Nitro Nori + RSV4 = Epic win.

[green_zx7r]

Hopefully... Stay on the damn bike Nori san! Ganbare!

PATA Racing team intro

[~Barn~]

Awesome.

[dirkterrell]

I really would like to see him win the championship.

Dirk

[Mother Goose]

I hope he retires, after he doesn't win it again this year.

Honestly, how do you go from being in the top 2 one year, to barely doing anything the next year on the same bike?

[sprtbkbabe]

He's said he can't ride like he used to because he's thinking of his family much more these days. I dig the Factory livery a bit more still.

[green_zx7r]

I hope he retires, after he doesn't win it again this year.

Honestly, how do you go from being in the top 2 one year, to barely doing anything the next year on the same bike?

Dunno what was going on in the background, but his motivation was definitely gone in 2010. Kinda like when he was moved up to GP500s in 2001 when Yamaha left WSBK. Who knows what was going on in the Xerox team/bikes in 2010...

I still hope he upsets the factory's and wins a couple of races! At least finish in front of Biaggi please!

[dirkterrell]

Honestly, how do you go from being in the top 2 one year, to barely doing anything the next year on the same bike?

The other bikes got better? I just randomly picked 3 tracks (Portimao, Phillip Island, and SLC) and looked at his fastest lap times from 2009 and 2010. It was virtually identical at Phillip Island. It was half a second faster at Portimao. It was a full second faster at SLC. Also, his fastest lap time compared to the fastest lap time in the race didn't see any drastic changes. (0.2 worse at P.I. for the essentially the same lap time, identical at Portimao, and 0.4 better st SLC). Now, I don't recall how other factors like weather and injuries might have played a role in these comparisons but there wasn't some obvious dropoff for him in those races. A look at all of the races might clarify the situation a bit better, but the indication seems to be that the Duc got a little better but the other bikes got a lot better.

Dirk

[Sean]

Nice bike, I'd take it out for a lap or two.

I still think he's a great rider, he's just lost some of his hunger compared to others. I hope he has a great season!

[green_zx7r]

The other bikes got better? I just randomly picked 3 tracks (Portimao, Phillip Island, and SLC) and looked at his fastest lap times from 2009 and 2010. It was virtually identical at Phillip Island. It was half a second faster at Portimao. It was a full second faster at SLC. Also, his fastest lap time compared to the fastest lap time in the race didn't see any drastic changes. (0.2 worse at P.I. for the essentially the same lap time, identical at Portimao, and 0.4 better st SLC). Now, I don't recall how other factors like weather and injuries might have played a role in these comparisons but there wasn't some obvious dropoff for him in those races. A look at all of the races might clarify the situation a bit better, but the indication seems to be that the Duc got a little better but the other bikes got a lot better.

Dirk

Maybe Dirk, but I thought Haga was always getting out qualified by Fabrizio, which was on the same bike (unless he was getting a little something something done to his bike more than Haga's). You'd see Fabrizio consistently on the front two rows each race, but Haga would be in third - fourth rows...

I think Fabrizio was still lower in final ranking cuz he didn't finish races (a.k.a. 'Xaus'ing races) as consistently as Haga...

At any rate, Checa was kicking butt on a non-factory Duc anyways, so I just don't think it is necessarily that the Ducs were out-paced by other manufacturers...

[usmcab35]

Nice bike, I'd take it out for a lap or two.

I still think he's a great rider, he's just lost some of his hunger compared to others. I hope he has a great season!

id take the bike and that model for a lap or two

[Sarge]

[Filo]

Hopefully... Stay on the damn bike Nori san! Ganbare!

You just like Nori because he is Japanese. Isn't that racist or something? Where is the love for the Brit riders out there?

Who wants to go to SLC and watch the races? Anyone? Anyone? Yusuke?

[green_zx7r]

You just like Nori because he is Japanese. Isn't that racist or something? Where is the love for the Brit riders out there?

Who wants to go to SLC and watch the races? Anyone? Anyone? Yusuke?

For GB folks, I'm rooting for:

SBK:

• Camier
• Laverty (Irish)
• Rea (Irsh)

Supersport:

• Davies
• Gino Rea
• Sam Lowes (2010 BSS champ)

Isn't that enough?

[Sean]

SBK:

• Laverty (Irish)

[Sarge]

Nobody else see the Jet Li resemblance?

[green_zx7r]

Let's hope Laverty can transition his style (or make the bike adapt) to the R1. That guy has insane corner speed... So much fun watching him, Crutchlow, Sofogulu go at it the last few years.

[R1NORI]

If anyone can go from hero to zero its Haga.
He has as good as any shot as anyone on the grid this year.
And he is riding Biaggi's world champion bike from last year!

GO NITRO!!!

[R1NORI]

Yami

[green_zx7r]

Sorry it's old school, but I associate Haga with the R7.

Haga on the R7 was pure magic...

Edwards vs. Haga WSBK 2000 Hockenheim

Bayliss vs. Haga WSBK 2000 Assen

[R1NORI]

OK Here ya go

[green_zx7r]

OK Here ya go

LOL. That looks like the last chicane (second to the last corner I think) of Kyalami in 1999 (since he's wearing Michelin's). Did he recover from that?

[R1NORI]

He did not ;(