GixxerPete

I'm a big fan of Yates and I like Hacking, but I honestly don't think either one could hang in MotoGP.

Hopper is doing well now, but he sure wasn't when he first went over. He's been there what, 6 years now? Longer? So I spose the potential was always there, but it's possible he may have been better off in the long run staying in AMA a year to two longer (and going to Superbike) and actually earning his ride in MotoGP, and being competitve a lot sooner for it.

jwfzr

While I disagree with you about those guys you could not be more right about Hopkins. His did alright in 07 but 07 was the first time he ever finished ahead of his old team mate Kenny Jr. Jr. even beat him on his dads bike in 06.

We'll never get to know how those guys would do against the GP guys, but I've seen enough crossover"GP guys coming over" to know that there is no difference in the talent.

GixxerPete

What crossover GP guys? Hodgson? He won WSBK on the factory Ducati bike in the Ducati Cup era, when it was a given whoever rode the #1 Ducati bike would win. He got owned in MotoGP, and got owned in AMA (on a Ducati, I can still taste the irony) I can't think of anyone else who's been "demoted" to AMA?

If you're talking about the Laguna rounds of MotoGP and wild cards, that's hardly a good indicator.

jwfzr

Yes Hodgson for one,and yes he was the wsbk champion in one of the two worst seasons in motorcycle racing. There have been a couple of others that have raced in the past 5 years as well. Not premier names but I remember a couple of AMA races they were in.There is also that Irish kid that did some wildcard rounds last year and may have a full time ride this year in GP. He's a pretty good rider but only midlevel AMA.

late apex

Jason, you flippin' kill me. No one could take an offhand comment about RLH and run with it to the point that you get a whole board's panties in a bunch like you can.

To you, my brother.

jwfzr

Well the old anti Rossi thing was played out so I had to look else were for entertainment.

cash

Chaz Davies.. I think he will ride and do well in GP at some point.

Buckwheat

It's been said before that change is difficult. No doubt that TC enables faster lap times. Rossi's winning era represented the most exciting time of MotoGP. I really miss the smokey rear tire slide days.

late apex

If you are only talking about the four stroke era, the first year was the best as they tried to figure out the bikes. But if you're talking premier class racing, the Rainey/Schwantz era was by far the most exciting time in the history of the championship. The bikes were impossible to ride and you had two men racing for the title that truely hated each other. Good times.

Buckwheat

I'm going out on a limb here... While the Rainey/Schwantz era was spectacular, I'm going with more recent times just before TC including 500's and 990's. I miss the McCoy slide antics as well as others that could oversteer rear wheel powerslides before the days of TC. The most recent time of the most powerful bikes ever contested in GP before being reeled in with TC. Not so much an argument of famous battles as much as a slam on the lack of excitement associated with traction control.

late apex

I understand what you're saying Thad. But I prefered the days of the unpredictability of the bikes from the Schwantz era. While the power was significantly greater, the power delivery had been tamed by the time you are talking about so that riders could screw on the power and get predictable slides and wheelies. I prefer to watch the skill of riders who had to catch up to the bike as there would be a sudden spike of 50 hp. Just a difference of opinion.

fastfoodfred

I really never saw Chaz Davies as a mid level guy. He was running up front for most of last years Daytona race on a year old bike, on a privateer team, handing it to the factory guys, on a track he had never seen, with a group of guys he had never raced with. I think He was running first or second for a while, too. For the rest of the season, he was consistantly running 5th or 6th. That's not mid pack in my opinion, not when there are 40+ starters.

jwfzr

I guess what i really should have said was compared to the factory boys and big effort privateer teams"which he was a part of" he was no doubt fast but not as fast as many others in AMA. So why does he get a shot at GP? There are certainly faster guys in the AMa and WSBK. Again my point is emphasized with a gp team getting this guy who was not a top AMA guy therefore I as anyone can see the talent level in GP is no better then AMA.