As per title really, he’s not just slightly off form is he, he’s nowhere, finished the race earlier this am 38seconds back from memory. And he still looks like he’s trying, it’s just got to be something ‘more’ a new spec of engine that he hates, a new swingarm manufacturer etc? Apparently they even bought the old bike back and nothing has worked….
When someone is that far back, I would think that’s more than a bike issue, seems more like a mental/emotional distraction.
I would have thought when the visor goes down all the personal issues vanish. Even I when I do a track day, I'm not giving much thought to my tax returns when I'm wobbling round....
I know I am. Fuken sick to death of it..... And I don't think I've had it. A virus so deadly you actually have to be tested to know if you've got it
Theres over 600K dead in America, 140k dead in UK. How many more deaths will it take to prove that it exists? We're all sick to death of it metaphorically. But the more that get vaccinated, the fucking sooner it will be we get to some kind of ending. I dont think the V4 is suiting Josh. He doesnt look comfortable on it and that will hurt his confidence. With inevitable results.
It suited him last year when he won the title on it! One commentator said he was finding the no 1 plate too heavy, so he may revert to his original race no for future rounds. Interesting to see if that helps...
agree, he’s won a lot of races on the V4. I think there’s something else going on. If reverting his race number makes a difference then he should be fired anyway, honestly that’s ridiculous
Well he doesnt look comfortable to me. What happened last year is done and gone and bears no relation to a new season. If a change of number works for him, then great. Confidence is a strange thing.
That ^^ Split second decisions. When confidence is up, you get them right. When confidence is down, you get them wrong….
The thing is, he’s riding like he’s trying, in the wet on the same tyres as those around him, he clearly had no grip, there’s something going on. possible that there’s a change on the bike that he just doesn’t like but that it’s ‘mandated’ by Ducati Corse? Either way I don’t think we will see him on the bike at the next round
I like the bloke. He was having a shakedown on a Donington track day on day that I was at. Obviously he was silly fast and making us all look daft He passed me and 3 others braking for Redgate…. Took four of us on the brakes But he was up and down the paddock all day shooting the shit with whoever. Totally normal bloke…. Well, fast normal bloke….
To my knowledge, the only ‘mandated’ component from Ducati is the Akrapovic exhaust. IIRC, the season after Brookes took the R1M to the BSB title, he went to WSBK and failed miserably. Andy
True!, but Iddon and Bridewell doing ok on the V4. Hopefully a good result will help. Mind you, it could be he doesn’t want to be seen on the podium with that mullet.....(no offence to all mullet wearing forumites)
this is good to hear because actually you do get conflicting stories about what he’s like, I think he’s just all about the business on race weekends. I can’t see who they would replace josh with mid season, but I equally can see him getting on a different bike for next year, maybe a BMW
Its like footie strikers, they just need a goal to go in off a knee or their arse and theyre off again. Confidence is a head game and if it goes, you're screwed but you've just got to keep plugging away. Josh will bounce back.
Could be literally anything at that level. There’s so many variables with bike and rider that can cause your confidence to drop or loose you time (both very much connected). You can literally be a click or so out and go from 1st to 15th! some riders are more sensitive to things than others. Could also be a personal thing. who knows.
I think the thing that seems to be getting under the skin of the commentary team, which isn't hard as Shakey has never been the biggest Josh fan (well documented), is that he seems so almost non-fussed by it after the races on Sunday, he just very calmly said "I'm happy because I'm at the limit, riding hard, and I'm just continuing to give the feedback to the team"... They seemed to be quite annoyed by that suggesting that he should probably be a bit more annoyed or downbeat about it.
Interesting that JB said that Paul Bird's not breathing down his neck, then Shakey says he'll probably be out of the team before Donnington! We can only conject (especially me, as I'm so bored at work today!)... Also -apologies - to take this a bit off topic; why has Scott Redding had so many tyre issues in WSBK? Surely Ducati's wealth of racing experience should be enough to make a good tyre choice! It can't all be down to SR, which is how it comes over to me.
