Haga has already been WSBK Champion Once

BC999S · #1 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 09:08 PM

At least in my books, he has.

Does anyone else remember the cold remedy drug scandal disqualification he endured? Would have had the championship from Edwards (I think) if they hadn't penalized him after the season finished.

"I was robbed, I tell ya!"

So, do you:

1. Agree
2. Disagree
3. BC, you're full of sh*t

Furious Styles · #2 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 09:45 PM

Haga won it.

On a four vs. a twin. When no one else could hold a candle to the twins, Bayliss or Edwards. Haga was always there.

Most definitely the best rider to not have won a title.

stk0308 · #3 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 09:52 PM

Somebody do the math for me to double check mine. But here's how I see it. Colin would have still won, even with all Haga's lost points(one race, 25 pts I believe) and him winning both races he was banned from. If Colin could still run 2nd, maybe even 3rd, in each race and would have still won.

What's the excuse for the year Haga lost the championship to Toesland?

I like Haga, but the excuses have to stop.

Jami6989 · #4 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stk0308

I like Haga, but the excuses have to stop.

BURN!!!!!!!!

roadkill · #5 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 10:07 PM

Someone correct me if I am wrong.....wasn't it during the latter part of the season and NOT after the season that he was penalized? ......and it was not a cold remedy......he was fighting a weight problem and was taking some kind of diet pills.

BC999S · #6 (**permalink**) 06-30-2009, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stk0308

I like Haga, but the excuses have to stop.

Excuses? Are you kiddin' me?

Did you miss the "I was robbed, I tell ya" part of the message?

Diet pills, cold remedies, crack, speed, heroin - they're all the same, aren't they?

Geez, some people are sticklers for detail.

Plwtwo · #7 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 02:03 AM

It was Ephedra!

sburns2421 · #8 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 04:04 AM

It was pseudo-ephedra, ma huang extract to be precise.

dhdrider · #9 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 02:05 PM

I like Haga and would definitely like to see him win a title before he leaves. BUT, these guys are professionals. They are ultimatley responsible for what they put in their bodies and whether or not it is a banned substance. He was not robbed. He was irresponsible and it cost him.

tye1138 · #10 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 05:44 PM

Hind sight is always 20/20... I mean, he was robbed because the supplements he was taking had an adverse effect, which was picked up in the drug test at the beginning of the season. He nor his team, knew they'd get picked up in the drug test, but they were. It was his team's mistake more then anything else.

Needless to say, had he not lose those 40 points, it would have still been a tight battle.

vanessa · #11 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 07:22 PM

i'm going with #3 on this

quikie · #12 (**permalink**) 07-01-2009, 09:07 PM

Yeah, 1)

He won that year but didn't get the medal.

SpdTrip · #13 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 12:51 AM

Edwards would have won anyways even if Haga was not penalized. He did do an incredible job challenging for the championship on an underpowered bike.

The first year that Toseland won the title, Haga would surely have won the title if his engines would not have grenaded multiple times during races. It seemed like he was winning or having mechanicals that year. That was a very bad year for satellite Ducati teams engines. Steve Martin was on his way to winning a race when his engine also grenaded.

bsess · #14 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tye1138

Hind sight is always 20/20... I mean, he was robbed because the supplements he was taking had an adverse effect, which was picked up in the drug test at the beginning of the season. He nor his team, knew they'd get picked up in the drug test, but they were. It was his team's mistake more then anything else.

Needless to say, had he not lose those 40 points, it would have still been a tight battle.

What nonsense! Who is responsible for what you put in your mouth, Tye? Haga was (and still is) both a grown man and a highly paid professional athlete. He is ultimately responsible for knowing the rules and regulations and he failed on several levels. He failed his team, he failed his manufacturer, he failed his sponsors, he failed his fans, he failed his country, he failed his family and he failed himself because,.....he failed a f*cking drug test. The list of of banned substances was published in the rules distributed to all the riders and teams and he FAILED to f*cking read them. His fault and no one else's.

roadkill · #15 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsess

What nonsense! Who is responsible for what you put in your mouth, Tye? Haga was (and still is) both a grown man and a highly paid professional athlete. He is ultimately responsible for knowing the rules and regulations and he failed on several levels. He failed his team, he failed his manufacturer, he failed his sponsors, he failed his fans, he failed his country, he failed his family and he failed himself because,.....he failed a f*cking drug test. The list of of banned substances was published in the rules distributed to all the riders and teams and he FAILED to f*cking read them. His fault and no one else's.

Well, I don't know if I would state it that harshly but yeah, you are exactly right. Haga was battling a weight problem and DECIDED to take diet pills to help him keep "in fighting trim". It was his decision, his choice.....the active ingredients of these pills were listed on the box....one of those ingredients was a banned substance.....he may be Japanese but he can read and he, after years of professional competition, knew the rules. If he failed to read the label, well.......sorry, but ignorance is no excuse. I have always really liked Nori as he was riding the snot out of the R7 when I first started to follow racing and was a big Yamaha fan and followed him closely and cheered him on week after week.....but, ultimately, life is about choices and choices have consequences. His decision, his choice.....the penalty was both fair and proper. Why are we having this discussion anyway?

Jami6989 · #16 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadkill

Why are we having this discussion anyway?

Cuz some people are starting to see another title slip away and they are getting nostalgic.

duckdawg · #17 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsess

What nonsense! Who is responsible for what you put in your mouth, Tye? Haga was (and still is) both a grown man and a highly paid professional athlete. He is ultimately responsible for knowing the rules and regulations and he failed on several levels. He failed his team, he failed his manufacturer, he failed his sponsors, he failed his fans, he failed his country, he failed his family and he failed himself because,.....he failed a f*cking drug test. The list of of banned substances was published in the rules distributed to all the riders and teams and he FAILED to f*cking read them. His fault and no one else's.

to wit..

in toto...

and with digusting regularity...

BC999S · #18 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 05:32 AM

OK, so judging by general and specific replies, the concensus is Number 3. Thanks for being early on that wagon, Vanessa. (!!)

Now, IF Haga's smart, he'll race for a few points in Brno, try to get healthy for the following races, and come out of this year as a champion.

Of course, there's no way I'm betting against Spies. He's got too much going for him now.

Jami6989 · #19 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BC999S

Of course, there's no way I'm betting against Spies.

Way to hedge yourself. So you got both the frontrunners covered and didn't have to pick one or the other. Either way, "you told us so".

tye1138 · #20 (**permalink**) 07-02-2009, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bsess

What nonsense! Who is responsible for what you put in your mouth, Tye? Haga was (and still is) both a grown man and a highly paid professional athlete. He is ultimately responsible for knowing the rules and regulations and he failed on several levels. He failed his team, he failed his manufacturer, he failed his sponsors, he failed his fans, he failed his country, he failed his family and he failed himself because,.....he failed a f*cking drug test. The list of of banned substances was published in the rules distributed to all the riders and teams and he FAILED to f*cking read them. His fault and no one else's.

Your an angry little man arn't you...

I'll bet money, Haga didn't even read the ilicid drug section because why would he be taking a drug that was banned? I just watched the 2000 season of WSBK when he was banned and it happened all because of a natural herbal product.

Did he deserve to have those points taken away? Absolutely not and the team fought for the entire year to get them re-instated and the appeals lost. Needless to say he still wouldn't have won, which is the reason why this conversation happened. Edwards was already too high and Corser had won 5 races around mid-season and was on the rise.

Finally, the team is ultimately responsible for the rider. In the case of Yamaha, it was NOT Haga's team, he was just a rider on the team. Its the team manager and nutritionist's fault, for not following the rule book.