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The money part aside, Pourcel won on green in Europe and over here and his seasons in 09 and ‘10 were better than Jake’s, I still think RV tells Kawi he’d rather have Jake as a teammate over Pourcel.
Didn’t Honda go 20 years without a 450 title ? Honest question, was it the bike ?
Seems rather counterproductive to employ a rider to win races, pay him a decent salary, employ all the other people required to run the team around that rider(s), buy all the equipment needed etc, etc and then when the guy you’ve paid good money to win races for you says essentially “ I think if we change this the bike will be better and therefore I stand a better chance of winning” your response is “ No” …..
You are correct, and ironically is was Chase who won the title for him.
It's more the actual rider than the motorcycle, but we have a lot of people who believe different.
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I thought the story was RV’s went OTB in Atlanta 2010 and his end cap plugged with dirt. Fish blamed PC for that and then made the switch to FMF as an Eff You.
Then, FMF came out with their energy drink and Kawi had to remove all the branding from their exhausts because of Monster
Don’t think you grasped my point - wasn’t belittling anyone, merely pointing out how the relationships ended. RC is my fave rider, have a 99 KX125 build on the go currently and an 01 KX250.
James Stewart’s motivation was being a Red Bull athlete, on a team that was then sponsored by Monster. Again, I have an 02 KX125 build on the go and an 04 KX125.
I couldn’t be more of a kawi fan if I tried. Which is why it’s hard to watch on at how things are going.
The common theme is the very best riders will still be the best riders, but clearly the bike has been an Achilles heel for a long, long time..
This is a common theme with most Japanese companies in motorsports. Toyota failed in F1 because the board would not get out of the racers way. Honda is less affected as it started as a racing company. their issue is always how interested are they. For quite while they had some less racing inspired CEO's. That has changed in recent years and the racing results show it. I have no doubt that if PC took over the factory 450 program you would see better results.
Toyota also now has racing oriented CEO for the last 2 and the result show in LMP and renewed interest in F1. ( They also have a battle with Honda and each hate the other being successful) I have heard interviews from multiple people that Kawasaki does it 1 way and if it works for you great if it does not they will not change the 450.
The current 450 is so bad it wins championships
It has happened before.
If you go back to when Yamaha ran their own 450 team in the US, The head of racing, Keith McCarty, allegedly denied requests by team riders and mechanics to test alternative parts on their bikes.
The speculation at the the time was that McCarty did not want to upset his Japanese bosses, and by extension shorten his career with YMUS by using parts that were potentially better then Japanese engineers were making for the bike. I'm sure that Steve Matthes or someone close to the team would know more about this.
Kawasaki's MXGP team is able to try any part and any modification they see fit in order to make Romain Febvre, Pauls Jonass, and Mathis Valin comfortable on their race bikes. I know the AMA production rule limits some changes to the frame and other components, but from what I know Kawi Europe is trying so many different bolt-on and performance parts that would be legal in AMA pro racing as well.
The ultimate question is if KMC USA race team management is preventing riders from using "unauthorized" parts on their motorcycles for political reasons?
The only thing the Kawi production bike shares with Febvre's KX450SR is some of the plastic and a few odds and ends...
folks may be underestimating how difficult it is to change organizational culture and make wholesale changes to personnel; it's complicated, and takes some pretty bold leadership (Factory Yamaha / Star Yamaha is the most recent example, but KTM before them when they brought Roger and Ian over).
I also think Weimer (like Reedy) is very honest, and sometimes that comes off as whining or complaining. I much prefer that over the same old overused podium drivel. It had to be difficult to realize once he re-signed with Kawi that he was kind of locked in, and couldn't override the bike like some of the phenoms to get the results that would earn him another ride. After all, you are only as good as your last race (at least according to some people in this industry).
Kawasaki team needs to reorganize. Start from the top all the way down to the mechanics. Clearly something is wrong when top riders are complaining so much about the bike.
There was lots of talk in the RV/JW era about Poto getting the "good" parts, and Jake not so much. Wonder if that's truth or nah?
Does Deegz get the “better” parts? Probably because he’s the top guy. I’d imagine the same with any of the teams.
Jake was a pawn. Don’t let him test so RV, who’s winning, doesn’t get distracted and lost in settings. Re-sign him to keep RV’s head straight since they’re friends. A placated Jake makes for a happy/winning RV, personnel management 101 (for dicks).
Everts won the world title in ‘97 on the same bike (theoretically) that McGrath thought was so bad that he had to leave Honda. Just because the bike is good for one doesn’t make it good for everyone, no two riders are exactly alike and what works in Europe might not work in the US and vice versa
Are you sure the bike was "the same"? MXGP has had open rules for quite a while. Where AMA are hard and fast with a Homologated frame, i.e., unmodifiable.
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That is why I said (theoretically), but I would bet that Everts and McGrath’s Honda’s were about as similar as Febvre’s Kawi and Sextons Kawi are now. They are not the same, but my point is that the bike winning in Europe doesn’t mean anything in relation to performance in the US
We know Stew got the good stuff while Kyle Regal didn't get shit . So it was probably same way at Kawie
That is absolutely wrong
Not what I've read and heard on media
CR22 as a test rider. Haha F that. The guy that doesn't believe in clicker changes. The suspension must be pulled apart every change
This is wrong. Everts bike would of been something else. In europe its crazy. Look at the 3 speed Yammy 250's Ferris was racing at nations.
I had one of those first gen alloy frame Hondas. I am not sure what was worst that or my 99-00 Kawi 125. I guess the Honda knocked me out alot.
But I think that is the worst bike in history? Or 2nd?
Ben Watson was literally told by Kawasaki that he couldn't change the rear sprocket. The Sprocket. The.....sprocket.
Maybe things have changed?
Millsaps said a big reason he went to Honda in ‘06 was because most of the time and attention went to RC (and rightfully so). I heard rumors of Paul Carpenter not getting the good stuff when he was on PC in ‘05. JLaw probably had the good stuff in ‘08 over Bowers, Morais, and Osborne. I think all of the Rockstar Bills Pipes 250 team in ‘06 were fighting over one set of A kit suspension. It happens.
Emig racing clamps…
the kawi team in europe is not run by the factory, its run by Ice 1 racing, with some KHI support, i don't think the teams can be compared,
how long was Chad's deal for? does anyone know?
Sorry but that’s what testing is. Changing clickers isn’t testing, that’s just fine tuning once the testing changes have it in the ‘window’.
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