Hopper

I think his girlfriend is HOT :!:

Oh, and about switching to Kawi? I thought he was making a mistake staying with Suzuki last time his contract was up. It's a young man's sport, if he is content to race for 5th or 6th and get paid well to do it why not Kawisaki, but if he wants to make a couple runs at World Champion he better find a competative ride pretty soon.

Good point

 

I think the Suzuki bike is just begining to stick its nose into the winning world again and Hopper is going to miss the ride! How about this...Hopper moves to Kawi and Spies leaves the AMA and takes his ride? It seems like a long shot, but you have Roger riding in Laguna along with Miguel. That shows interest in our local riders and Ben showed well for 2 years inthe bike bike classes. :roll:

 

Considering how well Pedrosa, Stoner and even Adam West are doing, I would doubt that an American will move up to MotoGP any time soon. Superbike style is now more of a liability on the GP bikes, and there's LOTS of awesome talent in the 250 series right now. To bing someone from the AMA, you have to teach him all new tracks and change his riding style completely and though in the experience of constant World travel. With the 250 guys, you already have that covered.

Nicky was a gamble and it took quite a few years for him to get anywhere near what the current young guns are doing. And that was with the best bike in the paddock.

Plus, Spies is way too big to ride the 800, and his style is all Superbike. WSBK, for sure, MotoGP, ain't happening!

 

I agree that the 250 class has a ton of talent arriving to MOTO GP status and that it will be hard to move another American over to that status.....however....there is now national recognition of Moto GP and the current Americans are not standing on the podium very often. Could the press and ratings have a say in who moves up or over.....or is it based on pure talent :?:

 

As mentioned twice already - ther are a lot of outstanding riders in the 250 class that will move up to the GP class starting in 2008...

Just think - Lorenzo on his 250cc Aprilia had a qualifying lap at Catalunya that was faster than Rossi's pole qualifying time for the 2001 500cc race.

And there are plenty more besides Lorenzo!

2008 will be an amazing year - for the fans!

 

I would say it's talent (except in Max's case - he pissed off too many people/sponsors). The reality is that the US fan base is just about a rounding error to the rest of the world in terms of fans, sponsors, etc.

In Spain, motorcycle road racing is the #2 spectator sport, and it's probably right up there in Italy, France, Germany and the UK as well...

Here in the US - the overall masses care about celebs and NASCAR... :roll:

 

"He's not too big, either. Look at him next to Edwards or Rossi and you'll see... He's not a towering fellow nor a huge mass of a man like say, Yates..."


Spies is 5' 11", A flipping giant in the MotoGP world. He must have been slumping in the photos you saw. He's also 160 lbs, which is a huge weight difference over the 130lbs. of Rossi. Won't even get into the weights of Stoner and Pedrosa.

I don't think they could design a MotoGP bike to accommodate the aerodynamics needed for his height on the 800cc bikes.

From what I've read, I believe there's a rider in 125s that's over 6 foot, bit I don't think he's doing too well in the series.

On a personal level, I think Spies is one of the nicest, most professional guys out there. Very down to earth and level headed, while remaining serious and well-spoken. I would much rather seem him representing us in the World's eyes, but I just don't see it in the cards.

I think there's more of a need for an American in WSBK anyway.

 

"As far as height, yes, he might be a scotch too tall, but he's not much worse for wear when stacked up against guys like Edwards. I mean, look at the rider list... You have Edwards, Chris V., Hayden, and a few others from diesels. They've adapted rather well. I think Nicky being the exception. Even Hopper is more of a diesel pilot in that he came from the Emgo squad in the US."


Hight is one thing, but weight is a pretty major disadvantage. Spies has over 30 lbs. against Rossi, and he's by far not the lightest guy on the grid. When the bike only weighs 320lbs., an extra 30 or so make a big difference in power, handling, etc. That's like an extra 10% more total weight.

Hooper was unique in that he only raced professional for a few years before getting that dream ride. Being that they got him so young, he wasn't set on his ways in terms of riding style. Hopper also never stayed in a class for more than a year, so he was constantly adapting to new machines, which I think made him attractive at the time.

 

The WSB session would be closer to the setup that he is currently riding, but, the fight for a seat over there is far from easy also. The 600 class is beaming with a couple of highlights also and the premier class is pretty settled (for now). I quess as speculation goes we could put him in Carmichels seat. I do agree that he has handled the title well, even though I am more of a Mladin fan, and hope that he continues to grow and give a good racing show!!