In the last month or so we have heard the shocking news that Honda are one of the mighty forces in motor racing that have been severely hit by the credit crunch. First came the withdrawal from F1, which came as a shock in itself, but now MCN last week revealed that Honda may not have much of a future in Moto GP either.
With the financial dilemma hitting all the big businesses hard everywhere you look, it somehow doesn't seem right that Honda seem to have been struck the hardest. Such a successful company in producing motor vehicles for the road and the race track, could we be on the brink of losing one of the most synonymous manufacturers in motor sport?
It's anyone's guess what the future holds for motor racing in the current economic climate, but ITV's F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes that Honda pulling out of F1 could trigger more teams to make such a bold decision to quit top flight motor racing. One thing is for sure, if the crisis is enough to send Honda packing then I'm sure there are plenty more manufacturers that are on the same exit path in order for their co-operation to survive.
The latest news to come out of the Honda camp is that the AMA Superbike team has pulled the plug leaving Britain's Neil Hodgson out of a job along with a load of team mechanics and technicians.
It seems the credit crunch takes no prisoners and not even the super powers in motor sport are exempt. Lord only knows who will be it's next victim!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Last one of the year!
As the year draws to a close, December 6 marked my last test for RSR Racing this year. With weather not playing ball as usual at this time of year it was no different at Mallory Park.
With proceeding delayed until just before midday due to ice on the track my first session was suitably steady. One of the riders suggested that we run a wet compound front to maximise the grip from the wet and slippery Mallory Park surface. With track conditions hardly offering us an opportunity to improve on our quickest times, and not having ridden on wet tyres before I decided it would be a valuable experience.
My first session was suitably steady and the rest of the day was a bit like learning the track again, guessing where the grip was. With no major moments the day went steady, until the last session of the day.
Pushing my luck resulted in a rear end slide at Edwina's, followed by an ambitious overtaking attempt that nearly landed me face first on the grass. The last session of the day the track was in it's best condition and despite being part of a handful of riders who were black flagged for dark visors due to the fading light, I quickly got back on track to make the most of it.
I was then part of a mini race after gradually catching up to two riders going quite well. After sitting behind them for a handful of laps I found where I was a little bit quicker and went to pass the rider in front at the chicane. However I left my braking a little bit late and was heading for a two in one corner manoeuvre, which was not the plan. As I squeezed the front brake on more and more I decided it wasn't worth risking taking the both of us out. I let off the breaks and went under the leading rider and straight across the unforgiving saturated grass. I managed to keep the Yamaha upright and made it back to the tarmac having felt like a bit of an arsehole' for ruining our dabble.
Never the less we learn by our mistakes and hopefully I will have got them out of the way by early next year. My Birthday and Christmas has brought me a chest protector and a new pair of Alpinestar boots, which look way too good for me to wear. Roll on the new year when the weather brightens up and the talking stops!
With proceeding delayed until just before midday due to ice on the track my first session was suitably steady. One of the riders suggested that we run a wet compound front to maximise the grip from the wet and slippery Mallory Park surface. With track conditions hardly offering us an opportunity to improve on our quickest times, and not having ridden on wet tyres before I decided it would be a valuable experience.
My first session was suitably steady and the rest of the day was a bit like learning the track again, guessing where the grip was. With no major moments the day went steady, until the last session of the day.
Pushing my luck resulted in a rear end slide at Edwina's, followed by an ambitious overtaking attempt that nearly landed me face first on the grass. The last session of the day the track was in it's best condition and despite being part of a handful of riders who were black flagged for dark visors due to the fading light, I quickly got back on track to make the most of it.
I was then part of a mini race after gradually catching up to two riders going quite well. After sitting behind them for a handful of laps I found where I was a little bit quicker and went to pass the rider in front at the chicane. However I left my braking a little bit late and was heading for a two in one corner manoeuvre, which was not the plan. As I squeezed the front brake on more and more I decided it wasn't worth risking taking the both of us out. I let off the breaks and went under the leading rider and straight across the unforgiving saturated grass. I managed to keep the Yamaha upright and made it back to the tarmac having felt like a bit of an arsehole' for ruining our dabble.
Never the less we learn by our mistakes and hopefully I will have got them out of the way by early next year. My Birthday and Christmas has brought me a chest protector and a new pair of Alpinestar boots, which look way too good for me to wear. Roll on the new year when the weather brightens up and the talking stops!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
A little bit disappointed Rossi.
After the finale at Valencia it was hard to accept that the season had finally finished and that there is so long to wait before it's return. I was intrigued to read all the post season comments from all the riders until I stumbled across a story in MCN about Valentino Rossi wanting to keep the wall between him and Lorenzo up in the Fiat Yamaha garage.
Disappointed is a light way of putting it if I'm honest. I am a huge Rossi fan and one of the main things I love about him is his refusal to be arrogant. However this unnecessary divide in the Yamaha garage has really put a dampener on my admiration for the Italian. At the end of the day Lorenzo is a young and very talented rider who could do with some advice from Rossi, and I thought Rossi could accept in good faith the threat the Spaniard poses to him. Even so I still see this act as a little pitiful.
I have followed Rossi through most of the controversy, such as switching tyre manufacturer, knocking Sete Gibernau off the circuit at Jerez 2004 to name a couple, but I thought he was better than to go about his business in such a manner. I'm sure Lorenzo won't lose any sleep over it and he shouldn't either. If anything the likeable Spaniard will see it as a compliment that the eight times World Champion wants to keep himself to himself out of fear.
Never the less a Rossi fan I remain and unless James Toseland or Nicky Hayden are fighting for the Championship next year then he will have my unconditional support. Lets just hope that Lorenzo doesn't come back to bite Rossi and give him a real good reason to keep that wall up.
Disappointed is a light way of putting it if I'm honest. I am a huge Rossi fan and one of the main things I love about him is his refusal to be arrogant. However this unnecessary divide in the Yamaha garage has really put a dampener on my admiration for the Italian. At the end of the day Lorenzo is a young and very talented rider who could do with some advice from Rossi, and I thought Rossi could accept in good faith the threat the Spaniard poses to him. Even so I still see this act as a little pitiful.
I have followed Rossi through most of the controversy, such as switching tyre manufacturer, knocking Sete Gibernau off the circuit at Jerez 2004 to name a couple, but I thought he was better than to go about his business in such a manner. I'm sure Lorenzo won't lose any sleep over it and he shouldn't either. If anything the likeable Spaniard will see it as a compliment that the eight times World Champion wants to keep himself to himself out of fear.
Never the less a Rossi fan I remain and unless James Toseland or Nicky Hayden are fighting for the Championship next year then he will have my unconditional support. Lets just hope that Lorenzo doesn't come back to bite Rossi and give him a real good reason to keep that wall up.
Single make tyre rule is here!
Last week marked the end of yet another era in Moto GP as the paddock headed to Jerez for their first test at the Spanish circuit with the single make tyre rule in place.
It has already had praise from Valentino Rossi, which can't be a bad thing and if it means closer racing as a result then bring it on! I just hope that everyone adapts to the tyres as well as Rossi otherwise there will be an even bigger gulf in the field and the whole concept would be a waste of time for 2009.
I'd like to think that it won't be a problem seen as how Dani Pedrosa adapted so well with his mid-season switch from Michelin tyres to Bridgestone last season but it is too early to tell. Andrea Dovizioso certainly got a chance to see what the Repsol Honda can do with the new Bridgestone tyres at Jerez by his team-mate, but I cant see it being long before the Italian gets to grips with them and starts giving Pedrosa a hard time.
The Jerez test concludes 2008 so now we all have to wait for February to get our next dose of what we can expect next season. Roll on Spring!
It has already had praise from Valentino Rossi, which can't be a bad thing and if it means closer racing as a result then bring it on! I just hope that everyone adapts to the tyres as well as Rossi otherwise there will be an even bigger gulf in the field and the whole concept would be a waste of time for 2009.
I'd like to think that it won't be a problem seen as how Dani Pedrosa adapted so well with his mid-season switch from Michelin tyres to Bridgestone last season but it is too early to tell. Andrea Dovizioso certainly got a chance to see what the Repsol Honda can do with the new Bridgestone tyres at Jerez by his team-mate, but I cant see it being long before the Italian gets to grips with them and starts giving Pedrosa a hard time.
The Jerez test concludes 2008 so now we all have to wait for February to get our next dose of what we can expect next season. Roll on Spring!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Not bad, not bad at all!
Last month I found myself at Mallory Park again this time on an ACU Wednesday with RSR racing for a test. All this still being new to me I was as usual quite nervous and seeing most of the British superstock setups next to us in the garages didn't help.
After passing the initial trial the aim was to get down to a 1 minute dead lap consistently and anything beyond that would be fantastic. However first session out came close to a nightmare. I was put into the faster of the two groups and I couldn't help but feel a little bit out of my depth. Superstock riders came past me like I was on stop and I started asking myself, "what am I doing here?".
It wasn't long before I found myself riding my luck more than the bike as I came out of the last corner well and truly out of the seat. Coming out of the tight chicane and down the hill I hooked third gear as the rear was fighting for grip, however the kick up to third was not hard enough and the R6 slipped out and back into second.
I have only high sided once before on circuit and that was at Donington park due to a wasted rear tyre and my ignorance in coming in to get it changed got myself a one way ticket to the gravel trap that day. So here I was at Mallory Park and thinking here we go again but the R6 relented and let me back into the saddle for another chance.
I got back to the pits disappointed, angry and with my confidence shot. After a prep talk from my team boss Roger Stuart and a good kick up the backside from my dad I was ready for session two. I had met my target of a 1 minute dead lap in session one but I done a good job of nearly ending the day early at the same time. Plenty of room for improvement then.
Second session went well as I got more confident and conversant with the Yamaha. Knee planted around Gerrards always gives you confidence and from there on I didn't look back all day. I ended up lapping consistently in the 59's which was fantastic. Best thing of all I was passing a few people which I didn't think would be happening that often.
Overall it was a big learning curve but I learnt more there in one day than I would learn in a year of trackdays. The ACU Wednesday give me a good perception of what is expected of me next season and from January onwards my training regime is going to get serious. I have another test coming up shortly and yes, I am nervous!
After passing the initial trial the aim was to get down to a 1 minute dead lap consistently and anything beyond that would be fantastic. However first session out came close to a nightmare. I was put into the faster of the two groups and I couldn't help but feel a little bit out of my depth. Superstock riders came past me like I was on stop and I started asking myself, "what am I doing here?".
It wasn't long before I found myself riding my luck more than the bike as I came out of the last corner well and truly out of the seat. Coming out of the tight chicane and down the hill I hooked third gear as the rear was fighting for grip, however the kick up to third was not hard enough and the R6 slipped out and back into second.
I have only high sided once before on circuit and that was at Donington park due to a wasted rear tyre and my ignorance in coming in to get it changed got myself a one way ticket to the gravel trap that day. So here I was at Mallory Park and thinking here we go again but the R6 relented and let me back into the saddle for another chance.
I got back to the pits disappointed, angry and with my confidence shot. After a prep talk from my team boss Roger Stuart and a good kick up the backside from my dad I was ready for session two. I had met my target of a 1 minute dead lap in session one but I done a good job of nearly ending the day early at the same time. Plenty of room for improvement then.
Second session went well as I got more confident and conversant with the Yamaha. Knee planted around Gerrards always gives you confidence and from there on I didn't look back all day. I ended up lapping consistently in the 59's which was fantastic. Best thing of all I was passing a few people which I didn't think would be happening that often.
Overall it was a big learning curve but I learnt more there in one day than I would learn in a year of trackdays. The ACU Wednesday give me a good perception of what is expected of me next season and from January onwards my training regime is going to get serious. I have another test coming up shortly and yes, I am nervous!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fully behind the Kentucky Kid
It was another good display at Sepang for Nicky Hayden as he finished a solid fourth after a great battle with his Repsol Honda successor next year.
Just watching Hayden close down Dovizioso you could tell it was like a red rag to a bull and every ounce of me knew that Nicky would have a good go like we know he can. Nicky got by the Italian rider but could not make it stick and after making an error Nicky could only get within a whisker of Dovizioso by the chequered flag.
I am a huge fan of the Kentucky Kid and believe that he has had a hard time at Honda since his championship winning year. I have never for one minute thought that Hayden has lost motivation or that his Moto GP title was a fluke but next year could be a make or break season for him. I think the Ducati will suit his all out action style but one will not put a lot of money on it after the terrible season Marco Melandri has had onboard the screaming Desmosedici.
Nicky has had some inspirational performances onboard the Respol since the new era of 800cc came around, my particular favourite was Assen 2007 coming from way back on the grid and tracking Valentino Rossi to come through and score a podium after Valentino went into Rossi mode to outride Casey Stoner. Nicky needs a strong finish to the season and a real good start in 2009 and I think he’s got more world titles in him.
Just watching Hayden close down Dovizioso you could tell it was like a red rag to a bull and every ounce of me knew that Nicky would have a good go like we know he can. Nicky got by the Italian rider but could not make it stick and after making an error Nicky could only get within a whisker of Dovizioso by the chequered flag.
I am a huge fan of the Kentucky Kid and believe that he has had a hard time at Honda since his championship winning year. I have never for one minute thought that Hayden has lost motivation or that his Moto GP title was a fluke but next year could be a make or break season for him. I think the Ducati will suit his all out action style but one will not put a lot of money on it after the terrible season Marco Melandri has had onboard the screaming Desmosedici.
Nicky has had some inspirational performances onboard the Respol since the new era of 800cc came around, my particular favourite was Assen 2007 coming from way back on the grid and tracking Valentino Rossi to come through and score a podium after Valentino went into Rossi mode to outride Casey Stoner. Nicky needs a strong finish to the season and a real good start in 2009 and I think he’s got more world titles in him.
Simply unstoppable
I found myself sitting watching MotoGP once again on Sunday morning anticipating a red hot race between the world champion and poleman Pedrosa. After a lightening start from the Spaniard I thought, ‘great stuff now at least Rossi needs to work for it.’ However once again Rossi made the most sensational things he does on a motorcycle look so easy it makes me speechless every time.
After stalking Pedrosa for the first stint in the race Rossi pulled off an outrageous out braking manoeuvre on Pedrosa that seemed even too late for Rossi. Once again he made the apex and convincingly pulled away from the Repsol Honda rider. If there is one thing I will give Casey Stoner is that he has the fight in him to make it hard for Rossi but Pedrosa seems to have everything in abundance but this battling element to him. At Laguna Seca Pedrosa would not have lasted a lap in that Scrap between the Italian and Australian and we are yet to see a fairing bashing performance from Pedrosa.
Then again Pedrosa summed it up in a post race interview with the BBC in saying Rossi seems to find that extra something in the race that lets him have the last say. After that display in Sepang I think it's fair to say he was simply unstoppable this weekend.
After stalking Pedrosa for the first stint in the race Rossi pulled off an outrageous out braking manoeuvre on Pedrosa that seemed even too late for Rossi. Once again he made the apex and convincingly pulled away from the Repsol Honda rider. If there is one thing I will give Casey Stoner is that he has the fight in him to make it hard for Rossi but Pedrosa seems to have everything in abundance but this battling element to him. At Laguna Seca Pedrosa would not have lasted a lap in that Scrap between the Italian and Australian and we are yet to see a fairing bashing performance from Pedrosa.
Then again Pedrosa summed it up in a post race interview with the BBC in saying Rossi seems to find that extra something in the race that lets him have the last say. After that display in Sepang I think it's fair to say he was simply unstoppable this weekend.
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