Race of the century?

[slowpoke]

I just came across the Bayliss/Edwards WSBK race at Imola 2002 on good ol' YouTube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0juEmvesKIw). It still ranks as the best racing I've ever seen, especially considering the championship was at stake. I can remember watching it live and I was absolutely knackered afterwards.

It makes you realise just how much we've lost with making the bikes so farkin' good. With traction, wheelie, launch control etc the racing has definitely lost a lot of intensity from a spectating standpoint, be it MotoGP or WSBK. I can't see how we'll ever have that sort of racing again.

How good did Imola look, eh? With these sorts of magnificent circuits around the world you have to shake your head at how Taupo got it so wrong. Thankfully Hampton Downs looks to be a major improvement.

[Romeo]

Great race, I've never seen that one before.
*

[Grahameeboy]

I dunno, racing is still pretty intense especially WSB when there was only 2 points difference giving Toseland the Title.

MotoGP. 125 / 250 still intense. Big boys I think is more reliant in the equipment and if Yamaha had got it right I am sure that Rossi would have added more value to the series. Stomer is a bloody good rider, however, Ducati had it 110% right this time and Stoner did not face stiff opposition...Rossi had flashes as he can get 130% out of a bike but let down by machinery.

[slowpoke]

I dunno, racing is still pretty intense especially WSB when there was only 2 points difference giving Toseland the Title.

MotoGP. 125 / 250 still intense. Big boys I think is more reliant in the equipment and if Yamaha had got it right I am sure that Rossi would have added more value to the series. Stomer is a bloody good rider, however, Ducati had it 110% right this time and Stoner did not face stiff opposition...Rossi had flashes as he can get 130% out of a bike but let down by machinery.

The series is still fun to watch but that 2002 WSBK season was just huge with Bayliss dominating early but Edwards coming back strong and the finale at Imola was the ultimate showdown....maybe you had to "be" there but I haven't seen 2 riders riding so hard, so consistently at/over the limit, with so much at stake since then.

Toseland had the '07 title sewn up then proceeded to underperform for the last few rounds, giving his rivals a sniff when it should have been "lights out nurse". His underwhelming performance is a long way from the approach Bayliss and Edwards were taking as they rode the wheels off their bikes.

[codgyoleracer]

That last race was indeed a stunning show, - the come-back by Edwards & Honda that season was pretty incredible, & Ducati pretty much sat back smuggly & assumed Bayliss couldnt be caught after a blinder of a start in that years series.
Bayliss rode the bike to its absolute limits on that day & his win or bin attitude was clear to see. Fantastic.
Glen

[Toast]

Would have to be pretty high on my list!

A championship that could be lost on pretty much any corner if a big mistake were made yet look at the way Bayliss gets that thing loose!

I've seen some stunning battles in GP racing too, but few in which the riders had as much on the line as in that race.

[James Deuce]

Rossi had flashes as he can get 130% out of a bike but let down by machinery.

Rubbish. Amazing how your name is Rossi so if you screw up it was the machinery.

His head wasn't in the game this year and he lost. Except he gets the luxury of blaming tyres and engine failures. Couldn't possibly be that he was outridden, over stressed his tyres or revved the shit out of a fragile engine to try and stay with the lead bunch, could it?

[Grahameeboy]

Rubbish. Amazing how your name is Rossi so if you screw up it was the machinery.

His head wasn't in the game this year and he lost. Except he gets the luxury of blaming tyres and engine failures. Couldn't possibly be that he was outridden, over stressed his tyres or revved the shit out of a fragile engine to try and stay with the lead bunch, could it?

Fair enough, however, in your reply you say 'Fragile engine' so is this not mechanical. If engine was not upto it and Rossi was trying to keep up is this not down to machinery or was he suppose to poodle around the track.

Tyres, well the stuff you read suggests that tyres were not competitive so again if he had to race the tits of the bike to keep up due to the engine then this will affect tyres but possible the tyres were the outcome rather than the problem.

Remember Rossi won the Championship in his first year with Yamaha who had done nothing before. Maybe Yamaha got it wrong this year, Ducati got it right spurred by a few years out of it.

I do not take anything away from Stoner and nor does Rossi but he is allowed to voice his view about his bike which probably has more credibility coming from someone of his history.

[James Deuce]

I don't see what you're trying to say? All I can see is that Rossi and Yamaha got complacent and got burned for it. It's the Schumacher effect all over again. The man could do no wrong despite being an egotistical bully with a penchant for punting competitors off.

Stoner and Ducati won the championship. Rossi and Yamaha didn't lose it.

Btw - all those engines are fragile. That's why the need decent professionals riding the bike. Part of race craft is nursing tyres, engine, brakes, suspension so that you can make maximum effort where required.

[marioc]

Yep indeed maybe in the future they may go the way that F1 is going for next season by banning traction control.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Rubbish. Amazing how your name is Rossi so if you screw up it was the machinery.

His head wasn't in the game this year and he lost. Except he gets the luxury of blaming tyres and engine failures. Couldn't possibly be that he was outridden, over stressed his tyres or revved the shit out of a fragile engine to try and stay with the lead bunch, could it?

ah, crap.

when he was the top Michelin runner and there are five Bridgestone shod bikes ahead of him (Ducati and Honda) AND he was the top finishing Michelin runner then , it wasnt the bloody bike or his head or anything else, it was tyres. Which has been acknowledged by the fact that he is running Bridgestone next year, when his team mate sticks with Michelin (which will be entertaining for Yamaha management).