If I were of a paranoid frame of mind I would think that there is a conspiracy out there. Why is it, for example, that the weather during the week is perfect and then, come the weekend, it throws down a stinker for two days? I was hopeful of a ride this morning, but the wind howled like a banshee all night and only moderated a little by daybreak. I should explain that, where I live, August is known as a notorious month for winds and that my house faces directly west the direction from which the howling August winds come.
Riding during these periods brings with it the usual difficulties of riding in windy weather as well as the ever-present hazard of debris on the road that makes it even more “challenging”. Oh well, let’s hope that the wind moderates by tomorrow.
And, speaking of ill winds, Hector Barbera must be feeling that one has blown his way this morning. After having his broken tibia and fibula pinned and plated from his recent accident, he suffered a huge high-side at Indianapolis this morning and has been disgnosed with three fractured vertebrae (not paralysis-inducing, thankfully) He will now be out for an even more extended period of time and his place will be taken, as it was at the last MotoGp round, by Tony Elias.
photo courtesy Jules Cisek
Now that the dust has settled on the Rossi saga, it was good to see Vale smiling at the Friday press conference. Of course, his real reason for smiling is that he knows he won’t have to put up with the unfriendly red beast for too much longer. As noted in my previous posts, most pundits agree that his return to Yamaha will be a good thing for all concerned and for the sport in general. Most also agree with me that he will return to winning races but can probably not expect another title given his age and the aggression of his fellow competitors.
Andrea Dovizioso is expected to be confirmed at Ducati this weekend, and, as David Emmett noted, the move is probably a good one, given that Audi’s promise of a bigger say in the direction the factory is taking is a promising sign. If, as expected, Ducati produce a radical new and competitive bike, he could just find himself in the right place at the right time as Casey Stoner did in 2007. And, if he DOES get on a winner it won’t do his reputation any harm at all. In the worst-case scenario, he is going there with no great expectations on him given the failure of Rossi and Co to turn the bike into a winner. In any event, Dovi is simply following the age-old dictum that a “works” ride is best, even if the bike is a dog.
In WSBK, championship leader, Max Biaggi has scoffed at suggestions that he is being courted by Ducati to head up their new “works” team, saying, instead, that he hopes to finish his career at Aprilia. Funny that, I remember Rossi saying the same thing about Yamaha a few years ago!
Still on Ducati, they seem to be suffering hits in the market place as well with factory recalls affecting the Panigale and the Diavell as well as having to fit their new superbike with restrictive silencers before they can sell it in eco-friendly Japan.
Finally, a real thrill for me to open my mail yesterday and find a contact from David Bailey, one of my old CRRC buddies who raced this immaculate TZ250 back in the day.
This is Dave, tipping into the left-hander at Hume Weir. I’m guessing around 1977.