News 15 Mar 2011

Krusty's Korner: Race Time

Krusty casts his predictions on the 2011 road race season in his first CycleOnline.com.au column of the year.

Former dual Australian road racing champion and World Supersport podium finisher Adam ‘Krusty’ Ferguson is back with his light-hearted look at the world of motorcycle racing in a fresh new year of the Krusty’s Korner column, exclusive to CycleOnline.com.au.

I’m positive that I speak for all motorcycle enthusiasts when I say that I am pumped at this time of year. The time for name-calling, promises and dreams are over, and it’s time to kick the tyres and light the fires.

Quite possibly the most anticipated racing series this year will be MotoGP, with Casey Stoner moving back to Honda, and Valentino Rossi switching camps to the Italian dream team at Ducati.

Casey has proven in testing that he wants to slap down anyone in his way, while Rossi struggles with injury, as well as a motorcycle that is notoriously difficult to suit a particular style.

Can Rossi reproduce the famous first win, as he did with his switch to Yamaha? It seems unlikely at this stage, but we can only sit back and wait for the action to unfold. Will Jorge Lorenzo dominate 2011 as so many people expect? Will Ben Spies make the most of his factory seat and upset the aliens?

Krusty says it's a long shot for Vale Rossi to win on debut with Ducati at Qatar this weekend.

Krusty says it's a long shot for Vale Rossi to win on debut with Ducati at Qatar this weekend.

The World Superbike Championship kicked off last month at Phillip Island. Carlos Checa certainly answered everybody’s thoughts by dominating the opener in a fashion that we have not seen for quite some time.

With the departure of the official factory Ducati Xerox team, we must wonder how much support that his team really has? Personally, I believe that Checa is due for a title, as he has the experience, and he has not lost his desire and hunger for victory.

What has excited me the most is the return of the iconic Castrol Hondas. Most road racing fans will remember the dominance of the red, green and white bikes in the hands of Carl Fogarty, Aaron Slight, John Kocinski and of course, Colin Edwards.

Time will tell if Johnny Rea or Ruben Xaus can re-live this dream. I don’t want to drag on about all of the possibilities for all of the protagonists, as this would take at least another three thousand words, and nobody in their right mind wants to listen to me any longer than they have to, but I will say that it is about time that BMW stepped right up to the plate and staked their claim at the top of WSBK.

I am a proud Australian, and I would dearly love to see Troy Corser fire it up to the middle step of the podium quite a few times this year.

Time to move on the to local talent and the 2011 Australian Superbike Championships. Honda has returned with a vengeance by recruiting Paul Free to spearhead their assault with two of the best riders in the country, Wayne Maxwell and Jamie Stauffer.

As disheartening as this may seem to every other rider, they were trumped at Phillip Island by Glenn ‘The Raging Ranga’ Allerton. Okay, I just invented that name for him, but it sounded funny at the time.

Glenn took the double at the Island quite convincingly, and proved that the BMW and himself will be a force to be reckoned with for the 2011 season. He repeated that form at Tasmania and asserted himself as a true title threat.

The ASBK field is full of talent this year, and Krusty is most impressed with Glenn Allerton and Troy Herfoss to date. Image: TBG Sport/Andrew Gosling.

The ASBK field is full of talent this year, and Krusty is most impressed with Glenn Allerton and Troy Herfoss to date. Image: TBG Sport/Andrew Gosling.

The biggest wild card for this year will be Team Suzuki’s Troy Herfoss, as he has stepped up from the Supersport class and he has stayed pretty low-key about his intentions. It would be wise for every rider to be wary of Troy – this kid will win races this year.

With the guidance of the most successful team manager in the country, Phil Tainton (from memory… if I am wrong, sue me!) and the experience on offer, there is no reason why Troy cannot live up to his potential.

The biggest loss to the series is the departure of Shawn Giles. Team Suzuki’s stalwart has hung up his leathers, and he will be sorely missed by everyone, especially myself. So we just need to sit back and wait for the emergence of Australia’s next gentleman racer.

Who knows what will happen, and that is what makes this sport so much fun to watch. I could go on for hours about this, but I think you have had enough of me for now.

Stay safe and watch out for tin tops… those things are killers!

Krusty

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