Who is your favourite Racer?

[redpaso]

Hey guys, I was just wondering who you consider you favourite &/or the greatest motorcycle racer of all time?

For me personally I think it is a very hard question as there are so many different fascets to this question. Do we just talk GP? or include SBK? How are our perceptions governed by our age & teh era we have grown up in? What of Obscure types of racinng such as Road racing? Well lets include any Racing that is on a tar circuit (not to say there are not greats on the dirt but we will save that for later).

For me I think the Ultimate racer was JOEY DUNLOP! I am a big fan of Road Racing Isle of Mann Style. I think it is the ultimate because they are pushing to the limits & know that if they stuff up there is a strong posibility of severe injury of death (highest death rate of any 2 wheeled motorsport).
Joey was just such a precise racer & a humble man. He never chased the dollars & preferred to work on & set up his own bikes (how many current racers would know how to do this, they just tell someone else whats wrong & let them sort it). Joey had balls & knowed how to use them. Just watch the famous footage os him with a camera strapped to his 1984 VFR Honda & you will agree. He was a legend & my personal favourite.

Next probably EDDIE LAWSON. So smooth & consistant. Just got on with the business. 4 x world GP champion (intersting though his neighbour did not know what he was World Champ of as it is apparently not a big sport in the US of A I have many a fond memory of watching him circulate on the Cagiva @ Eastern Creek many years ago & being totally amazzed at how smooth & consistant he was

I think that Troy Bayliss is largely unrecogised for his talents but i could have some bias as I live near his hometown

There are many others that I rate as the true greats but I will get into them later, come on who are your favourites

[Duck01]

Valentino Rossi, would have to be fairly high on my list - no matter what he rides - he gets results, & is great to watch.

Wayne Gardner, in his prime, was also good, & gotta agree with ya about Bayliss being underated/under-developed to max potential.

Hmmm - who was the Texan that rode for Ducati - he was awsome!! (Mind is blank at the mo........!!)

[redpaso]

Would that be Ben Bostrom? Underrated as well I reckon, he was awesome to watch on a good day. He is now back in SBK with Honda, I hope he does well.

Wayne gardner was also high on my list, he rode on pure determination, not a smooth rider just used brute force & will power FANTASTIC to watch

[redpaso]

& as for valentino, not much you need to say really - the master of the mind game & has them beat before the race starts. He also knows how the machinery works

[Duck01]

No mate - was'nt Bostrom - big tall lanky Texan guy - name will probably come to me at 2am tomorrow (don't ya hate that!!)

How about Kenny Roberts making the list...........

[redpaso]

Was it Doug Polen in the 851/888 days, he was a bloody good rider. Speaking of those days I would rate Raymond Roche among my altime favourites (pretty good for a Frenchman). Amazing rider to watch, fast & consistant.

Could you be talking of John Kozinski? wasn't he a Texan? Amazing rider shot down by his own loud mouth & stupidity. When he first arrived in the GP scene he loudly proclaimed that any rider that has not won the title in 3 years should retire & has no place in the GP scene. Eddie Lawson reminded him of this at the end of his third unsuccessfull season (if memory serves correct this ended ina punch up with kozinski on the floor)

I know this will put a lot of people off side but Kenny Roberts does not rate very high on my list at all. I think he was an excellant rider & the history books show that but i just never really warmed to him. Kenny Jr. either, I think he is the luckiest person to have ever won a 500cc championship. He has done nothing since & why Suzuki persist with him is beyond me. All he seems to do is badmouth the bike much the same as Biaggi. Kurtis on the other hand is showing glimpses of brilliance & i reckon will figure prominantly in the future if he plays he cards right. I think that KR was a bit like Carl Fogarty, He has the superior machinary at the right time & used that advantage to take the title. Nothing wrong with that, that is how the game is played. I guess I just like the guy that beats everyone else through sheer determination & ability rather than mechanical superiority (refer to Wayne Gardner here)

[Skins]

Hey cuz, why do you reckon Rossi is not riding for Ducati? Surely that would be a natural fit. Is it just that they can't afford him?

[redpaso]

I reckon the time will come when we see him upon our mighty red beasts. Here was rumours when Ducati anounces their involvememnt in GP & again when he left Honda that he was going with Ducati but at that stage Ducati was still too much of an unknown quantity & had he done that instead of go with Yamaha he would have failed as we saw from the season Bayliss & caparossi had. What he did was take his crew with him so he was calling the shots. That would not happen at Ducati because they don't operate that way. HE moulded the Yamaha to what he wanted & won. Bayliss spent the whole year asking Ducati for changes he got with 2 races to go (after thay had already by-passed him for 05) & had instant results. I think Valentino will finish his career with Ducati, the money wont matter & there is nothing in the world more popular than an Italian on Italian machinary. A few more years yet & maybe he will be their first MotoGP Champ.

[Skins]

Hey, cuz!

I was just looking at a site called MotoSport-MotoGP http://www.motosport.co.yu/motogp_photo ... ery_page=8 and on page 4 of their 'Photos and Wallpapers' there is a picture of Rossi on the grid, squatting on the ground in front of his bike, 'performing his usual ritual' - I didn't know he did that, did you? Do you know what it's all about?

:laugh:

[mike]

in no particular order:

from the past...

Pasolini (of course)
Agostini (I wear his helmet)
Smart (got to meet Paul in person at DRA)
Polen
Hailwood
Rainey

and more modern...

the Bostrom boys
Xaus
Haga

[redpaso]

there is a picture of Rossi on the grid, squatting on the ground in front of his bike, 'performing his usual ritual' - I didn't know he did that, did you? Do you know what it's all about?

:laugh:

I have noticed & heard reference to Valentino's pre race "Ritual" I have not heard a lot about why it is so. I guess that it is one of those idiosyncrocies that he has. I remember Joey Dunlop would always put his left glove on first & Alan Jones (F1 champ) always raced inthe same pair of red undies. even when they started to fall apart he stitched the remnants on to new red undies so that he was always wearing them. In both these instances I am pretty sure they did this as it was something they had done when they had their first win & considered it a good luck thing.

I have noticed that everytime they do a warm up lap Rossi pulls up on the grid & picks the wedgie out of his bum. I have often wondered if this is part of a a good luck ritual or just poorly fitting leathers :laugh:

[Skins]

OK, guys and gals, here it is: According to the caption, it's Rossi 'Performing his usual ritual' at the start of a GP. What do you think he's doing?

[Duck01]

No - you guys have got it wrong :thumbdown: - you're going to haveta back the truck up a bit on this one - this is no 'ritual' being done by Rossi - he's on a Yamaha now - & he's just checking before the race, that nothing has fallen off it while it was being wheeled to the grid.................. :neener: :neener:

[Skins]

:laugh:


A very good effort, Duck! I wonder if anyone can do better ...


How about: 'Now where the hell did that bluddy key go?' (Yours is better, Duck - I'm not very good at this kind of thing)

[Duck01]

Ummmm - being a Yamaha - maybe he's just 'winding up the rubber band'......................