MotoGP: 2016 Rider of the Year

budoist · Dec 7, 2016

2nd Runner Up: #25 Maverick Viñales

25-maverick-vinales-esp_gp_3990.gallery_full_top_lg.jpg

When Kevin Schwantz said earlier this year that the Suzuki was a potent weapon and not only a potential race winner but a legitimate, viable factory ride, nobody believed him. Of course, there is always that guy in every group who's all like, "Well I said 5 years ago before he did, but nobody listened to me!" If that person is you, then you should know that nobody believes your story either. In fact, nobody even likes you. You weren't hugged as a child and you live surrounded by a herd of cats. For the rest of us, 2016 has been a revelation and 2017 sees Suzuki emerge as a hotly sought after seat for emerging and established talent. Sure, we could point to the engineers for their tireless work, or the team manager, the on-track technician and mechanics. But deep down we all know who we really have to thank.

Maverick Vinales.

It was Maverick who first showed us that the Suzuki was fast enough to qualify on the front row. It was Maverick who first showed us that the GSX-RR could battle for the podium. And when everyone was praising him for his negotiating prowess in landing the vacated seat at Yamaha, it was Maverick who showed us that the GSX-RR could win in a straight up battle and take the victory.

There's been something that MotoGP fans have been clamoring for over the years, and that's a tenth championship for Rossi. And for Rossi to retire. And for Casey to come back and/or stay retired. And for Lorenzo to be more effluent while simultaneously keep shutting up and keep on winning. But underneath all of the drama fans have really just wanted to see another manufacturer win. Someone other than Honda and Yamaha. Anyone. Member the time when Honda and Yamaha weren't the only manufacturers who could win a race? Oh yeah, I member! Oh, member the time when Kawasaki withdrew and the private Hayate team won the race with the discontinued bike? Oh yeah, I member? Member when Marco Melandri won that race that time? Nah, eff that guy.

So while it wasn't the same level of accomplishment as a victory by Ilmor would have been, into the desert wasteland that has been MotoGP these past years Maverick's win was a welcome shower of much needed rain. And for that alone, even if there was nothing else, he gets into the top 3 riders of 2016.

JPSLotus · Dec 7, 2016

It was not a GSVR, it's the GSX-RR.

Second, Vinales did exactly what he should have on that bike. It doesn't warrant a 2nd best rider of the year accolade. I'd go further and say he should and could have accomplished far more on that bike. While not a championship winning bike, the 2016 GSX-RR was capable of being a multi-race winner. Vinales couldn't deliver there.

Vinales is overrated as all hell, and being on the Sherpa M1 is only going to further cloud media and fans assessments of him.

He put down great times at the Valencia test?

So what.

At least another half-dozen riders could have done the same thing on the bike.

The media is trying desperately to sell Vinales as an alien.

He isn't and never will be.

My reaction to anyone who keeps holding onto that mirage is this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/styles/default/my/smilies/........gif

Little Walter · Dec 7, 2016

JPSLotus said:
It was not a GSVR, it's the GSX-RR.

Second, Vinales did exactly what he should have on that bike. It doesn't warrant a 2nd best rider of the year accolade. I'd go further and say he should and could have accomplished far more on that bike. While not a championship winning bike, the 2016 GSX-RR was capable of being a multi-race winner. Vinales couldn't deliver there.

Vinales is overrated as all hell, and being on the Sherpa M1 is only going to further cloud media and fans assessments of him.

He put down great times at the Valencia test?

So what.

At least another half-dozen riders could have done the same thing on the bike.

The media is trying desperately to sell Vinales as an alien.

He isn't and never will be.

My reaction to anyone who keeps holding onto that mirage is this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/styles/default/my/smilies/........gif

.

budoist · Dec 8, 2016

JPSLotus said:
It was not a GSVR, it's the GSX-RR.

D'oh! My mistake and correction made.

It doesn't warrant a 2nd best rider of the year accolade.

Third best! 2nd best would be first runner up. Time to brush up on your pageantry lingo.

I'd go further and say he should and could have accomplished far more on that bike.

I don't think that there's anything objective that supports this. Noone else has been able to win on the current GSX-RR, or even come close. Compared to his teammate, he finished more than 100 points ahead with 4 podiums (including one win) to Aleix's zero. I don't think that you can definitively say that there were other riders who would have matched his times on that bike on that day. There were other riders who were regularly ahead of him all season long on their usual bikes, one of them was even on the same bike and the other won the championship, and none of them were faster than he was. On either day. To be fastest on one day may be a fluke, but on both days and the only rider to make it into the 1:29s makes a statement.

While not a championship winning bike, the 2016 GSX-RR was capable of being a multi-race winner. Vinales couldn't deliver there.

I am honestly curious about what you base this on.

AJV80 · Dec 8, 2016

JPSLotus said:
It was not a GSVR, it's the GSX-RR.

Second, Vinales did exactly what he should have on that bike. It doesn't warrant a 2nd best rider of the year accolade. I'd go further and say he should and could have accomplished far more on that bike. While not a championship winning bike, the 2016 GSX-RR was capable of being a multi-race winner. Vinales couldn't deliver there.

Vinales is overrated as all hell, and being on the Sherpa M1 is only going to further cloud media and fans assessments of him.

He put down great times at the Valencia test?

So what.

At least another half-dozen riders could have done the same thing on the bike.

The media is trying desperately to sell Vinales as an alien.

He isn't and never will be.

My reaction to anyone who keeps holding onto that mirage is this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/styles/default/my/smilies/........gif

Bit harsh, I think Maverick is extremely talented (as are the majority of the riders). It has yet to be seen if he will live up to all the hype surrounding his move to Yamaha but it wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if he did and was able to take on Marquez in 2017.

All the "alien' talk is pretty annoying, its a cheesy flavour of the month buzzword being repeated at nauseam.

JPSLotus · Dec 8, 2016

budoist said:
D'oh! My mistake and correction made.

Third best! 2nd best would be first runner up. Time to brush up on your pageantry lingo.

I don't think that there's anything objective that supports this. Noone else has been able to win on the current GSX-RR, or even come close. Compared to his teammate, he finished more than 100 points ahead with 4 podiums (including one win) to Aleix's zero. I don't think that you can definitively say that there were other riders who would have matched his times on that bike on that day. There were other riders who were regularly ahead of him all season long on their usual bikes, one of them was even on the same bike and the other won the championship, and none of them were faster than he was. On either day. To be fastest on one day may be a fluke, but on both days and the only rider to make it into the 1:29s makes a statement.

I am honestly curious about what you base this on.

Oh my mistake third best. Either way I still wouldn't even put him there.

No one else has been able to win on the current GSX-RR means what exactly? Aleix isn't a stellar candidate. He'll have his moments, but he lacks consistency. You can't even count 2015 as the engine was so down on horsepower, it was never going to be in the running for a win. They did however have a phenomenal chassis, as was the case this year. Biggest improvement was in horsepower. Marquez and Rossi could have won multiple races on that bike. MM could have won the title on that bike actually. It was better balanced than the RCV, and it had a much better power band in terms of rideability. Remember, MM won a title riding the worst championship winning bike since Stoner won on the GP7. What do you think he would have done on a balanced bike? He hasn't had a balanced bike, or something remotely approaching one since 2014.

I'm basing it on the fact that I've been watching the GSX-RR, and if that bike had gotten a better engine in 2015, it would have been much closer to the front of the grid than it was. They got the engine right for 2016. In a move that should not have surprised anyone, yet still somehow managed to, they were closer to the front of the grid. Iannone will do as well as Vinales on that bike in 2017 if he doesn't crash all the time. I've already said the Rins signing was a bad move as he is a headcase. So the only to really watch on the bike is Iannone.

And by the way, Aleix finished ahead of him on the 2015 bike. Yes he finished down quite a bit this year, but Vinales was not being anointed an alien in 2015.

Testing is testing.

I remember in 1997 when during pre-season testing a Prost (F1 car) was at the top of the timesheets. It made for a great story. Except when you considered that it was done with as little fuel as possible in an effort to attract sponsors with the prospect of a competitive car. You know what happened when everything actually mattered? They scored a couple of early podiums, and then reality set in, and they moved to midfield/backmarker status. Only managing to break that during the rain-soaked European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1999 when Jarno Trulli took 2nd in a race where the top cars all crashed out of it. The team went bankrupt a couple of years after that.

Point being without knowing what kind of runs are being done, or if the bike could have passed technical scrutineering, testing is ultimately meaningless for all entities other than the actual teams as they are the only ones who have the relevant data.

Vinales is not an alien, and no amount of wishful thinking, or Oxley/Kropo ....... sessions will make this true. A real alien would have either been top 3 in the final standings or won the world title on the 2016 GSX-RR. He did no such thing. He is however a talented rider, but then again so is everyone at that level. The question becomes, is he as good as Marc Marquez? Absolutely not. But as I said, it won't matter to people by and large because he's on the Sherpa M1 --a bike that is so good that it has kept a 37, soon-to-be 38 year old competitive-- that will flatter him rather than the other way around. But as we saw from Rossi, it never stopped millions from over-inflating his achievements, in particular that joke of a 2002 world title.

GP fans generally lack any real sense of perspective, or even awareness as half of the posters here generally exhibit on a daily/weekly basis when the season is in full swing. They do buy into media/Dorna hype in spades. That's a shame.

budoist · Dec 8, 2016

JPSLotus said:
Either way I still wouldn't even put him there.

Good! That's what makes for good discussion to while away the months until 2017R1

No one else has been able to win on the current GSX-RR means what exactly?

It means that, objectively, there is no evidence that the bike is capable of more. As fans, we can say what we feel could happen based on our observations, but it's the people whose butts are in the seat that actually determine the ultimate potential of the machine. Since nobody even came close to doing what he managed to accomplish on the bike, I don't find any evidence to support the suggestion that the bike was capable of significantly more.

Marquez and Rossi could have won multiple races on that bike. MM could have won the title on that bike actually. It was better balanced than the RCV, and it had a much better power band in terms of rideability.

Much similar was said about the Ducati when Casey was riding it. It hasn't turned out that way for anybody else.

Iannone will do as well as Vinales on that bike in 2017 if he doesn't crash all the time. I've already said the Rins signing was a bad move as he is a headcase. So the only to really watch on the bike is Iannone.

Iannone might do as well, but then again let's look at the reality of Iannone will be facing. He's facing Dovi on the Ducati (who finished ahead of him this year). Lorenzo on the Ducati who seems to be gelling very nicely with what Gigi is offering. Rossi, Marquez and Pedrosa on the rides that they are familiar with, and Vinalez on a bike that is statistically much better than the one Iannone is leaving behind. It is going to be a tough ask for Iannone, and that is assuming he doesn't crash half as much as he did in 2016 - which Vinalez did not do.

And by the way, Aleix finished ahead of him on the 2015 bike.

True, but that's not the whole story. First, Aleix was a sophmore to MotoGP at the time while Vinales was a rookie. Aleix also had experience with the Yamaha M1 under Forward Yamaha, so he had a fair amount of experience over Maverick. Despite all of that Aleix finished at 105 (down from ~120 in 2014) to Maverick's 97, a mere 8 point difference. The reversal on equal machinery with Maverick having a year to get used to the class and the bike is pronounced.

Vinales is not an alien, and no amount of wishful thinking, or Oxley/Kropo ....... sessions will make this true.

I think that you're attributing an argument to me that I did not make. I never said he was an "alien", the second coming of Saarinen or any such thing. Just that he had a really good ride this season and ended up as the yardstick by which all other riders of the Suzuki will be measured until someone does better.

A real alien would have either been top 3 in the final standings or won the world title on the 2016 GSX-RR. He did no such thing.

Dani Pedrosa, one of the legitimate holders of the alien title, didn't finish in the top 3. Not even in the top 4. That place, in fact, was held by Maverick by a large 31 point margin over Dovi on the much more developed factory Ducati. I'm not saying that he's an alien, but it seems disingenuous to put him down as not being a good rider when he can take the Suzuki and put it in a convincing top 4 over two factory Ducatis and a factory Honda.

Regarding "testing is testing", I agree. That was why I didn't make it a point of why I chose him.

Little Walter · Dec 8, 2016

JPSLotus said:
Oh my mistake third best. Either way I still wouldn't even put him there.

No one else has been able to win on the current GSX-RR means what exactly? Aleix isn't a stellar candidate. He'll have his moments, but he lacks consistency. You can't even count 2015 as the engine was so down on horsepower, it was never going to be in the running for a win. They did however have a phenomenal chassis, as was the case this year. Biggest improvement was in horsepower. Marquez and Rossi could have won multiple races on that bike. MM could have won the title on that bike actually. It was better balanced than the RCV, and it had a much better power band in terms of rideability. Remember, MM won a title riding the worst championship winning bike since Stoner won on the GP7. What do you think he would have done on a balanced bike? He hasn't had a balanced bike, or something remotely approaching one since 2014.

I'm basing it on the fact that I've been watching the GSX-RR, and if that bike had gotten a better engine in 2015, it would have been much closer to the front of the grid than it was. They got the engine right for 2016. In a move that should not have surprised anyone, yet still somehow managed to, they were closer to the front of the grid. Iannone will do as well as Vinales on that bike in 2017 if he doesn't crash all the time. I've already said the Rins signing was a bad move as he is a headcase. So the only to really watch on the bike is Iannone.

And by the way, Aleix finished ahead of him on the 2015 bike. Yes he finished down quite a bit this year, but Vinales was not being anointed an alien in 2015.

Testing is testing.

I remember in 1997 when during pre-season testing a Prost (F1 car) was at the top of the timesheets. It made for a great story. Except when you considered that it was done with as little fuel as possible in an effort to attract sponsors with the prospect of a competitive car. You know what happened when everything actually mattered? They scored a couple of early podiums, and then reality set in, and they moved to midfield/backmarker status. Only managing to break that during the rain-soaked European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in 1999 when Jarno Trulli took 2nd in a race where the top cars all crashed out of it. The team went bankrupt a couple of years after that.

Point being without knowing what kind of runs are being done, or if the bike could have passed technical scrutineering, testing is ultimately meaningless for all entities other than the actual teams as they are the only ones who have the relevant data.

Vinales is not an alien, and no amount of wishful thinking, or Oxley/Kropo ....... sessions will make this true. A real alien would have either been top 3 in the final standings or won the world title on the 2016 GSX-RR. He did no such thing. He is however a talented rider, but then again so is everyone at that level. The question becomes, is he as good as Marc Marquez? Absolutely not. But as I said, it won't matter to people by and large because he's on the Sherpa M1 --a bike that is so good that it has kept a 37, soon-to-be 38 year old competitive-- that will flatter him rather than the other way around. But as we saw from Rossi, it never stopped millions from over-inflating his achievements, in particular that joke of a 2002 world title.

GP fans generally lack any real sense of perspective, or even awareness as half of the posters here generally exhibit on a daily/weekly basis when the season is in full swing. They do buy into media/Dorna hype in spades. That's a shame.

.

JPSLotus · Dec 8, 2016

budoist said:
Good! That's what makes for good discussion to while away the months until 2017R1

It means that, objectively, there is no evidence that the bike is capable of more. As fans, we can say what we feel could happen based on our observations, but it's the people whose butts are in the seat that actually determine the ultimate potential of the machine. Since nobody even came close to doing what he managed to accomplish on the bike, I don't find any evidence to support the suggestion that the bike was capable of significantly more.

Much similar was said about the Ducati when Casey was riding it. It hasn't turned out that way for anybody else.

Iannone might do as well, but then again let's look at the reality of Iannone will be facing. He's facing Dovi on the Ducati (who finished ahead of him this year). Lorenzo on the Ducati who seems to be gelling very nicely with what Gigi is offering. Rossi, Marquez and Pedrosa on the rides that they are familiar with, and Vinalez on a bike that is statistically much better than the one Iannone is leaving behind. It is going to be a tough ask for Iannone, and that is assuming he doesn't crash half as much as he did in 2016 - which Vinalez did not do.

True, but that's not the whole story. First, Aleix was a sophmore to MotoGP at the time while Vinales was a rookie. Aleix also had experience with the Yamaha M1 under Forward Yamaha, so he had a fair amount of experience over Maverick. Despite all of that Aleix finished at 105 (down from ~120 in 2014) to Maverick's 97, a mere 8 point difference. The reversal on equal machinery with Maverick having a year to get used to the class and the bike is pronounced.

I think that you're attributing an argument to me that I did not make. I never said he was an "alien", the second coming of Saarinen or any such thing. Just that he had a really good ride this season and ended up as the yardstick by which all other riders of the Suzuki will be measured until someone does better.

Dani Pedrosa, one of the legitimate holders of the alien title, didn't finish in the top 3. Not even in the top 4. That place, in fact, was held by Maverick by a large 31 point margin over Dovi on the much more developed factory Ducati. I'm not saying that he's an alien, but it seems disingenuous to put him down as not being a good rider when he can take the Suzuki and put it in a convincing top 4 over two factory Ducatis and a factory Honda.

Regarding "testing is testing", I agree. That was why I didn't make it a point of why I chose him.

Couple of quick points...

Saying much was said about Casey and the Ducati is not even applicable to the GSX-RR. There is a huge, huge difference at hand here. The GSX-RR is one of the best balanced bikes on the grid. The GP7 was out of balance, and was a handful to ride to anyone who stopped to look at how the bike was moving, which most no one ever did. That's without even getting into the engine characteristics of the GP7 and it's successor which was a bigger .... show.

He underachieved on the bike. I'm not looking for anyone to agree with me as I'm sure this forum has figured out by now. I saw enough out of that bike to know he didn't pull the most out of it in spite of the Silverstone win. Too bad he didn't stick around another year there. Though I suspect he may wish he did by the spring of 2017.

Pedrosa is not an alien either even though he might similar in height to little green men. And side tangent, I know you didn't make the argument Vinales was an alien, but that's what drives all of this at the end of the day - the hype about Vinales. The off-season has been characterized by blah blah Lorenzo blah blah blah Vinales, and meanwhile the media in their usual fashion ignored the engine Marquez was running around Valencia with after final race....the one that may see him demolish the entire field in 2014 fashion.

You may not have picked Vinales based on testing, but you did mention his times explicitly in your subsequent post, and I responded to that.

I do appreciate the discussion though, always enjoyable for me.

budoist · Dec 8, 2016

JPSLotus said:
Saying much was said about Casey and the Ducati is not even applicable to the GSX-RR.

It's completely applicable. Yes, the bikes are different but that goes without saying. In fact, it doesn't even apply to only GP. You could also look at Ben Spies in WSBK championship as another case in point. Despite being a rookie and taking the title, or perhaps because of it, there was a lot of talk about how he could have done even better in the races where he didn't finish well and how the replacement team would be solid championship contenders on such an amazing bike. Then it was Camier and Sykes who weren't up to the task to get the best out of it. And then we saw how that turned out.

The point was that in all of those cases nobody else was doing what they were on their bikes. And in both cases people are saying that other people could have done just as well or better on those bikes. In Casey's case we saw the outcome, and it was not what anyone expected. In the case of the Suzuki, it remains to be seen but history has shown that if the teammate can't even come close then someone might be making the bike look better than it really is.

Pedrosa is not an alien either even though he might similar in height to little green men.

The people who came up with the term "alien" for the riders gave him that title.

And side tangent, I know you didn't make the argument Vinales was an alien, but that's what drives all of this at the end of the day - the hype about Vinales.

Not for me. A fact that will become even more clear as my list progresses. I even called out the hype factor in my Ilmor reference. For me, the top 4 bikes are in the factory Honda and Yamaha pits. Ducati fields a distant 5 and 6. That puts the Suzuki as a 7th place bike, at least at the start of the season. Vinales changed that, for sure, with his riding when his more experienced teammate couldn't regardless of the hype. That puts him up there for me.

meanwhile the media in their usual fashion ignored the engine Marquez was running around Valencia with after final race....the one that may see him demolish the entire field in 2014 fashion.

Do tell! I haven't read anything about that, but I haven't been able to keep up lately. What was special about Marquez's engine?

You may not have picked Vinales based on testing, but you did mention his times explicitly in your subsequent post, and I responded to that.

Ah, but that was in response to your note that he managed to put down some fast times in testing and that it wasn't a big deal. If I took that into consideration he might have ended up even higher!

GOAT · Dec 8, 2016

budoist said:
Do tell! I haven't read anything about that, but I haven't been able to keep up lately. What was special about Marquez's engine?

Hi budoist is the first post your own review of Vinales?

Would be great to have your takes on the runner up and rider of the year!.

Always nice to read more stuff in the off season. I'm having severe withdrawal symptoms, scouring the net for any crumbs of motogp news that might appear.

I'm hoping the relationship between Vinales and Rossi doesn't sour too quickly in '17, though I think it's unlikely. Given Vinales' competitiveness and speed, and also his uncanny resemblance to Lorenzo(to me at least

), I have a feeling it's game on from the get go.

Yeah I am curious about Marquez's engine as well. I thought Pedrosa and him weren't too enthusiastic about it?

michaelm · Dec 8, 2016

I tend more towards JPS's view of Vinales, not seeing him as a Marquez, young Rossi, Lorenzo or Stoner level rider, but the new season will fairly quickly remove any need for speculation.

Arrabbiata1 · Dec 9, 2016

michaelm said:
but the new season will fairly quickly remove any need for speculation.

Not necessarily. Assuming that Maverick's tenure with Yamaha does not assume some bizarre Spies-esque trajectory, in the eventuality of success, some detractors will attribute this to the comparative advantage of the factory M1. The same happened with Marquez at Honda. Viewed objectively Mike, you are of course right. A factory ride helps - obviously - but it does not flatter to deceive. If he's not the right stuff, he'll quickly get found out irrespective of the inevitable allegations of yellow subterfuge.

budoist · Dec 9, 2016

GOAT said:
Hi budoist is the first post your own review of Vinales?

Yup. The views contained in that post do not reflect the views, opinions and biases of MotoGPForum.com. MotoGPForum.com does not condone, endorse or support my musings in any way. Children should not partake in the reading of said opinions with laces in their shoes.

Would be great to have your takes on the runner up and rider of the year!.

Keep watching this space!

I'm hoping the relationship between Vinales and Rossi doesn't sour too quickly in '17, though I think it's unlikely. Given Vinales' competitiveness and speed, and also his uncanny resemblance to Lorenzo(to me at least ), I have a feeling it's game on from the get go.

It's definitely game on, but I think that he has two things going for him right now. First, Rossi is just that much older than he was when Lorenzo came on board, and while he may still be driven to try for that elusive final title... he's that much older. The second thing is that Vinales isn't coming on board as another version of Rossi. Lorenzo's entrance into GP came with a lot of the same fanfare typically associated with Rossi, including the outrageous celebrations. With the demands to be the number one rider, it wasn't just declaration that he was the next best thing, it was Buggs Bunny-esque slap in the face with silk glove filled with horseshoes. Vinales is coming on board with the same mentality that Lorenzo has when he's leaving. He's fast, he knows it and he'll show it on track.

JKant · Dec 9, 2016

Vinales doesn't need my advice, says Lorenzo

"Maverick doesn't need any advice because he knows how to win races," said the Majorcan. "I would tell him to focus on riding, because if he does that he will get better results than if he focuses on other things."

Lorenzo has no doubt that Vinales will take a step forward with his new team.

"Lately he was doing well already and was fighting for the podium regularly," he added. "With a superior bike, in theory he should be able to fight for them more often, and also for victories and for the title."

The Majorcan not only acknowledges the quality of his rival, but also compares him with three-time champion Marc Marquez.

"He had a promising start and he has a very similar talent to Marquez," said Lorenzo. "We'll see if he can turn that talent into results."

pyeman · Dec 9, 2016

AJV80 said:
Bit harsh, I think Maverick is extremely talented (as are the majority of the riders). It has yet to be seen if he will live up to all the hype surrounding his move to Yamaha but it wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if he did and was able to take on Marquez in 2017.

All the "alien' talk is pretty annoying, its a cheesy flavour of the month buzzword being repeated at nauseam.

Bit harsh indeed...i think we are going to see that Vinales is indeed extremely talented in the coming seasons...what exactly qualifies a rider as an 'alien' anyway?...it can't mean much if people class Pedrosa as one.

AntG · Dec 10, 2016

'Alien' just came from a throwaway comment that Colin Edwards made about the fellas who were always at the front.

I put it down to the machines they are riding and the team of technicians around them more than anything.

michaelm · Dec 10, 2016

budoist said:
Yup. The views contained in that post do not reflect the views, opinions and biases of MotoGPForum.com. MotoGPForum.com does not condone, endorse or support my musings in any way. Children should not partake in the reading of said opinions with laces in their shoes.

Keep watching this space!

It's definitely game on, but I think that he has two things going for him right now. First, Rossi is just that much older than he was when Lorenzo came on board, and while he may still be driven to try for that elusive final title... he's that much older. The second thing is that Vinales isn't coming on board as another version of Rossi. Lorenzo's entrance into GP came with a lot of the same fanfare typically associated with Rossi, including the outrageous celebrations. With the demands to be the number one rider, it wasn't just declaration that he was the next best thing, it was Buggs Bunny-esque slap in the face with silk glove filled with horseshoes. Vinales is coming on board with the same mentality that Lorenzo has when he's leaving. He's fast, he knows it and he'll show it on track.

When did Lorenzo demand to be the number 1 rider?

At most he demanded not to be the number 2 rider.

michaelm · Dec 10, 2016

AntG said:
'Alien' just came from a throwaway comment that Colin Edwards made about the fellas who were always at the front.

I put it down to the machines they are riding and the team of technicians around them more than anything.

It may have been applied still earlier, but in my memory the term "alien" was first applied by Carlos Checa to Mick Doohan in his pomp, to the effect that finishing second to Mick as he had just done was like winning since Mick wasn't actually human in his opinion.

budoist · Dec 13, 2016

yzr750 said:
I reckon crutchlow should be in the top three in the motogp class, he's the only non factory rider to win a dry GP this year.

LOL. Funny you should mention that because....

First Runner Up: #35 Cal Crutchlow

35-cal-crutchlow-englg5_2598.gallery_full_top_lg.jpg

Photo Credit: MotoGP.com

There are a lot of words that you could use to describe hash-tag 35: brash, outspoken, provocateur. Far many fans there are also a few choice words that are typically lumped in with four letter epithets. After 2016 there are now a few new words that you can string together in association with Cal Crutchlow: MotoGP winner. In fact, you can take it a step further to be more accurate and say: Multiple-time MotoGP winner. And that's a big deal, especially for Cal. For the fans as well, absolutely. But also for Cal.

Crutchlow has had a... shall we say "tumultuous" career in MotoGP. As far back as 2011 aboard the Tech 3 Yamaha, Cal showed that he had promise if lacking a bit in consistency. There were several top 10 finishes, even a sniff at the podium with a 4th place to close the year. And a crash or two to mix things up a little. For better or worse, the journeyman apprenticeship under Colin Edwards (you know, the guy who raced with a sticker of the shocker - don't Google that at work - on his bike) produced one of the most outspoken riders in the paddock today. You can call Cal a lot of things, but a corporate mouthpiece is definitely not one of them.

This was a minor fact that Ducati found out when they enticed Cal to the factory team in 2014. With the opportunity for a big payday and a ride on a factory team, at the time believed to be the only ticket to the top step on the podium (a belief, you could point out, that was supported by years of evidence), Cal jumped ship to Ducati hoping for brighter pastures than 2 year old Japanese leftovers. Unfortunately for him, he discovered that day old sushi might be better than uncooked pasta. Straddling the seat still warm from Rossi's departure, Cal found the bike unforgiving, unrelating and unable to challenge for the position he thought himself capable of. After less than a year, he opted to break his contract with the factory Ducati team and take a ride on a satellite Honda. He was sure that, with the right support, he could win on that bike.

Which brings us to today, 2 years later. Rapper Fiddy Cent once said, "I talk a lot of ish 'cause I can back it up..." and it seems that the saying finally applies to one Cal Crutchlow. 2015 was disappointing, but Cal maintained the same mantra. If I had proper support, I could do better. Rumors began swirling early this year that he was beginning to indeed get a bit of extra help from Japan. Factory technicians were spotted suspiciously lurking around Cal's bike in the pits. Yet the start of the season seemed rather average... for Cal. A crash here and there, a finish here and there. All business as usual. Then came Brno in the Czech Republic, and the world changed. It was one of the most confusing races in recent history. In wet conditions Ducati seemed poised for not only their first post-Stoner win, but a clean sweep of the podium. Then with 16 laps of the planned 22 to go, the hard tires started to come into their own and the entire race flipped on its head. Crutchlow on the hard tires was 2 seconds a lap faster than the leading Ducatis and began cutting through the field. With 10 laps to go much of the field had been decimated and a podium was in sight. His fans were screaming at him to calm down. His team manager was telling him to calm down. Cal didn't listen to any of them. With 6 laps to go he snatched the lead from Andrea Iannone, the last front running Ducati to deny them their first win, and put a full second between them in the space of just a few corners. After that, the top step was simply a matter of formalities.

But his story didn't end there.

Then came Phillip Island. Marc Marquez opened the race brilliantly, pouncing into a commanding lead... until Cal found his footing. Marquez would eventually crash out of the race, but at the point he did Cal was catching up to him at an alarming pace for a dry race. And thus, Cal stood on the top step of the MotoGP podium. It had been an absolutely commanding race for the Briton, one in which he built his victory much like he had in Europe: start a little slow, build heat into the tires and then slice through the field like a hot knife through butter churned in an old fashioned English dairy farm. His second victory, in a completely dry race without the drama of tire choices, setting mix-ups, and the myriad of random issues that afflicted the teams in Brno, could easily have been enough to make the weekend; yet Cal took it one step further. With the race over and won, Cal promptly did the last thing that anyone (least of all race direction) expected him to do. He ignored the marshals furiously waving him into pit land and gave the fans a true victory lap, running on fumes to celebrate his day with the ones who had made the effort to brave Australia's notoriously mercurial (and often quite cold) weather before attending to his contractual duties.

It takes a big man to back up their trash talk once, and a bigger one to do it in truly decisive fashion a second time. More than that though, Cal's actions bring to mind a different time in MotoGP's history. When Colin Edwards - fuelled by pain killers to dull the damage to his shoulder - could gave the fans a rousing insight into MotoGP, or race up to Rossi's bike and pull in the clutch. It was a more innocent time before the corporate speak took firmly hold.

MEMBERRY: Hey, 'member the time when satellite bikes had a chance to win in the dry in MotoGP?
CRUTCHLOW: Oh yeah, I 'member!

For all of these reasons, Cal gets the number 2 spot in the countdown.

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MotoGP: 2016 Rider of the Year

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