Alonso Unimpressed by Rossi Tests | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Alonso Unimpressed by Rossi Tests

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by Paul Vincent, Feb 16, 2006.

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  1. T.O. Dino

    T.O. Dino Formula Junior

    Oct 30, 2004
    350
    Toronto Canada
    Art, Although I don't agree with you on the Hopkins being the next Moto champ. I agree with you 100 % on this.
     
  2. rsvmille676

    rsvmille676 Formula Junior

    Nov 24, 2004
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    Scott Major
    I couldn't agree more. I went from being very quick on a race track in a car to not so quick on a bike while at the same track. I have been racing bikes now for 3 years and have picked up a lot of speed since starting and am now an upper mid-pack guy. So When I instruct with cars now it is times easier than that of racing or teaching on a bike.

    I like Alonso but I think that statement is a gross exaggeration on his part.
     
  3. SRT Mike

    SRT Mike Two Time F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
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    I hope Rossi takes Alonso up on his comment. I like Rossi a lot - a GREAT character for any sport and I'd like to see him in F1. I don't think his success is by any means guaranteed. He may be an upper-mid pack guy like a Webber or a Button or a Barrichello, but he MAY end up being a Schumacher or a Raikkonen too. Only time will tell.

    One thing I am pretty sure of though, is that the goober Alonso would be nowhere NEAR Rossi's times were Alonso to ride a bike. I dont know if he even rides but even if he does, it takes the best of the best to come close to Rossi. To think that an non-racer would be 2-3 seconds off and score the occasional podium? HA! Bring on the test offers! let's see him put his money where his mouth is.
     
  4. kirill

    kirill Formula Junior

    Jul 8, 2004
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    Kirill
    I think MS can goo faster than that, but why ? He got wife,kid, and good enough stash of cash, why would he endanger his life ?
     
  5. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    I think Rossi is a legend in BIKE racing. Different skills in formula cars at this level. Without learning the ropes in lower formulas, and even most of these drivers dont climb the ladder, this is an exercise in publicity.
    Alonso is 100% correct, even though not politically correct.
     
  6. smart_alek

    smart_alek Formula Junior

    Jun 12, 2005
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    Wasn't Damon Hill a bike racer before getting into F1? He was at club level, o rmaybe a little higher.
     
  7. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 3, 2002
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    yes and yes

    Surtees is a closer comparison to Rossi, but that was also a different time.
     
  8. Miura Jota

    Miura Jota F1 Rookie

    May 26, 2004
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    it takes a super human to ride a Superbike at MotoGP levels
    while anyone can drive fast an F1 4 wheeler

    Valentino Rossi is more than a human. adn he's been able to dominate MotoGP in 2 different makes of bikes

    the main difference between F1 cars & bikes is the grip surface of Tires
    about 300% more in a car obviously.
     
  9. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Uhhh... yeah, right.
     
  10. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Hehe. He is actually right about that. The real question is what Gilles27 mentioned: The final tenth.

    Rossi has been driving fast at Fiorano. Just like Gene, Badoer, Giovanardi (ok that was Vallelunga not Fiorano). Names you don't associate with F1 podiums.
     
  11. dretceterini

    dretceterini F1 Veteran

    Apr 28, 2004
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    I wonder how Ago would have done in car racing :)
     
  12. dretceterini

    dretceterini F1 Veteran

    Apr 28, 2004
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    fast is relative :)
     
  13. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    #38 tifosi12, Feb 17, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    A bit off topic, but here it goes: A Ferrari F1 racer who went from 4 to 2 wheels: Berger at last year's Goodwood Revival of Speed. It was a memorial race for Barry Sheene.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  14. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Anyone except Rossi ?
     
  15. speedy_sam

    speedy_sam F1 Veteran

    Jul 13, 2004
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    I see another "trading paint" show coming up: Rossi vs Alonso :)
     
  16. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Hehe. Alonso would get clobbered. Rossi is a lot closer to the limit than Alonso could ever be on a bike.

    LightGuy: No. Actually Berger did dismal: Run out after a few laps with mechanical issues. I got some pics of that too, but didn't want to completely hijack the thread.
     
  17. 2000YELLOW360

    2000YELLOW360 F1 World Champ

    Jun 5, 2001
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    One last point: a critical element of racing motorcycles is the fear element. A good way to tell if a kid is going to make in bikes is how fast are they after they get out of the hospital? Alonzo would have to overcome that fear element, no roll bars, not fenders, no crush zone, nope, just you, your leathers, and the pavement. It's one thing to slide the car, another to slide an unstable motorcycle.

    If Michael was 20 seconds off Rossi, he's about as quick as I probably am, which isn't all that fast, not good enough to even run at the National level (used to be better, but I got old). Alonzo probably couldn't make it at the National level, let alone GP. On the other hand, Rossi is faster than about 50% of the field in testing. Point made.

    Art
     
  18. Miura Jota

    Miura Jota F1 Rookie

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  19. ferrari4evr1

    ferrari4evr1 Formula 3

    May 8, 2005
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    LOL, LOL!!! Thats what i was thinking...
    I think Alonso believes that because he is the world champ in a F1 car, so, he can beat anyone in anything. Bikes and cars are dramatically different.....
    Alonso would need years to practice before he could ever hang with Rossi (competitively on a bike).....

    Nice try Alonso, talk all the smack you want..........
     
  20. TurboFreak650

    TurboFreak650 Formula 3

    Jul 10, 2004
    2,363
    Atlanta, GA
    Very bold statement from Alonso, and I don't think it would be true unless perhaps he had a few SEASONS of practice.
     
  21. ferraripete

    ferraripete F1 World Champ

    art, all good points. i started racing motorcycles late (26yrs) after racing cars at the scca national level , some imsa gtu and last , the firehawk series. i had ridden bikes for some years on the street but could never envision racing bikes. i started racing when a good friend of mine lee bivens, a well known artist (http://www.artlee.com go look at his stuff...it is pretty cool!) invited me to see him race at road atlanta on a wera weekend. there i met 2 of lee's buddies dave sadowski and scott russell. two of the fastest dudes to throw a leg over the seat (russell should have won the 500cc world championship in his carreer but for his bad decision making!). they convinced me that if i was fast in the car, i was half way there to being fast on the bike. well...after my first riding school, all i remember was thinking how easy it was to go fast in a gtu car and how this motorcycle stuff was INSANE!!!!!

    i raced at the gtu level in cars and the wera/ccs level as an expert (white plates) motorcycle racer...a long way away from f-1 and moto gp however, i think alonso's comments about being able to compete at the top level in moto gp is a joke. f-1, one races n 2 dimensions but in moto gp....you race in 3 dimensions and every dimension makes your eyes, body, and mind BEND!

    Rossi also has huge experience in working w/ and understanding data acqisition which will also help him find his way to the limit.

    i think rossi is a racer and he will adapt to f-1.
     
  22. 505T

    505T Formula Junior

    Jan 26, 2004
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    His comment to me seems more of an analogy than a claim. I think he makes his point.


    "I could start riding a motorbike and, after three years training, be a second from them, but I don't pretend that I could beat Dani (Pedrosa) or someone who has been in motorbikes since they were three years old."
     
  23. Paul Vincent

    Paul Vincent Formula Junior

    Apr 3, 2004
    478
    Remember how Michael Jordan left basketball to play baseball? Well, he really didn't intend for things to turn out as they did. Point? Talk is cheap. Really cheap.
     
  24. Hubert

    Hubert F1 Rookie

    Jan 3, 2002
    2,642
    The Left Coast
    I think Alonso had a lobotomy the day he made those comments. You could give Alonso three years and he'd still not be on the podium, much less in the top half of the GP grid. Trailbrake too long in a car = lazy spin, no big deal; trailbrake too long on a bike, as you bank it over = lowside which means you hit pavement at speed. The bridge Alonso's trying to cross is very wide and very long. From the tone of Alonso's commentary, he's probably never ridden a motorcycle, much less raced one.
     
  25. bill365

    bill365 F1 Rookie

    Nov 3, 2003
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    Simple observation....

    There have been a number of high ranking GP type bike racers that have made, at least respectable transitions to GP cars, John Surtees to mention one.

    I cannot think of any GP car drivers, that have made successful transitions to bikes.
     

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