Jonathan Rea - killing WSBK?
Discussion
I was into wsbk in the Foggy era when it was really big in many countries. Now it seems to be a shadow of its former self playing to many empty circuits - and I cant see why apart from the fact that motogp is now exciting, back in the late 90s it simply wasn't.
Is Rea doing to WSBK what Doohan did to motogp - killing it by being so unbeatable?
I confess I've stopped watching it because I know the likely outcome of every race.
What do people think?
Personally I'd like to see Rea in motogp on a factory bike - im sure he has the talent to run at the front
Is Rea doing to WSBK what Doohan did to motogp - killing it by being so unbeatable?
I confess I've stopped watching it because I know the likely outcome of every race.
What do people think?
Personally I'd like to see Rea in motogp on a factory bike - im sure he has the talent to run at the front
Edited by wsn03 on Friday 26th October 21:50
wsn03 said:
I was into wsbk in the Foggy era when it was really big in many countries. Now it seems to be a shadow of its former self playing to many empty circuits - and I cant see why apart from the fact that motogp is now exciting, back in the late 90s it simply wasn't.
Is Rea doing to WSBK what Doohan did to motogp - killing it by being so unbeatable?
I confess I've stopped watching it because I know the likely outcome of every race.
What do people think?
Personally I'd like to see Rea in motogp on a factory bike - im sure he has the talent
He has the talent but no factory team will take the chance on him. He’s had multiple offers from satellite teams but has always turned them down. He’s paid very well at Kawasaki in WSBK, there are several fewer races and he’s able to win and doing so easily. None of that would apply in MotoGP. I wouldn’t mind seeing him with a few wildcards but while Kawasaki aren’t in MotoGP I can’t see it.Is Rea doing to WSBK what Doohan did to motogp - killing it by being so unbeatable?
I confess I've stopped watching it because I know the likely outcome of every race.
What do people think?
Personally I'd like to see Rea in motogp on a factory bike - im sure he has the talent
BSB is so good, racing and tv coverage, that I don’t really bother with WSB.
I got into bike racing in the foggy, Edwards et al era of WSB and I think because the tv coverage was so good. I didn’t really care who won. Now the tv for WSB is sketchy and it just doesn’t grab my attention.
I watch BSB and MotoGP pretty much every race but WSB maybe a couple of races a season, just because of the tv.
I got into bike racing in the foggy, Edwards et al era of WSB and I think because the tv coverage was so good. I didn’t really care who won. Now the tv for WSB is sketchy and it just doesn’t grab my attention.
I watch BSB and MotoGP pretty much every race but WSB maybe a couple of races a season, just because of the tv.
WSB has been good but it seems to be chasing fans at obscure circuits or countries. Stick it back at Brands, plus Assen etc and it’s still a spectacle. P. Island this year was great.
Needs to be more easily accessible too. Eurosport is horse s
t.
But to answer the question, there’s been plenty of dominant riders in WSB. I don’t think Rea being awesome is responsible for it being unwatched. And I don’t blame him for shunning an also-ran team in high pressure MotoGP, either.
Needs to be more easily accessible too. Eurosport is horse s
t. But to answer the question, there’s been plenty of dominant riders in WSB. I don’t think Rea being awesome is responsible for it being unwatched. And I don’t blame him for shunning an also-ran team in high pressure MotoGP, either.
Edited by 308mate on Saturday 27th October 00:27
Edited by 308mate on Saturday 27th October 06:55
So much negativity regarding motorcycle racing on this forum. You’ll miss it soon now the seasons almost finished. I’m sure everyone would prefer closer racing with multiple winners week in week out. Regards Eurosport, I think they do a great job.
World superbikes from 2019 will be doing a 3 race format over the weekend. Mr Rea can set some seriously ridiculous records next year. 5 titles on the bounce would be awesome.
World superbikes from 2019 will be doing a 3 race format over the weekend. Mr Rea can set some seriously ridiculous records next year. 5 titles on the bounce would be awesome.
PIGINAWIG said:
So much negativity regarding motorcycle racing on this forum. You’ll miss it soon now the seasons almost finished. I’m sure everyone would prefer closer racing with multiple winners week in week out. Regards Eurosport, I think they do a great job.
World superbikes from 2019 will be doing a 3 race format over the weekend. Mr Rea can set some seriously ridiculous records next year. 5 titles on the bounce would be awesome.
World superbikes from 2019 will be doing a 3 race format over the weekend. Mr Rea can set some seriously ridiculous records next year. 5 titles on the bounce would be awesome.
Kawasaki is dominant in WSB as the rest of the manufacturers care more about MotoGP than superbikes.
We've just been 'lucky' Rea spent so long on a uncompetitive Fireblade!
Maybe next year he will get to work harder as we have the new ducati v4. The 1200 v twin was just going a bit too far
with the thumping great pistons.
I get the impression the bikes are too hard to ride on the limit as they are so powerful. 200+ hp sounds all good but not when you have it in converted road bikes.
The glory days of foggy wsbk were probably no more that 140-150 hp.
Current World supersport 600 races look much more exciting due to the lower power and easier handling.
Its just egos talking when everyone wants more power and we get this dreary series where most of the grid is on tip toes.
with the thumping great pistons.
I get the impression the bikes are too hard to ride on the limit as they are so powerful. 200+ hp sounds all good but not when you have it in converted road bikes.
The glory days of foggy wsbk were probably no more that 140-150 hp.
Current World supersport 600 races look much more exciting due to the lower power and easier handling.
Its just egos talking when everyone wants more power and we get this dreary series where most of the grid is on tip toes.
I think part of the problem is we have semi-competitive Brits in MotoGP, which we didn't in the Fogarty era (they either weren't good enough or the bikes weren't or both). This meant that the UK was WSB focused. Add in to that the TV coverage was better in the UK than MotoGP and that added to it. The "Brands Hatch" factor also had a effect as it was the largest one day sporting event in the UK at the time, and became self perpetuating because of it. All of these have evened out between WSB and MotoGP over the years.
Is Rea too dominant? Yes but you can't blame him as it's his job to win. The issue is not enough factory teams putting the resources into WSB in my opinion. The Yamaha, Aprilia, Honda etc. aren't a million miles away from competing but they just aren't going the extra mile that Kawasaki and Ducati do. The repetitive rule changes don't help and quite frankly reek of desperation. Wouldn't it be great if all of the Superbike Championships got together and decided on the same rules (i.e. WSB, BSB, AMA etc.) then the manufacturers could build consistent bikes for all championships, data sharing would speed up development evening the playing field, riders could wild card at local rounds, etc, etc. Sadly that would mean less management jobs so unlikely......
Is Rea too dominant? Yes but you can't blame him as it's his job to win. The issue is not enough factory teams putting the resources into WSB in my opinion. The Yamaha, Aprilia, Honda etc. aren't a million miles away from competing but they just aren't going the extra mile that Kawasaki and Ducati do. The repetitive rule changes don't help and quite frankly reek of desperation. Wouldn't it be great if all of the Superbike Championships got together and decided on the same rules (i.e. WSB, BSB, AMA etc.) then the manufacturers could build consistent bikes for all championships, data sharing would speed up development evening the playing field, riders could wild card at local rounds, etc, etc. Sadly that would mean less management jobs so unlikely......
Right o, you will like this.
Firstly Rea. He spent years at Honda, was too patient, never got a good bike, and was never given a GP ride full time despite being offered the chance to ride a crummy Honda, prove himself and maybe do a Miller and make people go "wow look at what he doing on that dog". So he moved to Kwak, won everything, found it easy, stayed longer, earned probably more than most of the MotoGP riders just like Mladin did in AMA for Suzuki and is seemingly happy being a small fish in a tiny pond saying "come and have a go if you think yer hard enough" Easy money, easy wins, easy titles, but most don't recognise it as he had less oppo than Foggy ever did other than perhaps 95 and 99.
Second SBK. Used to be a great series when sports bikes mattered. Bigger then GP for about 6 or 7 years, but was never really a feeder to GP, why? Coz the Spanish cornered that with Ducados, junior champs etc and they stick to their own. SBK dies under Flammini, they try stuff but it does, Dorna buy it, use it as a retirement part for ex GP riders and a way of getting kids on bikes at 15 instead of 16 in all GP categories, with Supersport 300. Not a bad plan except the winner was a woman who failed miserably in Moto3, fail Dorna. Make stupid, gormless decisions like split grids for second race, then both races on separate days, possibly under pressure from tracks who want to make more money from Saturday and the same on Sunday, dumbest decision I ever saw.
Third, Sports bikes don't sell as much as they did, 600's are almost dead meaning you lose almost 2 classes. Big bangers is not the big ,market it once was, manufacturers would rather be in GP where it is higher profile.
Fourth and final, no-one likes domination, Rea i Irish, so deosnt get the support Foggy, Hodgson, Toseland or Walker got. It's a Brit waif and stray home, Camier has been there for years without doing anything, same as Sykes now, Haslam is going back which is truly bizarre, Lowes crashes routinely and manages to keep a ride, and you still have guys riding there who 15 years ago would have been long gone.
It's a mess, has been for years, but why would Dorna give a damn, they charge a bunch for hosting races, make enough money to keep it going but couldnt care less if it fails, as they own the competition.
Firstly Rea. He spent years at Honda, was too patient, never got a good bike, and was never given a GP ride full time despite being offered the chance to ride a crummy Honda, prove himself and maybe do a Miller and make people go "wow look at what he doing on that dog". So he moved to Kwak, won everything, found it easy, stayed longer, earned probably more than most of the MotoGP riders just like Mladin did in AMA for Suzuki and is seemingly happy being a small fish in a tiny pond saying "come and have a go if you think yer hard enough" Easy money, easy wins, easy titles, but most don't recognise it as he had less oppo than Foggy ever did other than perhaps 95 and 99.
Second SBK. Used to be a great series when sports bikes mattered. Bigger then GP for about 6 or 7 years, but was never really a feeder to GP, why? Coz the Spanish cornered that with Ducados, junior champs etc and they stick to their own. SBK dies under Flammini, they try stuff but it does, Dorna buy it, use it as a retirement part for ex GP riders and a way of getting kids on bikes at 15 instead of 16 in all GP categories, with Supersport 300. Not a bad plan except the winner was a woman who failed miserably in Moto3, fail Dorna. Make stupid, gormless decisions like split grids for second race, then both races on separate days, possibly under pressure from tracks who want to make more money from Saturday and the same on Sunday, dumbest decision I ever saw.
Third, Sports bikes don't sell as much as they did, 600's are almost dead meaning you lose almost 2 classes. Big bangers is not the big ,market it once was, manufacturers would rather be in GP where it is higher profile.
Fourth and final, no-one likes domination, Rea i Irish, so deosnt get the support Foggy, Hodgson, Toseland or Walker got. It's a Brit waif and stray home, Camier has been there for years without doing anything, same as Sykes now, Haslam is going back which is truly bizarre, Lowes crashes routinely and manages to keep a ride, and you still have guys riding there who 15 years ago would have been long gone.
It's a mess, has been for years, but why would Dorna give a damn, they charge a bunch for hosting races, make enough money to keep it going but couldnt care less if it fails, as they own the competition.
I don't think it's specifically Rea's fault.
Most factories main efforts are in Moto GP. Moto GP is the pinnacle. Moto GP has more exposure and coverage.
Moto GP has better racing too these days.
It used to be that GP bikes were so different to road bikes so WSBK had its place, especially if you wanted close racing. But even GP's are all four stroke 1000's which look like road bikes in a way.
Not to mention that we have brits doing ok in Moto GP now.
I guess its like Premier league football vs the lower tiers. No one seems to care about the lower tiers.
It is bike racing. It would be a shame to lose it as it's an opportunity for riders and teams to race in a world championship.
Most factories main efforts are in Moto GP. Moto GP is the pinnacle. Moto GP has more exposure and coverage.
Moto GP has better racing too these days.
It used to be that GP bikes were so different to road bikes so WSBK had its place, especially if you wanted close racing. But even GP's are all four stroke 1000's which look like road bikes in a way.
Not to mention that we have brits doing ok in Moto GP now.
I guess its like Premier league football vs the lower tiers. No one seems to care about the lower tiers.
It is bike racing. It would be a shame to lose it as it's an opportunity for riders and teams to race in a world championship.
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