Kenny Roberts World Champion

[asha]

In what is officallly the worse title defence ever, Kenny Roberts pulled into the pits at mid-race at Brno.

What can we make of this occurance?
It has been noted here and in the media that suzuki is ****, offering no help at all to the title defence. And next year looks to be no different.

I just want to state that kenny's defence is competely different to alex Criville's half hearted attempt last year. Alex did win one race (Le Mans) last year! And that goes to show that his problems were in his head and not in the machine he was riding.

So Kenny gave up mid-race?? Who can blame him? Randy Mamola in the motogp web page gave Kenny a serve, basically saying that he wasnt as good as his Dad. I couldnt disagree more and, while loseing what little respect I have for randy, think that kenny has for the large part this season taken his zero chance at holding onto the title on the chin.

Kenny knew at the beginning of the season that he had bugger all chance of staying up the front! (just look at or remember the interview that he gave after the last race of the season at phillip Island)

I think if anythink kenny is trying to get the sack!!
If his escape clause is infact non-existent as has been said, getting the sack is the nest best thing.

Kenny is a great rider, last year he one on a bike that wasn't as good as the others, his skill got him over the line, this year he is riding the same bike!! with the year before's engine!!

I just hope he doesn't get to frustrated and injure himself or burn himself out trying to ride over the bikes limits.

[f1manoz]

I disagree. I think Kenny Jr. gave up before the season even began, has not fought hard at all this season (proven during the races, he starts fast but falls away) and has basically wasted the year defending a title which, many believe, he wasn't entirely deserved to win in the first place.

[Winther]

He is one boring rider and I do not miss him in tops really.
Also do I think that he is not making himself look very good and I am in agreement with Randy Mamola.
I hope more fun American riders will arrive soon.

[paul2]

Yessss!!!!!

Kenny out and v/d Goorbergh in

oke?

[asha]

Well after such rebutals I am at a loss to reply

I think that either you agree or disagree on Kenny's achivements.

I do think at v/d Goorbergh is a great rider as I do Kenny, and i think we all would love to see a few more americans in the motogp, especially if that meant more American's actually watched motorcycle racing (I dont think they even get it one cable over there?)

That said we do others think about Kenny? Am I in the minority?

[Gerrit]

I don't think v.d. Goorbergh or anybody else could do better than Kenny is doing right now. Sete certainly isn't, and he has the same RGV. I think that SOMETHING, whether power characteristics or chassis/suspension, is burning up the RGV's tyres faster than the NSRs or YZRs. But having said that, I do think Kenny should have continued to do his job, and finish as best as he can. Sete scored 8 points that could have been Kenny's. Granted, the factory aren't doing much to help and I can understand Kenny's frustration. But Garry Taylor, Stuart Shenton, Warren Willing and all the others on the TEAM are doing everything they can to help. Kenny owes it to them at least to try like hell, and do the best he can. His dad never quit, nor did Schwantz, Rainey or Phil Read.
In fairness to Kenny, without two incidents of tyre chunking in 1999, he would have been the champ then, not Alex Criville. And kenny won the title fair and square last year. But at the end of the day, he is supposed to do the job he signed for to the best of his ability- and may I say a highly paid job at that. He did not.
I'm sure that v.d. Goorbergh would happily have Kenny's problems right now- at least Kenny is finishing high up the field.

[elephino]

Hmm...hard to tell how good or bad the Suzuki is really. It seems to be able to put in a quick lap but fade throughout the race with Kenny on board and with Sete it is the other way around. Who knows.

[ChrisUSA]

i remarked several weeks ago that Kenny Jr. was wrong to publicly degrade Team Suzuki over his bikes performance, that any problem he had should be expressed in privacy with the Suzuki management. Now i'm starting to think a press conference is needed for damage control. After he pulled into the pits in disgust in Brno, he opened the doors for intense speculation, on everything from his attitude to his racing abilities. The worst was Randy Mamola's blistering article slamming him on motogp.com. None of us have ever been grand prix world champion, so we don't know what it feels like to go from the Throne to the Dungeon, so i want to reserve my judgement until i hear from him. Kenny, come clean and hold a press conference!

[3M_chix]

I just wanna say... I have to agree with ChrisUSA on this one.

~Sarah

[asha]

Yeah there is nothing like hearing it from the horses mouth is there?

Has anyone noticed that Kenny doesn't have a web page??? No home page at all? Funny for a World Champion?

[Alan Jones]

Interesting what you were saying Elephino. Maybe Sete's race plan is to save tyres for the first half of the race then go for it. Be very hard showing up for work wouldn't it.As for Kenny, what a waste of a good rider being stuck on that bike. It would be great to see him on a more competitive bike but over the last couple of seasons he does seem to be in the running for the first half of the race, then slowly go towards the back of the field. So, if it's tyres, what does he run on and why havent they improved them by now? Could his level of fitness also be a factor? Very Strange........

[chunder]

Kenny does seem to split the fans doesn't he. Everyone either loves him or hates him.
THe bike is a bog, no question. Tyres can get you a qaulifying lap on the front row and Kenny has long since proved he is one of the quickest guys out there.
Is it that hard to take that the bike just chews up its tyres after about 10 laps and Kenny is powerless to hgold them off.
The Suzuki has never been an easy bike to ride. Gobert, Beattie, Russell, Aoki have all struggled at some stage and been bitten while looking good at other times. Kenny is arguably the most talented rider to sit on an RGV in my opinion and the fact that he stuffs it up toi the front every race in a vain effort to hold everyone off just shows what a champ he is.
In my book he should change teams as no matter what you lot think, any team would have Roberts right now, he is a class act and as I have said in this forum before he won last years championship by riding with his head.
Doohan lovetrs might not like it but then Kenny didn't have 20 extra bhp like Rossi has now did he!

[asha]

I certainly agree with chunder
Kenny is a class act, and I think the question should not be, why does he fade during the race? but rather, how does he get in the into the lead during the race at all??

Kenny to the best of my knowledge has lead, at some stage, 90% of all the races this year. The only reason that this is possible is kennys talent.

Sete never leads the race(s), but both he and kenny finish about the same place at the end of it.

[elephino]

The tyres are the same Michelins that the rest of the Michelin runners use.

Obviously the Suzuki is not a good bike. There is no denying that by anyone really. The question is are there any other problems making the bike look worse than it really is. The tyres themselves are the same range of compounds as the rest of the field, so it's not that as such as it is just the bike not using the tyres very well. It could be the riders, but Kenny isn't a slow rider, proven last year by winning the championship and Sete, while not the best in the world, knows how to ride a bike quickly. The fact that the two of them qualify at opposite ends and meet in the middle at the end shows their differing riding styles and how much effect the bike has on the riders. If the bike was good, then their riding styles would only show up as differences at different tracks and weather conditions, not every single track.

[Winther]

I still think that he as a racer is pretty uninteresting, he is good and fast and boring.
This is not meant as a critique of his talent, but rather that he is absolutly no fun to watch.
It is like watching a machine riding a bike.
Sorry but that is just my humble opinion

[asha]

Here is Kenny's press release from suzuki after Friday at Portugal
(round 11)

KENNY ROBERTS : Ninth Position, 1:41.583

"I'm not comfortable with the bike yet, and I'm not yet doing the same times we managed in testing, with last year's bike. That means we need to try and get as close as possible to the settings we had with that bike, and then see. There's no question of switching to a 17-inch rear ? those times back then were set using a 16.5-inch rear, which is what we raced with last year".

Last year Kenny (along with Max) didn't like the 16.5" and used it rarely, I remember him saying that the 17" trye felt better to him and that he didn't realy like the 16.5"/suzuki combination.

This year it appears as though the 16.5" is the standard tyre for everyone. It appear as though the problem that the suzuki had last year, wasn't fixed but infact made worse this year.

In responce to Winther comments about Kenny being boring? I can say that Kenny doesn't get the thing sideways like Garry (everywhere), or do endos on the last lap like Max (brno 2000). Kenny doesn't get caught up in side by side battles either but this is due to the fact that he can control races so well that he either, when he is fast, leaves em for dead (moteigi, pacific 2000), or pressures them out (rossi valencia 2000),his smoothness remind me of eddie lawson and I could watch it all day.

[moto1]

How can you say Roberts is ****??
Anyone who beats doohan in the wet has to be up there?

[Winther]

Well he did a little pushing on Capirossi and I think it was Barros sometime ago.
I will let his results speak for themselves, that is the only way really.
Whatever his trouble are it is up to him to do something about it, we can only watch and hopefully enjoy.
On another note Rossi looks more and more like this seasons Champ now, arrgh I have to see this race on my VCR because I am not home this weekend and I have no access to a tv
Bugger.

[asha]

Winther, you're right, that was Capirossi who Roberts pushed out of the way to take 3rd place at Germany last year.
At the press conference Kenny said somethink like "I hope Lois understands, if he doesn't i'll explain it to him later".
LOL

[asha]

Saturday Press Release
Kenny Roberts looks to put an end to the criticism of his Brno retirement

Kenny Roberts


World 500cc Champion, Kenny Roberts Jr. today released a statement to end the mounting speculation about his retirement from the race at Brno. Before the afternoon's 500cc qualifying practice began, in which he qualified eleventh for tomorrow's race, Roberts's release made the following comments, 'There has been a lot of speculation that there was nothing wrong with the motorcycle when I pulled in to the pits at Brno. That is not correct; but I do not wish to discuss the details'.

'It is true that I did not explain the situation to my team, which I regret. The reason was pure frustration; Brno was the peak of frustration that has been building up all season. My actions were a cry for help; everything else I have done before has not had any results'.

'Since then I have received a letter from senior management at Suzuki, asking me to be patient, and promising me that next year Suzuki will have the most competitive bike on the track, two-stroke or four-stroke'.

'It's all behind me now, and I want to go forward, with the hope of winning the World Championship with Suzuki again next season.'

[Gerrit]

1) This doesn't tell us anything we don't know.
2) It doesn't make his actions any less excusable.
3) Like Kenny, we will have to wait and see what Suzuki top brass's words are worth.

Kenny finished 6th today, which got him a further 10 points. Scoring the points Gibernau scored at the Brno GP would have given him another 8- which he chose to throw away. Sorry Kenny, I still can't approve of your actions at Brno.