Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya(spoilers mixed with stoner/rossi talk)

MotoGP Forum

Help Support MotoGP Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
moto vudu said:
What makes you believe that Ducati listened to Rossi?
Click to expand...

Oh I dunno, perhaps the adoption of a twin spar aluminium frame compromising the entire racing history of the marque and entirely at Valentino's behest?

moto vudu said:
It wasn't until I tuned in for a full GP race and saw a rider in yellow get a bad start then went roaring through the pack picking off riders left and right like they were amateurs. I can't even remember which race it was, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Didn't know who Valentino was, but I started following him at that point.
Click to expand...

That's what people do - they immediately hone in on winners. You weren't about to follow Jurgen Van De Goorbergh were you, because his similar heroics on the KR machine weren't palpable to you and didn't result in rostrum glory. Added to which, he looked like an 'amateur'

Sounds like Catalunya 2001 - but it could have been one of many at the time. I was similarly awestruck and though I am not in denial of the fact that Rossi was by far the most prodigiously talented rider on the grid at the time, it soon became clear that he was also benefiting from huge advantages and that the racing wasn't as equitable as it seemed.

These guys may have been made to look like amateurs to you, new to the series at the time, but watch again. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of this sport can appreciate, that in the way he despatched the opposition with such ease - almost as an afterthought, there is something more at play than simply Rossi's talent. I'll say again, there were wry smiles throughout the paddock when Honda Pons inherited Rossi's NSRs the following year prompting even his best mate Loris Capirossi to 'Now we see why Rossi was able to win so much'. Vale was almost lackadaisical over qualifying. The reason for his nonchalance was the he could afford to qualify deep knowing what he had in hand on Sunday and his sole focus was race set up. You could also argue that it often took a season or two to master the ultra soft qualifiers, but knowing that the superiority of his chassis, tyres and motor afforded him several tenths a lap, combined with his precocious talent and a brazen confidence he could comfortably afford to be so blasé.
 
We had a recently retired Michael Doohan on our TV, telling us that VR had taken over his team and was riding the Honda. He was the next best thing and years of dominance as we had seen with Doohan was about to be repeated.

You almost has to believe it.
 
I admit, I really wanted to buy a rs125 in the late 90's, with the Rossi scheme. I wasn't even a fan of his.
 
Daniboy said:
I didn't know Capirossi had said that but he certainly made hard work of riding this superior bike, having only made the podium twice . And generally having a pretty unsuccessful season all round.
Click to expand...

Capirossi's results in 2001/2002

2001 - 9 podiums (competing against two strokes)
2002 - 2 podiums (competing against four and two strokes)

The conveniently overlooked fact being that as Arrib has already stated a few times, 2002 saw the advent and introduction of the four strokes into the category with the two strokes in a transition period as they were wound out.

From the introduction of the four strokes they have been unbeatable and so the results produced by the two strokes in 2002 is like comparing a Morris Major to a Ferrari in a race ........ no comparison. Apples should be compared to Apples as they say.

None of that diminishes Capirossi's statement one iota, and actually supports the oft mentioned comments about the superiority of the four stroke motorcycle and the futility of the two strokes during that transition period


EDIT.
This is the season that Arrib often refers to when discussing some of the commentary as it is the year where Alexander Barros finished the season First, Third, Second and First after he was given the four stroke. Up until the Pacific GP round he had ridden the two stroke to two podium results, but as soon as he got the four stroke, it is safe to say that he somewhat dominated and went on a run (Rossi finished second, second, first, second in the same last 4 gp's)
 
Last edited:
Said to be a shot from Ianonne's onboard showing target fixation

Said to be a shot from Ianonne's onboard showing target fixation

NuroSXz.jpg
 
Last edited:
Daniboy said:
I didn't know Capirossi had said that but he certainly made hard work of riding this superior bike, having only made the podium twice . And generally having a pretty unsuccessful season all round.
Click to expand...

Oh dear DB, are you serious? Relative to 2001, it certainly wasn't superior in 2002, have you no concept of prototype racing? - your hero had progressed to a machine that enabled him to win the championship by 140 points clear of the nearest rival winning 11 races and with four second places. Perhaps it would have been different had Loris also have ridden a V5 Honda RCV211v. Eventually Barros and Kato got hold of one, Alex instantly beating Rossi at Motegi and Valencia. Like all the 500cc riders that year, Capirossi was busting his balls on an uncompetitive defunct two stroke all season and as I recall had an ugly crash trying to break away at Assen. This is prototype racing...it evolves and progresses and in 2002 the fours strokes were introduced which rendered anyone on a two stroke instantly obsolete. Development of the 500s was abandoned - the two strokes were murdered down the straights. I clearly recall Capirossi comically petitioning race direction to have the finish line moved at Mugello because the 500s stood no chance in the drag race against the 4 strokes. Had Rossi had remained on that his old 'superior bike' are you suggesting that he too wouldn't have have had a 'pretty unsuccessful season all round' had he have tried to compete on his old 500? It actually wouldn't surprise me. The entire 2002 championship was utterly farcical and was instrumental in the fast growing emergent mythology surrounding Rossi.

The real highlight that year was McWilliams placing the Proton on pole position - the great leveller of the old qualifying tyre.

I've mentioned before, the one circuit that the 500s were still competitive over race distance was Sachsenring, where their nimble sharp steering gave them an edge up against the monster torque of the four strokes. Jacques was leading the race on the Tech 3 YZR 500 at what was still ostensibly a Yamaha track. Despite this, Barros was closing him down on the NSR500 with Rossi in third. It's quite possible that Vale was sitting back biding his time with plenty in reserve...the year had been a rather lonely one for him out front, although I recall that Ukawa gave him a great battle at welcome on equal machinery winning the race. We'll never know, because in the closing laps, Barros braked too deep at turn 1, lost the front and took out O.J. leaving Rossi to notch up another win with comparative ease.
 
Arab, I have no heroes, heroes are people who give their lives up in conflict, get some perspective on that before saying such things. I have a favourite rider yes, i also shout for Dani when I'm watching the race, hell I've even got an mm93 hoody and cap , a Lorenzo cap and t-shirt amongst others. Yes I cheer the most when Rossi wins but when he doesn't i will also applaud the winner, whoever it is.
 
Daniboy said:
Arab, I have no heroes, heroes are people who give their lives up in conflict, get some perspective on that before saying such things.
Click to expand...

There are heroes in a great many settings ... not simply the battlefield. Again you disregard context in your sweeping statements. In my opinion there are conscientious objectors that are equally heroes to their cause. Cause being the operative word here. I don't regard a member of Boko Haram who has given his life in conflict as a 'hero'. But returning to racing, perhaps hero is an appropriate term in some cases...providing it is similarly not a consequence of blind worship.

Incidentally, I am familiar with Belgian Shepherds, and I agree, beautiful dogs indeed.
 
Last edited:
moto vudu said:
So any rider in the lineup is guaranteed to be a championship contender if they're on a factory Yamaha or Honda?

Ducati didn't believe their bike needed fixing. As far as they were concerned the riders were the issue. They gave priority to their bike developers not the riders. The fact that Rossi returned to Yamaha and became competitive again only cements the fact that Ducati's bike and MotoGP program as a whole needed a serious overhaul. It was Ducati's failure to get the best out of the rider talent they had available to them.
Click to expand...

Yep Vudu, it's up to the rider to make something of it if they are on the factory bike unless you are Ben Spies in 2012 suffering every plague possible. There's a reason Viinales wasn't hanging around at Suzuki and jumped at the Yamaha as soon as it presented itself. It doesn't matter how good the Suzuki looks to the fans, it's not going to win a championship. Before the season starts, you automatically have a 1:4 chance of winning races. Think about how insane that is, that before a wheel is even turned in anger, you have a 25% chance already.
 
Daniboy said:
I didn't know Capirossi had said that but he certainly made hard work of riding this superior bike, having only made the podium twice . And generally having a pretty unsuccessful season all round.
Click to expand...

Hahaha....jesus, your commitment to ignoring facts is incredible.

As Arrab said, the 2002 NSR500, and for that matter, all of the remaining 500cc bikes had zero chance of beating the 4-strokes. Sachsenring 2002 was the 500cc only shot for winning a race. Watching the difference in acceleration in a straight line was mind-boggling. Still makes me wonder how Honda had a genuine enough concern about the viability of the 4-stroke V5 that they had a NSR ready to go should it not have worked out.

The real shame of it all is when you see what Kato did on the NSR for the first half of the season, and then what he was doing once he was given the RCV for the second half. Makes you wonder what that 2003 campaign would have been if not for Suzuka.
 
A lot of folk forget that wsbk was looked on as the bigger class for a while.

So Mgp had to go 1000 4 strokes to try and wrest back the popularity loss.

500cc 2 strokes began to look pissy.

rossi and biaggi were having their kiddy fights making it look even pissier.

And at WSBK you had Baylis and Edwards making it look far more manly and interesting.

So dorna bought Baylis and Edwards and went 1000cc 4 strokes.
 
MigsAngel said:
Where did you get the idea that it was Marquez that extended his hand to congratulate Rossi?

All videos I've been able to find don't show Marquez extending his hand or him at all until they are shacking hands....you can't definitely say who was first at extending their hand....so perhaps you should stick with the story as that they shock hands and don't try to colour the narrative with bias against one or the other.....
Click to expand...

Hey Migs, Kropo wrote this yesterday, a pity you didn't read his write-up.

I bolded the relevant part.

Reconciliation? Let's not get ahead of ourselves

Rossi's victory over Márquez, on a weekend overshadowed by Salom's death, helped start the first steps of a reconciliation between the two riders. Or rather, change their relationship from one of pure, unadulterated hatred to more workable dislike. Since Sepang, Rossi has been consumed by hatred of Márquez. Márquez, in turn, was hurt and angered by Rossi's comments in the press conference in Sepang, and distressed by the opprobrium which has been heaped upon him since Rossi turned his sights upon him.

Márquez had suffered under the weight of all that hatred, and had wanted to return to at least some kind of cordiality in the relationship, though he had no illusions – and probably no desire – to rekindle any kind of friendship. Rossi, though, had been implacable. When the two men encountered each other waiting in corridors to go into press conferences, or when they had to share a podium, Márquez kept his distance, and Rossi would not even look at Márquez, he blanked him completely.

That changed a little in parc fermé. Marc Márquez came over to Rossi to offer his hand, and for the first time since Sepang, Rossi accepted it. There was an acknowledgement that the current situation was untenable, but the reconciliation is far more practical than anything else. When asked about this in the press conference, Rossi answered, "last night I think that we need to stay quiet, to stay relaxed, because it’s a great sport. This is a great sport, it’s our passion, but it’s also dangerous. So I think a normal behavior and normal feeling with the other riders is also helpful for stay more quiet and stay more concentrated."

No mention of forgiveness, but things are too far gone for that now. Rossi's hatred of Márquez is undiminished, but he is prepared to come to an accommodation, a coexistence with the Spaniard. His energy can go into his racing, for though a healthy hatred of rivals can help to motivate a rider, they have to be careful not to let it consume them. This is the point which Rossi seems to have reached. It will only make him more competitive.
Click to expand...

Like I said you boppers are desperate for any narrative that doesn't paint Rossi in a bad light. Maybe you shouldn't try to color the narrative with your claims no one knew who shook first so as to try and create ambiguity.
 
Daniboy said:
Arab, I have no heroes, heroes are people who give their lives up in conflict, get some perspective on that before saying such things. I have a favourite rider yes, i also shout for Dani when I'm watching the race, hell I've even got an mm93 hoody and cap , a Lorenzo cap and t-shirt amongst others. Yes I cheer the most when Rossi wins but when he doesn't i will also applaud the winner, whoever it is.
Click to expand...

Returning to this post DB if I may, I apologise if I have misquoted you. Throughout the history of this forum the hero worship on behalf of Rossi fanboys has been overwhelming so understand if I have tarred you with the same yellow brush. I believe it was a member called Evolution who like many VR ‘fans’ tends to materialise only when Rossi wins, or most recently after the Sepang fiasco, so I’m quite bemused by his absence. Much like Moto Viddu he recounted the first time that he saw Rossi and since then has ‘idolised’ him. There are a great many others that regularly use the term hero when referring to Valentino. He posts on nothing other than Rossi and has no interest in the history of the sport or any other motorcycle racing series.

So on ‘perspective’, is the term ‘hero’ appropriate to use in motorsport? Perhaps much like the branding of genius it is liberally and loosely applied. As a kid I suppose I had a ‘Moto Viddu’ ‘Evolution’ moment with Sheene. My excuse for this idolisation was the fact that I was a young child. I begged my Dad to take me to the Trans-Atlantic Challenges at nearby Mallory Park. I fully succumbed to the cult of personality. Sheene was a household name – a marginalised sport was suddenly in the mainstream and he was widely adored and admired and I wholesale bought into it. Nothing else really counted – only Sheene and initially I was wholly and inexcusably ignorant of the history and pedigree of the sport. Nothing else counted. He was, or I thought he was, my hero. Then in an instant he was swept away by a brash young American dirt tracker on an inferior motorcycle. As I grew older and I gained some ‘perspective’ I begrudgingly and painfully began to challenge my beliefs. Initially cognitive dissonance and emotional investment prevented me from accommodating the facts – but soon I began to appreciate, as formidable a rider as Sheene was, as charismatic as he may have been, his success owed a great deal to significantly superior equipment, and exerting his strong influence in the paddock at the expense of other competitors, Similarly talented riders with arguably equal promise such as Hennen, Baker and Hartog who never realised their full potential. Sound familiar?

Then Mike returned to the Island and with it a new ‘perspective’ on the sport. Sheene had been instrumental in removing the TT from the GP calendar reputedly over safety concerns, but more likely due to the cost of ferrying his caravan over on Steam Packet. I had little to no idea what it was, but I soon learnt. I educated myself on the history of motorcycle racing and as a consequence I had a true ‘hero’ this time. It remains that way. Why? His achievements and versatility on a racing motorcycle which renders the exploits of a contemporary ‘nine times’ World Champion almost irrelevant in comparison? That would simply be my opinion which you are welcome to challenge. For me, Mike is a true hero for rescuing Clay Regazzoni from his burning BRM, his own suit ablaze, hauling the Swiss driver from the wreckage for which he was awarded the George Medal the second highest gallantry decoration that can be conferred to a British civilian.

‘Evolution’? I pointed out that in his psychotic and abnormal preoccupation with ‘The Greatest of all Time’ it may be in his interest to read up on the history of the sport at the very least familiarise himself with Hailwood prior to making an assessment. His response?

Evolution said:
I dont know who you are talking about and I dont care. I guess he is long gone in a retirement home.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the one dimensional world that is Valentino Rossi.
 
yamfan said:
Bt sport commentators are as partisan as they come where it comes to Lorenzo. They take any opportunity to stick the boot in where he's concerned, whilst taking any opportunity to glorify Rossi. Edwards even tried to praise Rossi saying fair play to him because he had something on and couldn't attend. No mention was made of his refusal to be in the same room as Marquez.
Edwards when asked about the track said its been taken from Yamaha's hands and placed into Honda's. Don't suppose he'll get criticism though because he sits in the yellow corner too!
Click to expand...

I so agree. During the race commentary, at one point they said 'we've got an Italian and a Spaniard at the front, and these are the two that we want to see racing'. It's so blatant, I'm astonished more can't see it.

Likewise when Rossi stood on the bike in Parc Ferme and waved to his fans, the commentators they were like 'oh that's great to see'. Now whilst I agree that Rossi should acknowledge his fans, when JL does it you can audibly hear the contempt in their voice for him.
 
Arrabbiata1 said:
Returning to this post DB if I may, I apologise if I have misquoted you. Throughout the history of this forum the hero worship on behalf of Rossi fanboys has been overwhelming so understand if I have tarred you with the same yellow brush. I believe it was a member called Evolution who like many VR ‘fans’ tends to materialise only when Rossi wins, or most recently after the Sepang fiasco, so I’m quite bemused by his absence. Much like Moto Viddu he recounted the first time that he saw Rossi and since then has ‘idolised’ him. There are a great many others that regularly use the term hero when referring to Valentino. He posts on nothing other than Rossi and has no interest in the history of the sport or any other motorcycle racing series.

So on ‘perspective’, is the term ‘hero’ appropriate to use in motorsport? Perhaps much like the branding of genius it is liberally and loosely applied. As a kid I suppose I had a ‘Moto Viddu’ ‘Evolution’ moment with Sheene. My excuse for this idolisation was the fact that I was a young child. I begged my Dad to take me to the Trans-Atlantic Challenges at nearby Mallory Park. I fully succumbed to the cult of personality. Sheene was a household name – a marginalised sport was suddenly in the mainstream and he was widely adored and admired and I wholesale bought into it. Nothing else really counted – only Sheene and initially I was wholly and inexcusably ignorant of the history and pedigree of the sport. Nothing else counted. He was, or I thought he was, my hero. Then in an instant he was swept away by a brash young American dirt tracker on an inferior motorcycle. As I grew older and I gained some ‘perspective’ I begrudgingly and painfully began to challenge my beliefs. Initially cognitive dissonance and emotional investment prevented me from accommodating the facts – but soon I began to appreciate, as formidable a rider as Sheene was, as charismatic as he may have been, his success owed a great deal to significantly superior equipment, and exerting his strong influence in the paddock at the expense of other competitors, Similarly talented riders with arguably equal promise such as Hennen, Baker and Hartog who never realised their full potential. Sound familiar?

Then Mike returned to the Island and with it a new ‘perspective’ on the sport. Sheene had been instrumental in removing the TT from the GP calendar reputedly over safety concerns, but more likely due to the cost of ferrying his caravan over on Steam Packet. I had little to no idea what it was, but I soon learnt. I educated myself on the history of motorcycle racing and as a consequence I had a true ‘hero’ this time. It remains that way. Why? His achievements and versatility on a racing motorcycle which renders the exploits of a contemporary ‘nine times’ World Champion almost irrelevant in comparison? That would simply be my opinion which you are welcome to challenge. For me, Mike is a true hero for rescuing Clay Regazzoni from his burning BRM, his own suit ablaze, hauling the Swiss driver from the wreckage for which he was awarded the George Medal the second highest gallantry decoration that can be conferred to a British civilian.

‘Evolution’? I pointed out that in his psychotic and abnormal preoccupation with ‘The Greatest of all Time’ it may be in his interest to read up on the history of the sport at the very least familiarise himself with Hailwood prior to making an assessment. His response?



Welcome to the one dimensional world that is Valentino Rossi.
Click to expand...

Reminds me quite a bit of my experience with the late Ayrton Senna. I idolized him, till one day when I started looking at his career without blinders. I realized that for as talented as he was, and for all of his talk about god and the like, his on-track behavior was loathsome, and in some instances downright horrific. Much talk is made of how good he was to people off the track, but apparently even to this day, little is made of his several attempts to kill fellow drivers, which was all justified by way of his supposedly paying penance with social deeds. Nothing sets an example better than crashing out your opponent at 150MPH intentionally to win a world title, and then wrapping yourself up in piety and charity to absolve one's self. Unfortunately, dying at 34 did wonders for his long-term image which might be hard to imagine. He's revered completely by most, and all of his questionable deeds have since been swept under the rug by most...it all culminated with the Senna hagiography documentary in 2010, that completely glossed over all of the questionable stuff. You couldn't help but wonder if he was Jesus Christ by the time the credits rolled....his death was painted as being one that amounted to sacrifice. The only thing that was missing at the end of it was the resurrection three days after his death. Though what's come in the succeeding years since 1994 could be seen as a resurrection of sorts.

With motorsports at large, the heroes generally are far and few. But they are there. Unfortunately the fans tend not to know who the real heroes are because they wear their ignorance as a badge of honor.

Funny thing Arrab about Hailwood saving Regazzoni from the burning BRM at Kyalami is that it was the first of two incidents in 1973 where a driver was trapped in a burning car. The second was when Roger Williamson burned to death in his March at Zandvoort in July. Now you know what makes the both incidents fascinating? Hailwood was the only one to stop and help Regazzoni, and in July, David Purley was the only one who stopped to help Roger Williamson albeit unsuccessfully. You know who drove by both times, and actually multiple times as Williamson was trapped? The so-called great advocate for safety who can still be heard bleating endlessly about how dangerous F1 was, and how much he did to change all of that: Sir Jackie Stewart. He'll spin you fantastic tales, all while not a single person has ever challenged him to my knowledge on his failure to ever stop to help any competitor who was trapped in a burning car. He'll tell you he had no idea at Zandvoort anyone was in the car. But for such an advocate to have never stopped, I always thought it was a bit telling.
 
JPSLotus said:
Reminds me quite a bit of my experience with the late Ayrton Senna. I idolized him, till one day when I started looking at his career without blinders. I realized that for as talented as he was, and for all of his talk about god and the like, his on-track behavior was loathsome, and in some instances downright horrific. Much talk is made of how good he was to people off the track, but apparently even to this day, little is made of his several attempts to kill fellow drivers, which was all justified by way of his supposedly paying penance with social deeds. Nothing sets an example better than crashing out your opponent at 150MPH intentionally to win a world title, and then wrapping yourself up in piety and charity to absolve one's self. Unfortunately, dying at 34 did wonders for his long-term image which might be hard to imagine. He's revered completely by most, and all of his questionable deeds have since been swept under the rug by most...it all culminated with the Senna hagiography documentary in 2010, that completely glossed over all of the questionable stuff. You couldn't help but wonder if he was Jesus Christ by the time the credits rolled....his death was painted as being one that amounted to sacrifice. The only thing that was missing at the end of it was the resurrection three days after his death. Though what's come in the succeeding years since 1994 could be seen as a resurrection of sorts.

With motorsports at large, the heroes generally are far and few. But they are there. Unfortunately the fans tend not to know who the real heroes are because they wear their ignorance as a badge of honor.

Funny thing Arrab about Hailwood saving Regazzoni from the burning BRM at Kyalami is that it was the first of two incidents in 1973 where a driver was trapped in a burning car. The second was when Roger Williamson burned to death in his March at Zandvoort in July. Now you know what makes the both incidents fascinating? Hailwood was the only one to stop and help Regazzoni, and in July, David Purley was the only one who stopped to help Roger Williamson albeit unsuccessfully. You know who drove by both times, and actually multiple times as Williamson was trapped? The so-called great advocate for safety who can still be heard bleating endlessly about how dangerous F1 was, and how much he did to change all of that: Sir Jackie Stewart. He'll spin you fantastic tales, all while not a single person has ever challenged him to my knowledge on his failure to ever stop to help any competitor who was trapped in a burning car. He'll tell you he had no idea at Zandvoort anyone was in the car. But for such an advocate to have never stopped, I always thought it was a bit telling.
Click to expand...

Fascinating post.

From memory, Regazzoni and Hailwood had collided so he didn't stop to help him. However, he was also engulfed in flame but his only concern was for the stricken trapped driver.

On the subject of Regazzoni, and you know far more about F1 than I, I believe there were also accusations of him similarly deliberately running drivers wide, although he was acquitted in the death of British F2 driver Chris Lambert.
 
moto vudu said:
Anyone heard from mark419ny? He could be in severe depression after Rossi beat MM.
Click to expand...

im here and i am not depressed i was at the track . what am i to add that others have not added already. scoreboard pal tell me the standings one race doesnt make a championship get at me at the end of the season.

this thread is so long i didnt even finish it yet
 
Arrabbiata1 said:
Fascinating post.

From memory, Regazzoni and Hailwood had collided so he didn't stop to help him. However, he was also engulfed in flame but his only concern was for the stricken trapped driver.

On the subject of Regazzoni, and you know far more about F1 than I, I believe there were also accusations of him similarly deliberately running drivers wide, although he was acquitted in the death of British F2 driver Chris Lambert.
Click to expand...

Regarding the Chris Lambert/Regazzoni crash at Zandvoort in 1968, Regazzoni tried going up the inside of Lambert to overtake him and clipped his left rear wheel. That sent him off the track, where he hit bales of hay that acted like a ramp, and the car dropped straight down onto a pedestrian walkway where he was killed instantly along with a spectator. Even though Regazonni was absolved of fault by most of the eyewitnesses, Lambert's father blamed Regazzoni for the whole incident and said it was down to his dangerous driving. In November 1971, more than 3 years later, the FIA said Regazzoni had some fault in the crash but it was not a result of dangerous driving. It was a bit of linguistic gymnastics with how they worded the report. But what did it really matter at that point? They waited so long to release their findings that it was long forgotten, and it didn't help Lambert was not a big name.

Regazzoni had a reputation in his early career for being very aggressive as a driver and would crash. But as you know the line between aggressive and dangerous is quite thin, and can be more a matter of perspective than anything else. Still, in spite of all of that, he was a hell of a driver. Could have been a world champion and came close in 1975. Just wasn't consistent enough to reach the peak. He was a bit of an inspiring story too because of what he went on to do after he was paralyzed in the crash at Long Beach 1980. In a sense he was Alex Zanardi, before Alex Zanardi. He drove the Paris-Dakar Rally in the late 1980s multiple times with hand controls and even drove in the 12 Hours of Sebring 1993. Did a lot of work to help wheelchair bound people. Never stopped living his life in spite of being dealt a raw hand. I certainly find him to be inspiring in spite of the Lambert situation which may have just been a misjudged overtake maneuver more than anything. Eyewitness accounts mostly put the blame on Lambert, but one marshal said it was Clay at fault.
 
JPSLotus said:
Hey Migs, Kropo wrote this yesterday, a pity you didn't read his write-up.
.
Click to expand...

With Kropo saying it then I can trust the source.....Good on MM to extend the hand and good on Rossi to accept it....

Now that the two of them have moved on from the Sepang incident.....will the haters move on from it too?

And thanks for the Kropo quote...
 

Similar threads

L
For Sale 24 - 26 MAY Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya 2024 - 2 tickets
Replies
0
Views
268
LFG
L
J
For Sale 4 tickets for Entradas del Gran Premio Monster Energy de Catalunya de MotoGP 2018
Replies
0
Views
6K
Juxhi
J
JPSLotus
Round 7: 2017 Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya
13 14 15
Replies
284
Views
38K
danski
danski
M
Le Mans Race 2016: Spoiler
Replies
18
Views
3K
cliche guevara
cliche guevara
Mr Squiggle
Historical Revisionism
2 3
Replies
42
Views
6K
Mr Squiggle
Mr Squiggle

Recent Discussions

Recent Discussions

Back
Top