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Did Big Lew know this was coming? I know Lew is Chase's PR guy, but from the way he was talking about the idea of Chase leaving Kawi this news surprised me. Definitely could have been handled better with regards to journalistic integrity
its the job of the rider to find any edge he can over his competition, including increasing his fluency around bike setup. if the team blocks him or dismisses his feedback unreasonably, then i agree they've failed in their job.
apples to oranges and a bit of politics but there's something to it. this "comfort" thing has gotten out of control imo.
https://f1i.com/news/516330-verstappens-setup-choices-key-to-success-a-hurdle-for-teammates.html
The struggles of Verstappen’s teammates have led to speculation that Red Bull designs its cars specifically to suit the Dutchman, a claim that team boss Christian Horner has vehemently denied.
Last year, In response to comments from Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, Horner clarified that the team’s focus is on building the fastest car possible, not tailoring it to one driver.
"It shows a total lack of understanding of how a race car and team develop if Toto thinks that we’re developing a car around a single driver," Horner said.
"You develop a car to be as quick as you can, and sometimes quick cars are difficult cars. That’s what’s historically been the case. And I think that drivers adapt."
But but but but but “he HAs a COnTRacT”…
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Only if you include all the other treads on the same topic.
Not quite the same reactions as with Jorge here… very racist 😉
And this is the truth.
There are two American riders capable of winning in 450 now. Deegan is big enough to go where he wants, Sexton is the other.
And there is the caveat that there isnt a single home grown rider coming through 250 that will challenge that.
Sexton is still valuable to a level that there isnt a challenger to him .
Kawasaki is the same shit show, that it has been for as long as i can remember for all the same reasons, both sides of the pond, to the point where the reigning WC left, and they have not replaced him. That is something i cannot fathom, but is also not a shock. Nobody wants to go there.
Someone will find the money to run him, with the demise of WSX, i see those teams doing that , being in the fray, Tedder , with Webb and Hill on SX only , seems a possibility, but there is no way he is not on the grid at A1.
But for Kawasaki, losing the 2 best available riders, 2 years on the trot, is insane, heads not rolling as a result, is even more so.
The next question ... who replaces him.
"Quitter!"
"Chase is gonna podium every weekend on Prado`s old bike!"
😂
Cause he ain't one of them...
JMB, Ferrandis, Pourcel... All of them faced the same
Fantastic comment gentleman!
Dylan responding to the Southwick greeter's......
This is my point. Chase tells them what he’s feeling (what he likes vs what he doesn’t like) then the team figures out what needs to be done to improve the bike. It isn’t Chases job to figure out what needs done. Thats their job, and they’ve failed multiple riders over the last decade or so.
Who pays him? PRMX cannot afford a million ++ guy. His other sponsors were already paying him so unless he is doing his own team with a massive title sponsor, there won't be enough $$. No way he has enough time to put that together.
I find it very interesting that the forum perception puts way more blame on the team vs rider. Almost absolving chase of any tendencies he has.
Its on the team, but its on sexton too.
Unfortunately we now live in a “my side or the other” world. I have tried to point out that it’s possible, even likely, that BOTH Chase and Kawi share blame in this fiasco…but it seems like too many have been sucked into taking “sides” as if it has to be 100% one or the other.
From the outside looking in, my take is:
Chase is an elite-level talent who unfortunately seems to consistently struggle with bike setup and/or trying to find a setup that doesn’t exist. Outside factors (rumored or observed) seem to indicate a meddling father who thinks he knows more that factory teams, an unwillingness to fix his own bad riding habits, and worst of all, a consistent pattern of flipping both middle fingers at those who worked to help him when it doesn’t work out, followed by a tanker full of gas to light the bridge on his way out.
On the Kawi side you have a well-deserved reputation for being unwilling to stray from what they believe works. This goes back WAY beyond ET3/RV2…there was a podcast with one of the early 80s crew members who said the same thing was going on then, and they modded stuff themselves without telling Kawi. Lately they seem to have relaxed this but they obviously missed out on a ton of data using this practice over the years.
Damn. Well my thoughts on chase and this situation didnt age well lol. I thought you guys were nuts saying he was going to leave.
I dont know what to think about Chase now, where the hell is he gonna go? I gotta think his best shot is on a Suzuki, but man I can't think of anywhere hes going to be happy.
Dude left Honda to be the number one guy. Then he left that team because he had issues. Now he's leaving another team because he had issues.
The issue is Chase. When he's at his next stop and only wins a few races and the brothers, Deegs, and Prado are smoking him most of the time, what will his next excuse be?
Pit Row
Welp, just the other day I posted that I thought he’d be staying at Kawi just because of how late in the year we’re getting. Obviously I was wrong lol. I’m thinking guys like Matthes and ML know what he’s doing but can’t/won’t say. Not that I’m saying anything groundbreaking here but no chance he would leave without having something lined up.
Spot on. Your paragraph on Chase is exactly right.
Although Kawi was rigid in the past, they went all out trying to find a set up for Chase. But for some reason it just didn't work.
All that said, I'm hoping Kawasaki finds a way forward here. Maybe shake up the management?
I still don't buy the "Kawi can't win" argument. He won 2 SX races on it.
Man, for a moment, I thought Lewlew was gonna tell us Chase broke up with him and how bad he feels.
I'm relieved it's just with Fahie.
Factory kawasaki is a joke, and the laughing stock of the pits now. They lose all benefit of the doubt after fumbling majorly, two years in a row.
Engine guy last year goes on a hormonal teenager-esque online rant. This year, Fahie lashes out in his few media appearances and also throws his star rider under the bus.
Something's not right over there and it sounds to me like a fundamental issue with the team itself. Chasing their tails, "working their asses off", not making progress. Sounds like management doesnt have good vision. Work smarter, not harder.
the way i see it, if he ends up at a factory team, its gonna be just for a bike and little to no money.
any other team, Monster could go with him and he gets factory support, like Kevin windham at Factory connection. I would say he could strike out on his own like TwoTwo motorsports but Chad was way smarter with developing a bike and knew how to set up a bike; and sexton is too much of a rockstar living on feeling
Chase was much more professional about it. It has nothing to do with nationality.
He may have worked out a back door factory(ish) Yamaha deal. Bikes, parts, and bonus structures, without riding for Star.
Yeah youre right, ghost riding his bike into the pits is so much more profesional lol
Not to mention all the bashing in pretty much every post race interview with Lewis this year (I dont blame him)
One can understand Jorge or Chase being frustrated, as Chase was when he ghost ride his bike. Chase did not bash the bike in every interview with Lewis; that is a very loose interpretation of what Chase actually said.
Jorge on the other hand, purposely tried not to qualify for a race, seemingly gave up at other races, said that if he was on a different bike, he would be beating his competitors (which was disrespectful), and was genuinely difficult to work with.
There is a huge difference and it has nothing to do with racism. It’s actually insulting to water down the term and apply it in this instance.
So did Ricky Carmichael so did James Stewart and so has Haiden Deegan. They all got booed. They’ve all been treated nasty by the fans at one point or another, and it has nothing to do with racism, except for perhaps in the case of JMB, and James Stewart, where some of the reactions against him were due to racism.
Roczen, the Lawrence brothers, DV12, Desalle, Herlings and others have all been treated very good by American fans. In fact, Ferrandis was treated good by the fans, minus a few here and there who were assholes at the races.
Talking about Bayle, american fans and industry were not prepared to see an european rider dominate the US field at that time.
Bayle himself used to say that absolutely everybody was against him when he raced in USA. Except De Coster, Payton and White.
If chase did the same, he maybe wouldnt have had a season ending injury. Jorge said he didnt feel safe going fast. He was being smart. Yes he intentionally didnt try to qualily, was a ballsy move for sure. Between that and ghost riding into your own teams rig, I really see no difference in terms of profesionalism
And for my very loose itnerpretation...do yourself a favor, which im sure u wont do, and watch this interview.
1:1 what he said:
"So Ive had to really learn how to get better at certain things that I was.. I would say even on the honda I get better on the KTM cause I was lazy on the honda, KTM didnt like it in certain areas, well I had to make that part up and now on this bike.. (shakes his head)..I just have to really, grasp at straws to get better"
"Ive been arguably the most uncomforable ever"
"Honestly, my speed this year has been horrible"
These are just random quotes out of many I quickly found.
Is there even anything positive he said about the team or the bike in any lewis interview?
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