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.
