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Post by mekon on Oct 13, 2021 7:34:30 GMT
I watched one of the 'classic' races on BT last night. Donington 1997. Tbh I found it boring as fuck. Apart from the occasional twitch the bikes seemed pretty boring to watch and the lean angles were like something from the intermediate group at a track day. The racing was pretty shit as well. Odd that WSB from that era still looks entertaining to me but the 500s in the 90s were boring imo. The bikes just didn't come across as brutal bastards for some reason and the fact the riders would actively seem to avoid leaning outwards sometimes made it look odd in this elbow down era.
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Post by no66 on Oct 13, 2021 8:45:44 GMT
Watch the 2000 PI 500 race with biggai, abe etc. But yes lean angle were less. Tyre tech has improved a lot. Still lots of good races pre 2000, but sometimes too strung out.
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Post by mekon on Oct 13, 2021 10:00:50 GMT
It's odd because I watched the Biaggi era 250 seasons and I found them very entertaining, apart from 1995? when Biaggi pissed it. It seemed and looked frantic stuff.
Seem to remember Elias being the first guy to really start dragging the elbow.
Doohan's style was weird, he used way more body lean on right hand corners and seemed really awkward on the lefts. A bit like a reverse Marquez.
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Post by nippon on Oct 13, 2021 10:32:41 GMT
Watch the 2000 PI 500 race with biggai, abe etc. But yes lean angle were less. Tyre tech has improved a lot. Still lots of good races pre 2000, but sometimes too strung out. 2001 there was a brilliant race too. mainly because of haga. doing haga things.
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Post by armstrongracer on Oct 13, 2021 12:24:57 GMT
The tyres gripped well enough but the transition between GP God and Sky Earth Sky was instantaneous. Only a few riders could ride that razorblade. Tyres now are a lot more progessive at the limit. I dare anyone to describe Suzuka 94 as boring (clue; start of the cult of Norick)
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Post by nippon on Oct 14, 2021 8:51:43 GMT
an all time classic 500 race. without abe it's a fairly colourless affair. 1994 was a bit of a turning point wasn't it. rainey was gone, schwantz was suffering while doohan (and the leg) were getting stronger and stronger. repsol sponsorship kicks in the year after and he wins five on the bounce. only really troubled by biaggi and erv in 1998. the years in between didn't offer the most enthralling racing, sadly.
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Post by mekon on Oct 14, 2021 9:49:49 GMT
It's more annoying when Simon Crafar could pull a 12s win over Doohan out of the bag but be mediocre the rest of the time. Doohan was the man but I guess he got lucky with competition for a bit. I reckon if Marquez, Doohan and Rossi had all been about at the same time then none of them would have 5+ titles.
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Post by mekon on Oct 14, 2021 9:52:20 GMT
Shit quality but still. Masterclass.
Any watch his Motovudu series? It's very confusing to some degree as a lot of it goes against what you're told in most other instructional stuff. I sit right up to the tank so I'm chill with it.
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Post by nippon on Oct 14, 2021 11:02:32 GMT
It's more annoying when Simon Crafar could pull a 12s win over Doohan out of the bag but be mediocre the rest of the time. Doohan was the man but I guess he got lucky with competition for a bit. I reckon if Marquez, Doohan and Rossi had all been about at the same time then none of them would have 5+ titles. that win had a lot to do with the cold temperatures at donington park and dunlop had a great front tyre. he almost won at assen the week before. the year after, redbull yamaha switched to michelins and he hated them. similarly, haga on a wildcard factory YZR on dunlops was insane at the first round of 1998. rode for peter clifford 3 years later and struggled. if i could change history, i'd have loved to see haga ride an M1 on dunlops in 2002. on dunlops, in 2000 on an under-powered R7 he was volleying rumps. would have been interesting i think.
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Post by no66 on Oct 14, 2021 12:05:31 GMT
Watch the 2000 PI 500 race with biggai, abe etc. But yes lean angle were less. Tyre tech has improved a lot. Still lots of good races pre 2000, but sometimes too strung out. 2001 there was a brilliant race too. mainly because of haga. doing haga things. Yes, one of my favorite races. Haga was bonkers and rubbing tyres.
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Post by no66 on Oct 14, 2021 12:10:04 GMT
Ok, going over Y2K, sorry, but McWills pole laps at the 2002 PI race was aslo epic.
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