The Land of the Raising Sun or where Ducati conquered the World?

[JerryMather]

Will the boy in Red show those Asian manufactures what the Italians can do on a shoe string this Sunday ...........

or will he wait until he gets back home to celebrate?

 

Speed

 

I think it'll happen back home instead of this weekend.

[90%angel]

I don't know; Loris has run really well (and indeed won) at Motegi the last two races there, so I'm thinking Casey can easily take the win, if everything is working properly. If he wins this race, doesn't he cinch the title?

[JerryMather]

If he wins this race, doesn't he cinch the title?

 

He sure does.

 

Superbike Planet

[ghaverkamp]

He sure does.

 

After years of Rossi, surely it was time for a string of one-hit wonders.

[90%angel]

surely it was time for a string of one-hit wonders.

 

Ooh, nicely done...in one sentence, simultaneously dissing both my and Jerry's favorites!!

[EffBee]

Only slightly off-topic, but it seems to me that Honda has really gone off-song in motorsports lately and perhaps needs to revamp its approach.

 

No longer the performance leader in MotoGP

 

No longer the performance leader in Formula 1

 

No longer the performance leader in AMA Superbike

 

No longer the performance leader in World Superbike (yes, the title this year is likely, but only because of Bayliss being injured).

 

Honda's approach has seemed to me to be one of complexity vs. simplicity. And while it may be a great proving ground for future engineers and for engineering concepts, as a racing function there is a line crossed after which too much complexity only gets in the way.

 

Others, often funded by limited external funds, have had to learn to do more with less. This leads to creative solutions, not complex solutions. As such, simpler. Honda has a different approach. Witness Nicky's clutch problems last year, and the choke they put on him with their electronic traction "wizardry" through most of this year.

 

Perhaps a half decade of learning to do it without spending so much for it would bring back to Honda the mental disciplines that other competitive teams seem to continue to sharpen while Honda attempts to spend its way to success.

 

And yes, while the tires were a factor, Rossi has proven you can win on Michelins.

 

I'm not condemning Honda. Just wondering if they haven't gotten too ingrained in, "We are Honda and we've always done it this way."

 

Then again, all this racing may be nothing more than school for their future engineering leaders, with sincere but non-fervent lip service paid to "winning."

[IanW]

I don't know; Loris has run really well (and indeed won) at Motegi the last two races there, so I'm thinking Casey can easily take the win, if everything is working properly. If he wins this race, doesn't he cinch the title?

 

Lisa

If Casey finishes in front of Vale he wins the title.

Ian