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I took that from his response as well. Just a rejection of the question. Not a good look either way, and frankly nothing would shock me at this point.
The team manager not confirming Chase will be racing the nationals shatters a lot of preconceived notions regarding this team. Including the offseason the team has been working on making the bike right for Chase for at least 6 months. With all the resources of a multi-billion-dollar international corporation's reputation and corporate pride at stake. This is just a single cylinder two wheeled machined not a supersonic jet fighter, it is clearly not a machine issue - how many things can they go over, especially if you take into consideration Chase's previous issues getting along with his past teams. This is worse than imagined, Chase needs to leave, Kawasaki needs a reset as well. This is two premier riders - albeit Prima Donnas - in a row that have flamed out at Kawasaki, what a fiasco.
I think everybody is just scratching their head at this point
Did he say at the end, "it's not one thing, it's many things"?
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Whether it's Fahie's fault or not, it's clear that the US Factory team needs a hard reset and restructure.
Prado and Chase clearly aren't the easiest riders on earth to work with but they are just a contiuation of years of poor results and mismanagement for the team at this point and sometimes in business the person at the top simply has to take responsibility. Espcially when so many diferent riders and personaities seem to be having the same recuring issues. When was the last truly good season for kawi in the US? 2022 SX Anderson?
I don’t know what I’d be trolling about. Why would he even entertain that question any more than he did? Besides, he told the truth, between injuries and a potential split no one knows if he will race outdoors or not.
Now the question may be, “Who would be a good team manager to turn Kawi around?”
Jason Thomas talked about Chase wanting things from the bike that were just not possible, like the bike to be quick steering, but low in the back and so forth. While Prado had a whole lot if other issues outside of the bike. But then you hear other riders talking about severe mgmt inflexibility compared to other teams. Either way, they’ve had a complete impasse with two accomplished riders, so there needs to be a critical change in management first.
Your disdain for Prado should be studied it’s so wild.
It’s the bike. Accept it.
The commentary about the 27 bike is interesting. Dan states he doesn't believe it will help the current situation but he later states he doesn't have much information about the bike, or even when he expects to receive it.
Where does each party go from here?
If two top riders split from Kawi in two years no factory rider will touch them with a barge pole for at least a few years.
And where does Chase go? Star Yamaha is the only realistic option but can they pay him what he would want? They now have Deegan on 450, probably Webb on an SX only deal, and they’ll be preparing for Cole Davies to go 450 in 2028.
So with those comments, and the recent events. The likelyhood that Chase Sexton races some other bike starting A1 2027 is probably substantially higher than him staying? Like 70/30 or even 80/20 in favor of Chase packing his bags and leaving the shitshow?
I do wonder if Kawasaki Japan intervene, the US operation is literally wasting millions of dollars at the moment on nothing. Burning through the budget without anything to show for except horredous results and a shattered reputation.
Your boner is showing.
Yea I got that too, but his rejection of the question doesn't look great and says a lot. If the interviewer was trying for some separating news, he could have squashed it.
Either way, what a wild unfolding of kawi usa. This one could have some long lasting damage in getting riders, sponsors, etc.
Agreed. How can a team be this dysfunctional for this long. Can you imagine performing this poorly at your job and not being fired? This is ridiculous.
There's no way the factory race team has not seen the '27 bike, doesn't know the specs, and doesn't know when they'll get their hands on one, right? Kawi probably already has production units on a boat.
The ‘27 is supposed to be an update of the current bike instead of all-new. Hard to imagine the update fixes a problem the team hasn’t figured out yet. Who knows……
I heard that as well “F U - I’m not confirming or denying the internet rumors” - no matter what they are. IMO no effing way a healthy Chase skips out on Nationals.
Yeah, I'm not sure what to think. Both interviews are confusing to me.
Even though I'm a team green fan, I just don't think it's the bike. Chase won a SX main and placed 2nd at Detroit. And he's also won some heats.
When I watched his interview from yesterday he seems to be a bit all over the map. He says yes the motor is fast, but then says they haven't made much headway, but never says what the issue is. Handling, suspension, motor? Then sort of compliments the team for working hard. Just a weird vibe to me. But I do think it's in his head, he's still looking for the perfect setup. Most of the other riders rarely complain about their bike set up, they just ride.
Like KR said last year when they asked him about Prado, he basically said all the factory bikes are good.
Pit Row
Even if true.. it comes down to do we believe they've tested and tried everything available, or not.
If its not possible to make the kawi do what he wants? Then what? He wasn't happy on the KTM either.
He’s just trying to toe the line and not throw anyone under the bus. Which is smart because he’s gonna have to ride for another team/ brand at some point.
He says his biggest problem is with the turning of the bike but they haven’t really addressed that.
I saw a quote from him last week where he said they're making progress. He was like this at KTM last year as well. Thats why I don't think it's the bike.
But that's just my opinion.
Just PR speak imo. He can’t trash the bike publicly.
Results are speaking for themselves.
How can anyone be surprised by this idiot, not only should he not be running a team he shouldn’t be allowed in front of a microphone….Am I the only one that thinks them going to twisted for testing and not Pro Circuit is eerily similar to when Fisher went to FMF….
I’d argue twisted is more relevant when it’s comes to tuning and engine building then PC these days. And definitely when it comes to ecu tuning.
Star Yamaha went to Enzo for suspension til recently. HEP uses twisted and AEO. Honda used Factory Connection.
It may be a painful realization but I don’t think PC has ever been as irrelevant as they are now.
As I said this feels eerily similar to when Fisher decided to go with FMF…it cost him his job.
More bikes in the pits are tuned by Jamie then by PC.
I’m not disagreeing with you but your perception of Pro Circuit is wrong outside of Star they are the best team in the 250’s and they have a 30yr relationship with factory Kawi you would think that’s the first place they would go 🤷🏼♂️ Maybe Mitch said he couldn’t help but I doubt that. What it really says is how lost these fools are and there is only two people to blame for their fall from grace…they should have been fired when Eli left
if they were doing pipe testing or porting maybe but no one is going to PC for mapping.
I would put Honda 250 effort in recent years above PC and I’d argue club is doing way more with way less.
I don’t see it that way, Mitch has bigger things to worry about like getting his team back to winning before he’s tinkering on any 450 motors imo. Isn’t Twisted doing Kenny’s motors?
To me he's saying it isn't the bike. I'll bet Chase has already made noise that he wants out. So if he leaves where does he go? If you were a viable team would you want to take the risk? The last 3 teams seems to be chasing something either the team or Chase can't out a finger on. With each bike being different, Chase seems to be the inflexible one.
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