Dovi has made it public that if he can't get a factory seat at Yami or anywhere else in GP he's interested in WSBK.

Not many seats open in GP for 2013.


http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2012/Jul/120718wa.htm

I'd say he's bluffing a bit since WSBK would mean retirement at an early age for him. He'd have a hard time coming back into MotoGP which, despite its shortfalls, is still the highest level everyone wants to be a part of.

Why is WSBK retierment? Look at Checa and Max. They have been in WSBK how long and doing perfectly fine. I don't think he is bluffing.

That would suck, I like Dovi. At this point, he deserves a factory ride - He's outperforming Spies

Not everyone wants to go to Moto GP. Some are content at the WSBK level.

I didn't understand the early retirement comment either. Biaggi and Checa are both 40 and at the top of their game.

I think it would be the best move of his career - Bang bars with Max, Carlos, Marco, The Brits and by no means does it mean "retirement" - From what i have read, the EX GP guys love WSBK because it is about "The racing" and not 'The Politics"

Hell, look at Melandry, Look at Carlos, Look at max (other than 250s) who never won at the GP level and are running he show over in WSBK now

I say good on him and I hope he does it and gives us some great racing

Everyone (besides jrock ) knows WSBK provides the best racing.

Hayden to Tech Trois! Keeps him on the grid and perhaps in front of the Ducs next year.

They should bring Colin back up as well so he can go back to filling out 6th place in the series for another few years.

This ....


Besides ..... Bayliss said all there was to say by winning a GP as a SBK wildcard.



Tom

That was kind of a "Show pony" moment as the series had been decided and it was the last race of the season - Don't get me wrong, TB is one of my all time Favs so I loved seeing it but.........




(i love that he won titles on 3 separate Ducs)

It is a great production series.

And guys like Melandri, Checa and especially Biaggi SHOULD be winning races and titles in WSBK.

Dovi won't get a japanese factory ride in GP again since he held HRC's feet to the fire over that 3rd factory Honda. Also, he doesn't grab the fans' attention like Marco and Cal for example.

That, and there just isn't enough money to put all the guys that deserve a factory seat.

True enough ..... he had *nothing* to lose ...... but his was still biggest.


Tom

Exactly, that was technically retirement for them after having done as much as they can at the GP circuit. WSBK is surely a more fun series due to close racing but MotoGP is still the top league. Hell I like AMA more but to say the riders that ride in them are as good as Jorge, Pedrosa, Rossi etc. is not realistic. Same with Melandri. He only podiumed 20 times in 7 years (and he's an exceptional rider) in GP but was able to take BMW to the top in WSBK right away. Again this is not about which racing series is more fun to watch. It's about which one is more superior for the top riders. They don't like coming in second and they definitely don't like to be in the second tier until they absolutely have to.

CE said it best about GP, unless you have a Truck Load of cash to throw at a bike, you are mid pack at best - IMHO, GP is more about the bike than the rider - Explain how Bradel can beat Rossi? - Bike

Now, take that same concept and go to WSBK and look at what Carlos did on a 2 year old, out of production bike - Then, look at what Camier did on the same bike as Max? - Hell, look at Sykes? - NO ONE could ride that Kawi and not a lot of $$ was being thrown at it - Now, he is up there every race - Fix the Chassis issue which leads to premature tire wear and dude will run the #1 plate

My Take:

- GP is how much $$ you can spend on a bike (Honda)
- WSBK is about the best riders and by no means is it a retirement village

Fuck, take Stoner, put him on Johnny Rea's Honda and watch him cry cuz MM, Carlos, Sykes and even haslim (not a fan) duff 'em up a bit

I agree to a certain degree however my point is if you take the riders in MotoGP the overall quality is higher any which way you slice it. If you put Rossi on the same bike as Max and give him as much time on it, Max is in trouble. He proved it in GP, imagine what he'll do in WSBK where the bikes are not as far apart. Checa is my favorite rider in the world. Have been following him forever. I still would not want him racing against likes of Lorenzo, Stoner, Pedrosa, Rossi in WSBK with even lesser bikes because like you said the riders are more important than the bike and those guys will do more with a lesser bike.

Again .... on point.


To podium in GP you not only need to deserve to be there .... you have to be in the right place at the right time.


So there are maybe 10 guys that are at a level where they could consistently podium in GP ..... if they happen to have the bike on the day, they do so.

If not ..... they fade ..... Like Rossi, Hayden, Pedrosa ( at times ).


There are still haves and have-nots in WSBK ....... just the gap between isn't quite so wide.


Tom

wow is there a lot of horseshit in this thread. GP racers are the best of the best. Hands down, no doubt. The reason you see them go to WSBK and win races and titles is because they are the best. That is exactly what they should be doing.

It's unfortunate that politics play such a role in GP. I can think of several riders currently in WSBK that are more talented then the Barberas, Abrahams,etc. of GP.

Oh how I beg to differ - Put GP riders and WSBK riders on the exact same bike with the exact same seat time and same tires at the same track? - I can think of quite a few that would not hold up - Again, IROC style, even match of equip and track time

- Put Pedo against Johnny Rea - I'll take Rea
- Put Stoner against Melandri - I'll take Melandri (Duc aside, MM is reborn and showed it with Yami and BMW and even Kawi)
- Put Yourgay against Carlos - I'll take Carlos

The WSBK guys battle lap after lap after lap and just have a "fight" about them where as your Yourgays and Stoners check out and ride fast - How fast are you chasing? - How fast are you defending your lines? - Lap after Lap after lap

Horseshit.

I feel the same about your theory of GP being "The Best" - I feel it is all about the Mfg in 95% of the cases in today's classes

If you don't recognize that GP is a clear level above WSBK, then there isn't anything else for us to discuss.

I guess when Ben Spies said that getting a podium (or was it a win) in GP was worth more to him than a WSBK title, he was high.

Piergiorgio Bontempi > Valentino Rossi

When he is a Factory Rider for a GP team that is paying him, yes, I would expect him to say that - Kind of a no brainer there Bro

"Clear Level Above" due to $$ spent on bikes - Put 1/2 the GP field on ANY WSBK Bike and i bet they fail

I think it was the podium he got while riding for tech3 and I hardly see how who he rides for makes any difference on what he says.

Name one GP rider who has gone to WSBK and failed. Examples of the opposite abound.

- Tony Elias
- James Toseland part Deux
- Haga (breaks my heart)
- Ant West

Also, what US Kid who rides bikes grows up saying "I want to race in a European based Championship"? - of course they say Moto GP as back in the day, the 500 was the shit any if you rode and won on it, you were a god

Not so much now - Tell me Yourgay is a God for running a bike to the top step that Vale built?

Here is a good article on the issue.
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/749/57...Editorial.aspx

Again MotoGP is not as exciting as WSBK by any means but it sure has the better riders. Spies is a good example given even in this example. He won the WSBK title his rookie season (unheard of) and bumped up to the best overall team in MotoGP for the past 4-5 years and look what he has been able to NOT do with unlimited funds. Again, I'm not taking away from Checas, Maxes, Raes, Melandris since they'll run circles around the fastest guys you and I know in person any day of the week. Unfortunately there are better riders out there, and those riders get recruited to the top buying teams which are all in MotoGP. Money buys the best riders and as long as MotoGP has more of it, they will breed and if not hire the best out there.

I couldnt agree more. Sorry to say but Dovi is .. well... boring. He is consistent but he's not "exciting" and thats that. He needs to start bumping people and start acting more badass to get people excited. Sadly..

Who's checca and who's max? biaggi? Those names used to mean something bro. WSBK is obscure.