Why is Melandri Struggling So Much?

[duckdawg]

not true, Pedrosa is sucking hind tit, Rossi has a false sense of security, Hayden is faster, and Stoner can pull the bike out of the back of the truck and run 9 laps and still bust everybody's ass...

[247]

OK, it's one thing to ask me to believe that Stoner is AS good as his 10 win season last year. In other words that his bike/tires were no better than Rossi and Dani's.
That merely requires me to mentally reduce the Ducati's edge on HP that my eyes witnessed and the advantage from Bridgestone that every sane man admits.
Now you want to consider that Stoner's bike/tire package is subpar?
Is there no limit to this wonderboy's powers!?

Originally Posted by bsess

If Stoner is not on it, Ducati don't win a title last year. The bike IS so much better but, so far, only in his hands. If the bike is so incredibly good, how come Melandri is 2-3 seconds a lap slower on race tires so far? Its difficult for me to not attribute the Ducati's tremendous performance potential to Stoner's unique skill in being able to unlock and exploit that potential. Some pretty damn good riders have tried (and continue trying) and have not yet been able to. Until Marco or another Ducati rider wins races and consistently runs up front, I find it difficult not to give Stoner a significant amount of the credit.

[bsess]

Originally Posted by 247

OK, it's one thing to ask me to believe that Stoner is AS good as his 10 win season last year. In other words that his bike/tires were no better than Rossi and Dani's.
That merely requires me to mentally reduce the Ducati's edge on HP that my eyes witnessed and the advantage from Bridgestone that every sane man admits.
Now you want to consider that Stoner's bike/tire package is subpar?
Is there no limit to this wonderboy's powers!?

That's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that the Ducati is the most powerful bike out there but that it takes someone with exceptional skills such as Stoner to be able to utlize its potential. I also believe that prior to last year that the M1 was not the piece of crap that many have made it out to be and that it was adequately powered but by far the best handling bike on the grid........in the hands of someone as exceptionally talented as Rossi. Catfish?

[JeffKoch]

Originally Posted by Mashuri

Hey, I have a possible hypothesis for us all to ponder: Stoner is THAT good

Kinda what I was thinking. If you look at Rossi vs. Edwards, for example, you might conclude that only Rossi is able to take advantage of whatever strengths Yamaha has - but the reality is, Rossi is a much better rider than Edwards. It's simple - Melandri is struggling because he's not as good as other riders on the grid, including Stoner.

[duckdawg]

what Nicky has in common with Rossi, is they both wish they had a Ducati...

[sqd8r]

Originally Posted by bsess

That's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that the Ducati is the most powerful bike out there but that it takes someone with exceptional skills such as Stoner to be able to utlize its potential. I also believe that prior to last year that the M1 was not the piece of crap that many have made it out to be and that it was adequately powered but by far the best handling bike on the grid........in the hands of someone as exceptionally talented as Rossi. Catfish?

[247]

So is Capirossi's lack of results due to the fact that Stoner is a once a decade talent?

If so, then you still have to explain why Stoner seemed considerably more mortal all through his career prior to 2007.

Originally Posted by bsess

That's not what I'm saying. What I am saying is that the Ducati is the most powerful bike out there but that it takes someone with exceptional skills such as Stoner to be able to utlize its potential.

[duckdawg]

maybe because he was on a third rate Honda with little or no support...

[sqd8r]

Originally Posted by duckdawg

maybe because he was on a third rate Honda with little or no support...

Some people choose to live under the illusion that satellite teams and factory teams enjoy the same support. You really can't address the issue when someone lives under that fantasy.

[bsess]

Originally Posted by 247

So is Capirossi's lack of results due to the fact that Stoner is a once a decade talent?

Capirossi still has most of his chops. They just weren't enough to master a challenging bike like the Ducati just as they weren't enough to master the 500 two smokes during his first foray into premier class racing.

Originally Posted by 247

If so, then you still have to explain why Stoner seemed considerably more mortal all through his career prior to 2007.

Not all future great riders/athletes are fully formed or reach their full potential at the outset of their careers. Doohan was in the premier class for 5 years before he won the first of his 5 consecutive titles in his 6th year of premier class racing. He was on his way to his 1st title in his 4th year but his championship hopes were derailed at Assen. Crashing. Oh yeah. Doohan did quite a bit of crashing during his early years in 500GP as well as variously demonstrating his speed and ability.

Some athletes are on an obvious trajectory toward greatness from childhood while others have been known to blossom later (Tom Brady, anyone?)

Stoner managed to beat Pedrosa on more than a few occasions in 250 GP and I consider Pedrosa the most spectacular 250 racer I have ever seen.

Stoner was a motivated racer but was very poorly conditioned until the offseason leading into the 2007 season. He was immature and frequenly boasted in Gobertesque style how he never did any exercise or training.

That all changed between 2006 and 2007. With a newly focused outlook and rigorous training regime, Stoner started his career with Ducati with a mature and determined level of preparedness he had not had before.

He's didn't "grow up" until he reached the age of 21. Unlike Rossi, he was not on the absolute best equipment nor enjoy the best support throughout his career ascension.

As a die-hard Hayden fan, I hope I'm wrong. But I can't deny what I see with my own eyes. That kid is both incredibly talented AND incredibly tough.

[pinky]

I think it's safe to say that 2007 for Casey was a result of the perfect storm, he won because Stoner was on THAT Ducati with Bridgestone tires. I think if you change any one thing in that equation of Stoner+Desmosedici+Bridgestone=Championship then the outcome would have been different. Is Stoner a good rider, yeah he's good, is the Desmosedici a good bike, yeah it's a good bike, are the Bridgestones good tires, yeah they are but when you put them all together, Bam, Championship!!! Just my .02.
P.S. - and to add to what bsess said as well, that last year Stoner decided to go to work and not go to school.