Tim. Yup I did say the 2 yr newer bike makes LITTLE difference. By adding the word LITTLE instead of NO, I plainly stated that there is an advantage.......but again, there's that word LITTLE. A newer bike has advantages, And I of course agrred with that by stating that my much older one was at a disadvantage. Never once did I say that wasn't the case. 2 yrs older is a minor disadvantage- 18 yrs older would be a greater disadvantage.
Jim's bike was designed By Yamaha back in 1997. He is competing against bikes that are as much as 17 or 18 model years newer-Probably why he is finally looking to upgrade. He has managed to stay competitive on it for almost two decades. 18 yrs of advancement is nowhere close to the mere two that we are discussing in Lost Era here. My point is that the advantages a rider might gain in those two model yrs that are up for discussion are pretty minor in my opinion. OEM Slipper clutches and radial brakes. That's it. Fuel injected bikes have been allowed for a few yrs. Even the slipper clutch is an easily added option to an 03, and is far better than the OEM crap slippers anyways. And these minor possible advantages are acceptable to me as a rider, given that the inclusion of them in the class may lead to the possibility of bigger grids. I was using the Pro Superbike grid as an extreme example- but if you wanna talk Lost Era ok; there were 4-5 bike grids all season last yr......pretty small grids. Bigger grids in ANY class will draw more crowds. Who wants to watch a 4 bike race? Who wants to win a 4 bike race?
As far as bringing a 600 to Lost Era heavy- we all did it for yrs- I used to regularly chase CBR900's, GSXR 110's and R1's and YZF 750s with a 600. Everyone who goes into heavy with a 600 knows they are choosing a knife in a gunfight because they wanna ride an extra class with one bike. So whether the R6 you are on is a 99 or an 03 really doesn't matter much- you can still be outgunned by a mile. You better ride faster.
Working race control in 2014, I got to see up close the spectator reactions to on track action. They are excited and attentive when there is lots, and excitement wanes and they wander off when there isn't much to watch on track. More bikes, more battles, more spectators, more draw and more future coverage and sponsorships. Win/ win.
I find it absolutely amusing that you, of all people, are standing up for the guys who might be unfairly outgunned by a 2 yr newer machine- yet you were the one who cried the loudest, right here on this msg board, about why wasn't your Superbike allowed in the Dunlop/Bridgestone cup for years. An unfair advantage of much greater magnitude than a pair of radial brake calipers.
