2011 WSBK pre-season predictions
 

Yup, in less than one month, on February 27th, the 1st race of the 2011 season will be here :) The race will be at the beautifully located Phillip Island on the coast of Austrailia, thus officially beginning the 2011 race season...

So let's talk some trash, and vote for a future champ...

The current champ, Max Biaggi, is returning for yet another year and bringing with him quite a few familiar faces, not to mention a few new ones as well...Mad Max was dominant in 2010, winning 10 races and getting on the rostrum countless other times...So I'll be hoping for a little more competition from all these new rides...

Personally, I'll be pulling for Jonathan Rea and his CBR 1000RR :D However, I'm keenly aware of the skill level of Max, Toseland, Haslam, Fabrizio, and always a bridesmaid Haga...And I'm sure they'll be a darkhorse rider battling up front the way Checa did last year...

So let's get it on :rockwoot:

This is the final standings of last year...

1 Max Biaggi 451
2 Leon Haslam 376
3 Carlos Checa 297
4 Jonathan Rea 292
5 Cal Crutchlow 284
6 Nori Haga 258
7 Sylvain Guintoli 197
8 Michel Fabrizio 195
9 James Toseland 187
10 Shane Byrne 169

Max won through sheer consistancy last year. His endurance level was excellent and appeared far less winded afterwards than many of his rivals at almost half his age. I can't imagine his prep work slacking and another strong year would be a good stick in rossi's eye.

I expect him to do the double.

I also expect big things from sykes and lascorz. Hopefully the monster power of the new bike makes monza a kawi/aprilia slugfest. We'll see though

It'll be a free for all. I'm rooting for Sykes, Rea, Ole man Corser, and Xaus...oh and Haga. Well Laverty too. Fook I likes em all!

Haga is a great racer, and even better when his bike is dialed in...I can't wait to see what he does on the Ape :)

"Monster power" hasn't helped BMW much...:idk:

How would it be a stick in Rossi's eye? As I remember it, Rossi has a 500GP title, as well as 4 (or 5?) MotoGP titles. I'd say nothing Biaggi could do would match that. I do like Biaggi though, and hope he has another great season.

Vale ain't doing so hot right now. Might be sandbagging, the other riders performance says otherwise. And with all the hoopla pointed at him about finally an italian on an italian bike in gp, should he fail, he couldn't help but notice that his old rival was the first italian to win the sbk championship, on an italian bike, in italy. Even better if he does the double

Yet Biaggi was Rossi's bridesmaid how many times?

Rossi had one bad season, and came off a horrible injury. I's hardly say he wasnt doing shit hot. He had one bad season, and like I said, had to deal with a pretty bad injury.

Everybody is dogging rossi for finishing 12 in testing. The man just got off shoulder surgery. He cant even tuck fully, and has trouble in half of the turns. Ducati or not.... the man will be competitive nce he is healthy.

Whats worse is an injured Rossi still lapped faster than a healthy Hayden.... DOH! :lol

bull. if his shoulder is so bad why did he compete at wrooom? whys he doing fucking wheelies?

http://pix.crash.net/motorsport/360/PA879541.jpg

or is this his plan to ride around the duc's front end problems? :lol
ducati has thrown untold riches towards trying to fix this machine and its only gotten slower. check hayden 10 vs 11.

we're dogging him for good reason, he only seems to be injured when its convenient.

Ah the fate of our "heroes", the second they falter we bury them in shit!:idk: Having said that, it's still amazing to me that this motorcycle GOD could be so criticized even before a single race lap has been run. One small drop of blood in the water and the media sharks start circling...It happens to the best of them.:wtlw:

bro, you were in too. anytime a guy said he was sick and didnt act like it he got called a malingerer

Okay, when did being innocent become a requirement of pointing out human nature? Besides, Stacy Moaner was excusing his poor race results in interviews. I haven't seen Vale do that, have you? I said that not a single lap has been run and people are dogging him. Am I not right? Has he raced the Duc and I somehow missed it?
Trip did the same thing in the parking lot thread, apparently, if I've ever done anything wrong I no longer have the right to comment on anyone else's wrong doing. I never said that I don't do it, I said that people do. Anyway, there is a HUGE difference between Stoner and Rossi-don't cha think?:idk:

For the record, I am a huge Rossi fan, and always will be...But even he has an excuse now and again...Going backwards, here are some race quotes from last year after he got hurt...

Now, are these excuses 100% legit?...I think so...

Valencia quote

At one point I thought I might be able to win but in the later part of the race I just didn't have enough strength to stay with Lorenzo and Stoner, this is a very hard track when you're not completely fit. I started to make a few mistakes because I didn't have enough power to stop the bike so after a bit I decided it was better to slow down and keep my third place.

Motegi quote

At the end I was tired and my tyre was sliding a lot, it was a bit softer than I would have liked

Aragon quote

I couldn't do better than sixth. All the Yamahas have suffered here but my shoulder problems made it even worse for me and this, combined with the problems with our package at this track, made it extra hard

Indy quote

I did some good laps and I wasn't too far from the other Yamahas, but unfortunately I paid a lot for my lack of fitness in this heat and in the end I had to stop pushing because I didn't have any strength left in my body

Laguna Seca quote

The start of the race was very hard for me because I had a lot of pain and I was far from the podium

Jay Cutler? Nah, Rossi is playing at testing. He will unleash to beast when time comes. I see the years of competition aging his desire. The playful competitor grown into grizzled vet. He knows not to throw it down on an unhealed shoulder and pull a 'Corser'...

Damn, just realized this is the WSBK thread...GP talk will come in early March...

Hard to believe Toseland was the champ just a few years ago, yet no votes for him...

JT did nick a championship year with Honda, but it was not a watershed year for WSBK talent and now there is an Aprilia, BMW, and new Kwacker to deal with. The year JT won it was pretty much Honda or Ducati.

Yeah we got a bit off topic there. I do believe james will bounce back this year but I don't see him in the running.

Anybody think Kawi will have any success, or will they just be back markers for the season?

Kawi will do good things this year. Either sykes or lascorz is winning at least one

I gotta go with the opposite...

No wins and a mediocre year...

Yer outta yer mind

I have to vote for the Roman Emperor, naturally.

So, what's BMW's excuse for losing is gonna be this year? Oh yes, "we're preparing for MotoGP." hahahahahahahahaha.

BMW has its excuses all lined up. Corser injured in preseason testing, all german tech crew inexperienced, BUT Haslam will suprise ya sooner or later, Corser is a hard bastard. Not championship potential but they'll see glimpses.