No backup bike?

[SAWDADDY]

One of the other groups is talking about a mechanical problem on RC's bike, which was caused by a crash on one heat and negatively affected him in the main. It brings up a question I've been asking for years:

Why don't the teams have a second bike for their top riders?

I talked to one of the Honda managers a few years ago about this. I told him that, if a bike broke to a stupid degree, a backup bike could be put into play and the broken one fixed at the team's leisure. This would prevent mechanics from jumping through their as$es to get a bike fixed before the next moto. Of course the two bikes would need to be kept as identical as possible, for maximum compatibility. Whatever you do to one bike, you do to the other.

How stressful is it on the rider and mechanic, when a bike is broken during a heated championship battle, and everything rides on the mechanic being able to make ALL the right moves in a rush between heats? Wouldn't the rider be in a better mental state if he KNEW he had a bike ready for the next race?

The Honda manager's response was simple. "We can fix anything that could be wrong within the allotted time."

I just think in terms of absolute success. I guess it's a trait learned from special operations in the military. We had a saying about that. "Two is one and one is none." I can't help but wonder what happens if the mechanic doesn't discover an additional part of the problem until it's too late. Something like, you fix the obvious problem, but find another crack later. I don't know. As important as maintenance is on those bikes, and as important as championships are to the teams, it just seems to me like they'd keep 2 bikes....Just in case.

[therapture]

I believe AMA rules stipulate you MUST use the same frame for the event....I.E., if RC broke a frame in a qualifier...he is out for the night. And I KNOW they have spare engines and suspension ready to go...in fact, I am sure they have every single part of the rolling chassis except for a frame as spares....

[danielvagn]

I'm 100% sure that if it where allowed to have a spare bike they would. it would be much faster to change the suspension (that is allready dialed in for the track) from the race bike to the spare bike, than replacing most of the parts on the bike.

remember that people racing on much smaller budgets have 2 bikes, so I guess that the big teams can afford it ?

[scotty114]

Yeah AMA rules say that you have to use the same frame...and engine cases..but anything else can be fixed or changed..

[frogman]

We had a better saying in the military, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying"

This has served me well in life.

Frogman must be on Sawdaddys ignore list.

???

[SAWDADDY]

The "same frame" rule settles it. That's all I needed to know. I wonder why the Honda guy didn't tell me that? Oh well, at least now I know. Thanks guys.

Frogman, my pm box shows empty. Have you been trying to get me?

[CRF250rider1000]

Ok, well ricky crashed at glen helen in practice and they had to reframe the bike......

[therapture]

Ok, well ricky crashed at glen helen in practice and they had to reframe the bike......

That was practice. Not a qualifier or actual race. I.E., if he raced the first moto on the bike, crashed and broke the frame....he could not race moto 2 on a different chassis.

If he had broken the frame in practice at a supercross, he could have changed frames/bikes....the AMA would certify it as legal before it was in an actual race. Once you race it, you have to finish the event on the same frame.

[scotty114]

That was practice. Not a qualifier or actual race. I.E., if he raced the first moto on the bike, crashed and broke the frame....he could not race moto 2 on a different chassis.

If he had broken the frame in practice at a supercross, he could have changed frames/bikes....the AMA would certify it as legal before it was in an actual race. Once you race it, you have to finish the event on the same frame.

Exactly...I belive there are quite a few more things on the bike that have to be the same too..I know that after ractice they mark the frame and engine cases somehow so that they arent changed..

[robby26wi]

The bike wasnt the negative affect in the main...It was the lappers

[BOOBOO]

We had a better saying in the military, "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying"

This has served me well in life.

Frogman must be on Sawdaddys ignore list.

???

? Any gain that comes from cheating is temporal. We reap what we sow in this life.

[mstngmatt]

The bike wasnt the negative affect in the main...It was the lappers

Exactly, His frame was fine and his mental state was fine . RC and Reed passed all the way up to 4th place and that screwed RC and thus helped Reed.

[frogman]

? Any gain that comes from cheating is temporal. We reap what we sow in this life.

Yea, you just keep thinking that, I'll keep that ace up my sleeve.

[velosapiens]

The bike wasnt the negative affect in the main...It was the lappers

the real negative was that ricky got outridden in the whoops all night. the bike and the lappers are lame excuses from lame people.

to ricky's credit, i didn't hear him make any excuses at all. he just got beat, and he admitted it, and admitted he made some mistakes. then he came back and won the next week. good for him. ?

i think all those guys are real professionals. i don't really care who wins as long as the racing is good.