Troy Corser, WSBK

How about his performance this weekend. He was leading a good part of the first race (I have not seen part 2 yet) and finished 5th. The 1000 is coming along quite well for it's second year.

Robbie Nigl got a 3rd in the 3rd race on Sunday at NHMS in the Loudon series. Not to compare him to Corser - just a comment on successes with the S1000RR. Look for better things to come from Robbie once he and Max Motorsports get the kinks worked out.

Muriel

Bike looked good and Corser looked good. Think he got 5 in race 2 also BUT he is also showing some signs of reaching the end of a fantastic career. He got picked twice by the same over the curb passing move by the same rider, for example. Any racer understands his opponents will try to repeat what has worked previously, studies their practice moves carefully and will defend against that attack- getting caught out twice is a pretty big lapse for which he is no doubt kicking himself.

Xaus isn't going to cut it at the highest level as his relative performance to Corser and the mid pack demonstrates. To get to the top and stay there they will have to recruit a more competitive and aggressive young rider and that means cash has to be spent. It's not all the bike by a long shot.

The fact that the team has adopted a more serious testing approach is in large measure responsible for last weekends results but testing isn't racing and has its limits.

Corser did look good but agree that he is heading toward the end of his career. Testing and the development process may have finally brought the race bike to the point that Corser can race with it and develop it from that point. A sorted out bike could extend his career.

Xaus is another story. I believe he is safe until the mid season break but the ax may well fall around then. If not then he will not see another season with BMW.

Who would you suggest they go after?

For another opinion...

I doubt that either on BMW's riders will be around for the long haul. Good development riders? You bet! thier experience has paid back the BMW teams investment in spades but in the end, once the development work is done this season, I'll bet that the factory is going to be trying to snag at least one Hot Shot rider and probably two.

From here on out, the results will depend on having very, very talented riders who are also young, ambitious and fearless.

I am young, ambitious, and fearless. The talent..... that will come.

Hauser, I sense a ripple in the Farce
The Farce is strong in this one oh Davide Tardozzi

Corser is likely the best development rider out there. It was great to see him lead from the beginning on both races and stay out there in Race two. But as the race goes on, either the tires are more of a liability for him than for the younger guys, or their stamina, etc is better? His times at the end were really close to the lap times early on. In race two, he successfully blocked Rea twice on that one chicane corner that he got taken on twice in race 1, so even old dogs can learn.

Xaus' style is quite different from Troy's and he was out injured or just recovering when they seemed to make the big jump for Troy two races ago. He did seem to improve, and stay upright in race two.

As far as top dogs for next season....Rea, Camier, or Haslam? Nobody here in the states seems to be at that level and has the youth they are going to be looking for. Maybe someone in the 600 class of WSBK Supersport? Or a returning GP rider? It will be interesting to see.

Not sure why fitness/stamina keep coming up as the issue. While it would be understandable if there was some drastic drop off in pace or inconsistency in his lines, not sure if anyone can make that claim stick.

According to Corser and B?ñumel his fitness is not the issue, grip is. If Troy had a fully developed S1000RR this year he'd be on the podium with regularity and in the hunt for his 3rd championship. Its impressive hes brought it home so consistently despite power delivery, brake and persisting grip issues. The bike has a ton of potential as demonstrated by the superstock class but has room for improvement in the more competitive superbike class.

Give him grip for race length and he will give you podiums.

Beg and pay Ben Spies to come back to WSB lol. It would never happen but we can dream.

Camshaft said:

Not sure why fitness/stamina keep coming up as the issue. While it would be understandable if there was some drastic drop off in pace or inconsistency in his lines, not sure if anyone can make that claim stick.

According to Corser and B?ñumel his fitness is not the issue, grip is. If Troy had a fully developed S1000RR this year he'd be on the podium with regularity and in the hunt for his 3rd championship. Its impressive hes brought it home so consistently despite power delivery, brake and persisting grip issues. The bike has a ton of potential as demonstrated by the superstock class but has room for improvement in the more competitive superbike class.

Give him grip for race length and he will give you podiums.

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Questions of CorserÔÇÖs conditioning have in part come up because of what he has said about riding the bike. While he and his training have dispelled the questions by what they have said yet the question is based in a more subtle interaction between bike and rider as a race (particularly Race 2) progresses and what muscling the bike around the track has taken out of him. Race 2 at Portimao is an example of that. As the bike gets sorted out the toll on rider decreases. At Assen in Race 2 Corser turned in his best sector times at the end of the race.

Friday Qualifying at Monza is very encouraging. It is looks to be a great weekend of racing for Corser Xaus and BMW.

Mika said:

Questions of CorserÔÇÖs conditioning have in part come up because of what he has said about riding the bike. While he and his training have dispelled the questions by what they have said yet the question is based in a more subtle interaction between bike and rider

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I applaud BMW for making Troy PIC of this new machine. It brought attention to the livery and has allowed a seasoned rider to explain the nuances of a new bike while it works on the track. What Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport has today could not have been accomplished by a new rider who had only a couple of seasons under his belt. But the statement by Mika is the one that concerns me. This is not a sport for the faint of heart nor is it a sport where age overcomes youthful exuberance.

It takes a lot of mental AND physical strength to horse these machines around a track. Yeah, if the bike is set-up perfectly, it makes the riders job easy. But next week you hit another track and what may be good today sure as hell won't be good tomorrow. In other words, the rider had better be up to the task of manhandling a machine that is less than stellar in it's setup from track to track to track. This is and has always been the nature of formula racing.

I have followed some of Troy's career. I love watching him race. I also watched Mario and Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy, Mat M'ladin, Ben Spies and Fernando Alonso and a host of others. At some point in their career, they have to hang it up or they are remanded to the also rans. I fear that this may be the case with Troy. BMW will soon have to make the decision to find a younger / stronger pilot.

BMW has a chance to see the podium this year. In fact, I really do want to see some babe hand Troy the "Big Sparkily". But if BMW wants to contend as a manufacturer, they will have to find a new face and plant him on a proven 2-wheeled fire breather and tell him he that it will run at the front and he'd better be able to keep it there.

This (Formula racing) has become a young mans game... It's also the reason that I don't see Mat M'ladin doing WSB unless Harley Davidson or Piaggio plans on running a brand new bike and needs someone with a few years of racing experience to tell them what's wrong with it... (tic)

How about Nick Hayden to SBK on board a BMW racing against his brother?

If Nick doesn't have even a reasonable year in MotoGP, he's done with Ducati.

RoyB said:

How about Nick Hayden to SBK on board a BMW racing against his brother?

If Nick doesn't have even a reasonable year in MotoGP, he's done with Ducati.

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How about Edwards? When is his contract up?

Edwards might be past his prime.......BMW needs a younger rider willing to take stupid chances and wring the S1000's neck..........

Euro press has speculated on Andrew Pitt, now defunct Reitwagen lead rider. His name comes up as a replacement for Xaus. What would you guys think of his addition as a transition to either groom as a No 1 while Corser plays out his career or a place holder until another No 1 can be identified?

I've not been overly impressed with Pitt of late. I still think if they can get Camier, Rea, Crutchlow, or maybe even Haslam, that would do it for them.

Today was a tough day for Corser and Xaus...4th row for both, and Haga back there as well. Here in the States, Chris Peris got a 10th at Infineon. I get to ride down and watch Sunday's races tomorrow. Looking forward to getting all the breakfasts out and hitting the highway. Then taking in that wonderful smell of race exhaust, nothing like it! Should be some great racing tomorrow.