Joined Mar 2015
2K Posts | 337+
Chertsey, Surrey, UK
Joined Jun 2016
642 Posts | 244+
Santa Cruz, Cal
OMG, LOL, "an ipad stand" That is so appropriate. Although, I suppose a "jock supporter" would work as an alias for Uccio.
The point of racing is to go as fast as possible without crashing. The rest is just conversation.
Reasonable minds can differ, but I've never seen MM sit on someone's back wheel for a whole race and not try a pass. Never.
I don't blame him for doing that, though.
Firstly, the Valencia comment is my theory. I don't walk around claiming that I have a magical ability to look into Marc's mind and discern the truth. It's my belief. It could be wrong, but I base it on the following:
1. If I were in Marc's position, I would not pass Lorenzo as Lorenzo finishing third behind a fast closing Dani would mean that Rossi would win the title.
2. I have never seen Marc so reluctant to pass, while sitting within a few tenths of a guy all race. He usually will risk almost anything to win in the last lap (just look at the last two races, for example - nevermind literally every other time he's been in a similar position (e.g. PI 2015 when he came from nowhere and risked everything to take JL).
3. Jorge's own comment after the race, directly stating that his fellow Spaniards helped him in that race: .
I respect JL's admission "provo di essere sincero". He's a very forthright person, even if sometimes a little awkward.
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Had he been admonished by RD for racing a title contender too hard for position at the preceding race on any of the other occasions to which you refer?
I am fairly certain he would have made a passing attempt had it been to win a title for himself. In the circumstances, why on earth would he make a risky passing attempt, all that was available on a notoriously one line circuit where he didn't have the drive to pass at any of the usually vaguely feasible passing points, with Lorenzo riding mistake free at near lap record pace for the whole race? The fast finishing Dani in fact demonstrated how difficult it was to pass, he had to go off line and his pass was never going to stick unless MM pretty much conceded the pass. I believe Jorge's thank you was for MM not taking him out by means of an unfeasible pass rather than anything else.
So, basically Rossi risks life and limb to win races he knows are stacked in his favour? Heh. Okay.
All speculation. Rossi is a cash cow for Yamaha. Who else would they have signed?
It was not a ........ vote. It was almost unanimously favoured.
See my and MichaelM's earlier comments re SNS. Surely you can see that this view is not an undisputed fact - even though you premise your argument on the basis that it is?
How do you even know that Bridgestones would suit Rossi? That they could even make a tyre that suited a Yamaha that quickly? It's obviously implausible. Rossi jumped on the Bridgestones and very quickly started beating Stoner, who put himself into the gravel too many times after Laguna.
Rossi dominated pre-season testing in 2010 in a way we'd never seen before. He won the first race in Qatar, then hurt his shoulder in a training accident. Lorenzo beat him in the next two races, then he broke his leg after allowing the tyre to cool by sitting on the side of the track for a minute like a goose. Revisionist history.
Agree - JL was clearly the strongest.
Except that he lost the championship by a few points in the last year of Bridgestone, having his best year since 2009?
And certainly Lorenzo too.
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Yeah - I think reasonable minds could disagree on the Valencia incident.
There are two ways to interpret MM sitting on JL's tail. The first is yours - and definitely a fair argument. Another way to see him sitting on JL's tail is that he wanted to give a great ".... you" to Rossi, by showing him that he had the pace to beat JL, but never attempting a pass. That would really drive him up the wall - but who really knows.
Important to remember that he was allegedly (and IMO unfairly) warned by Race Direction after the great 'how dare he race a title contender' BS, so in so many ways he was damned to race, damned not to race (depending on where you sit on a fence).
What I have always found interesting since the great BS debate of 2015 is that he was abused for allegedly racing a title contender when he himself was no longer capable of winning the title but then, those same people one short race later then accuse him of NOT racing a title contender. The only difference is the colour of the t-shirt of the persons involved.
As for Valencia, many, many riders with vastly more grands prix experience than I said that Valencia is a single line track (some said it is a .... track for end of year race in the event that the title was on the line)
Joined Jun 2007
10K Posts | 1K+
Norah Head
Joined Jan 2016
801 Posts | 401+
Uk
Rossi influenced the fact that Marquez never tried a move on Lorenzo, by his insistence of the unwritten rule of riders getting involved in a championship battle.
After the Sepang furore, riders were called to a meeting prior to the race in Valencia by race direction. They were warned not to make any manoeuvres that could cause a championship contender to fall.
The pace that the leaders were lapping at meant that Marquez was unable to make a clean pass on Lorenzo without risking taking him down and invoking the wrath of race direction.
Lorenzo won the title fair and square, Rossi had the meltdown because he knew Lorenzo was faster at the latter end of the season.
If Rossi is fast enough and deserves a tenth title, he’ll win one. If not stop trying to discredit other riders for his shortcomings.
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Sepang was silly, by both riders.
Rossi stirred the hornet by making false accusations. Then, they spent free practice eyeing each other off like children. In the race, MM showed him what it actually means to get in someone's way (and then Rossi had his meltdown).
Rossi was obviously very silly.
That's a valid point. It would certainly be a factor - but can we agree that it wasn't the sole factor?
In the mix of causative factors, surely:
- his RD warning and desire not to take JL out;
- his (justified) hate for Rossi; and
- his own ambition to pass Rossi in championships,
would all play a part? How much of a part? That's ultimately speculation. I think all three were important.
Overall, he wasn't motivated to make the pass. I would be surprised if his burning (and justified) hate for Rossi didn't make him more cautious!
Marquez e Pedrosa avevano capito che mi giocavo moltissimo, magari in un altro tipo di gara potevano rischiare di più e sorpassarmi. Invece sono stati molto bravi perchè il titolo rimanesse in Spagna. Li devo ringraziare del piccolo aiuto senza cui non ce l'avrei fatta. Il titolo è nostro»».
Marquez and Rossi had understood that I had a lot on the line. In another type of race, they could risk more and pass me. Instead, they were great because the title remained in Spain. I have to thank them for the small help without which I wouldn't have managed it. The title is ours.
He really touched on two points: that they didn't risk to pass him, and that they helped to keep the title in Spain. The second element is more telling, in my opinion.
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Watch Valencia 13. JL was passing DP almost at will.
Hell, watch Rossi himself at Valencia 15 - he passed everyone else on the grid in pretty quick order.
Even watch Valencia 16 - Rossi, Iannone and MM exchanging passes like there's no tomorrow.
He passed rossi though .... so there goes your theory
Sorry, I don't follow.
Why yes, Petrucci (amongst others) did make it tough
Hardly a pass when a rider decides to 'exit, stage right' so as not to upset the crowd.
IMO, why I can not support Petrucci.
Many did and admitted it RCV.
Many publically said that they would let him through.
The only riders who publically said they would not were Lorenzo, HRC guys and Ant West (who was told to remove the comment following a backlash -
go figure), a number said that they would move over and others said they will see where it occurs. Petrucci was caught on tape with his move, others made it less obvious
