In the wake of the US Grand Prix at Austin the weekend before last, an intriguing battle of words has broken out between the 1993 World 500cc Champion, Kevin Schwantz (pictured above) and Alberto Puig, HRC Honda insider and Dani Pedrosa’s manager. I’m not going to go into the detail as the article below from motogp.com spells it all out.
Now most of you who know me know that it has always been my contention that riders/drivers should keep their helmets on at all times with their visors down. Fact is that, while the majority of them are highly intelligent and skilled people, few of them have the ability to communicate effectively enough to make what they have to say something to which others should listen. And this is doubly so when the reasoning is applied to ex-riders/drivers and those who have long since retired from active competition. Indeed, it seems that the longer they have been away from the sport,the more radical and “out there” their opinions become.
The best of Schwantz and Puig are well and truly behind them and the current stoush has very little to do with Dani Pedrosa who, it is contended, is the subject of the argument and a great deal more to do with stuff that is happening and has happened in the background. Remember that, while Schwantz won the 1993 world title, he will be remembered much more for the myriad of unforced errors that were scattered through his career than anything else. And the fact that he was one of the most unsuccessful world champions when it came to defending his title the following year adds fuel to the fire.
It is not surprising that Schwantz has singled out Pedrosa/Puig for his tirade. Most Americans have never forgiven the pair for Pedrosa’s unsuccessful pass on Hayden at Estoril in 2006 that almost cost the American his world title (a title which, incidentally, sits as precariously on his shoulders as Shwantz’s does on his). The vitriol and spleen that was exhibited by American fans after that incident took literally years to die down. It wasn’t made any easier when Puig, after the incident, had the audacity (in their minds) to suggest that Pedrosa was making a legitimate pass and that Hayden had shut him down.
For Shwantz’s part, the pair make a perfect target for him to lash out against given the acrimonious circumstances surrounding the COTA affair. Schwantz, a Texan, feels mightily aggrieved that the credit for (and the money associated with) the successful maiden event at Austin has been taken away from him and that he was actually asked to leave the track on a private practice today as he had not been invited to attend. How galling this must be for him when he feels that he has done so much towards making the track and the event a success is impossible to imagine. So he has chosen to vent his frustration and anger on a convenient target and Pedrosa/Puig are the most convenient ones.
Who is right? Who cares? For my part, I do believe that, if Pedrosa DOESN’T win the crown this year, he never will, but I have made that point before. His task is going to be made monumentally more difficult given that Marquez’s learning curve, which most felt would delay his progress to the top till at least mid-season, hasn’t really happened. It appears that the only learning curve he has is his self-imposed one. Given Lorenzo’s astronomic consistency over the last few seasons, Dani is going to have his toughest season ever. Throw in a rejuvenated Valentino Rossi and the task becomes that much more difficult. To say that Dani will NEVER win a world title is, of course, totally stupid. Rash statements like this do have a habit of coming back and biting you on the bum and KS34 may rue his lack of caution if Dani does snatch the crown.
As always, time will tell. Perhaps somebody should have handed Puig and Schwantz a helmet before the event, but, then again, if they had done so, we wouldn’t have had this ridiculous playground spat at which to laugh.