Hopper Vs. Haga Vs. Spies Vs. Biaggi

[Mau]

Honda, Ducati, Yamaha, Aprilia(!)

Hopper gets a ride in WSBK

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/...?article=35891

i still think Spies is gonna run away with it.

[kneedragger88]

Should be fun. I agree my money is on Benny. I just hope Hopper's Honda is up to the task at hand. Nice to see he got out of the Kawi deal so at least he could ride. I am surprised that they didnt put him into WSBK or even AMA on a ZX rather than let him go. If he had not got out of the contract Kawi would have been paying him to sit home on the couch.

[You Know]

Hopper has been less than competitive in MotoGP! Hopkins will be lucky to get a handful of top 5s in WSBK, best of luck to him! I love to be proved wrong so we'll see how he pans out?!?!

[Mau]

Hopper has been less than competitive in MotoGP! Hopkins will be lucky to get a handful of top 5s in WSBK, best of luck to him! I love to be proved wrong so we'll see how he pans out?!?!

to be fair, i don't think his machinery was up to snuff. That Suzi was soo bad that they only changed it when Capirossi told them how bad it was. That Kawi and crew were horrible, so bad that they pulled out of the GP knowing they didn't have a chance, and grudgingly came back when dorna offered them a break.
BUT, his reputation is tarnished in the race pits. He has a lot to prove, so i think he's "gonna give 'er"

[You Know]

That Kawi and crew were horrible, so bad that they pulled out of the GP knowing they didn't have a chance, and grudgingly came back when dorna offered them a break.
BUT, his reputation is tarnished in the race pits. He has a lot to prove, so i think he's "gonna give 'er"

Hacking did well on it his first try?!! I like Hopper, but he hasn't blown me away the last couple of years. It'll be interesting to see what excuses his die-hard fans come up with if he doesn't do well in WSBK.

[speedster]

I don't expect anything mindblowing from him for the first couple races anyway. He needs more seat time on this machine, while although being less powerful (and heavier), the CBR 1K handles and brakes significantly different than a GP machine. The Stiggy team he's with isn't even the top team with Honda (ie. Ten Kate). I believe he will get better in time, but IMO is at a disadvantage, at least initially.

[Grimmy]

Hopper will do well. Stiggy seems to be building decent race bikes.

The bikes and series' are apples to oranges. Hopper was on substandard machinery in MotoGP and still did fairly well here and there. As a rider I think he has some talent, thats for sure. On more even machinery where million dollar bike budgets aren't as important, I think he has a good chance at being a consistent front runner. I expect him to do as well as Biaggi.

[minifig-phil]

He won't touch Haga and Spies but he might do a good job at keeping Biaggi off the podium when he doesn't crash.

[franz131]

You guys forget how strong the field is this year.

First race out he'll be marvelling at how much of a pig the bike is, like swapping from a 250gp to a 600 (Phil?)

Second race he'll be marvelling at how many bikes pass him every time he makes the smallest mistake, and the bike is a total pig.

He'll do well to see Smrz, Neukirchner, Checa, or Haslam let alone the front 3.

[Mau]

pretty unbelievable stuff. If BMW sort it out, And Neukrcihalichaie figures out the new GSXR, every brand (except Kawi) may have a shot at winning a race....if spies falls.

[TBK]

....if spies falls.

Falls? When was the last time spies fell? Much like Rossi, if he is on competitive equipment, he doesn't have to take chances and he doesn't make mistakes. That's his big advantage. Its guys like Biaggi who,while is a fantastic rider, will make one or two mistakes, so he wicks it up to either catch up or keep his lead and ends up crashing. I remember a lot of races with him and rossi where that exact scenario played itself out over and over. I wouldn't expect to see many yard sales from Spies over the season.

[Mau]

yeah...that's my point....

[Jayv]

pretty unbelievable stuff. If BMW sort it out, And Neukrcihalichaie figures out the new GSXR, every brand (except Kawi) may have a shot at winning a race....if spies falls.

Bayliss retired a year too early.

[Mau]

agreed.
but imagine he didn't retire. Haga would have stayed with Yami, tying up $$, where would Spies have gone...i guess Suzuki, since Nieto was replaced with KAKAyami.
maybe he gets bored and comes back???

[minifig-phil]

You guys forget how strong the field is this year.

First race out he'll be marvelling at how much of a pig the bike is, like swapping from a 250gp to a 600 (Phil?)

Second race he'll be marvelling at how many bikes pass him every time he makes the smallest mistake, and the bike is a total pig.

He'll do well to see Smrz, Neukirchner, Checa, or Haslam let alone the front 3.

I won my first ever 600 race in '93 even beat Steve Crevier flat out after we passed each other multiple times!

I don't think he'll be on the podium regualrly it was just wishful thinking it's not the greatest team he's on (not a bad team just not the best) and the feild is super deep this year. I predict top 10 for him with a few podiums (3rd) maybe this year.

[minifig-phil]

Bayliss retired a year too early.

His timing was perfect he wanted to go out on top and thats what he did.

He wouldn't have won the title this year. He makes too many mistakes by too many you only need 1 with spies in there.

I wonder if the Rossi - Bayliss race is going to happen because it'll be a battle for third!

[sub4]

this season will prove the hopper was all hype.(and ears)
p.s. minig-phil-we need to settle up on our Biaggi bet!

[Kaotic Trance]

I definitely don't see him as a front runner, but the stiggy bike isn't that bad (haslam has already podiumed on it) and he's a decent rider... we'll see him in the top 10.

[minifig-phil]

this season will prove the hopper was all hype.(and ears)
p.s. minig-phil-we need to settle up on our Biaggi bet!

Your Right!

He did get lucky once!

[Kit]

His timing was perfect he wanted to go out on top and thats what he did.

He wouldn't have won the title this year. He makes too many mistakes by too many you only need 1 with spies in there.

I wonder if the Rossi - Bayliss race is going to happen because it'll be a battle for third!

I dream of bayliss and rossi showing up as wildcards at a race