Rossi “Laguna Seca unsuitable for bike racing”

[Bob]

Valentino Rossi has slated the Laguna Seca circuit, calling it unsuitable for motorcycle racing.

Speaking after practice Rossi said: "The track was quite dangerous in many points, but some are very, very dangerous. When you walk around or go with a scooter it's dangerous, but it's less dangerous on a motorbike.”

"The level of security is not very good, certainly not as good as the other tracks we go to. If they don't change it, I don't think we will be able to race here again."

Marco Melandri supported Rossi’s sentiments, following a crash in the famous ‘corkscrew’ downhill corner. "I find the track so much less fun than I thought," he said "It's not so nice. It's small, slippery, bumpy. Also the corners, nothing special. For our bike, too much power this track. You fly everywhere."

[White trash]

Well I'm not sure how a motorbike is less dangerous than a scooter there. Nicky Hayden, Troy Baylis and John Hopkins would all have the opposite coments of Melandris, I'm sure. I wonder at what point these guys decide it's "too dangerous". I mean, they're riding 200+ HP bikes on the ragged edge, for 25 laps. That to me sound fucken dangerous in itself.

[Two Smoker]

Obviously they arent keen to do Isle of Man...

[zadok]

As far as I can recall, they stopped racing there for some time now because it was regarded as a dangerous track. Maybe they haven't upgraded it enough or at all. As we all know, Rossi is a brilliant rider, he would know. I must try and find the article. Off to work now.

[TwoSeven]

Rossi is a poof then. LS is one of the most exciting tracks around, if he cant ride it, then leave it to someone who can - maybe he should do what the F1 guys do, get teh test riders to do all the hard graft.

[T.I.E]

whats hard about a track? what debri? or people walking around the track whilst racing?
its a track. oh no it has a corner. well shit aint that what racing is about? putting someones skills and bike against someone else? on the same track?
if it's too dangerous then slow down a little. everyone has the same advantage/disadvantages.

i don't get it. maybe they have live stock walking around.

its too dangerous. well shit sherlock it's called racing.

[onearmedbandit]

Have to say however it's-oh'-so-fucking-easy to be an armchair critic. "He's a poof" etc, get over yourselves. Here is a guy with BIGGER balls than anyone here, undisputed world champ many times over yet we have people here who know better. Maybe you guys should start your own team, or better yet head over to LS and show this 'poof' how to really ride a bike. I'll be watching Prime to see your efforts.

[Two Smoker]

Have to say however it's-oh'-so-fucking-easy to be an armchair critic. "He's a poof" etc, get over yourselves. Here is a guy with BIGGER balls than anyone here, undisputed world champ many times over yet we have people here who know better. Maybe you guys should start your own team, or better yet head over to LS and show this 'poof' how to really ride a bike. I'll be watching Prime to see your efforts.

Yep i second this.... But i dont think he would ever race at pukekohe.... or isle of man.... due to so many bumps...

[Ghost Lemur]

Have to say however it's-oh'-so-fucking-easy to be an armchair critic. "He's a poof" etc, get over yourselves. Here is a guy with BIGGER balls than anyone here, undisputed world champ many times over yet we have people here who know better. Maybe you guys should start your own team, or better yet head over to LS and show this 'poof' how to really ride a bike. I'll be watching Prime to see your efforts.

Well said.

Also has anyone ever known Rossi to blame a track for anything? I certainly haven't. Wasn't LS dropped for being dangerous in the first place? I thought they'd obviously fixed it and that's why the GP was returning, maybe they haven't and there are other reasons why LS has been included this year (money?). I remember Schwartz coming off (through the corkscew) and head full force bloody close to the metal barrier once, said something along the lines of truely thinking he was a goner.

And talk of Rossi being a poof and needing to "just ride". No one is better than Rossi at being able to out ride a bike, or track. Being able to push things that bit further, find lines (and fractions of seconds) others can only dream of.

I love how some people are so quick to jump down his throat the moment he voices an opinion. If you guys remember he had a few words to say about the Shanghai track too. Didn't stop him from wiping the floor with everyone else.

What pisses me off more is that I heard there is no 125/250 racing. Personally I'd prefer they didn't bother going there in future if they're not going to have a full race program.

[enigma51]

they have not tried pukie yet!!!!!!

Run off ....... whats that?

[FROSTY:Me]

guys unless YOU have been there to that place then please refrain from comment. LS is a nice track --ON a 600 proddy bike.But even on that it has places that are friggin dangerous. As in like the top of the hill at Pukie dangerous with the railings pretty darn close.Spectator security isn't the best well actually probably on a parr with Pukie I guess but pretty low level for an event at that level.
The track surface is pretty good -again by NZ standards --but compare it to anywhere else these guys race and its pretty shocking.
Now I must say --the last time I rode there was in ninteen-hrumpmutter so things may have changed but the corkscrew at half pace was pretty scarey stuff -on the pase or near to it and its frigging terrifying -There is nothing in NZ even slightly like it on a track and maybee just maybee a couple of road sections ive ridden sorta come close

[James Deuce]

There are still places at LS where you can go straight in to tyre wall or a concrete wall, the last turn for instance. Lose it on the first part of the front "straight" and you could spear into a concrete wall like Dajiro Kato did at Suzuka.

"Poof" eh Two Seven? At least he isn't English.

Kenny Roberts and to a lesser extent Barry Sheene got the same "poof" comment levelled at them in the '70s when they were still racing on tracks that had railway crossings and telephone poles. Two or three riders died every year in each class, and people shrugged their shoulders and kept on racing until those guys stuck their hands up and said "fair pay, and better safety or we'll go elsewhere".

Rossi has big balls for speaking up, especially if he is facing criticism like we see on here, for pointing out that LS is an obsolete goat track.

[FROSTY:Me]

OHH fuck Jim --You friggin did it diddnt ya--Ya just had to spoil our run of publicly disagreeing.
It gets my goat that people who have never actually ridden there can make an educated comment on a circuit

[onearmedbandit]

Two Seven, do you care to support your comment regarding Rossi, or was it just a knee-jerk reaction?

[Two Smoker]

OHH fuck Jim --You friggin did it diddnt ya--Ya just had to spoil our run of publicly disagreeing.
It gets my goat that people who have never actually ridden there can make an educated comment on a circuit

ive driven it on Gran Turismo 2 and 3.... That makes me more of an expert than rossi *yeah right*