Colin's take on the tires, etc.

From an interview in CN after the last race:

CN: He's [Rossi] going to be announced on Bridgestone next year. That
leaves you, Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland on Michelins. Are you happy
with that?

CE: Kind of, yeah. I can't run Valentino's tires. And to get him off of
Michelin to where me and James and Nicky and Pedrosa, Lorenzo, we can
kind of develop what we want. Nobody can run Valentino's tires.

CN: Why is that?

CE: The guy grew up on minimotos. Minimotos and 125s and just stiff and
hard stuff - like riding a piece of concrete. And he's just so
accustomed to that that he's carried that through. I started on
superbikes and was on superbikes for 10 years or something. I want
something with a bit of play, a bit of cush... information. I try to
ride his tires and I'm like a second and a half slower than on what I
normally use. I just can't get any traction on the ground. But you know,
Pedrosa can't use his tires. Pedrosa doesn't use it, Nicky doesn't use
it. Nobody uses his stuff. So, yeah, is it good for us? I think, yeah. I
think it's good he's going to Bridgestone, simply for the development of
Bridgestone.

CN: Hayden's response was that Bridgestone has another good guy
developing their tires.

CE: Obviously, we know the circumstances about Bridgestone and how
Valentino got Bridgestones. I don't think Bridgestone is going to be
overly concerned in developing the number-one best Yamaha tire on the
planet. I think it's going to be, "Here's the Suzuki, the Kawi, the
Ducati tire; take your pick of which one works on your bike." At the end
of the day, Stoner and Bridgestone and Ducati, they're going to lead
most of the development.


Colin also talked a lot about the problems with the '07 Yamaha, leading
one to the conclusion that they have been in one of their reduced
efforts periods, the same thing Roberts and Lawson and Rainey complained
about in the past. And he also talked about going to Tech3 with an open
mind and ready to try different things. Given the Sepang test times,
breaking the lap record on race tires, things seem to be working pretty
well for him at this point, and he felt Michelin "have made a big jump,
especially here. They are working and it's good".

And it's okay for Toseland, having satisfied himself that he can race
with these guys, although maybe not quite so good for Lorenzo, who's
still trying to adjust, oddly saying, "I'm concentrating on changing my
riding style to brake later and slow my midcorner speed. I'm still too
fast and rising the bike too much like a 250."

CN also goes into The Rossi Threat to Yemakeh, ready to retire or jump
to Ducati or something after 2009 if they can't deliver a bike that can
deliver him back to the front. And apparently similar attitude from
Pedrosa, on whom CN says, "And Hayden's teammate Dani Pedrosa didn't
even show in Malaysia and says he won't until vast improvements are
made" [in the 2008 machine]. Apparently HRC also said Hayden could skip
this test as well, but his comment is, "After the season I had, the last
thinhg I deserved were a few extra days of vacation. I would have felt
guilty to stay at home and not do some work." I guess it's a question of
sense of entitlement and leverage with your employer.

Already shaping up to be an interesting offseason...

here's my prediction: rossi's put himself in a tough spot. i'll go
out on a limb and say he'll never again be motogp world champion.

i have a hard time believing bridgestone, given their <ahem>
reluctance to take on rossi, will make big efforts to make tires
specifically to his liking. michelin seem to have alot of determined
guys still on their rubber and riding good honda hardware to
challenge.

yamaha doesnt appear to be investing as they were during the 990 era,
what with their 50th anniversary already passing with a world title
safely captured. if things dont turn around for yamaha in 2008, rossi
and burgess are gone...but to where? they'd demand a team showing
promise and potential.

honda? no chance! been there, done that. plus, pride would never
let that happen...from both honda and rossi's end.

think suzuki can realistically make a run? they've made alot of
progress lately and seem to be going in the right direction
technically and financially, but they seem to have made a committment
to younger talent with vermeulen, and spies waiting in the wings. and
they already have an over-the-hill italian on the squad!

similarly ducati have gone "young" with stoner and melandri. although
i'm sure room could be made for rossi on an i-talian team, if only to
create serious buzz and make some money.

kawi? i dont think they've shown enough for a guy like rossi to even
be interested.

just some late nite rambling...

-w

On Nov 22, 12:56 pm, Mark N <menusb... RemoveThis @NYETSPAMearthlink.net> wrote:
> From an interview in CN after the last race:
>
> CN: He's [Rossi] going to be announced on Bridgestone next year. That
> leaves you, Jorge Lorenzo and James Toseland on Michelins. Are you happy
> with that?
>
> CE: Kind of, yeah. I can't run Valentino's tires. And to get him off of
> Michelin to where me and James and Nicky and Pedrosa, Lorenzo, we can
> kind of develop what we want. Nobody can run Valentino's tires.
>
> CN: Why is that?
>
> CE: The guy grew up on minimotos. Minimotos and 125s and just stiff and
> hard stuff - like riding a piece of concrete. And he's just so
> accustomed to that that he's carried that through. I started on
> superbikes and was on superbikes for 10 years or something. I want
> something with a bit of play, a bit of cush... information. I try to
> ride his tires and I'm like a second and a half slower than on what I
> normally use. I just can't get any traction on the ground. But you know,
> Pedrosa can't use his tires. Pedrosa doesn't use it, Nicky doesn't use
> it. Nobody uses his stuff. So, yeah, is it good for us? I think, yeah. I
> think it's good he's going to Bridgestone, simply for the development of
> Bridgestone.
>
> CN: Hayden's response was that Bridgestone has another good guy
> developing their tires.
>
> CE: Obviously, we know the circumstances about Bridgestone and how
> Valentino got Bridgestones. I don't think Bridgestone is going to be
> overly concerned in developing the number-one best Yamaha tire on the
> planet. I think it's going to be, "Here's the Suzuki, the Kawi, the
> Ducati tire; take your pick of which one works on your bike." At the end
> of the day, Stoner and Bridgestone and Ducati, they're going to lead
> most of the development.
>
> Colin also talked a lot about the problems with the '07 Yamaha, leading
> one to the conclusion that they have been in one of their reduced
> efforts periods, the same thing Roberts and Lawson and Rainey complained
> about in the past. And he also talked about going to Tech3 with an open
> mind and ready to try different things. Given the Sepang test times,
> breaking the lap record on race tires, things seem to be working pretty
> well for him at this point, and he felt Michelin "have made a big jump,
> especially here. They are working and it's good".
>
> And it's okay for Toseland, having satisfied himself that he can race
> with these guys, although maybe not quite so good for Lorenzo, who's
> still trying to adjust, oddly saying, "I'm concentrating on changing my
> riding style to brake later and slow my midcorner speed. I'm still too
> fast and rising the bike too much like a 250."
>
> CN also goes into The Rossi Threat to Yemakeh, ready to retire or jump
> to Ducati or something after 2009 if they can't deliver a bike that can
> deliver him back to the front. And apparently similar attitude from
> Pedrosa, on whom CN says, "And Hayden's teammate Dani Pedrosa didn't
> even show in Malaysia and says he won't until vast improvements are
> made" [in the 2008 machine]. Apparently HRC also said Hayden could skip
> this test as well, but his comment is, "After the season I had, the last
> thinhg I deserved were a few extra days of vacation. I would have felt
> guilty to stay at home and not do some work." I guess it's a question of
> sense of entitlement and leverage with your employer.
>
> Already shaping up to be an interesting offseason...