| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresul ts/World-Superbikes/2009/December/dec1109-mladin-l inked-with-bmw-wsb-ride/ But at age 37... is he past his prime? Or does he still have it? | ||
| Rasta_dog |
Mladin may be testing and racing WSB with BMW. When Yoshimura announced that they were fielding a team I wondered to myself if Mat would be offered another go at it. That's cool. | ||
| Trojan |
King James has some awfully big boots to fill next year... how do you think he'll do, Matt? I fully expect Crutchlow to tbe the top Yamaha rider in WSB next year and feel he could also fight for the title. Cal is only in WSB because Yamaha wouldn't release him from his contract (He wanted to race in Moto2 with Gresini but Yamaha held him to his second year), so I expect him to only do one season in WSB and to make it a good one  He is more than a match for Toseland and more importantly will always give 110% regardless of whether the bike is at 100%, whereas James tends to do well only when the bike is perfect. | ||
| Jaimec |
Just read that the WSS bikes were turning quicker lap times than the Moto2 bikes... what's up with THAT?? | ||
| Trojan |
From Motomatters.com Stiggy Racing may be no more but team owner Johan Stigefelt has reportedly wasted no time in securing gainful employment for 2010. Stigefelt is tipped to step into the role of technical director of the increasingly interesting Reitwagen Racing BMW privateer team. Stigefelt will also bring ex 500GP and WSBK rider Peter Goddard with him from Stiggy racing to fill the role of suspension specialist. Reitwagen will also bring another rider on board to team with Roland Resch but that individual will likely not be recently retired 7-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin, who allegedly could not agree to terms with team manager Andy Werth. Resch claims that Makoto Tamada and John Hopkins are under consideration, but as far as he knows, no agreement has been formalized. Seems Mladin thinks he is worth more than the market is willing to pay him in WSB  | ||
| Liquorwhere |
Seems Mladin thinks he is worth more than the market is willing to pay him in WSB While I am not a big fan of Mladin, he is worth every penny..and he knows it. BMW would do well to sign that guy and give him all the support he needs and that program will improve. He is one of the most driven racers I have ever seen, completely difficult to deal with, stubborn and vicious, and yet so driven to win that it makes those around him better just trying to beat him for spite. Read the interview on SuperbikePlanet with Ben Spies, he will tell you the training ground he came from, Mladin would help that program. Hopkins can only get by so long on "potential" while not being able to deliver the goods. That guy is the one that is not worth the money, a crasher that blames everyone around him for why the bike cannot win races, whiney little bitch if you want my six pence....but if you don't...skip that last bit there | ||
| Jaimec |
Remember... until this past year, nobody thought Ben Spies was worth the money he was asking for either. | ||
| Trojan |
Remember... until this past year, nobody thought Ben Spies was worth the money he was asking for either. But at least with Spies you are paying for the riding. With Mladin you'd have to pay for all the whinging and moaning and 'bad attitude' that he carries with him. I'd rather keep WSB as a more 'good natured and friendly' kind of paddock than have Mladin around. I also think that he would be in for a rude awakening if he came to WSB on the BMW for a private team and expected to get the same treatment and results he got from Suzuki in AMA. Troy Corser has shown that even a hard charging Aussie ex world champion finds it hard to win on the BMW at the moment. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Corser found it hard to win on the R1, while Haga scored many wins, when they were teamates . I personally like Hopkins. He was riding hard on the Suzuki GP bike. Then he made the wrong decision to join Kawasaki, and injured himself while he was trying to go fast on that bike. Hopkins had very bad lack ......... I do not know about the moto2 bikes problems, but I read somewhere that they are using stock engines while testing, that are less tuned than WSS engines. I personaly would like to see Mladin in WSBK, because he is rider that I did not have the chance to watch, and it sound like he is really fast. I also hope Aprilia gets DeAngelis. | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt: WSBK already got Biaggi and he's mellowed (a bit). No reason not to expect the same from Mat. When Mat first rode the GSXR he didn't do that great either but he is recognized for being the one to develop it into the AMA dominant platform it became. Could be he's just the one BMW needs to develop their bike. Former BSB and WSBK champ Neil Hodgson (sp?) didn't believe all the hype about Mladin either... till he got his ass handed to him every single race he was in with him. | ||
| Liquorwhere |
I also think that he would be in for a rude awakening if he came to WSB on the BMW for a private team and expected to get the same treatment and results he got from Suzuki in AMA. Personally I think that rude awakening would be just what the doctor ordered for him...he needs that challenge, he has a burning desire for perfection and I think he would bring that program a long way, in fact I think he would damn near demand it...that guy is no saint, but he is one hell of a talented racer and developer of race bikes. | ||
| Jaimec |
As he's stated many times: He's paid to win races, not popularity contests. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
It seems that Andrew Pit got the private BMW seat. He is a fast rider. I do not think that we will see Mladin in WSBK. | ||
| Babyhuey |
i agree that racers are not paided to win popularity contests but they're just like any other professional athelete, they are the ambassadors to their sport. And should treat their position and the public with appreciation. but like him or not you've gotta admire the mans talent and drive. i wish hodgeson would have gotten a wsbk ride. he was awesome to watch back in the GSE ducati days. | ||
| Trojan |
I do not think that we will see Mladin in WSBK. One of the major problems facing Mladin will be his reputation for petulance, rudeness and irritability, so despite being talented there will be a lot of team managers who really wouldn't think that the potential disruption would be worth the hassle. He wouldn't come cheap either, so it would only be a factory/semi factory team that could afford him. I don't think WSB will suffer because he isn't there next year I think Hodgson will surprise a few doubters next year in BSB, and I hope he gets back to his best form after his injury plagued year in 2009. | ||
| Aeholton |
I think Hodgson will surprise a few doubters next year in BSB, and I hope he gets back to his best form after his injury plagued year in 2009. Me too. As a fan, I've had a couple of opportunities to meet him. Once with my father (an ex-pat Brit) at Barber when he was riding for Ducati. He spent a good 20 minutes chatting with my dad during a busy race weekend. Truly a nice guy. He just needs to stay off the dirt bikes. | ||
| Liquorwhere |
He just needs to stay off the dirt bikes. You my friend are a Philistine....he should do MORE dirt riding...toughen him up a bit | ||
| Aeholton |
You my friend are a Philistine....he should do MORE dirt riding...toughen him up a bit Or quit crashing them. | ||
| Liquorwhere |
Or quit crashing them. Builds character...but yes, it would help to not get hurt during the race season. | ||
| Jaimec |
Another Hayden joins the world stage: http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=39049 | ||
| Liquorwhere |
Davide Tardozzi joins BMW Motorrad WSBK team, they are really serious about being competitive for next season I think. That guy is a phenomenal manager of teams. Better watch out!! The Germans are coming! | ||
| Trojan |
First test times of 2010 are just in from Portugal, and it looks very close indeed Nice to see Leon Haslam leading the charge of the Brit brigade on the Suzuki, although I expect Biaggi and some of the other to get faster during the next 2 days. Crutchlow certainly seems to be more than a match for Toseland in the Yamaha garage too, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out..... 1 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'43.023 2 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'43.158 3 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.364 4 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.530 5 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'43.628 6 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'43.885 7 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'44.028 8 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'44.339 9 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'44.610 10 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'44.630 11 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'44.756 12 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'44.972 13 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'45.034 14 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.142 15 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.144 16 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.866 17 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'45.957 18 12 Fores J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'48.616 19 31 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR 1'48.848 20 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'49.009 | ||
| Vagelis46 |
No matter what most people say, the first day of the first test shows a lot of what we will see in the rest of the season. Remember Spies first test ??? Vermeulen must be feeling a bit nervous !! Some people seem to always make the worst possible choice....... | ||
| Trojan |
Final testing times (all on soft tyres except Biaggi apparently) show it should be a close run season I think the most impressive performance must be that of Cal Crutchlow and tip him for the top this year WSB 1 65 REA Jonathan (GBR) HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1'42.270 2 91 HASLAM Leon (GBR) Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'42.557 3 67 BYRNE Shane (GBR) Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 1'42.877 4 35 CRUTCHLOW Cal (GBR) Yamaha Sterilgarda Team Yamaha YZF R1 1'42.960 5 84 FABRIZIO Michel (ITA) Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 1'43.137 6 52 TOSELAND James (GBR) Yamaha Sterilgarda Team Yamaha YZF R1 1'43.157 7 3 BIAGGI Max (ITA) Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.364 8 41 HAGA Noriyuki (JPN) Ducati Xerox Team Ducati 1098R 1'43.417 9 76 NEUKIRCHNER Max (GER) HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR1000RR 1'43.471 10 50 GUINTOLI Sylvain (FRA) Team Suzuki Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'43.508 11 7 CHECA Carlos (ESP) Althea Racing Ducati 1098R 1'43.629 12 2 CAMIER Leon (GBR) Aprilia Racing Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'43.749 13 11 CORSER Troy (AUS) BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 1'43.931 14 77 VERMEULEN Chris (AUS) Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'44.108 15 66 SYKES Tom (GBR) Kawasaki Racing Team Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'44.365 16 111 XAUS Ruben (ESP) BMW Motorrad Motorsport BMW S1000 RR 1'44.570 17 23 PARKES Broc (AUS) ECHO CRS Grand Prix Honda CBR1000RR 1'44.751 18 31 IANNUZZO Vittorio (ITA) Squadra Corse Italia Honda CBR1000RR 1'45.348 19 95 HAYDEN Roger Lee (USA) Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'46.990 20 12 FORES Javier (ESP) Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'47.293 | ||
| Trojan |
WSS final times: WSS 1 50 LAVERTY Eugene (IRL) Parkalgar Honda Honda CBR600RR 1'45.104 2 26 LASCORZ Joan (ESP) Kawasaki Motocard.com Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'45.292 3 51 PIRRO Michele (ITA) HANNspree Ten Kate Honda Honda CBR600RR 1'45.587 4 117 PRAIA Miguel (POR) Parkalgar Honda Honda CBR600RR 1'45.834 5 37 FUJIWARA Katsuaki (JPN) Kawasaki Motocard.com Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'45.988 6 7 DAVIES Chaz (GBR) ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Triumph Daytona 675 1'46.610 7 99 FORET Fabien (FRA) Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-6R 1'46.836 8 25 SALOM David (ESP) ParkinGO BE1 Triumph Triumph Daytona 675 1'47.054 9 40 DI SALVO Jason (USA) ParkinGO BE1 Triumph Triumph Daytona 675 1'47.773 10 9 DELL'OMO Danilo (ITA) Kuja Racing Honda CBR600RR 1'48.098 11 5 LUNDH Alexander (SWE) Cresto Guide Racing Team Honda CBR600RR 1'49.332 12 16 CHARPENTIER Sébastien (FR ParkinGO Triumph BE1 Triumph Daytona 675 1'49.452 13 33 CAZZOLA Paola (ITA) Kuja Racing Honda CBR600RR 1'49.553 14 8 CHESAUX Bastien (SUI) YZF Yamaha Yamaha YZF R6 1'49.627 Good to see that Chaz Davies and Jason DiSalvo seem to be getting to grips with the Triumphs, but I can't see anyone other than Lascorz challenging Laverty for the title this year | ||
| Trojan |
It appears that, during the superbike tests at Portimao there were certain riders (Haga & Biaggi) complaining to journalists that there were too many British riders in WSB! Funny how it never bothered them that there were too many Spanish or Italian riders in the past........May be something to do with Brits taking 5 of the top 6 times in testing? Roll on Philip Island | ||
| Trojan |
It appears that, during the superbike tests at Portimao there were certain riders (Haga & Biaggi) complaining to journalists that there were too many British riders in WSB! Funny how it never bothered them that there were too many Spanish or Italian riders in the past........May be something to do with Brits taking 5 of the top 6 times in testing? Roll on Philip Island | ||
| Aeholton |
Biaggi would complain about the color of a blue sky on a clear day. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
It is getting close.............. | ||
| Jaimec |
Checa the fastest at the most recent tests. No one appears to be dominating this year (unlike during last year's tests). Should be an interesting season. |
