Anyone else talking RACING?! <--- of the motorcycle type

https://youtu.be/CLxSXsRQIUw
Just because


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Johnny Rea is still the shit! Great races both. So many lead changes with different manufactures. Marco looked pretty good for a year off. The Ducs should be limited on their displacement! Chaz is going to be battling for the front every race. If Lowes had a bit more power the Yamaha would be in the front mix more. As it was he lead a bunch of laps. The Ape looks strong again and MV is making improvements. Honda..........? Not so much, mid packer at best. Going to watch SS tonight.

 

Agreed Drew, he said this year "I just want to stick it to the opposition" ..... which he did

Some very tidy passing by all, some very close but safe ...that's what racing should be about

As for restricting the Ducati, remember when Triumph were limited to 500cc against the 750 Harleys??

Or when Honda announced they'd have to move their R&D for the MotoGP bikes forward by 5 years after their return and failure to beat the Ducati?

If it makes for good racing and road bikes I'm all for leaving it alone

 

Lets bring back Honda's oval pistons too! lol
Perhaps a restrictor plate for the Ducati's like they do here in the left hand turning NASCAR racing. I did not get to watch the Super Sport races, hope they were good too.

 

The Supersport races were very good, much changing of lead .... someone needs to learn not to fall off, twice

Yamaha thought they'd sorted the bike out for WSB but it's not there yet, Alex Lowes got it to the front of the Kawasaki and Ducati only to be left on the start/finish line as the top speed wasn't there

Honda left supplying the bikes to the team too late, the last test session in Portugal left Haydn and Bradl wondering what the point was, they had nothing but problems ..... it showed in the race, just like MotoGP the engine has aggressive power delivery in the wrong places

Of the cuff remark from Honda crew Oz "Jeez, there's a roll of TIG wire been added to that frame" referring to the additional bracing the frame needed, which must inspire confidence

 

Spot on John.

 

Don't know if I like the new rule change in WSBK.
JR wins first race and has to start 6th second race.
Guess if you're him it really didn't matter.
I say it's going to come down to Chaz, Lowes and JR this season--- hope he gets his third


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You mean 9th... And no, it didn't matter... We'll see at some other tracks.

 

The new starts make no real difference, if you're quick it doesn't take long to get to the front

Only downside is the chance of being caught up in a first corner collision

There were some pretty dramatic crashes at Philp Island, good to see nobody hurt in the races

 

It was some fine very clean racing.

Duc don't underestimate Marco, that little fucker is fast and fearless.

Echo think Duc is right, 6th position on the second row.

 

I know, love the ear ta ear grin and great to see him out mixing it up--- to early to even think about it--- it was wishful thinking on my part--- lots of real fast guys this year, we'll see what pans out. Sure hope Honda gets there shit together


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With team Honda getting the new bike so late, development is way behind. And Nicky is decent at development.

 

Ya hope the Nickster with all his expertise gets a handle on it quick. Or just needs the rain more often


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Here is confirmation of Rea starting in 9th: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/m...s/news-story/29fd7bc9f7951d2edf7665d60f60cab9

"The results come after a reverse grid format saw Rea, as Race 1 winner, moved to ninth on the grid."

And here is tutorial on how it works (watch the video with graphics): http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news/2017/Phillip+Island+Race+2+Grid+Explained

 

Exactly right, front row gets inverted to the 3rd row for Race 2.

 

That's fucked up. Getting fucking demoted for winning and then giving fourth place the pole position? That's some damned common core bullshit right there

 

That makes his 2nd race win all the more impressive. Thanks.

 

Your right, thought it was 6th not 9th--- still very impressive for JR, but like Lint said--- I call bullshit


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I wonder why we both thought he was in 6th. 2 rows back is huge. That makes a double win even more coveted than before. I wonder how many doubles we will see this year. A lot less I'm sure.

 

Tracks where passing is harder will make it tougher for sure. You still have a whole race to get there, but if the field is tight on race pace, and there's say less than half a second between 1st and 9th on the race 1 grid, it'll make for some interesting racing. Philip Island is a fast, flowing track, with several good passing zones, and good drafting (slip-streaming) on the long straight; easier to make up positions there. On some of the tighter, technical tracks, especially with no long straights, and a close field, could take many laps to pass even one rider - then tire conservation becomes a bigger issue too, because you may burn up too much tire making the run to catch up, to have enough left in the end.

Also, if someone starts to break away, it'll put more pressure to move up quicker... Probably not an issue for an old pro, who knows they can be patient and bide their time, but a younger, aggressive rider? Gentlemanly passes may not give you a win in those cases, so if aggression starts to cause safety issues, they may have to rethink it...

But, with the egos involved, they'll probably just penalize riders and try to squash it. In an interview with race direction in the pre-season show, they hinted at bigger grid changes possible in the next couple year, so if it works, they may do even more of this mess, vs. less.