Spies in 17th after 1st day?

Question

When asked what the problems were, he said "there are no similarities in my superbike and the motogp machine"

Then he states that no one could show up on a superbike from motogp and do well.

Ahhhhh..... didn't Mr Bayliss win the Wsbk title then win a motogp race the next wknd?

Like I said "It's a lot harder to win when you don't have the the only winning tire Mr Spies.

I believe Mr Toseland placed better on his first out.

He would do better to ride in Wsbk for a season or two and see what it is like to have some equality in the competition.

Your thoughts

Answer 1

Im going to stick to my guns and say that MotoGP is the place for Ben.

As for World Supers, I don't think there is much they can teach him. I'm not saying that he would win the title first time trying, but he would above the most ( 80%) out of the crate.

If the Rizzla Suzuki can show Ben in his best light is another matter.

I like the Rizzla team. Its British, its a British sponsor, the frame / swingarm / tank was all built in Britian, and they run out of Banbury (UK base ) but I think Ben could do better with a different setup.

With Mladin as his " Team Mate " he had some one to push him, but here , he is a bit on his own.

As for JT, wait untill Sunday, " home track is worth 1 / 10th a lap" . Im sure I just stole that line from Soup....... may be Crash !

I like on the " pay to view " videos [ via motogp.com] , Ben says they MotoGP is so EASY to ride compared to his Gixer.................. only much much faster !!

Answer 2

Hi 51, seeing as I'm one of the guys shouting about how good he is I better try and defend his honour.with a free practise still to go this morning Ben is into the 1:30 mark. which at Donnington is a good benchmark. for a Guy who has never seen the track I find it amazing. I disagree that Donny is not the place to judge him, I think its a perfect place to see what hes got. if he can get to grips with the bike here, he can do it anywhere. Donny is a technical track. fast flowing and stop go. I really think he is going to go sub 1:30 today if the rain holds off. it may also be his input that developed the tyres in the AMA. as with the fuel injection system Rossi helped Yamaha develop. and I think the quote from Ben about the superbike meant he could not ride HIS superbike and get a result. Baylis rode a GP bike not his superbike. I agree that Chris Vermuelen is quick and he is the Gauge I'm using to see how good Ben really is. But I already am impressed with his pace. I hope he can help the Suzuki development programme.

Answer 3

I'm gonna reserve judgement til after Laguna and Indy. I don't expect him to do too well at Donny. New track, and a bike he's had very little time on. I've stated in other questions that I think he will be lucky to break into the top 15, and I'll stick by that.

Talented though I'm sure he is, there's still a question mark for me as to how talented. In AMA he and Mladin seem to have a far superior bike/tyre combination (compared to everyone else). I would like to see him in Moto GP permanently, just to answer that question for me.

It's unfair to compare him with JT. JT had a whole winters testing under his belt before he started to go fast. Although once Ben is into the swing of it, I can't see him being any faster than him, especially on the Rizla Suzuki. I can't see him being any faster than Chris Vermeulen either. Chris is one of the fastest riders out there once he gets going. He just has a problem qualifying and starting well. I doubt Ben will do any better.

Donington won't be an accurate gauge of Ben's potential. Laguna is a different matter, and he needs to prove himself there.

Edit: 1330 Gmt I agree with proc when he says that if Ben can go well here then he can do it anywhere. I just think that it's a little unfair to expect too much of him at this stage. Qualifying starts in half an hour, and it looks like rain, so anything could happen. He was actually slightly faster than Chris in the wet this morning......which is a huge surprise. Lets wait and see.

Edit: Kudos to Ben.....Qualified 8th. If it's a wet race I think I might owe wiggysan a beer when I see him.

Answer 4

Morning 51

I agree wholeheartedly with you, and as I'm running late for work will just add - ditto for Neils answer as that's roughly what I'd have said if I could type faster!

Hope you manage to see the race live this week,

laters