Joined Apr 2011
1K Posts | 87+
Pangea
I thought this was as good a time as any to join this forum after lurking here for a while and after witnessing such a dramatic and incident packed race and the controversy it has since generated.
Having followed motorcycle road racing from about the mid 80's I have been priveleged to witness the careers of the some of the giants of the sport. Doohan, Lawson, Rossi and Rainey to name but a few and have been a fan of all these great riders and appreciate all of them for their bravery and the entertainment they have afforded the spectators and fans over the years....recently though I have been witness to what I believe is a scandal of the highest order. A blatant and unrelenting manipulation of the rules to serve the interest of a single individual and the financial viability of those charged with governing the rules and future direction of the sport.
In all these years of watching motorcycle racing I am yet to witness a racer gifted as many advantages over their entire career as Valentino Rossi has had. I don't remember Doohan, Rainey, Schwantz, Lawson, Gibernau or Guntolli (I could realistically name every rider to enter the sport in this time frame) ever being afforded so many concessions or threatening to quit the sport to pursue outside interests if the powers that be didnt cede to their demands.
A perfect example of this manipulation being the recent rule change to enforce a control tyre. Name me ONE other rider who has complained as loudly as Rossi about access to a competitors hard earned advantages and indeed having the entire direction and rules of the sport influenced in such a dramatic way as we all witnessed with the sudden change to a control tyre in season 2008 (Obviously Valentinos way of saying "thanks" to Michelin for all those years of overnight specials - one of his other previous competitive advantages). Next thing you know he will be asking for a rider/bike weight minimum in the guise of safety concerns ;-)
At the same time we have seen the guys racing against Valentino demonised in every sense of the word for speaking up against this sort of favouritism or challenging his ontrack status as the current best rider in the world. Whilst Valentino has an enviable record in terms of championships he has also been on the top tier race bikes since his second year of competition (until now that is!). The best riders do of course deserve the best rides and that has always been the case.
However, I dont recall another rider offering an ultimatum to their employers when choosing who can ride in their team ala Rossi's "ït's me or Lorenzo" demands or his vetoing of Stoner as a team mate early in Casey's career when Burgess and Yahama were intitally interested in signing Stoner up at Yamaha for season 2006. A level playing field is not something Rossi subscribes to obviously. He definitely prefers his team mate to provide a "test mule" support role but nothing more while being given the all the go fast bits that said mule has already tested.
Similarly I dont remember his recent prime competitors - namely Stoner or Lorenzo EVER.....
Pillioning a blow up ken doll around the track with Uccios name attached to it! (as funny as it would be)
Scrubbing a spot on the start grid the night before a race - blatant cheating in every sense of the word.
Physically assaulting a competitor before a podium presentation.
Demanding a wall down the centre of the garage because he didn't want to share test data with a competitive team mate for the good of the team. (There is no "I" in team but there sure as hell is in Valent"I"no)
Punting a competitor off the track on the final corner of a race and chuckling about it on the podium afterwards
Receiving a ten second penalty for passing under a yellow flag as opposed to the usual ride through penalty that everyone else would get.
Forcing a competitor wide after spearing uncontrollably onto the gravel and re-entering the track to push said rival wide and nearly into the gravel himself.
Blah Blah Blah - I could cite many more examples over the years of Rossi's questionable tactics but I think you get the point!
But the final straw that broke the goats back for me and that saw me change my attitude entirely towards him occured a few years back....Valentino finally lost me as a fan when in 2007 he was interviewd by a female reporter on Australian television during the 2007 Phillip Island Grand Prix. After spending the entire interview talking about the great "Valentino Rossi" in the third person (and all he did was wax lyrical about his own grandiose achievements) the following question was finally posed at the very end of the interview...
"So what do you think of Casey winning his first world title at 21 years of age" (Stoner having just won the world champioship in Motegi the previous race)
His reponse: "I had already three world titles at the same age". I found this to be so monumentally egotistical I nearly choked on my lunch. How gracious and sporting of you oh great one!
Another bone of contention for me is Valentinos supposed "racecraft" which is always referred to as being of the highest standards yet we have now seen multiple examples over many years where Rossi has placed his fellow competitors at risk due to dangerous overtaking manouveurs. Converesely Casey Stoner is lambasted as being a "....." and having little in the way of racecraft even though he has so far demonstrated time and time again that he only makes a pass where it will not put himself and the other riders he is competing against in danger. It is ALWAYS clean, clinical and ruthlessly efficient (Look to his pass on Pedrosa at Losail last race for a perfect example of what I am talking about). It is obvious Stoner DOES take into account his rivals wellbeing and the proof is there for all to see - that is if you have a fair and objective mind and take the time to look.
Yesterdays incident was plainly Rossis fault (he himself even acknowledges that part) and was as some have suggested a "racing incident" in so far as it was an incident during a race! However, it was purely ego driven with no forethought for the consequnces of overtaking on a bike that is notoriously fickle for losing the front end, in what were treacherous conditions for all riders on track. There was no way ANY rider I have ever seen could have made that pass stick on that bike at that corner on such a slippery and unpredicatble track surface....NO ONE. It reminded me a little of Capirossis banzai manouveur on Harada - not quite as insane as that attempt but equally undoable and unjustifiable. The revisionists have been hard at work "spin doctoring" the result of yesterdays error of judgement and blame has AGAIN been moved and apportioned to the innocent party caught up in this turmoil - the championship leader at the time. I have a feeling Stoner wont be letting Rossi near him if he can at all avoid another situation where ValentEGO Rossi is likely to try another kamikaze move to prove his relevance after so grossly dissapointing his fans with his current poor results in testing, qualifying and racing on the Duc.
Which brings me to Rossi jumping on the aforementioned 800cc GP11 Ducati - this has been a revelation. His unkind barbs aimed squarely at Stoners riding ability and commitment on the same machine have come back to haunt him thus far. He has been yet another failure in a long line of ex world champions who have failed to ride the bike to its full potential....oh sorry - I forgot. Its the shoulder.....How many tenths did it slow him down this race I wonder? He probably could lapped the field right? Unfortunately the shoulder problem is an unquantifiable entity yet we constantly hear how much time he has lost due to this rather convenient escape clause. Pedrosa seems to be a far braver competitor to my way of thinking...much respect to Dani for his true grit proven beyond doubt over the past few years. His luck is rat .... unlike the golden child who seems to be blessed by the Dalai lama himself.
We hear all the time how in 2007 the mystical Ducati that rode itself was "easily the best bike" on the grid with a HUGE horsepower adavantage and a TC/Electronics system that piloted itself to a world championship without any rider input. Well to see how competitive the Duc has been over the last few years just erase Stoners results from Ducatis records altogether to see where this wonderbike really sits in terms of the competition! Alan cathcart in testing all the GP bikes at the end of season 2007 rated the Yamaha and Honda as better overall packages....go figure!
We also hear all the time how Rossi is superior to all the other riders who have ever ridden before him....the so called "GOAT". Well before Rossi jumped ship to the supposed POS Yamaha he said it was because he wanted to prove that it was not the bike that mattered, but the rider. Did he prove this fact when on the clearly superior 990 Honda...not at all. In fact I clearly remember Barros getting on that same Honda 990 for the last two races of the first 990 season and beating Rossi who had ridden that bike all season. Don't recall Alex Barros gloating over those victories, however.
For me two riders stand head and shoulders above Rossi in the modern era....Michael Doohan and Wayne Rainey. Both capable of destroying opposition with not only incredible skill but also far and away superior in their general conduct on and off the track. Both were hard but fair racers and both supremely talented but dealt unfortunate hands at the end of their careers. I wish Rossi all the Karma that is surely coming his way.
Last but by no means least take away the expertise of Jeremy Burgess from the Rossi equation and we see another of his long term advantages evaporate....I wish I had a dollar for every time JB pulled a rabbit out of Rossi's arse in morning warmup after he was left floundering in the qualifying sessions. Maybe Uccio has run out of rabbits recently!
Anyway I expect the blind yellow hordes will attack every one of my "conspiracy theories" and continue to belive the "press releases" of the like minded delusional masses. I have a feeling those in the paddock who know far more than myself and most other racing pundits that inhabit these online racing forums such as this one will have a far clearer picture of the events and controversy that surrounded Dornas golden goose in the 2011 Jerez race yesterday. As we have seen history is again being revised on this and other racing forums regarding the events of yesterday. In more ways than one it seems yellow really is an appropriate colour for Valentino Rossi and his flock to be promoting!
PS: For those unfamiliar with the term Historical revisionism....from Wiki
"the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event."
Having followed motorcycle road racing from about the mid 80's I have been priveleged to witness the careers of the some of the giants of the sport. Doohan, Lawson, Rossi and Rainey to name but a few and have been a fan of all these great riders and appreciate all of them for their bravery and the entertainment they have afforded the spectators and fans over the years....recently though I have been witness to what I believe is a scandal of the highest order. A blatant and unrelenting manipulation of the rules to serve the interest of a single individual and the financial viability of those charged with governing the rules and future direction of the sport.
In all these years of watching motorcycle racing I am yet to witness a racer gifted as many advantages over their entire career as Valentino Rossi has had. I don't remember Doohan, Rainey, Schwantz, Lawson, Gibernau or Guntolli (I could realistically name every rider to enter the sport in this time frame) ever being afforded so many concessions or threatening to quit the sport to pursue outside interests if the powers that be didnt cede to their demands.
A perfect example of this manipulation being the recent rule change to enforce a control tyre. Name me ONE other rider who has complained as loudly as Rossi about access to a competitors hard earned advantages and indeed having the entire direction and rules of the sport influenced in such a dramatic way as we all witnessed with the sudden change to a control tyre in season 2008 (Obviously Valentinos way of saying "thanks" to Michelin for all those years of overnight specials - one of his other previous competitive advantages). Next thing you know he will be asking for a rider/bike weight minimum in the guise of safety concerns ;-)
At the same time we have seen the guys racing against Valentino demonised in every sense of the word for speaking up against this sort of favouritism or challenging his ontrack status as the current best rider in the world. Whilst Valentino has an enviable record in terms of championships he has also been on the top tier race bikes since his second year of competition (until now that is!). The best riders do of course deserve the best rides and that has always been the case.
However, I dont recall another rider offering an ultimatum to their employers when choosing who can ride in their team ala Rossi's "ït's me or Lorenzo" demands or his vetoing of Stoner as a team mate early in Casey's career when Burgess and Yahama were intitally interested in signing Stoner up at Yamaha for season 2006. A level playing field is not something Rossi subscribes to obviously. He definitely prefers his team mate to provide a "test mule" support role but nothing more while being given the all the go fast bits that said mule has already tested.
Similarly I dont remember his recent prime competitors - namely Stoner or Lorenzo EVER.....
Pillioning a blow up ken doll around the track with Uccios name attached to it! (as funny as it would be)
Scrubbing a spot on the start grid the night before a race - blatant cheating in every sense of the word.
Physically assaulting a competitor before a podium presentation.
Demanding a wall down the centre of the garage because he didn't want to share test data with a competitive team mate for the good of the team. (There is no "I" in team but there sure as hell is in Valent"I"no)
Punting a competitor off the track on the final corner of a race and chuckling about it on the podium afterwards
Receiving a ten second penalty for passing under a yellow flag as opposed to the usual ride through penalty that everyone else would get.
Forcing a competitor wide after spearing uncontrollably onto the gravel and re-entering the track to push said rival wide and nearly into the gravel himself.
Blah Blah Blah - I could cite many more examples over the years of Rossi's questionable tactics but I think you get the point!
But the final straw that broke the goats back for me and that saw me change my attitude entirely towards him occured a few years back....Valentino finally lost me as a fan when in 2007 he was interviewd by a female reporter on Australian television during the 2007 Phillip Island Grand Prix. After spending the entire interview talking about the great "Valentino Rossi" in the third person (and all he did was wax lyrical about his own grandiose achievements) the following question was finally posed at the very end of the interview...
"So what do you think of Casey winning his first world title at 21 years of age" (Stoner having just won the world champioship in Motegi the previous race)
His reponse: "I had already three world titles at the same age". I found this to be so monumentally egotistical I nearly choked on my lunch. How gracious and sporting of you oh great one!
Another bone of contention for me is Valentinos supposed "racecraft" which is always referred to as being of the highest standards yet we have now seen multiple examples over many years where Rossi has placed his fellow competitors at risk due to dangerous overtaking manouveurs. Converesely Casey Stoner is lambasted as being a "....." and having little in the way of racecraft even though he has so far demonstrated time and time again that he only makes a pass where it will not put himself and the other riders he is competing against in danger. It is ALWAYS clean, clinical and ruthlessly efficient (Look to his pass on Pedrosa at Losail last race for a perfect example of what I am talking about). It is obvious Stoner DOES take into account his rivals wellbeing and the proof is there for all to see - that is if you have a fair and objective mind and take the time to look.
Yesterdays incident was plainly Rossis fault (he himself even acknowledges that part) and was as some have suggested a "racing incident" in so far as it was an incident during a race! However, it was purely ego driven with no forethought for the consequnces of overtaking on a bike that is notoriously fickle for losing the front end, in what were treacherous conditions for all riders on track. There was no way ANY rider I have ever seen could have made that pass stick on that bike at that corner on such a slippery and unpredicatble track surface....NO ONE. It reminded me a little of Capirossis banzai manouveur on Harada - not quite as insane as that attempt but equally undoable and unjustifiable. The revisionists have been hard at work "spin doctoring" the result of yesterdays error of judgement and blame has AGAIN been moved and apportioned to the innocent party caught up in this turmoil - the championship leader at the time. I have a feeling Stoner wont be letting Rossi near him if he can at all avoid another situation where ValentEGO Rossi is likely to try another kamikaze move to prove his relevance after so grossly dissapointing his fans with his current poor results in testing, qualifying and racing on the Duc.
Which brings me to Rossi jumping on the aforementioned 800cc GP11 Ducati - this has been a revelation. His unkind barbs aimed squarely at Stoners riding ability and commitment on the same machine have come back to haunt him thus far. He has been yet another failure in a long line of ex world champions who have failed to ride the bike to its full potential....oh sorry - I forgot. Its the shoulder.....How many tenths did it slow him down this race I wonder? He probably could lapped the field right? Unfortunately the shoulder problem is an unquantifiable entity yet we constantly hear how much time he has lost due to this rather convenient escape clause. Pedrosa seems to be a far braver competitor to my way of thinking...much respect to Dani for his true grit proven beyond doubt over the past few years. His luck is rat .... unlike the golden child who seems to be blessed by the Dalai lama himself.
We hear all the time how in 2007 the mystical Ducati that rode itself was "easily the best bike" on the grid with a HUGE horsepower adavantage and a TC/Electronics system that piloted itself to a world championship without any rider input. Well to see how competitive the Duc has been over the last few years just erase Stoners results from Ducatis records altogether to see where this wonderbike really sits in terms of the competition! Alan cathcart in testing all the GP bikes at the end of season 2007 rated the Yamaha and Honda as better overall packages....go figure!
We also hear all the time how Rossi is superior to all the other riders who have ever ridden before him....the so called "GOAT". Well before Rossi jumped ship to the supposed POS Yamaha he said it was because he wanted to prove that it was not the bike that mattered, but the rider. Did he prove this fact when on the clearly superior 990 Honda...not at all. In fact I clearly remember Barros getting on that same Honda 990 for the last two races of the first 990 season and beating Rossi who had ridden that bike all season. Don't recall Alex Barros gloating over those victories, however.
For me two riders stand head and shoulders above Rossi in the modern era....Michael Doohan and Wayne Rainey. Both capable of destroying opposition with not only incredible skill but also far and away superior in their general conduct on and off the track. Both were hard but fair racers and both supremely talented but dealt unfortunate hands at the end of their careers. I wish Rossi all the Karma that is surely coming his way.
Last but by no means least take away the expertise of Jeremy Burgess from the Rossi equation and we see another of his long term advantages evaporate....I wish I had a dollar for every time JB pulled a rabbit out of Rossi's arse in morning warmup after he was left floundering in the qualifying sessions. Maybe Uccio has run out of rabbits recently!
Anyway I expect the blind yellow hordes will attack every one of my "conspiracy theories" and continue to belive the "press releases" of the like minded delusional masses. I have a feeling those in the paddock who know far more than myself and most other racing pundits that inhabit these online racing forums such as this one will have a far clearer picture of the events and controversy that surrounded Dornas golden goose in the 2011 Jerez race yesterday. As we have seen history is again being revised on this and other racing forums regarding the events of yesterday. In more ways than one it seems yellow really is an appropriate colour for Valentino Rossi and his flock to be promoting!
PS: For those unfamiliar with the term Historical revisionism....from Wiki
"the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event."
