Motorcycle Forums

CCB

I can't agree with your opinion of Dovi

You say he has been the "only rider during the last four years to consistently beat the Aliens (all of them) and score podiums", but his results don't really back that up, surely? He's rarely beaten Stoner, Pedrosa Lorenzo or Rossi (Rossi pre-2011) Those four have had virtually as many podiums in one season as Dovi did in his entire time on a Honda

He also finished 5th, 6th (beaten by Edwards on Tech3) 5th and 3rd in that time - no way can you say that is a fraction off winning the title - he was way off. In that time he won just one race and you can probably count on one hand the number of times he challenged for a win. You say he may still have a chance given the right circumstances but if three years on a Repsol isn't that, what is?

You can't compare him with Pedrosa who has won as many races as Dovi's been on the podium. Pedrosa has finished 2nd and 3rd in the points table apart from his rookie year and 2011 when injury put him out of 4 races - and even then he was less than one win behnd Dovi who inherited 3rd.. Pedrosa has missed races through injury and still finished top 3, I don't think Dovi has missed any.

He's a fast and talented rider, no argument there, but hasn't got whatever is missing to beat the likes of Lorenzo or Pedrosa and probably Rossi again now that he is back on the M1, consistently enough to win a title.

Bulto

I'm more inclined to agree with Zogs view, Dovi has beaten all the aliens fair and square in the last four years, he's just not done it consistently enough to be a true title challenger.

If Honda had shown him abit more love and given him time like they did with Pedrosa, who know where he could be now. His first year on the factory bike he was consistently in the top four but crashed out too many times, which hurt his overall ranking at the end of the year, to say Edwards  was faster than him is just nonsense. ( much like crutchlow this year , blindingly fast but crashed out too often whilst trying to get on the podium)

Honda treat him like crap after that, once they know Stoner wanted to come they didnt care about him. Yet his results were still good, and they had to honour the terms of his contract and give him a third year.

Cant imagine this did alot for his confidence and belief in himself, know no matter how well he did ,he was going to get bombed out.

6 podiums this year on a satelite bike, a bike that was new to him after a decade with hondas, shows real talent to me. Give the Guy  top billing and love him ,and he may just surprise us all.

All that said it will take a mircale with Ducati for it to happen this year.

CCB

I got nothing against Dovi, I like his attitude and the way he rides, I just  don't think he is in that very top bracket. If he had big pace but lacked consistancy I could see some hope but with Dovi its the opposite, I think its harder to gain pace than consistancy.

As we are all being a bit Statto I thought id have a go. Im using the 2010 season as it was the last in which all the Aliens (and Dovi) were on top bikes and Dovi was still a fully supported factory rider.

In 2010 only once did Dovi get close to the win, that was in Sepang where he lost out to an injured Rossi. 6 time that season Dovi failed to beat a single available Alien (Rossi & Pedrosa missed races injured) a further 5 times he only managed to be 1 available alien, not once during the season did he finish in front of all of them and only 2 races did he manage to finish in front of more aliens than he finished behind. factor into this that his record was padded out by managing to beat half fit Rossi and Pedrosa when they were coming back and its not that impressive.

In fact at a couple of races he was beaten fair and square by Hayden and the rookie Ben Spies on a satellite Yam

Dovi

Works Honda rider, 1 win, on the Tech3 M1, he made a reasonably showing, he's fast and smooth, he now goes to Ducati, for the money, so  imo he couldn't cut it on the works Honda, the M1 that he left is a better bike than the one he's going to so I can only see him 6th or 7th at best. As that Ducati stands, he won't push that any more than Rossi did, and there's defintely 6 or 7 faster guys out there.   

CCB

Not sure where you're going with your argument?

But first off, I didn't say Edwards was faster than Dovi. You claimed he regularly beat Pedrosa, Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner. I just pointed out with the number of podiums he had and where he finished in the championship, which on one occassion was behind a satellite bike, those kind of results were impossible. They were regularly on the podium or winning every race, which meant Dovi would have had to have been on the podium every race too, which he wasn't. Neither did he finish consistently 4th in his first year on the Repsol, his finishing positions were all over the place.

I don't really understand why you think Honda mistreated him. He wasn't winning them races or getting on the podium regularly. Pedrosa may not have won them a title, but he was winning races and but for injury and bad luck he may have dot them the title. If you were looking to place a proven winner into your team, which rider would you have let go, Pedrosa or Dovi? They honoured his contract and let him see it out when I daresay they could have paid him off by ending it early.

Dovi is very good, but on equal machinery, he isn't as quick as Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Stoner or Rossi. He had three seasons on a Repsol to show what he could do but he couldn't beat them.

No matter how good Ducati get their bike, I can't see that changing.