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At the end of the day Ben is a good rider but he is not elite level, I think that’s a fair comment based on his results over his career. You can also say he had bad luck not getting the factory ride 450 on Yamaha but it what it is.
So far his 2026 season hasn’t been great 1st round ofXGP was good and the British was good. Again the truth is Conrad is more of an elite level rider and you can see that in the results. Ben IMO has always struggled with that raw speed that’s needed over the 1st 4/5 laps, at the end of the race his pace is good when everyone has settled into the race but at that point it’s to late in MXGP he’d be looking at anything from 12-18
Because Hutten was ran really well under another manager for years with lots of success in emx and had a great bike. Yamaha then just moved kemea up one spot and Hutten up one spot. Easy transition. The biggest problem with Yamaha is….Rinaldi. They have WAY too much control over Yamaha Europe and their lack of results show. Wilvo as a privateer team…better. Gebben as a privateer team as good. Hutten as an emx 250 team, better. Star racing…better. But yet Rinaldi dictates what they do.
I think you will see Hutten pick up some sort of deal, heck would be great for Fantic to take them.
Then tell us what you know?
Ben was and still is a solid 8-12 place guy on his day and that's good going in MXGP. I like Ben and wish him the best whatever he rides.
In 2021 on the Yam he finished 11th in the standings, scoring 300 points over 18 rounds.
In 2022 on the Kawi he finished 12th, scoring 275 points over 18 rounds. 25 points less over the season, less than a point per moto.
So blaming the bike doesn't carry much weight here. Saying a second season on the Yamaha would have been epic, well, we'll never know.
He could ride any current factory bike and maybe he'd improve to sixth in the odd race, but the level is just way higher than it was. That's the reality.
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Imo Watson who would have benefited doing what Horgmo is doing now or what Calvin Vlaanderen did for years: Ride for a supported team in stead of a factory team, where they are happy with you going 11, 15, 10, 12, 13 for races and have a massive party twice a year when you finish 4th or 6th.
Now he is 29 so i think his current setup is good for him: focus on uk and do a bunch of gp's if you feel good.
After winning GP's on the Kemea MX2 bike, his first year on 450 was a building year, for him and the team, at the test track on the 450 he was running similar pace to Febvre in his final 250 season, and was getting good help and the team knew what they were doing.
Then Febvre left for Kawasaki, and RvdM wipes out Vialle. and Renaux wins the championship and has a clause that if he wins, he goes 450.
That puts Ben out of a ride he (and the team) thought he had, and then he ends up at Kawasaki , again with Febvre, but the Kawasaki Team Changes to ICE ONE, and they know nothing about the bike, and the Febvre breaks a leg at Paris SX , and its all on him. Then they wont give him the parts that Febvre has, nor will they let him set the bike up to give him the comfort he needs, and even when he gets his practice bike to work , the team dont want to use any of those settings on the bike.... 5 rounds in he is over it. The issues with the Green Team are well documented both sides of the pond.
Beta was convenience, JvH made the bike look respectable, it was worth it to stay in GP's but the bike never had the parts it needed and they struggled to even get through a race weekend with the bike, and had a spare that was nothing like the other bike.
So with a shrinking paddock, taking a ride that would see him racing at home for the first time since 2017 , and let him do the GP's , it was good call.
However, the 450 Triumph has no development program like the 250 does, at world level , so that isnt helping, and reading between the lines, they are still a bit lost with the chassis, and that isnt helping.
Then add the fact that the team isnt running high end suspension, and that gives the bike a ceiling that i think is outside the top 10 in GP's no matter what.
He is the best rider we have and the last British rider to win a GP. That may stand for a very long time.
Genuine question: If he's the best we have, why does Mewse beat him so comfortably on home soil? Would Watson be closer or even winning if he were on Conrad's Honda?
I know Mewse is a mystery wrapped in a riddle, but the dude is putting 20+ seconds on Watson every time I watch them recently, and Ben's on a Triumph that Haarup and Smith are comfortably putting in the top 10 at the AMA Nationals so is it really that much worse?
Not trying to do a gotcha btw, I'm genuinely curious because you have clearly followed Ben's career closely. I've only started following the British series again this year, and the last couple of seasons in MXGP he was a bit of a non-factor
In the end of the day, i'm sure Yamaha was happy with putting Renaux on the bike. He got 3rd in his first ever moto and won his 5th ever moto and continued being a top 450 rider.
Kawasaki, Beta and now Triumph yet the results are basically the same (I get it, none of these rides have been perfect but that is the case with most of his competitors as well). Watson is a regular 15-20th place rider with the occasional top 10 finish. There is no shame in that, you have to be a beast of an rider to score points in the GPs.
Because he goes and does it . Mewse has already announced he isnt doing Foxhills.
The Honda is a way better bike than the Triumph, it has had 50 years of development, how can it not be.
Mewse is on a very good team, run by a 3 time World Champion, with A Kit Suspension, which makes a massive difference.
Watson held the Red Plate until Round 4 , even though he had a crash at round 2.
Also Mewse has ridden all the British tracks , as he has done nothing but home races on a 450, whereas Watson hasnt done a full season in Britain since 2017.
If you think the Factory Triumph bike in the US , and the DirtStore Triumph in the UK are even close to being equal, based on available budget, i dont know what to say.
Both teams are doing the best job they can with the money and equipment they are able to use.
When Conrad runs away at the front, Watson takes the points and moves on, he is 6 off the lead, and there are 6 Moto's left.
Lets also give Mewse props for being where he is after having two massive operations to fix his hips in the off season, i am glad its a battle and we have the chance to see it unfold.
Done deal between KRT and Garcia (MX2 World Championship).
Other rumours say Ducati. I hope he stays as far away as possible from that bike.
I am not familiar with him but the article on mx vice says he is racing a few us nationals this year as well:
This weekend at Southwick, together with his teammate Jake Cannon.
His post race interview from Portugal indicated he isn't too enamored with the US scene.
He won't go. Only two "real" options: Kawasaki or Triumph.
I think you are a bit wrong on that. I think there are more options than 2
I'm talking about the only options Febvre will eventually take. Not the options he has on the table.
Pit Row
Yeah. Like triumph, kawi, Ducati. All options that he might take.. Ducati is on the table
I’d love to see him back in the US. I think he can win an MX and SX title on a 250 here. Dude never got a chance to settle in even.
Little fun fact, Gajser tested a complete standard Yamaha. Tim was shocked how little difference the power was of the standard bike compared to the factory bike. The MXGP team should sign the MX2 engine tuner.
Why wouldn't Febvre just stay with Kawasaki? It seems like they get along well and the bike suits him. Or is Triumph really prepared to pay significantly more salary to him?
I can imagine he wants at least a fair value for his worth, so if Kawa isnt willing to do that i'd be looking at other options as well if i was him.
if the offers are not that far apart i would not leave kawa.
In that case take a 1 year deal with Kawa and folllow it up with a 2 year deal in brazil and make good money for 3 years doing what you like.
Yamaha just messed everything up after '22. It looks like they promoted all teams to their level of incompetence. And the worst part is that before that these teams were dominating at their previous championships. I dont know who made the call to end with Vosters and promote Kemea and Hutten but thats the first one they should get rid off.
Not sure how Kemea can be blamed for the influence of Rinaldi in Europe.
And to add to the defence, Hutten massively stepped up their game engine wise this year. I'm not an insider, but the results of the reisulis brothers are actually quite good.
Maybe a stretch, but how about Nestaan taking over the MX2 team? It would leave KDW at one of the other teams in the KTM group, but which other structure would be able to handle this?
That engine guy will move into HRC.
As long as Rinaldi is involved, you better stay away from the blue cru😅
Febvre to Brazil ?
Won't happen.
Renaux to De Carli KTM and De Wolf staying with Nestaan Husky for 2027 MXGP season seem to be two done deals.
And Vlaanderen probably won' stay with Ducati next year, that's the word on the street.
Have to address the elephant in the room but who will take Benestandts spot. I can only guess but Vlaanderan or Seewer.
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