creditable 88 mph (142 kph). Check out his build diaries here and here for the full lowdown.
^^ what'd he do make that frame from a bicycle? good thing he's at bonneville too, cuz that hardtail and tiny seat = pain.
not sure bud
Repsol Honda claim one-two, agony for Pedrosa
Sunday, 15 May 2011
It was a happy day for Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso, finishing first and second in today’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. However, news of Dani Pedrosa breaking his collarbone after a clash with fellow Honda rider, Marco Simoncelli, dampened the spirits in the Repsol Honda camp.
There was a record attendance for this race, with 88,400 fans present on race day, with a total of 176,200 supporters over the three days. Stoner who started the race from his first ever pole position at the Le Mans race circuit, went on to claim his first victory in any class at the venue, after an early battle with his team mate Pedrosa. The Australian was able to pull away from the Spaniard and went on to finish over 14 seconds ahead of Dovizioso and take his second victory of the 2011 season, which pushed him back up to second place in the standings.
Dovizioso who started the race from the third row in third place, his best qualifying result of the season, continued his productive weekend on a circuit the Italian enjoys. The 25 year old spent the majority of the race tussling with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi for fourth place. After the incident with Pedrosa and Simoncelli, the man from Forli in Italy, was then in contention to take second spot and was able to re-pass the current MotoGP World Champion, as well as the seven-time MotoGP World Champion. The dice between Dovizioso and Rossi was particularly lively and the Repsol Honda rider was able to hold on during the last lap. This made it the second successive race, Dovizioso has got the better of his compatriot on the final lap and with this result, he achieved his best result of the year to date.
Pedrosa led the beginning of the race after one of his trademark lightning starts but was soon passed by Stoner on lap two. The Spaniard stayed in the hunt for the first half of the race and then the attack from Simoncelli arrived. The two Honda’s clashed, forcing Pedrosa out of the race and unfortunately he sustained a broken collarbone in the incident. Race direction deemed the manoeuvre from Simoncelli illegal and punished the Italian with a ride through penalty. The double 250cc champion has now dropped to third overall in the MotoGP standings after this non-finish, 17 points behind Lorenzo.
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda
"The whole weekend has gone so well for us, arriving here from the Portugal test with the bike almost the same and we have improved small things here and there and only needed to adjust the set up for this circuit. We went into the race confident, at the beginning of the race Pedrosa was very fast and he was difficult to pass, as he as being cautious. When I overtook him I thought I might be able to take some advantage but he was able to match my times and follow me for some laps, so I continued to push more than I prefer too and eventually I put a gap between us. From this point, the race came to me and I was able to focus on my consistency and win. My thoughts are with Pedrosa at this moment, I hope he can recover soon as he is a very strong contender for this championship.”
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda
"I’m really happy with the second position today, it’s so important for the championship and it arrives after a start of the season, where we didn’t get the results we expected. We did a very good job from the beginning of the weekend and I knew I could fight for the podium, but I didn’t expect second place. I had a great battle with Rossi and to beat him always has a special taste. It’s good fun to get the podium after a hard fight. I was losing a lot in two areas but I was strong in braking, so I made a good strategy and once I overtook him, I pushed 100 percent not to have him too close especially in turns 10 and 11, where he was faster. Concerning the race, I had a good start, Lorenzo’s strong overtaking slowed me down a little, but then I pushed to recover the gap. We have to keep on working to reduce the gap to stay with the front riders from the beginning. Pedrosa was very unlucky today and I hope he can recover soon.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda
"I was having a good race, the goal was to ensure another podium and I had it in my grasp. Now it counts for nothing. Simoncelli overtook me, I passed him back and I had the better line. He just came into me, releasing the brakes and I could do nothing. I leave here with a broken collarbone and he with a ride through penalty, good for him! Yet again I come out worse off. We only just recovered from the nightmare of the last operation and now I’m hurt again. It is very unfair, I don’t deserve it.”
for me it was a racing incident Pedrosa was just unlucky and you gotta feel for him cause he has just gotten thru an injury and surgery for you guessed it a broken collarbone.
He poofta who gave Marco a drive thru should be beaten with the handbag he keeps his glasses and purse in.
Paddock opinion of Simoncelli and Pedrosa clash
Sunday, 15 May 2011
The incident between Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) which occurred during the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, caused much talk amongst the paddock, as to who was to blame for the incident and whether the ride through penalty was the correct decision.
The clash between the two Honda riders, put Pedrosa out of the race and cost him the chance to go top of the MotoGP World Standings. The Spaniard suffered a broken collarbone in the accident. Simoncelli’s manouerve was declared illegal by Race Direction and he was punished with a ride through penalty which dropped the Italian to fifth position, preventing him from a maiden rostrum finish. After much recent debate in the MotoGP paddock about safety issues and contact between riders, you can read the thoughts below of those involved, plus other rider’s and personnel on the moment the two riders locked horns.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda
”Simoncelli overtook me, I passed him back and I had the better line. He just came into me, releasing the brakes and I could do nothing. I leave here with a broken collarbone and he with a ride through penalty, good for him! Yet again I come out worse off. We only just recovered from the nightmare of the last operation and now I’m hurt again. It is very unfair, I don’t deserve it.”
Marco Simoncelli
“For me I haven’t done anything incorrect, so for me this is a race ‘action’ (incident). I saw in the video that his bike was hopping a little bit and he lost the line, he touched me, when I saw he couldn’t make the corner I picked the bike up but it was too late. He touched me on the back and he crashed. For me the punishment from Race Direction was because of all the controversy of the last few days, and from Estoril. For me if the same thing happened without me they would penalise nobody. This is my point of view.”
Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team
”For me, I think this time, Simoncelli was too hard, maybe it was a bit too aggressive, as Dani had no room to make anything. I think it’s also a mistake because at that part of the race Simoncelli arrive strong so maybe instead of overtaking Dani under braking, he could overtake him on the next lap.”
Alberto Puig, Pedrosa’s manager
“For a long while the fact that Simoncelli is dangerous has been talked about and I believe he really is ignorant, that he doesn’t understand anything about what’s going on. This guy has to be reprimanded, I hope the Security Commission does something because this isn’t the first time. He was already warned in Estoril, Lorenzo spoke with him and it seems he doesn’t take notice of anyone. For starters the manoeuvre is wrong, because Pedrosa had taken the position but he (Simoncelli) has tried to force it. Secondly, he’s made somebody crash and break a bone. This is something serious.”
Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team
”I’ve had one look at it so I didn’t really get to slow it down and watch it a couple of times, so I’m not really sure. It’s between them two, they don’t need me to weigh in on it as I’m sure everyone will have an opinion on it. Two guys racing hard, things can happen, there’s been a lot of drama this weekend, a lot of arm waving and this and that.”
Livio Suppo, HRC Communication and Marketing Director
“I think he did a mistake honestly, that can happen. Unfortunately it’s been a mistake with a bad consequence as Pedrosa was already in front of him and he (Simoncelli) closed the door and it was impossible for Dani to do anything.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda
”I haven’t had a chance to see the incident yet so for me it’s impossible to make a judgement at this moment.”
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda
”I didn’t see on the tv so I can’t say something about that.” Referring to a similar incident that occurred during his race for Lorenzo, the Italian commented, “The important thing to understand is if the rider wants to do this or he just brakes too late. This is something dangerous; when the rider arrives too late, you don’t see the rider and this is not nice when you are riding.”
He poofta who gave Marco a drive thru should be beaten with the handbag he keeps his glasses and purse in.
Paddock opinion of Simoncelli and Pedrosa clash
Sunday, 15 May 2011
The incident between Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team) which occurred during the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, caused much talk amongst the paddock, as to who was to blame for the incident and whether the ride through penalty was the correct decision.
The clash between the two Honda riders, put Pedrosa out of the race and cost him the chance to go top of the MotoGP World Standings. The Spaniard suffered a broken collarbone in the accident. Simoncelli’s manouerve was declared illegal by Race Direction and he was punished with a ride through penalty which dropped the Italian to fifth position, preventing him from a maiden rostrum finish. After much recent debate in the MotoGP paddock about safety issues and contact between riders, you can read the thoughts below of those involved, plus other rider’s and personnel on the moment the two riders locked horns.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda
”Simoncelli overtook me, I passed him back and I had the better line. He just came into me, releasing the brakes and I could do nothing. I leave here with a broken collarbone and he with a ride through penalty, good for him! Yet again I come out worse off. We only just recovered from the nightmare of the last operation and now I’m hurt again. It is very unfair, I don’t deserve it.”
Marco Simoncelli
“For me I haven’t done anything incorrect, so for me this is a race ‘action’ (incident). I saw in the video that his bike was hopping a little bit and he lost the line, he touched me, when I saw he couldn’t make the corner I picked the bike up but it was too late. He touched me on the back and he crashed. For me the punishment from Race Direction was because of all the controversy of the last few days, and from Estoril. For me if the same thing happened without me they would penalise nobody. This is my point of view.”
Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team
”For me, I think this time, Simoncelli was too hard, maybe it was a bit too aggressive, as Dani had no room to make anything. I think it’s also a mistake because at that part of the race Simoncelli arrive strong so maybe instead of overtaking Dani under braking, he could overtake him on the next lap.”
Alberto Puig, Pedrosa’s manager
“For a long while the fact that Simoncelli is dangerous has been talked about and I believe he really is ignorant, that he doesn’t understand anything about what’s going on. This guy has to be reprimanded, I hope the Security Commission does something because this isn’t the first time. He was already warned in Estoril, Lorenzo spoke with him and it seems he doesn’t take notice of anyone. For starters the manoeuvre is wrong, because Pedrosa had taken the position but he (Simoncelli) has tried to force it. Secondly, he’s made somebody crash and break a bone. This is something serious.”
Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team
”I’ve had one look at it so I didn’t really get to slow it down and watch it a couple of times, so I’m not really sure. It’s between them two, they don’t need me to weigh in on it as I’m sure everyone will have an opinion on it. Two guys racing hard, things can happen, there’s been a lot of drama this weekend, a lot of arm waving and this and that.”
Livio Suppo, HRC Communication and Marketing Director
“I think he did a mistake honestly, that can happen. Unfortunately it’s been a mistake with a bad consequence as Pedrosa was already in front of him and he (Simoncelli) closed the door and it was impossible for Dani to do anything.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda
”I haven’t had a chance to see the incident yet so for me it’s impossible to make a judgement at this moment.”
Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda
”I didn’t see on the tv so I can’t say something about that.” Referring to a similar incident that occurred during his race for Lorenzo, the Italian commented, “The important thing to understand is if the rider wants to do this or he just brakes too late. This is something dangerous; when the rider arrives too late, you don’t see the rider and this is not nice when you are riding.”
Lorenzo Extends Championship Lead in Le Mans
Monday, 16 May 2011
The Monster Energy Grand Prix of France at Le Mans was witness to yet another incident packed race played out in front of the packed grandstands. World Champion Jorge Lorenzo suffered a low side in the morning warm up, sustaining a minor injury to his finger but was otherwise unhurt.
Lorenzo held his grid position off the line as the race got underway, battling up to fourth with 14 laps to go and taking Dovizioso on the second corner for the position. Having managed to close the gap to the second and third riders, a mistake caused him to run wide and lose ground, eventually crossing the line still in fourth. With previous closest championship rival Dani Pedrosa crashing out of the race, the results mean Lorenzo has now extended his lead in the Championship to 78, 12 points clear of second place.
Ben Spies leaves France happy to have put the misfortunes of the previous two rounds behind him. The Texan also kept grid position off the line but made two small mistakes in the first laps, losing time to those in front. Consistent race pace saw him close down on Colin Edwards in fifth until an unfortunate crash by the fellow Texan caused Spies to run wide to avoid collision. He recovered and managed to fight off Nicky Hayden to eventually take sixth. The result doubles his point score to 20, placing him in 12th position, only 2 points from Marco Simoncelli in eighth.
Jorge Lorenzo:
“I think the race has been good in general for us and the results and points are good for the Championship. Obviously I would like to fight with Casey and the other best riders for victory but at this moment it’s really hard. What I can do is try to finish with the best result possible, take the maximum from our bike as it is now and wait for future improvements.”
Ben Spies :
“It was a pretty exciting race. I made two mistakes on the first two laps and lost touch with Colin and Valentino. I tried to ride as hard as I could and was reeling in Colin until unfortunately he crashed; his bike slid across the track so I had to avoid it which allowed Nicky to get up to the back of me. We diced around a bit then I was able to get around him and go on my way. We got a sixth place result which is good for the points.”
Monday, 16 May 2011
The Monster Energy Grand Prix of France at Le Mans was witness to yet another incident packed race played out in front of the packed grandstands. World Champion Jorge Lorenzo suffered a low side in the morning warm up, sustaining a minor injury to his finger but was otherwise unhurt.
Lorenzo held his grid position off the line as the race got underway, battling up to fourth with 14 laps to go and taking Dovizioso on the second corner for the position. Having managed to close the gap to the second and third riders, a mistake caused him to run wide and lose ground, eventually crossing the line still in fourth. With previous closest championship rival Dani Pedrosa crashing out of the race, the results mean Lorenzo has now extended his lead in the Championship to 78, 12 points clear of second place.
Ben Spies leaves France happy to have put the misfortunes of the previous two rounds behind him. The Texan also kept grid position off the line but made two small mistakes in the first laps, losing time to those in front. Consistent race pace saw him close down on Colin Edwards in fifth until an unfortunate crash by the fellow Texan caused Spies to run wide to avoid collision. He recovered and managed to fight off Nicky Hayden to eventually take sixth. The result doubles his point score to 20, placing him in 12th position, only 2 points from Marco Simoncelli in eighth.
Jorge Lorenzo:
“I think the race has been good in general for us and the results and points are good for the Championship. Obviously I would like to fight with Casey and the other best riders for victory but at this moment it’s really hard. What I can do is try to finish with the best result possible, take the maximum from our bike as it is now and wait for future improvements.”
Ben Spies :
“It was a pretty exciting race. I made two mistakes on the first two laps and lost touch with Colin and Valentino. I tried to ride as hard as I could and was reeling in Colin until unfortunately he crashed; his bike slid across the track so I had to avoid it which allowed Nicky to get up to the back of me. We diced around a bit then I was able to get around him and go on my way. We got a sixth place result which is good for the points.”
Casey Stoner tests the 2012 Honda prototype in Jerez
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
With a two week break before the Grand Prix of Catalunya, Honda Racing Corporation today returned to the track in Jerez with French GP winner Casey Stoner aboard the 2012 Honda prototype.
HRC test riders Kousuke Akiyoshi and Shinichi Ito have been testing this machine in April at Suzuka, Japan and it was planned for Repsol Honda Team riders Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner to both test in Jerez this week. However, after Pedrosa's accident in Le Mans it was not possible for him to take part and only Stoner has been involved.
Shinichi performed the shake down of the new machine early this morning at the Jerez track, before Casey began his testing schedule at 11am local time in perfect sunny conditions. He completed a total of 50 laps (221km) using the standard 800cc Bridgestone tyres of this season and also the new prototype tyres for 2012.
This early season test will give valuable feedback about the new prototype from the first stages of its development. HRC sent senior mechanics from the Repsol Honda Team to Jerez to work closely with the R&D engineers and Casey Stoner. The new machine is based on the concept of the present RC212V and the experience gained in the last stage of 800cc bikes. HRC started work on this new project in late 2009, when the new regulations for 2012 become official for the MotoGP class, stating a capacity of 1000cc, maximum bore of 81mm and maximum 4 cylinders.
A crucial point with the 1000cc engine will be fuel consumption, as again in 2012 bikes will keep the 21 litre tank as per the 800cc machines. To deal with this issue, Repsol recently sent experts to Japan to develop a specific fuel and lubricant for the new bike and engineers at the Repsol Technology Centre are focusing on a fuel which will not only offer optimum fuel efficiency but also deliver maximum performance.
Each manufacturer has eight days of testing during the season with contracted riders on the 2012 machine. After checking today's data and the weather forecast, HRC will decide whether or not to continue testing tomorrow with Stoner. HRC will then choose how to make the best use of the remaining days left to work on track with the new prototype, hoping Pedrosa recovers soon to also give his feedback on the new machine.
There is no further update on Dani Pedrosa's chosen direction for recovery, he is still evaluating the two options with his doctors, whether to have surgery or let the fracture heal naturally.
Casey Stoner
"Everything has gone very well, very positive. It's just nice to ride the 1000cc again, to feel the engine and the power. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed the first day because everything we've tried seems to be working, so no complaints. The biggest disappointment is that Dani is not going be here to test as he is important to the development of this bike. I hope that soon HRC can get his input as well because we need as much data as possible, in order to be ready for next season. We didn't focus on anything special today, just tried to understand what the bike is doing, how it reacts on the brakes and things like that, also considering some the issues we have with the 800cc right now. The braking point seems to be stronger, stability in the front going into the corner seems to be very good, and of course we want to understand how the power delivery is, and it is very smooth so no problem . In general, we haven't changed too much from the set up we have on the 800cc right now and the feeling is very similar, so it's pretty good."
Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice-President
"I think we had a good day of testing, the machine worked well as we hoped, without any specific issues. Of course, it's just the first day so we will need to improve but we tested many things and everything was ok. Casey is happy with a more powerful engine, also drivability was ok and on the chassis side we need to keep progressing. Unfortunately, Dani is not here and it would be better to have both riders' feedback. Casey's comments are very similar to the ones we received from the test riders, and this is good. Hopefully we can get Dani's impressions soon to keep working on the development."
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
With a two week break before the Grand Prix of Catalunya, Honda Racing Corporation today returned to the track in Jerez with French GP winner Casey Stoner aboard the 2012 Honda prototype.
HRC test riders Kousuke Akiyoshi and Shinichi Ito have been testing this machine in April at Suzuka, Japan and it was planned for Repsol Honda Team riders Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner to both test in Jerez this week. However, after Pedrosa's accident in Le Mans it was not possible for him to take part and only Stoner has been involved.
Shinichi performed the shake down of the new machine early this morning at the Jerez track, before Casey began his testing schedule at 11am local time in perfect sunny conditions. He completed a total of 50 laps (221km) using the standard 800cc Bridgestone tyres of this season and also the new prototype tyres for 2012.
This early season test will give valuable feedback about the new prototype from the first stages of its development. HRC sent senior mechanics from the Repsol Honda Team to Jerez to work closely with the R&D engineers and Casey Stoner. The new machine is based on the concept of the present RC212V and the experience gained in the last stage of 800cc bikes. HRC started work on this new project in late 2009, when the new regulations for 2012 become official for the MotoGP class, stating a capacity of 1000cc, maximum bore of 81mm and maximum 4 cylinders.
A crucial point with the 1000cc engine will be fuel consumption, as again in 2012 bikes will keep the 21 litre tank as per the 800cc machines. To deal with this issue, Repsol recently sent experts to Japan to develop a specific fuel and lubricant for the new bike and engineers at the Repsol Technology Centre are focusing on a fuel which will not only offer optimum fuel efficiency but also deliver maximum performance.
Each manufacturer has eight days of testing during the season with contracted riders on the 2012 machine. After checking today's data and the weather forecast, HRC will decide whether or not to continue testing tomorrow with Stoner. HRC will then choose how to make the best use of the remaining days left to work on track with the new prototype, hoping Pedrosa recovers soon to also give his feedback on the new machine.
There is no further update on Dani Pedrosa's chosen direction for recovery, he is still evaluating the two options with his doctors, whether to have surgery or let the fracture heal naturally.
Casey Stoner
"Everything has gone very well, very positive. It's just nice to ride the 1000cc again, to feel the engine and the power. I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed the first day because everything we've tried seems to be working, so no complaints. The biggest disappointment is that Dani is not going be here to test as he is important to the development of this bike. I hope that soon HRC can get his input as well because we need as much data as possible, in order to be ready for next season. We didn't focus on anything special today, just tried to understand what the bike is doing, how it reacts on the brakes and things like that, also considering some the issues we have with the 800cc right now. The braking point seems to be stronger, stability in the front going into the corner seems to be very good, and of course we want to understand how the power delivery is, and it is very smooth so no problem . In general, we haven't changed too much from the set up we have on the 800cc right now and the feeling is very similar, so it's pretty good."
Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice-President
"I think we had a good day of testing, the machine worked well as we hoped, without any specific issues. Of course, it's just the first day so we will need to improve but we tested many things and everything was ok. Casey is happy with a more powerful engine, also drivability was ok and on the chassis side we need to keep progressing. Unfortunately, Dani is not here and it would be better to have both riders' feedback. Casey's comments are very similar to the ones we received from the test riders, and this is good. Hopefully we can get Dani's impressions soon to keep working on the development."
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Erik Buell Racing EBR 1190RS
It's a DIY customized 2008 knightster 1200cc, aka: girls bike, poor mans harley etc. Just lift up the tank, hide the coil, short shots, single seat etc etc, man it's fucking bitchin.
If I wanted an over priced, under engineered piece of shit I'd just buy harley valued at more then $20,000.
I'm not into rice burners and I'm fucking over cars so it's down to the above bike, triumphs and all that shit have too much junk on them for my liking.
http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/
dump the triumphs for these re-engineered beauties.
i personally like nortons better but that just looks a little wrong in the back end.
Reggiani positive about Mugello's new surface
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Former Grand Prix winner Loris Reggiani was back in action at the recently resurfaced Mugello circuit on Monday.
Italia 1 commentator and former rider Loris Reggiani took to the track on Monday in order to assess the new asphalt laid at the Mugello circuit back in March.
"The new track surface of Mugello is really extraordinary," commented the Italian. "It's the first time I've seen such a good job done on the whole lap. I have to congratulate the Mugello circuit management as they used some innovative techniques in order to make the surface as smooth as a billiard table, flowing nicely and completely devoid of imperfections."
"As a result, the track should be safer and faster, I wouldn't be surprised if the lap times are one second faster come the Grand Prix."
The Mugello Circuit will host the Gran Premio d'Italia TIM on 3rd July.
Reggiani positive about Mugello's new surface
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Former Grand Prix winner Loris Reggiani was back in action at the recently resurfaced Mugello circuit on Monday.
Italia 1 commentator and former rider Loris Reggiani took to the track on Monday in order to assess the new asphalt laid at the Mugello circuit back in March.
"The new track surface of Mugello is really extraordinary," commented the Italian. "It's the first time I've seen such a good job done on the whole lap. I have to congratulate the Mugello circuit management as they used some innovative techniques in order to make the surface as smooth as a billiard table, flowing nicely and completely devoid of imperfections."
"As a result, the track should be safer and faster, I wouldn't be surprised if the lap times are one second faster come the Grand Prix."
The Mugello Circuit will host the Gran Premio d'Italia TIM on 3rd July.
Colin Edwards tackles your problems!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
A new feature in After the Flag sees the veteran rider give a light-hearted take on fans´ problems
After gaining cult status with his hilarious answers to the questions you have sent in to Ask the Riders, After the Flag has given Colin Edwards his own section on the show called "Dear Colin" where the American will play agony aunt to your problems in his own unique way.
Whether you need advice about your bike or your relationship, send your questions in to [email protected], then watch the following After the Flag to see if your problem has been chosen to get the Colin Edwards treatment!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
A new feature in After the Flag sees the veteran rider give a light-hearted take on fans´ problems
After gaining cult status with his hilarious answers to the questions you have sent in to Ask the Riders, After the Flag has given Colin Edwards his own section on the show called "Dear Colin" where the American will play agony aunt to your problems in his own unique way.
Whether you need advice about your bike or your relationship, send your questions in to [email protected], then watch the following After the Flag to see if your problem has been chosen to get the Colin Edwards treatment!
Iconic Steve McQueen Husqvarna sold for world record amount
An iconic Husqvarna 400 Cross, which belonged to Hollywood star Steve McQueen was sold by auction in Carmel, California on 14 May. Bonhams sold the legendary actor’s 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross motorcycle – a machine identical to the one he famously rode shirtless on the cover of Sports Illustrated – for a new world record at an estimate-shattering price of $144,500.
This iconic Husky was ridden hard by one of Hollywood’s most loved leading men. It is a special piece of McQueen memorabilia and was ridden properly by a movie actor who happened to be a fantastic and talented racer – and had a considerable collection of racing trophies to prove it.
The rare Husqvarna 400 Cross motorcycle was the latest in a line of big-bore motocross models that combined fearsome power and superb handling. Up to that point, many off-road riders endured heavier, twin-cylinder street models stripped and lightened as much as possible; even so, they were heavy and cumbersome. Along came the two-stroke Husky 400 Cross, featuring a powerful single-cylinder engine suspended in a lightweight steel frame.
It was the movie On Any Sunday that introduced many Americans to the wonderful world of off-road riding. Husqvarnas were featured in the legendary motorcycle movie, which really put the company on the map for US riders. Seeing motorcycle legend Malcolm Smith and McQueen kick up long rooster-tails of sand on the beach outside of Camp Pendleton inspired many new dirt-bike enthusiasts. In fact, Smith said of McQueen that he had “discovered a rider who probably could have competed at a professional level, had he chosen that line of work.”
The Husky 400 Cross was a brutal, unforgiving motorcycle, difficult to ride well, which McQueen absolutely did. It embodied McQueen’s desire to be taken seriously as a rider and racer, and his mastery of the Husky only helps fuel his legend.
Like many off-road enthusiasts, McQueen collected many examples of bikes he loved, using some as ‘parts bikes’ and others to lend to friends as an inducement to come riding. He was not above using his fame to encourage a sale, according to long-time friend and The Great Escape stunt double Bud Ekins, who said: “Steve would apply the pressure if he found something he really wanted. He’d tell the seller, ‘Don't you want to be able to say you sold your bike to Steve McQueen?’ And it worked.”
As off-road motorcycle racing evolved through the 1960s and early 1970s, a movement began away from lightly-modified street bikes toward machines designed from the outset for competition. In this period before the Japanese manufacturers came to be involved, the Europeans set the trends, building ever lighter and more powerful machines. Husqvarna came to epitomize the success of motorcycles developed for and extensively raced in competition. Its models won 14 motocross and 24 enduro titles through the late 1970s.
The Bonhams sale of Collectors’ Motorcycles and Related Memorabilia took place on Saturday 14 May at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California. As well as the McQueen Husqvarna and many items of memorabilia, there was also exquisite machinery from BMW for sale, including a 1925 R 32. This early and very rare motorcycle from the Bavarian Motor Works would become the blueprint for all subsequent BMWs. It sold for $139,000 – what is believed to be a new world record for the model.
This iconic Husky was ridden hard by one of Hollywood’s most loved leading men. It is a special piece of McQueen memorabilia and was ridden properly by a movie actor who happened to be a fantastic and talented racer – and had a considerable collection of racing trophies to prove it.
The rare Husqvarna 400 Cross motorcycle was the latest in a line of big-bore motocross models that combined fearsome power and superb handling. Up to that point, many off-road riders endured heavier, twin-cylinder street models stripped and lightened as much as possible; even so, they were heavy and cumbersome. Along came the two-stroke Husky 400 Cross, featuring a powerful single-cylinder engine suspended in a lightweight steel frame.
It was the movie On Any Sunday that introduced many Americans to the wonderful world of off-road riding. Husqvarnas were featured in the legendary motorcycle movie, which really put the company on the map for US riders. Seeing motorcycle legend Malcolm Smith and McQueen kick up long rooster-tails of sand on the beach outside of Camp Pendleton inspired many new dirt-bike enthusiasts. In fact, Smith said of McQueen that he had “discovered a rider who probably could have competed at a professional level, had he chosen that line of work.”
The Husky 400 Cross was a brutal, unforgiving motorcycle, difficult to ride well, which McQueen absolutely did. It embodied McQueen’s desire to be taken seriously as a rider and racer, and his mastery of the Husky only helps fuel his legend.
Like many off-road enthusiasts, McQueen collected many examples of bikes he loved, using some as ‘parts bikes’ and others to lend to friends as an inducement to come riding. He was not above using his fame to encourage a sale, according to long-time friend and The Great Escape stunt double Bud Ekins, who said: “Steve would apply the pressure if he found something he really wanted. He’d tell the seller, ‘Don't you want to be able to say you sold your bike to Steve McQueen?’ And it worked.”
As off-road motorcycle racing evolved through the 1960s and early 1970s, a movement began away from lightly-modified street bikes toward machines designed from the outset for competition. In this period before the Japanese manufacturers came to be involved, the Europeans set the trends, building ever lighter and more powerful machines. Husqvarna came to epitomize the success of motorcycles developed for and extensively raced in competition. Its models won 14 motocross and 24 enduro titles through the late 1970s.
The Bonhams sale of Collectors’ Motorcycles and Related Memorabilia took place on Saturday 14 May at the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California. As well as the McQueen Husqvarna and many items of memorabilia, there was also exquisite machinery from BMW for sale, including a 1925 R 32. This early and very rare motorcycle from the Bavarian Motor Works would become the blueprint for all subsequent BMWs. It sold for $139,000 – what is believed to be a new world record for the model.
Valentino Rossi's MotoGP World championship signaled the end of a 12-year drought for Yamaha. A dozen years had passed since a Yamaha rider won the world championship and, even though riders like John Kocinski, Luca Cadalora, Loris Capirossi, Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa, and others tried mightily to win the crown for Yamaha, no one could do what Wayne Rainey did-three times in a row.
Soup caught up with three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey to get his unique perspective on Rossi, his opinions of some of today's other MotoGP riders, and his thoughts on a few other motorcycle roadracing topics.
Soup: Wayne, it's been 12 years since a Yamaha won the World Championship, and, of course, you were the last Yamaha rider to win. Did you ever think it would take this long?
WR: Well, all these years, Honda has pretty much dominated. It didn't matter who rode the bike; a Honda won. If they weren't first, they were second. If they weren't second, they were third. I think Yamaha-after 12 years of getting beat-they felt that their bike was good enough, but they didn't have the best rider. And Honda had pretty much tied down most of the good riders. When Rossi became available, obviously, they nabbed him because they thought he was their missing link.
It really surprised me when people thought that Rossi would struggle trying to win races, let alone the Championship. I thought he'd win at least five races, and I knew that he had as good a shot as he did on the Honda to win the Championship because I know the kind of rider he is.
I knew what the performance of the Yamaha would be like and, obviously, the abilities of the guys he's racing against. So I didn't think it was a gamble at all. If anything, I thought it was good for Rossi to switch manufacturers because riders in the past didn't make that change. When Rossi came to Yamaha, they were very, very serious about winning. After my accident, in going winless that whole time, they knew that they had to have a good product. The missing link was Rossi, and he showed them that the Yamaha is as good as a Honda...and, I think, better [than a Honda].
Rainey and Wayne Gardner chat as they walk back from an end of practice plug-chop at Laguna in 1991.
image by dean adams
Soup: Do you think Rossi rides like you did?
WR: I think, in some ways, he does. But, each rider has his own style, his own way of thinking, and his own way of preparing mentally for it. There's no two riders the same. I think Rossi has studied the way I raced, he has studied Schwantz and Eddie [Lawson] and Doohan, and I think a lot of the riders probably do that. I studied the way Eddie rode; I studied the way Freddie rode, and [Wayne] Gardner, when I was trying to get where I wanted to be. So, I believe that [Rossi] just probably uses a little bit of everybody as all the good riders do.
Soup: It just seems like Rossi rides with the precision that you did.
WR: Yeah, Rossi is on the edge most of the time, but I think, with the current guys that he's racing against, he seems to be able to up the pace when he needs to. For instance, at Phillip Island last year, when he knew he had to pick up 10 seconds and he had 15 laps to do it, he just upped the pace a second a lap. And, to just go, 'OK, well, I'm going to go a second a lap quicker now,' that's pretty incredible. You have to be very precise to do that.
Soup: Rossi's competition doesn't seem to be as strong as the competition you had when you raced.
WR: Well, you know, it was a very special time in the early 90's, but I'm, of course, really biased towards the time when I raced. You look at the riders who were racing then, they all won Championships. Eddie won four Championships, Schwantz won a Championship, Mick won five Championships, and I won three. In the early 90's, it was very, very intense. When you lined up on Sunday, nobody really knew who was gonna win. So, the way that you approached the race, you actually had a strategy on what you were going to do. I had a different strategy at a lot of the races, and I don't know if that exists today. The way that we approached a race was, we knew exactly when the tires were going to drop off, we knew how much they were going to drop off, and we had a pretty good idea of what the other guys were going to do, and how their tires were going to affect their lap times. So we developed our strategy even before race day.
I think, nowadays, most of the guys plan their strategy around where Rossi is. If Rossi's in eighth place, they just go 'Well, we'll just kinda wait for him.' And, if he's in first place, 'Well, we'll just try to stay with him.' It's really a shame because I believe Rossi hasn't been pushed. I think he can go faster than he's going. If you look at what Sete's done in his career, I think this is the first Championship he's actually ever raced for. He might have raced for one Championship, the Ducados Open maybe once, but he's never won a championship, and that's very rare—to go into Grand Prix racing without ever winning a Championship of any sort.
The '93 press release which announced to the world that Rainey would never race a motorcycle again.
image from the adams archives
Soup: Speaking of Sete Gibernau, you're the one who got him started in Grand Prix. He's been able to stay in it so long, and he finally seems to be getting there.
WR: Yeah, you know, I gave him his first chance in Grand Prix when [Tetsuya] Harada stopped, and Sete did a good job for us then. So, we put him on the big bike, and he did a good job for us there, too. But some things changed and we didn't stay with him. Then, some other opportunities opened up for him through tragedy over at Honda a couple different times-once with Aoki and once, I think, with Mick. So, he's had some crazy ways of getting his rides. He knew the tracks, and he can speak a lot of different languages, which helped. This year, though, he proved that he should be there. It did take a little while, but after Rossi, he's the next fastest guy, and he did a really good job this year.
Soup: What if the roles were reversed. If Rossi was still on the Honda, and Sete was on the Yamaha ...
WR: Oh, no. I just think that people see now that the Yamaha is capable of winning. It's like guys who ride Dunlops. They complain about the tires...until somebody wins on them. You know, I think Rossi could win the World Championship on Dunlops. I really do. I think he could. To be a truly great rider, do it on Dunlops. You've done it on a Yamaha. Now, let's do it on Dunlops...
Soup: You did that, right?
WR: Yeah ... and I think Rossi is the type of rider who could make that work. He could make the Dunlops work, and Dunlop would make their tires work for him, and I believe he could win. I think Dunlop does a good job here in the States, and the Superbikes here don't have a lot less horsepower than what they have in MotoGP. If Rossi won on Dunlops, then more guys would think that they could win on Dunlops, too.
Soup: How about Colin Edwards? That was a pretty big surprise when he signed with Yamaha for next year. How do you think he's going to do?
WR: It surprised me this year with Colin. He didn't go as well on the Honda as I thought he would. I don't know what the situation was with his team, but I know he had a Honda, and I know he had Michelin tires, and he knew most of the tracks. I expected him to be in the top three or four every single race. So, for him to get the results that he did...I thought, for sure, that he'd have done much, much better than he did. I think with him now on the Yamaha with Rossi, it's gonna to be tougher for him than it was with Sete, that's for sure.
After he was taken out of GP, Rainey ran Yamaha's GP team where he worked with Norick Abe. The Japanese rider failed to impress.
thanks, yamaha
Sete's a nice fella, and so is Rossi, but on the racetrack, there are two different characters there. And I think, for Colin, this is it. If he doesn't get the job done next year, I don't know if it's gonna happen for him. Maybe he just needs a change. I know, coming to Yamaha, they're going to treat him a lot better.
Yamaha's a different company. I've ridden for both, and I'm very happy with Yamaha. I was able to do what I did for Yamaha because of the atmosphere. It's a great company.
Soup: Let's talk about Mick Doohan. It's interesting that you tried to get him to do something that Rossi ultimately did do-switch from Honda to Yamaha. I wonder if that crossed Mick's mind when Rossi won it in his first year with Yamaha.
Rainey and other stars attend the Yamaha Weekend of Champions every March at Daytona.
image by rick butler
WR: Well, Mick stayed with Honda, and the job that he did there was pretty incredible. But then, you look at the rest of the guys who also won on a Honda. I think Mick knew that the competition-the caliber of the riders he was racing against-wasn't as high as it was when Eddie and Schwantz, and I were there. So, I think Mick was racing for records. Mick was just gonna try to win as many races and as many Championships as he possibly could. And, the only way he could do that was to stay with the same program—Honda.
The Yamaha opportunity came up a few times with him, and I think he was pretty close a couple of times but we weren't really ready for Mick at that stage. Yamaha hadn't quite recovered from when I stopped racing, so I don't think it was the right time for Mick to come. But, I'm not sure that he could have done what Rossi did, anyway.
Soup: With Rossi, regardless of how many championships he does win for Yamaha, when it does end, will there be another 12-year Yamaha drought?
WR: No. No, I don't believe so. I hope the next World Champion is an American. That's my main concern-getting an American to be World Champion again because that would really help us out here in the States. I really don't know why the Americans were so strong when I rode in that era-from Kenny to Schwantz-and why we're not as dominant now when the equipment is so plentiful out there.
Happier days: Rainey greets his wife, Shae, after winning his third title for Roberts Yamaha.
thanks, marlboro
I think four-strokes have a lot to do with it. Everybody can ride a four-stroke pretty close to the same level, and then you've got the one or two riders who can take that level and just be magic with it. I think we've got some good talent coming up here in the States, and we've got four American riders in MotoGP now who I think are capable of winning the championship. I don't know which of the four can do it, but one of them can rise to the occasion. I do want to see Yamaha get the next guy.
On the other hand, I was actually glad that Nicky [Hayden] didn't ride the Yamaha because everybody would've said, 'It's the bike that's the problem.' Now, you see Nicky on the Honda. Well, you can't blame the bike. He didn't have the success. In the beginning, I wanted Nicky on the Yamaha, but in the end, it was good for Yamaha that he didn't come. Rossi's proven that the bike is capable of winning and almost dominating.
Soup: Obviously, you've heard that they're going to run the Daytona 200 next year with Formula Extreme bikes. Your thoughts?
Rex Rainey leans on his dad's wheelchair as he signs autographs, Germany Grand Prix, 1996.
image by dean adams
WR: I think it's absolutely, uh, it doesn't make much sense to me. For me, you know, safety is always first. Daytona is a racetrack that, the bikes are going so fast, that the tires get heated up so much on the banking. If you make a tire that lasts on the banking, then they don't have much grip because they have to be such a hard compound.
In my opinion, they need to change the way the track is configured, if they're going to race at Daytona. They can't be on the banking for as long as they are. I think for them to go to 600s is just, it's not the main class and they went to a class that none of the other manufacturers are in besides Honda. And, it's like, if you're going to make that drastic of a change, you could at least make it to where the other manufacturers would compete in it, and not just the class that Honda's racing in.
When I go to Daytona for the Yamaha Weekend of Champions, and I watch the Superbikes go down the straightaway, man, that is an awesome sight. It's so cool, especially if there are three or four of them together. You watch them go down that back straightaway, man, they're missiles, those things. The 600's just not going to do that. It's going to look a heck of a lot slower than what we're used to seeing there. You know, I understand the fact that they did it for safety, but I don't agree with them going with that class that just Honda is racing in.
Soup caught up with three-time World Champion Wayne Rainey to get his unique perspective on Rossi, his opinions of some of today's other MotoGP riders, and his thoughts on a few other motorcycle roadracing topics.
Soup: Wayne, it's been 12 years since a Yamaha won the World Championship, and, of course, you were the last Yamaha rider to win. Did you ever think it would take this long?
WR: Well, all these years, Honda has pretty much dominated. It didn't matter who rode the bike; a Honda won. If they weren't first, they were second. If they weren't second, they were third. I think Yamaha-after 12 years of getting beat-they felt that their bike was good enough, but they didn't have the best rider. And Honda had pretty much tied down most of the good riders. When Rossi became available, obviously, they nabbed him because they thought he was their missing link.
It really surprised me when people thought that Rossi would struggle trying to win races, let alone the Championship. I thought he'd win at least five races, and I knew that he had as good a shot as he did on the Honda to win the Championship because I know the kind of rider he is.
I knew what the performance of the Yamaha would be like and, obviously, the abilities of the guys he's racing against. So I didn't think it was a gamble at all. If anything, I thought it was good for Rossi to switch manufacturers because riders in the past didn't make that change. When Rossi came to Yamaha, they were very, very serious about winning. After my accident, in going winless that whole time, they knew that they had to have a good product. The missing link was Rossi, and he showed them that the Yamaha is as good as a Honda...and, I think, better [than a Honda].
Rainey and Wayne Gardner chat as they walk back from an end of practice plug-chop at Laguna in 1991.
image by dean adams
Soup: Do you think Rossi rides like you did?
WR: I think, in some ways, he does. But, each rider has his own style, his own way of thinking, and his own way of preparing mentally for it. There's no two riders the same. I think Rossi has studied the way I raced, he has studied Schwantz and Eddie [Lawson] and Doohan, and I think a lot of the riders probably do that. I studied the way Eddie rode; I studied the way Freddie rode, and [Wayne] Gardner, when I was trying to get where I wanted to be. So, I believe that [Rossi] just probably uses a little bit of everybody as all the good riders do.
Soup: It just seems like Rossi rides with the precision that you did.
WR: Yeah, Rossi is on the edge most of the time, but I think, with the current guys that he's racing against, he seems to be able to up the pace when he needs to. For instance, at Phillip Island last year, when he knew he had to pick up 10 seconds and he had 15 laps to do it, he just upped the pace a second a lap. And, to just go, 'OK, well, I'm going to go a second a lap quicker now,' that's pretty incredible. You have to be very precise to do that.
Soup: Rossi's competition doesn't seem to be as strong as the competition you had when you raced.
WR: Well, you know, it was a very special time in the early 90's, but I'm, of course, really biased towards the time when I raced. You look at the riders who were racing then, they all won Championships. Eddie won four Championships, Schwantz won a Championship, Mick won five Championships, and I won three. In the early 90's, it was very, very intense. When you lined up on Sunday, nobody really knew who was gonna win. So, the way that you approached the race, you actually had a strategy on what you were going to do. I had a different strategy at a lot of the races, and I don't know if that exists today. The way that we approached a race was, we knew exactly when the tires were going to drop off, we knew how much they were going to drop off, and we had a pretty good idea of what the other guys were going to do, and how their tires were going to affect their lap times. So we developed our strategy even before race day.
I think, nowadays, most of the guys plan their strategy around where Rossi is. If Rossi's in eighth place, they just go 'Well, we'll just kinda wait for him.' And, if he's in first place, 'Well, we'll just try to stay with him.' It's really a shame because I believe Rossi hasn't been pushed. I think he can go faster than he's going. If you look at what Sete's done in his career, I think this is the first Championship he's actually ever raced for. He might have raced for one Championship, the Ducados Open maybe once, but he's never won a championship, and that's very rare—to go into Grand Prix racing without ever winning a Championship of any sort.
The '93 press release which announced to the world that Rainey would never race a motorcycle again.
image from the adams archives
Soup: Speaking of Sete Gibernau, you're the one who got him started in Grand Prix. He's been able to stay in it so long, and he finally seems to be getting there.
WR: Yeah, you know, I gave him his first chance in Grand Prix when [Tetsuya] Harada stopped, and Sete did a good job for us then. So, we put him on the big bike, and he did a good job for us there, too. But some things changed and we didn't stay with him. Then, some other opportunities opened up for him through tragedy over at Honda a couple different times-once with Aoki and once, I think, with Mick. So, he's had some crazy ways of getting his rides. He knew the tracks, and he can speak a lot of different languages, which helped. This year, though, he proved that he should be there. It did take a little while, but after Rossi, he's the next fastest guy, and he did a really good job this year.
Soup: What if the roles were reversed. If Rossi was still on the Honda, and Sete was on the Yamaha ...
WR: Oh, no. I just think that people see now that the Yamaha is capable of winning. It's like guys who ride Dunlops. They complain about the tires...until somebody wins on them. You know, I think Rossi could win the World Championship on Dunlops. I really do. I think he could. To be a truly great rider, do it on Dunlops. You've done it on a Yamaha. Now, let's do it on Dunlops...
Soup: You did that, right?
WR: Yeah ... and I think Rossi is the type of rider who could make that work. He could make the Dunlops work, and Dunlop would make their tires work for him, and I believe he could win. I think Dunlop does a good job here in the States, and the Superbikes here don't have a lot less horsepower than what they have in MotoGP. If Rossi won on Dunlops, then more guys would think that they could win on Dunlops, too.
Soup: How about Colin Edwards? That was a pretty big surprise when he signed with Yamaha for next year. How do you think he's going to do?
WR: It surprised me this year with Colin. He didn't go as well on the Honda as I thought he would. I don't know what the situation was with his team, but I know he had a Honda, and I know he had Michelin tires, and he knew most of the tracks. I expected him to be in the top three or four every single race. So, for him to get the results that he did...I thought, for sure, that he'd have done much, much better than he did. I think with him now on the Yamaha with Rossi, it's gonna to be tougher for him than it was with Sete, that's for sure.
After he was taken out of GP, Rainey ran Yamaha's GP team where he worked with Norick Abe. The Japanese rider failed to impress.
thanks, yamaha
Sete's a nice fella, and so is Rossi, but on the racetrack, there are two different characters there. And I think, for Colin, this is it. If he doesn't get the job done next year, I don't know if it's gonna happen for him. Maybe he just needs a change. I know, coming to Yamaha, they're going to treat him a lot better.
Yamaha's a different company. I've ridden for both, and I'm very happy with Yamaha. I was able to do what I did for Yamaha because of the atmosphere. It's a great company.
Soup: Let's talk about Mick Doohan. It's interesting that you tried to get him to do something that Rossi ultimately did do-switch from Honda to Yamaha. I wonder if that crossed Mick's mind when Rossi won it in his first year with Yamaha.
Rainey and other stars attend the Yamaha Weekend of Champions every March at Daytona.
image by rick butler
WR: Well, Mick stayed with Honda, and the job that he did there was pretty incredible. But then, you look at the rest of the guys who also won on a Honda. I think Mick knew that the competition-the caliber of the riders he was racing against-wasn't as high as it was when Eddie and Schwantz, and I were there. So, I think Mick was racing for records. Mick was just gonna try to win as many races and as many Championships as he possibly could. And, the only way he could do that was to stay with the same program—Honda.
The Yamaha opportunity came up a few times with him, and I think he was pretty close a couple of times but we weren't really ready for Mick at that stage. Yamaha hadn't quite recovered from when I stopped racing, so I don't think it was the right time for Mick to come. But, I'm not sure that he could have done what Rossi did, anyway.
Soup: With Rossi, regardless of how many championships he does win for Yamaha, when it does end, will there be another 12-year Yamaha drought?
WR: No. No, I don't believe so. I hope the next World Champion is an American. That's my main concern-getting an American to be World Champion again because that would really help us out here in the States. I really don't know why the Americans were so strong when I rode in that era-from Kenny to Schwantz-and why we're not as dominant now when the equipment is so plentiful out there.
Happier days: Rainey greets his wife, Shae, after winning his third title for Roberts Yamaha.
thanks, marlboro
I think four-strokes have a lot to do with it. Everybody can ride a four-stroke pretty close to the same level, and then you've got the one or two riders who can take that level and just be magic with it. I think we've got some good talent coming up here in the States, and we've got four American riders in MotoGP now who I think are capable of winning the championship. I don't know which of the four can do it, but one of them can rise to the occasion. I do want to see Yamaha get the next guy.
On the other hand, I was actually glad that Nicky [Hayden] didn't ride the Yamaha because everybody would've said, 'It's the bike that's the problem.' Now, you see Nicky on the Honda. Well, you can't blame the bike. He didn't have the success. In the beginning, I wanted Nicky on the Yamaha, but in the end, it was good for Yamaha that he didn't come. Rossi's proven that the bike is capable of winning and almost dominating.
Soup: Obviously, you've heard that they're going to run the Daytona 200 next year with Formula Extreme bikes. Your thoughts?
Rex Rainey leans on his dad's wheelchair as he signs autographs, Germany Grand Prix, 1996.
image by dean adams
WR: I think it's absolutely, uh, it doesn't make much sense to me. For me, you know, safety is always first. Daytona is a racetrack that, the bikes are going so fast, that the tires get heated up so much on the banking. If you make a tire that lasts on the banking, then they don't have much grip because they have to be such a hard compound.
In my opinion, they need to change the way the track is configured, if they're going to race at Daytona. They can't be on the banking for as long as they are. I think for them to go to 600s is just, it's not the main class and they went to a class that none of the other manufacturers are in besides Honda. And, it's like, if you're going to make that drastic of a change, you could at least make it to where the other manufacturers would compete in it, and not just the class that Honda's racing in.
When I go to Daytona for the Yamaha Weekend of Champions, and I watch the Superbikes go down the straightaway, man, that is an awesome sight. It's so cool, especially if there are three or four of them together. You watch them go down that back straightaway, man, they're missiles, those things. The 600's just not going to do that. It's going to look a heck of a lot slower than what we're used to seeing there. You know, I understand the fact that they did it for safety, but I don't agree with them going with that class that just Honda is racing in.
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