What Kenny Roberts Jr Says

[Reric]

Duh

These bikes have WOTS on them and who ever has the biggest watermelons hanging will either crash

or win the race. KRJ needs to grow bigger watermelons or quit whining.It looks silly and childish. A 250 could beat these guys if someone could hold the throttle wide open (WOT) all the way around the track. I can't maybe KRJ can't.

reric

[spindizzy]

He deliberately ran into a backmarker while dicing with McCoy for the lead.
That would be stretching the truth more than just a little. He was about 5 seconds behind McCoy - it was Rossi he was losing ground to and struggling to keep 2nd place.

[Louwtjie]

Insane ?



Changes are made to improve things ... why don't they use last years bike ? Cappa is racing on last years model Honda, while Rossi has the new one.



Just remember 1 thing : You don't just order a new engine every year for your YPF or YRF ! The things they change are VERY VERY small ... they can't afford to redesign a whole motor and take a chance on it !



Look how long it's taking the 4-strokes to get up to speed ... it's not even lapping close to the current 2-strokes.



Read my remark again. He won the most races ... because others lost it ! I don't believe he was the best rider ... and don't tell me he's great just because he's got a dad called "senior".



Doohan said it the best: ( after Kenny made his of the map comments on has-beens ) "When you win 5 chanpionships, then I'll listen."

[Louwtjie]

Yes, I'm not a payed 500 2-stroke racer ... so I can say what I please most of the time.



My point still stands:



If last years bike won him the 1'st place ... why is he racing for 6'th now ?



Consider that most of the guys are racing bikes that are more or less the same as last year... only Rossi has a "brand new" Honda.



Also remember that the bike which dyno's out the most horses won't win a race just because of it... the bikes already produce too much power for the tyres to handle... it's how you put the power down that get's you in front.



*think*



*think*



Yep.

[das]

Yup, you're insane. You need to watch the races, and listen to what people are saying, instead of just reading a 3-paragraph blurb about who crashed and what the finishing order was.



Were you watching how easily the Honda's and Yamaha's just whistled past him on the long straight? I'm guessing it has nothing to do with KR's willingness to twist the throttle on a straightaway. His bike just wasn't up to speed.



Roberts won last year because of a number of reasons. There were more than the normal number of wet races last year, and he's very good in the wet. He certainly benefitted from some mistakes by others, but so did everyone else on the grid. And, if you were paying attention, you would know that there hasn't been that much of a change in the equipment quality since last year... Robert's bike wasn't the best bike last year, either. He won the championship by winning when he could, and getting maximum points when he couldn't. In other words... by racing smart. Yes, Roberts really was the best 500GP racer last year, and that is why he won.



That being said... I too, sometimes dislike Roberts' attitude. He sometimes comes off sounding like he deserves to win. That's partly just the attitude of a good racer (many others sound the same way), but it seems like it's partly just his personality. He's got a long, long way to go before anybody starts putting him up there with the likes of Doohan and Agostini, or even KR Sr.



But the fact is he's a damn good racer, and if you can't respect that, why do you even pay any attention to the racing series at all?

[das]

Think. Think. Yep... you're still not paying attention.



There's lots of factors why Roberts won the championship last year, and is racing for 6th spot most races this year. And so far, I haven't seen much evidence that it's either Roberts' brains or bravery that's holding him back this year. It seems to be a combination of things, including (but not limited to):



Rossi is hauling ass more, and crashing less than last.



Biaggi has picked up his pace considerably, too, probably in reaction to Rossi.



Roberts' bike, while altered from last year's, doesn't appear to be any more competitive (it was down on top speed last year, too (note to Louwtjie: we're talking about actual speed on a given straightaway, not horsepower)).



I don't recall Roberts and his team complaining quite as much about their tires last year. Maybe it's just that my memory is fading, but he seemed to be one of the few people NOT complaining a lot about tires last year. This year, that situation seems to be mostly reversed.



But, perhaps the most important factor is... you cannot really compare one season to another so simply. The bikes change. The tires change. The weather changes. The tracks change. The competition changes. Everything changes.



Why do you think they go through 2 days of practice and setup changes before each race? All the big names raced the same manufacturer's 500cc bikes at this track last year, why not just save everybody the time and trouble, and just reuse last year's settings? Because it's not that simple.



Think. Think. Yep.

[crg]

Just saw this race on Speedvision last night. I already knew the results, as I had read them here. Luckily my hotel for the week has speedvision, so I watched anyway. It was a fantastic race to watch, but I kept on hoping that what I knew was going to happen wouldn't.



It took a lot out of Rossi's drive for second, when I was just waiting for him to loose the front on the paint. Still, fun to watch.



Now I know that Speedvision is an acceptable replacement for high-speed internet access...

[Robbed]

More or less the same is not the same. Funny how everyone mentions applying the power, without thinking about it. Honda increased power every year, only to have Doohan rip the engineers a new one. They would then reduce power for better delivery.



Your comments sound like someone who has read a lot of posts, but hasn't been to the track. If the Suzuki was that good, why isn't Gibernau competing? He was at least in the running of a few races last year, and this year he isn't even close.



Every setup changes when the weather changes, so you can't make too many assumptions based on previous races, or years. Note that Computer analysis doesn't exist for motorcycles to the same degree it does with cars. There is a correct way to drive a car, but there are so many variables on a bike, that the setup is different for each rider.



Spend some time at the track, adjust the settings to your liking, then come back a month later. If you ride hard, adjustments will have to be made. Same bike, same rider, same track, but on a different day. Now do that with different riders, different tracks and different weather. Not very simple, and more money (Honda, then Yamaha) makes a hugh difference. Slight improvements can mean all the difference. BTW, I think the comment too much power for the tires to handle is taken too literal. Too much at one point can still be too little at another. On a rain slicked road, a scooter can produce too much power if the suspension is terrible.

[spkrplus]

Not more so than poor editing. Poster should try reading something besides comic books and motor magazines aimed at pimply-faced imbeciles (only three exclamation points?) Maybe "kaboom" or "zowie" might have been a nice effect. Did Kenny tell poster while visiting his home that this is what he meant, or did he learn this on the Psychic Hotline? I recommend poster to slowdown, take a breath & find another way to get stroked besides pointing out imaginary faults of perceived heroes, hopefully something more reality-based.