Quote:
Originally Posted by TIGGER
Exactly, how else do you "measure" them? Just because you get on the track doesn't mean you can read the boards better than I can... The results are everything in racing IMHO, everything else is smoke and mirrors.
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In all sports, it's important to consider the circumstances when you try to evaluate how good an athlete really is. The stats only tell part of the story. Dan Marino doesn't have a superbowl ring, and Ben Roethlisberger has two. Roethlisberger isn't fit to carry Marino's jock strap, but if you compare the results, Ben has them and Dan does not.
In racing, you have to consider the equipment and team aspects, as well as the competition they face. Everybody wants to be champion when guys like Schumacher and Rossi are out on the track, not after they retire. A lot of the time, great riders can be hindered by inferior equipment. Hopkins is a good example of a rider that did very well with crappy equipment. Hayden is a good example of a guy that has been on the best equipment from the get go, and has a lot of circumstantial factors surrounding his only good season. The stats won't reflect those kinds of things, and that's why you have to look deeper if you want to get the whole picture.