BOOORING. *Yawn*
WTF happened to MotoGP? The first years of the 1000cc 4-stroke motors were great but since the 800cc class and the increasing reliance on TC the racing action just sucks. At least compared to SBK, which has at least the same importance of electronics.
MotoGP has no balance system to increase the competition, its why Suzuki and Kawasaki left. It is more like an arms race, where who has the most money to spend wins, and of course only Honda distantly followed by Yamaha can afford it. Ducati does it because they have enough sponsorship and their senior management are all true enthusiast who feel it is vital to the brand to stay at the "top level" of racing. Maybe with their recent results and Audi's ownership that might change.
Carmelo Ezpeleta has lost the plot. Dumbing down SBK with the recently-released 2014 specifications, trying to make MotoGP the crown jewel with 3 manufacturers and a second on-track class of CRT bikes, while SBK is far and away the best show with 6 manufacturers competing hard just defies logic (Yamaha will return with their new 3-cylinder R1). I can understand the dumbing down of SBK, especially when Carlos Checa's pole time for the 2013 Philip Island round would have placed him on the front row of last year's MotoGP race. MotoGP is just a shadow of its former self and needs new management and radical changes to get it to be nearly as good a show as SBK, SSP and STK.
IMHO, MotoGP is not even necessary. SBK is already a great show and the bikes are just a tick slower. SBK bikes are obviously closer to what can be bought on showroom floors around the world. Since the SBK lap times are so close and the top speeds essentially equal, what is the point? F1 vs. production-based car racing has vastly different performance, but motorcycles aren't nearly as different.
If I had my druthers, just do away with MotoGP and open up the rules a bit for SBK. Innovation could still occur and trickle-down to production bikes and the manufacturers could save significant marketing money and lower the prices of their bikes or add more features/better parts, or both.
Likely never to happen, but what's your opinion?
WTF happened to MotoGP? The first years of the 1000cc 4-stroke motors were great but since the 800cc class and the increasing reliance on TC the racing action just sucks. At least compared to SBK, which has at least the same importance of electronics.
MotoGP has no balance system to increase the competition, its why Suzuki and Kawasaki left. It is more like an arms race, where who has the most money to spend wins, and of course only Honda distantly followed by Yamaha can afford it. Ducati does it because they have enough sponsorship and their senior management are all true enthusiast who feel it is vital to the brand to stay at the "top level" of racing. Maybe with their recent results and Audi's ownership that might change.
Carmelo Ezpeleta has lost the plot. Dumbing down SBK with the recently-released 2014 specifications, trying to make MotoGP the crown jewel with 3 manufacturers and a second on-track class of CRT bikes, while SBK is far and away the best show with 6 manufacturers competing hard just defies logic (Yamaha will return with their new 3-cylinder R1). I can understand the dumbing down of SBK, especially when Carlos Checa's pole time for the 2013 Philip Island round would have placed him on the front row of last year's MotoGP race. MotoGP is just a shadow of its former self and needs new management and radical changes to get it to be nearly as good a show as SBK, SSP and STK.
IMHO, MotoGP is not even necessary. SBK is already a great show and the bikes are just a tick slower. SBK bikes are obviously closer to what can be bought on showroom floors around the world. Since the SBK lap times are so close and the top speeds essentially equal, what is the point? F1 vs. production-based car racing has vastly different performance, but motorcycles aren't nearly as different.
If I had my druthers, just do away with MotoGP and open up the rules a bit for SBK. Innovation could still occur and trickle-down to production bikes and the manufacturers could save significant marketing money and lower the prices of their bikes or add more features/better parts, or both.
Likely never to happen, but what's your opinion?
