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I think Chase almost signed with Bobby before he went pro but ended up going with Geico. He’s running the Star setup on his 85 in this pic
It’s the managers job to get the right people for the job and get the most out of them for the benefit of the riders….these guys are so lost and they allowed it to happen through bad decisions. They have been shit for awhile…a perfect example of this was when Star was hired by Yam to run their team after years of frustration most of it due to poor management….Star took the exact same bike (there were only BNG between the models) and turned it into a winner immediately…McCarty was lost as a manager much like Fahie is at Kaw. So all one has to do to see what effect good management has on a team needs to look no further than Yamaha hiring Star to run their team….
what is so strange to me is that you know he rode the bike a LOT before signing. He tested it, stressed it, put it through its paces....and said "Sign me up". How do you go from THAT to THIS? Yeah, I know you can't duplicate racing, but he's been doing this since he was knee high...how do you NOT know that the bike sucks before signing?
Webb mentioned he wants to go SX only, so I would think he'll have to take a pay cut.
JCoop is said to be working on extending his deal with Star.
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Odd that this is even a conversation. My opinion is that Chase left KTM too soon and would do well to stick with Kawasaki and get it figured out. Not just stick it out but work with the team and get the bike and himself figured out.
I remember reading that Ken was happy just going with a basic setup week to week and not tweaking and experimenting with the bike- good to go as-is just ride it! AND no E-start. That would be the opposite of Sexton no matter the brand he's on.
Odds are he can't articulate what the bike is doing wrong, therefore it's likely in his head. once you believe it's the bike...then it's the bike. If he tried to ride Jerry robins 85 CR and came back to the kx, he'd have a different perspective and appreciation for the bike. Point is, it's a self fulfilling prophecy once the attitude gets crooked.
Zach Osborne is right, he has the tools to do what he needs to do.
Chase has KYB on the KTM, that was it. And we should remember that was with failing wp shocks. If they would have had this years new suspension for Chase last year I'm not sure he would have switched.
Even if they did test other stuff with KTM, it was never as bad as it is now.
So it's not fair to say Chase is all over it because it's him. Chase is the second rider now, that says more or less the bike can't be fixed no matter what they do to it.
They couldn't make the bike work for Seewer in MXGP either.
Prado is not a picky rider it seems. He is probably the fastest riders to not have changed anything on the KTM, until a few races in when they updated suspension setting. Doesn't change a click during racing Ian H said.
They had 70 settings at Kawi. 1 at KTM, the one he jumped on from day 1. Can't put that on the rider. Not when there is two in a row plus MXGP riders with same experience.
Management team for sure, but I think the bike is built for rear steering. RV, Febvre, even Anderson ride like that.
I am not going to predict when but he will make his way back to his roots and eventually join Blucru…STAMP IT!
KTM also had like 8 years of data to go off of for Prado when he came back, it’s not like he never rode a KTM before and had no base settings to go off of. But yaa, Kawi and Chase both need to pull their heads outta their asses.
3 SX races in US and like 3 weeks of practise before that. It's not 8 years of SX data they had with Prado.
If the bike is designed oddly, then there is no band-aid to help.
Will be very interesting to see what rider Kawi can get next when Chase leaves. No championship contenders, so they go Kitchen and some 250 riders? Would give them an excuse if they continue to fail.
James and JGR comes to mind.
Funny how nobody wants to admit the “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mantra holds any weight but suddenly the Kawasaki is the worse bike of all time and the nearly decade old bike would be a better fit.
Chase is a head case, none of these bikes are bad. Not the Honda, not the KTM and not the Kawasaki. He’d be a fool to leave another factory team again so shortly searching for something “better”.
Prado had a full offseason this year where he cranking out lap after lap and just riding whereas last year he wadded himself and went into SX not prepared. And he’s back on the brand that he rode on his whole life. I went by the KTM track a few times in the offseason and he was always there riding motos, that probably can’t be said for his offseason with Kawi.
Kawi has clearly backed themselves into a corner and maybe their letting Chase and his pops do and try whatever even tho they both don’t know what they’re looking for.
Maybe Chase and Webb swap places lol although I think Chase would still be chasing settings no matter what bikes he’s on, he’s shown that every year since he’s moved up to the 450, never seems happy.
Maybe kawi should have RV run their program if the rumors are true about RV possibly taking over the reigns at PC when Mitch decides to retire.
James should’ve left L&M Yamaha after the 2010 season when they came out with that new Yamaha. He wasted some prime years on that bike from 2010-2012 imo and was never really the same after. The ACL he tore in the last practice at A1 in 2013 didn’t do him any favors either.
I'm surprised Honda didn’t go after him in those years, especially since RedBull was a title sponsor of Hondas around that time.
A perfectly groomed track can hide all sorts of handling/setup discrepancies also only testing on the kawi test track without other brand bikes cutting in lines and chewing it up like on race day.
I never understood stewart going to JGR when he already new in 2010 the new yami was fundamentally flawed and didn't suit him?
$
Pit Row
That head case was WAY more successful on Honda and KTM. Another guy had such a tough time on Kawi that it changed his name to George. It’s the team/bike
I believe James signed with JGR thinking that they were going to switch brands to Suzuki and then that never happened. That’s what I remember hearing at that time, but I could be wrong. James should’ve left Yamaha after his 2010 season, but maybe he was locked into L&M on a 3 year deal from ‘09-‘11?
James was Part owner of L&M racing
450 Riders staying three years in todays world on any team is 50/50. There could be many issues that Sexton has had with his past and present teams. We never know all of those. One fact in Sextons case... He's crashing way too much, no matter what team, what bike. I think the young man has a confidence problem, thats being magnified by working on it too hard. I think it would do him well to sit out the rest of SX or even much of MX. Get back to basics and back to being hungry. The basic hunger to race and ride, after he is removed from it, may help. I hoped he would be the sucessor to ET3. Wanted him to do well. He def has the speed. Has to get his mental game straight or be relegated to one of the many guys who should have done better.
Chase will retire ala BB4 (they have #4 in common already) one day he won't show up and then we won't hear from him again.
Isn’t McAdoo married to Chases ex? Maybe that’s why Chase wants out of Kawi 😂😂😂
What do you mean what can they do? Albrecht had full responsibility of riders they hired, testing, what bikes they rode etc. They were not forced to move to Yamaha and continually made poor choices on riders. The team manager makes those choices or at a minimum has a massive say in it, especially in a private team. He was responsible for the results and they rarely achieved them.
Take PRMX as another example. Julian (not sure of spelling) has consistently grown his program and the results are getting better and better. His "managerment" is great. Yes, he is also the owner, but plenty other owners have failed.
I’m with this. Theres no way a factory Kawasaki can’t be competitive IMO.
Ask Suzuki..
I would love to know Broc and Chiz’s thoughts on the bike. Do they side with Chase a bit in regards to - need to make this bike better, know its flaws and what is holding Chase back (also can feel it). Or are they thinking - bikes solid, I don’t know if what he wants even exists.
Will be interesting to see what parts go on Chiz’s new ride with PR.
Yeah the base bike could probably be decent, under a new team/management.
wasn't the shock fail issue later determined caused by Chase insisting on running it past adjustment levels it was designed for looking for his elusive "feel"?
Sure was.
Post a reply to: Does Chase ride out the 3 years?