idiotsavant
addict
Reged: 01/11/2006
Posts: 513
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Old man Chris Walker (138 WSB starts, one win, 11 podiums) has been signed up by Paul Bird to ride the rest of the WSB season as a second rider beside championship-winning Gregorio Lavilla on the VK Vent Axia Fireblade.
What a waste of money. I bitched before about it being time for Walker to retire and he's done nothing in the interim period to make me change my mind. I can't believe that the self-styled Bird man can't find a better rider than Walker who is so far past his sell-by date he's starting to get a bit whiffy.
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Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.
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FastBikerBoy
old hand
Reged: 08/11/2006
Posts: 1124
Loc: Norfolk surrounded by Yanks
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I think I disagreed with your verdict on Walker a couple of seasons ago, but now I agree. If he wants a decent Brit rider there are a whole host of up and coming riders to pick from - as opposed to a has been.
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Cheers
FBB
Remember kids don't try this at home
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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I expect it was cheap business to be honest. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Flammini or somebody else hadn't slipped Birdy a few quid to get a 'credible' (with the fans at least) British wildcard effort together for Brands Hatch WSB, given that that somebody has worked out that they aren't going to get the obligatory 125,000 people at Brands Hatch to watch a couple of brits not setting World Supersport on fire. Laverty was a good choice, I'm sure he would have been happy to ride Birdy's bike for beer money given that it was something other than that shite dog slow thing he is currently propping up the 250GP field on week in, week out, and that after this year he may be lucky to get a ride on a lawnmower next year.
Walker, meanwhile, probably knows that if he rides that Kwakka to low-midfield obscurity in World Supersport this year he won't be riding anything next year at all and will have de-facto 'retired'. So I expect he jumped on the Honda for beer money as well, if not for free!
Once built, I'm sure Birdy doesn't mind racing it to the end of the season, especially if Walker's personal sponsors are defraying his costs. If the crash damage bill goes sky high, always a risk with him when he decides to try, I expect that Walker the Stalker could easily become Walker the Spectator though...
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Quote:
I can't believe that the self-styled Bird man can't find a better rider
Also, name one. You are Paul Bird, you've been tasked and presumably slipped a bung to persuade you to put a recognisable (i.e. crowd pulling) British name with Superbike experience on a third bike for a Wildcard ride at Brands Hatch. Everybody British who is any good and who people will have heard of is racing and under contract to somebody. So you either need somebody prepared to break their contract or you need to get somebody in another team in another championship with understanding team management and sponsors.
It won't be anybody in the current BSB paddock, nor teh AMA paddock, it won't be anybody in the GP paddock either, if Laverty won't be released to do it. You can't pluck somebody obscure from the R1 Cup and give them the ride, it doesn't fulfil the 'crowd-pleaser' requirement, of those people who might give it a go if you asked them, most are probably rightly or wrongly on Birdy's shitlist (Emmett & McWilliams), and anyway, are even more has-beens than Walker if you want to be harsh.
So, name that wildcard!
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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immy
old hand
Reged: 09/11/2006
Posts: 895
Loc: Planet Zok
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For once I agree with you Is,for what its worth-when your referred to as the "House-wifes choice" in a race its time to hang up the leathers-He was good in the past-bit like Mamola-always the bridesmaid-never the bride 
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Its not fate itself that is so frightening
Its the expectation of fate that frightens
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makka
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 13/05/2007
Posts: 2490
Loc: Jungle, Near Byron Bay, Austra...
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Well I'm hoping you all have to eat your words.
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makka
drinking heavily
it's the only solution
Well, maybe meditation helps too.
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shinybusa
veteran
Reged: 08/01/2008
Posts: 1417
Loc: The wet place....
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I agree with everything that has been said......BUT, I'm with Makka on this, Walker is the Underdog, everyone expects him to be crap and to Crash and Burn......
I would really like to see the old git go out in a blaze of glory and stuff it right up the superbike field by winning at least one of the races (Both of them is wishful thinking) 
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EOD...EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL....
Is a science of vague assumptions, based on debatable figures, derived from inconclusive experiments performed by people of doubtful mental capability, with instruments of problematic accuracy....
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idiotsavant
addict
Reged: 01/11/2006
Posts: 513
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Name a more deserving rider than Walker? You could take anyone from the top 10 in British supersport and the top five in superstock.
But, KwH, you raised the point I totally overlooked. It's about publicity for Paul Bird, not increasing the chances of Walker jump-starting his fading career or giving the fans more chance of a Brit win. Walker was great 10 years ago. He's not anymore. Get over it Stalker fiends.
If he comes between 6-10th I'll be smugger than usual.
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Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.
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immy
old hand
Reged: 09/11/2006
Posts: 895
Loc: Planet Zok
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Quote:
Well I'm hoping you all have to eat your words.
I would be more than happy to if he gets on the podium
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Its not fate itself that is so frightening
Its the expectation of fate that frightens
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idiotsavant
addict
Reged: 01/11/2006
Posts: 513
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It's touching, the way fans can ignore facts and evidence where Walker is concerned. Has he ever won a national championship before? Ever?
His one race win in WSB was a bit unusual as well. When was the last time he was on a podium? Anywhere?
Lavilla – race winner, championship winner – is a class act and I'd be surprised if Walker beat him.
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Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Quote:
Name a more deserving rider than Walker? You could take anyone from the top 10 in British supersport and the top five in superstock.
Ah, now, I didn't say 'Most deserving'. Nobody in the top ten in British Supersport is going to be available, because they are in the top ten in British Supersport, mid season, and they are under contract. If they were going to do a wildcard at Brands Hatch, it would be in WSS, on the bike and for the team that they ride for in BSS, wouldn't it! And there is certainly nobody in the top ten in BSS who is old and beyond caring enough that they could afford to blight their future prospects by walking out on their contract and their career for a single WSB wildcard at Brands Hatch.
You'd have the same problem with many of the Superstock front runners, even if you did believe that you could stick them on a World Superbike Grid for a one-off ride and actually have them trouble the scorers more than they trouble the marshals!
But with the Superstockers, you have one more problem, even if they were available. If this is a Flammini (or Jonathon Palmer) initiative to increase ticket sales by subbing Paul Bird to put a Brit on the WSB grid for Brands Hatch, then it has to be somebody the ticket buying public have heard of and who they expect to be able to do the business. If 100,000 people buy tickets to watch Walker the Stalker kick arse in WSB and are then dissappointed that he gets lapped then Flammini don't actually care once they have the money. If 30,000 people turn up and are treated to watching Alistair Seeley or Marshall Neill (who they?) perform surprising Rossi-like heroics and win both races by 30 seconds leaving Max Biaggi and Troy Bayliss trailing in their wake, then it would still be a failure.
So again, find me an available British motorcycle racer who is also potentialy big box office, to race in WSB at Brands Hatch...
Name that racer!
Quote:
But, KwH, you raised the point I totally overlooked. It's about publicity for Paul Bird, not increasing the chances of Walker jump-starting his fading career or giving the fans more chance of a Brit win. Walker was great 10 years ago. He's not anymore. Get over it Stalker fiends.
I doubt Birdy needs the publicity. He generates plenty for himself as it is, doesn't he. Somebody has given him the job of getting a credible Brit rider on to a bike for Brands Hatch WSB, I'm guessing. Walker will draw a big crowd of people who haven't noticed that he is past it. He will also do a half decent competent job and not highside himself into hospital on lap three of first qualifying, like he might have earlier in his career...
Quote:
If he comes between 6-10th I'll be smugger than usual.
Never mind how many points he scores, it's how many tickets he sells that he should be judged by!
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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idiotsavant
addict
Reged: 01/11/2006
Posts: 513
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Fair enough.
But don't forget Walker has bailed from a pukka Kawasaki WSS ride in a team that took Fabien Foret to a decent championship finish position a couple of years ago. So, in a way, Walker was no more 'available' than any of the contracted riders in BSB/BSS and Superstock.
But none are as big a draw as Chris Walker. So those Stalker fans with the wigs will be out again.
A podium for Walker? Are you folk really that deluded? He's not that good, the bike is new to him and – in case you hadn't noticed – the guys are the front are top class in WSB.
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Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Quote:
Fair enough.
But don't forget Walker has bailed from a pukka Kawasaki WSS ride in a team that took Fabien Foret to a decent championship finish position a couple of years ago. So, in a way, Walker was no more 'available' than any of the contracted riders in BSB/BSS and Superstock.
Walker, on the other hand, has a consistent career record of tearing up contracts mid-season and jumping ship, to the extent that I'm surprised anybody will still give him a contract at all. But at this point in his career, unless he's getting on the podium fairly regularly, he's not going to have a ride next year, so he had to do something pretty drastic if he was still going to be racing at World (or indeed any) level next year.
If he is jumping ship to Birdy now, one or more of three things is presumably true:
1. He thinks his crap results are the fault of the bike, not himself, and that it can't or won't be fixed by the team.
2. He has fallen out with, or does not get on with the team.
3. He's desperate and willing to try anything to see if he can get a result somehow before the end of the season...
Or all three...
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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FastBikerBoy
old hand
Reged: 08/11/2006
Posts: 1124
Loc: Norfolk surrounded by Yanks
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Quote:
So again, find me an available British motorcycle racer who is also potentialy big box office, to race in WSB at Brands Hatch...
Name that racer!
How about Carl 'WSB's nowhere near as competitive as it was in my day, and the fans only come to see me & no I haven't got a massively over inflated ego' Fogarty. 
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Cheers
FBB
Remember kids don't try this at home
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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idiotsavant
addict
Reged: 01/11/2006
Posts: 513
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Quote:
Well I'm hoping you all have to eat your words.
Hahahahaha...
...
...
...
...hahahaha, etc. (repeat to fade).
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Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.
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makka
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 13/05/2007
Posts: 2490
Loc: Jungle, Near Byron Bay, Austra...
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Did he do well then?
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makka
drinking heavily
it's the only solution
Well, maybe meditation helps too.
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xxrider
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/11/2006
Posts: 2151
Loc: Somewhere over the rainbow.......
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Morning, Makka.
23rd in superpole, I think.......
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The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.
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makka
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 13/05/2007
Posts: 2490
Loc: Jungle, Near Byron Bay, Austra...
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He's just geting used to the bike.......
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makka
drinking heavily
it's the only solution
Well, maybe meditation helps too.
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KwH
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/11/2006
Posts: 1703
Loc: Carmarthen, Dyfed
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Yes, but if you look at his times, as Kenny P is wont to urge us to do, rather than the grid position, he is less than a second a lap behind his team mate Greg Lavilla, recent BSB champion and allegedly world class racer. And Greg has been on the bike... well, I was going to say all year but it turned up late, didn't it. But he's still been on it about a hundred times longer than the Stalker has.
So I'd say he's performed on track so far realistically about as well as anybody could have reasonably expected.
The next question is, how well has he performed at the turnstiles?
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Ken Haylock
http://www.cix.co.uk/~kwh
"Ride what you like, how you like, as often as you like; but always take responsibilty for your actions." - Anonymous Zen Guru
"Obviously all I'll care about is if it's good for wheelies (i.e. fluffs up my meagre skills), and what free gift they give on the launch." - Anonymous Moto-Journalism Guru
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