This weekend sees the WSBK teams invade Phillip Island for the last official test before the season proper begins on the following weekend (25-27 Feb). Press releases are coming thick and fast from the various teams and the usual pre-season hype is starting to be in evidence.
Today Yamaha released their official colour scheme (I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it?) While it is certainly attractive, it certainly doesn’t stand out. I wonder when a team is actually going to break out of the corporate mold and paint their bike in a colour that stands out on the track and on the TV coverage. Like everything else in the sport these days, corporate decisions are stifling creativity.
As a matter of interest, Marco Melandri’s age is listed as 28 in the Yamaha press release. I guess that is correct, but it seems like he should be much older than that, he’s been around forever!
Attractive but dull, I think describes it well.
All is bullish in the team Green (s) camp with Chris Vermeulen reportedly being ready to do a full test this weekend and Aussies Bryan Staring and Mitchell Pirotta both excited about their “wild card” entries for the weekend after.
And, speaking of ages, Valentino Rossi turns 32 today.
Finally, the answer to the mystery rider competition. The rider on bike #76 is this man.
Yes, long before he became the lord high guru of Grand Prix racing, Jeremy Burgess was a struggling privateer strutting his stuff on the domestic scene on his own, self-funded, RG500 Suzuki. The photo was taken by me at the King of the Weir meeting, Hume Weir, January 1977.
gearsau says
Phil,
Agree with you regarding the corporate colours. I went to WSB at PI in 2009(time flies) and was amazed how bad some of the bikes looked on the track. Those dark colours often just blend into the track.
Don’t these firms ever think how the bike will appear on TV or in the printed(or internet media)?
The YAMAHA would have been the worst, followed by the SUZUKI .
In MotoGP,the REPSOL HONDAS and DUCATI are definitely the pick up the bunch .
I have so many good shots of Pedrosa etc. The colours must work well with my camera.
Of course,the #46 DUCATI this year looks absolutely awful.