http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/dharma/blog/?p=65 Scattered thoughts Tue, 12 May 2026 23:14:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/dharma/blog/?p=65#comment-401 John Thu, 10 Mar 2005 17:18:54 +0000 http://www.dorje.com/~alanf/dharma/blog/?p=65#comment-401 It's not just GP where Honda has those issues. Look at MX/SX and Ricky Carmichael leaving Honda for a completely unproven Suzuki ride. Whether its recent switchers or past racers, interview after interview it's always the same. Honda always had great technology, and would win in a pissing contest with anybody dollars for dollars, but treated their riders and teams like mere employees who could be replaced at any time, tiny gogs in the giant industrial machine that is Honda. Now that has come back to hurt them because they've lost their top tier talent to smaller, more rider-driven development focused teams. This isn't good for Honda. Being that they are way behind in the rider-development game, and minus their best riders, who could pull out wins on sub-par equipment based on skill, I don't look for them to take the championship again this year either. My prediction is of course Rossi on the Yammie, with Ducati racking up a couple of wins, and Kawasaki making the podium a little more often. It’s not just GP where Honda has those issues. Look at MX/SX and Ricky Carmichael leaving Honda for a completely unproven Suzuki ride. Whether its recent switchers or past racers, interview after interview it’s always the same. Honda always had great technology, and would win in a pissing contest with anybody dollars for dollars, but treated their riders and teams like mere employees who could be replaced at any time, tiny gogs in the giant industrial machine that is Honda. Now that has come back to hurt them because they’ve lost their top tier talent to smaller, more rider-driven development focused teams. This isn’t good for Honda. Being that they are way behind in the rider-development game, and minus their best riders, who could pull out wins on sub-par equipment based on skill, I don’t look for them to take the championship again this year either. My prediction is of course Rossi on the Yammie, with Ducati racking up a couple of wins, and Kawasaki making the podium a little more often.

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