Makes too much sense, Chuck. Surely won't happen.
It is'nt lead tho', to achieve the weight they refitted the battery and starter, plus a heavier exhaust (standard I believe), both give advantages, the batt/starter in the event of an off, easily enables rejoining the race, the exhaust, thicker pipe wall retains more heat, better gas scavenging, so not all bad, eh!
Ok...nice discussing this with you. Have a nice rant.
On your terms: They can't win this year, because next year they'll have the all new, all conquering 1199 Factory Bike out there with none other than Nicky Hayden riding, and they'll make sure the rules are changed for next year so they can steam roll the field. They've probably already bought the magazine and website ad space... so this year is a place-holder...a gift to BMW/Aprilia. Why? Because they can't win every friggen year. Anymore.
Make sense now?
Exactly, since the other bikes have all gone forward then why are they so afraid of the old Ducati?
Because it still beats them without a weight penalty?
I actually believed the D16rr was produced in part as a threat to get the 1098 accepted in WSBK. It would have been great fun to see it unleashed.
I was hoping to see Biaggi and Checa challenge each other for the title. IMO Melandri is a dirty reckless competitor and someone needs to knock him on his arse a few more times.
Yes, i know it's still speculation. But if it's true I wonder about the 1199 being competitive
But did anyone really expect it to come in and dominate in the first 1-2 months right out of the box?
Let's face it when Ducati brings out a new model for example the 999R, they said it was the closest thing to a road going WSBK you could buy. Then the 1098R came out and they said the same....neither of these 2 bikes are remotely close to their roadgoing siblings. Each one would get beat like a rented mule on the street by any of the recent Jap I4s. So the rag testing is a moot point, who knows how the 1199 factor bike will fare on the WSBK scene. It "seems" to have the HP to tangle with the BMW, ZX and Aprilia, if it has the handling it could be a game changer much like the 999 was when it was introduced in 2003. It is apparent that it is sensitive to set-up as it requires a specific tire brand and size. (as per Ducati) Not sure how that will play out.
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