[Brian FXSTB]

How does everyone think the lineup will be?

I think Nicky will get his shit smoked in SBK.... Its too bad about C Edwards riding Ducati now - the traitor!

Does anyone know who R Xaus and B Bostrom are riding for next year? I heard a rumor Bostrom was riding with Kwaksuki....

 

[karl_996]

kawasaki is ulling out, and B Boz is going to hondas AMA team.

 

[Ian]

Nicky's riding for Repsol Honda in FIM GP along with Bayliss at Ducati.

Xaus is still a question mark... They said he was going to be at Aprilia but then Aprilia announced they may ink a deal with Pirelli and no one likes them... So they are all skipping out. I think if Ducati looses Edwards like the rumours say they might go after Xaus, since they will really only have Hodgson.

As far as BBoz, he'll probably mop up in AMA but he still sucks.

 

[WOT Blake]

I like Nicky, but I think he will have his ass handed to him.:lol

 

[Ian]

Absolutely, it's going to be brutal... But at least he'll make the best bike look bad. :laughing

 

[WOT Blake]

Absolutely, it's going to be brutal... But at least he'll make the best bike look bad. :laughing

Oh god...I want a street version....

 

[Shane]

I think nicky is gonna get smoked too.......BUT it is hhis FIRST year overseas.....new tracks, new bike, new everything! Give him some time......he'll do just fine.

 

[Ian]

And...

http://venus.13x.com/roadracingworld/scripts/NewsInsert.asp?insert=4392

 

[Brian FXSTB]

I'd say Nicky and Xaus will 'trade places' this year as far as WADDING THE SHIT outta bikes goes........ :laughing :redflip

 

[karl_996]

I think nicky is gonna get smoked too.......BUT it is hhis FIRST year overseas.....new tracks, new bike, new everything! Give him some time......he'll do just fine.

I wonder how he is gonna react to going from being number one to being Rossis bitch?:confused

 

[TJA1]

BTW Nicky is going to MotoGP on a Honda RCV211 and Xaus is staying in WSB on an Aprilia.

All of you who are so confident that Nicky is going to get his ass handed to him in MotoGP should try answering these questions.

1. Who is the more talented rider, John Hopkins or Nicky Hayden?

2. How has JH fared in his first year of GP's?

3. Was JH on a top team with top line equipment?

4. Is Nicky joining a second string team?

While I don't think Nicky is going to beat Rossi, I think he will have a respectable finish in the 2003 championship table.

 

[karl_996]

While I don't think Nicky is going to beat Rossi, I think he will have a respectable finish in the 2003 championship table.

there have been alot of promising looking american riders in the past who did not do so well at the top level(russell, Kosinski, Bostrom).
granted they went for big four strokes to big two strokes, and now the differences are smaller, but I still think Nicky will have to take at least a year to get settled in properly.

the european racign world is totally different from AMA.

Don't get me wrong, I will be rooting for Hayden(I have since his 97 750 supersport debut on a GSXR750), but I think he will still need at least one year to adjust.

 

[TJA1]

Karl,

I was suprised at how well Hopper has done this year, often out-qualifying KRJr. Given that Nicky is starting on a four stroke bike with one of the top teams AND he is considerably more talented than Hopper (IMHO). Barring major injuries, I think a top 10 championship finish is easily within reach. I'll go out on a limb here and say, I'll be suprised if he doesn't crack the top 6. The wild cards will be how Edwards and Bayliss fit into the mix.

Give me your prediction and let's agree to revisit this thread in a year to see if either of us are close.

 

[Ian]

BTW Nicky is going to MotoGP on a Honda RCV211 and Xaus is staying in WSB on an Aprilia.

All of you who are so confident that Nicky is going to get his ass handed to him in MotoGP should try answering these questions.

1. Who is the more talented rider, John Hopkins or Nicky Hayden?

2. How has JH fared in his first year of GP's?

3. Was JH on a top team with top line equipment?

4. Is Nicky joining a second string team?

While I don't think Nicky is going to beat Rossi, I think he will have a respectable finish in the 2003 championship table.

Actually it's been rumoured Xaus's manager has broken off all talks with Aprilia because they are looking to start a partnership with Pirelli... Not too many racers want to be on Pirelli's.

1.. I'd say at this point, John Hopkins, I believe he has more "road" racing experience. That's not to say Hayden doesn't just simply have more talent, but I think Hopkins has more experience on the asphault. But that's pure speculation not knowing exactly what years they each did what.

2. Pretty respectible. I think he finished in points in nearly every round, unlike alot of the "more PC" riders in the paddock.

3. No I think, he was on a Yamaha satellite team, using at least one year old equipment, whether or not it was the same bike as say Biaggi's bike a year ago I'm not sure.

4. Nope Hayden is "really" moving to the big dance... Straight to Repsol.


I think he'll definitely be Rossi's beotch, but I think Hayden will fair better than alot of the top tier guys.

Edit: I'm going to go try and dig up Hayden and Hopkins racing credentials and come back.

 

[karl_996]

Give me your prediction and let's agree to revisit this thread in a year to see if either of us are close.

these are my top ten(in rough order, except for Rossi)
Rossi
Edwards
Bayliss
Biaggi
Barros
Checa
Caparossi
Roberts(who can't run more than 2/3 of a race)
Ukawa
Hayden


Hayden might crack the top ten, but from my impressions when I met him(before daytona 2001), he did not seem like a good loser. Maybe he has matured since then, but I still think he will barely break top 10(maybe not even), and he will be vocal about it too.

 

[Ian]

All I can really find.

Then at the age of nine Hopkins was offered the opportunity to make his road-racing debut in a junior club meeting aboard a YZR 50. It was at a time when the 500 GP world championship was in the grasp of legendary American riders Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.

"As soon as I started racing the YZR 50 I watched all the GPs on TV and I think I've still got a video of most those races back when Schwantz and Rainey were racing. I was really into it and I didn't really take much notice of the AMA circuit, I just watched the 500s and 250s. Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz were big heroes of mine and a little later Mick Doohan also made a big impression on me."

The world championship winning deeds of his American heroes only served to focus Hopkins on his own goal of one day racing a factory grand prix bike.

But there were teenage decisions to be made. For it became clear that Hopkins had to decide between motocross and road racing for he could not afford the time and money to do both and for a while it looked motocross would win out.

That was until a chance meeting with noted American journalist and team owner John Ulrich while Hopkins was racing at a club meeting. A chance meeting that impacted on the future direction of his racing career.

By the time he was 15 Hopkins found himself racing against Ulrich's son in 125 and 250cc club races and from that friendship with the Ulrich family came the turning point.

"Things on the 250 weren't going so well, I had bike troubles and not enough money to race all the time. I was at a point where I was going to go back to motocross and concentrate on that when John Ulrich said let's go for a test ride on a Supersport 600."

That led to a dramatic escalation in the racing activities of John Hopkins under the guidance of John Ulrich.

Hopkins won the Aprilia Challenge Championship winning three out of four rounds and six races in the process. He was signed to join the Valvoline EMGO Suzuki team quickly establishing his presence in Supersport racing aboard both a GSXR600 and GSXR750.

Hopkins was 16 when in his AMA Championship debut finished tenth in the 600 Supersport and fifth in the 750 Supersport races at Loudon in New Hampshire.

That created a platform for the 2000 season when he won three races with six podium finishes on his way to claiming the AMA 750ccc Supersport Championship to say nothing of his success in the Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Championship with seven wins out of 12 races.

And for 2001 Hopkins has continued his AMA sucess, racing in Supersport 600 and winning the USA Formula Xtreme Championship.

More significantly it was during this period that the raw talent possessed by Hopkins and his connection with John Ulrich was to really pay off.

The link was the long-term friendship between Ulrich and Peter Clifford, Director of Red Bull Yamaha Grand Prix Race Team.

Both were internationally recognised road racing journalists who had become involved in team management, Ulrich in the US and Clifford on the global stage of GP racing.

"John is the guy who can justifiably claim to have discovered Kevin Schwantz. Although Kevin never actually raced for John he spotted his talent and recommended Kevin to Yoshimura,"

Three test sessions with Red Bull Yamaha over a period of a year, Brno (2000 and 2001) and most recently at Estoril (September 2001) has landed Hopkins with the job of a lifetime. A job he is prepared to put his college education on hold for after graduating from high school earlier this year(2001).

"It was a big decision not to go to college and just concentrate on racing but the opportunity to do the world championship on a factory Yamaha is one not to miss. I'm pretty lucky, some guys would kill just to do a one lap on one of these bikes."

Having achieved his childhood dream of one-day being a factory grand prix rider Hopkins is now dedicated to his next goal.

"I just want to try and be the best, the grand prix world champion, that's always been my dream ever since I first started road racing."

"It's definitely a big step from what I've be doing in the US so in the beginning I'll concentrate on learning the tracks which will be a big challenge and obviously try and pick up as much as I can from the other riders."

Career Highlights
Career Highlights:
2001 - 8th AMA 600 Supersport Series.
2001 - AMA Formula Xtreme Champion.
2000 - AMA 750 Supersport Champion.
2000 - 6th AMA Formula Xtreme.
1999 - 22nd AMA 750 Supersport Series.
1999 - US Aprilia Cup Champion.

 

[Ian]

Looks like I'll retract my statement, I'd say Hayden has him by a few years and alot of titles...

Nicky's...

Career Highlights:
2002 - AMA Superbike Champion.
2001 - 3rd AMA Superbike Series.
2000 - 2nd AMA Chevy Truck Superbike Series.
2000 - 4th AMA Pro Honda Oils 600 SuperSport.
1999 - AMA 600 SuperSport Champion.
1999 - 2nd, AMA Formula Xtreme Series.
1999 - AMA Grand National Dirt Track Rookie of the Year.
1999 - AMA/Speedvision Pro Athlete of the Year.
1998 - 4th AMA 600 SuperSport Series.
1998 - 4th AMA 750 SuperSport Series.

 

[TJA1]

Wow! Ian and Karl, you are really rising to my challenge. My reason for posting was the feeling that folks were simply jumping on the "Nicky'll get his butt kicked" - bandwagon without really thinking about it.

One thing Hopper and Hayden have in common is youth and the adapability that comes with it. I wonder if the more established (but older) talent of Edwards and Bayliss will fare as well as the young guys.

The biggest interest in 2003 MotoGP will be seeing how the newcomers shake up the order of the "established" stars. It's pretty much going to be an all Honda event otherwise.

 

[X Racer]

Totally agree with Terry here... I think Hayden will fair well for a rookie to the class... Hopper has done pretty well and Nicky is a smoother rider than Hopper, and smooth is the name of the game in motogp... I don't think he'll beat Rossi or anything, or Bayliss or Edwards for that matter, but I think he will do well and a top 10 finish on the season could be a reality if he keeps his cool....

 

[X Racer]

Oh yeah, and for SBK I think Hodgsen will be the man to beat, with Reuben winning once in a while when he keeps both tires under him. (barring any new riders not yet seen)