I kinda agree with you if I'm understanding you right. A bit more should have stayed in house (but not all as they are free to make their opnion on some matters, but perhaps). Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're big problem with Yamaha is that they stated publicly that their employed riders should not race eachother so aggressively? You mean like publicly putting pressure Yamaha by giving them an ultimatum through the media? That kind of "public"? So how would you have preferred for Yamaha show they are in control, and communicate to various individual interests, individual sponsors, and perhaps race direction (unlikely) to assure that their riders were talked to and were not gonna end up in the gravel next time? Honestly Babel, if the tables were turned, considering the situation, would you have had a different take? Ok, so you're big issue is that they stated their position publicly? That's it? Or is it that you have a problem that the blame was one sided publicly?
Both.
Publicly and one sided.
The question is not whether anybody is riding within a subjective parameter, but rather was this exchange prudent according to Yamaha's interest.
Not at all. As it came out it was all about Rossi and if his riding were according to Yamaha's interest. As he is on his way out of the team his only value to Yamaha is to be there making as little noise as possible. We both know that Rossi doesn't work that way. He is a racer and that's what they hired him for in the first place. He is there to take the best position possible.
As I said before, the video is there. in you post you covered all your bases; you left it open by saying ""not saying that was the case here", so is it or is it not the case here? The pass by Lorenzo at this turn (T5) was executed cleanly and textbook (this was the first moment of the series of exchanges in which you say Lorenzo "attacked" first). Look at the tape again, Lorenzo made no (zero) contact with Rossi (who had his leg out making himself as wide as possible, yet Lorenzo did not even touch his leg), and his line was correct as he came along side Rossi (who was fully aware Lorenzo had just out broke him into that turn and therefore needed to concede). So far this is a classic and non aggressive overtaking, we see hundreds of these passes executed, as they are text book. No need for you to try and assign some deficiency to Lorenzo's overtaking by saying he was not in the correct race line or space to execute this pass. But what happened at the exit of the turn? This is where Rossi refused to concede and hit Lorenzo by accelerating into him. You just described this contact as "very slight". Really? Like a slight graze? Like a slight caress of two lovers? Is this honest Babel? Or should we just stop the discussion here since we have different realities? That contact was anything but "very slight". Infact, of all the contacts they made in the following exchanges, its this one that was the most sudden and abrupt. Who attacked again?
Check that video again J, several times, and take some extra time watching the slow mo from the front. It's dark under the bridge so the details are hard to see but I'm not sure they touched plastic at all, at most I think they might have touched with an elbow or knee. I guess thats even less than very slight.
You are talking about the left hand right hand turn combination here I assume. Again, watch the tape. What made this sequence aggressive was Rossi's refusal to concede the line which he was already beaten through. You say this was "all on him" meaning Lorenzo, but I disagree. This is what happened, Lorenzo comes in on the left hander on the inside (he beat Rossi to the preferred line correct) and what happens next. Rossi stays on the outside but half a bike length behind Lorenzo, as Lorenzo enters the next turn Rossi continues to accelerate and refuses to concede. That Rossi stays there does not mean Lorenzo is pushing him wide but rather Rossi stays there having to ride through the outside because he forces the issue. But the normal line for Lorenzo coming out of that left is to drift wide.
"Concede", "force the issue", what sport are you talking about? It sure as hell doesn't sound like a competition and absolutely not motorcycle racing. That said, check again. We agree that Lorenzo stole the line, but doing so from the inside, he couldn't keep the race line, not by a long shot. at the point where they normally switched over from left to right he was quite a few meters to the right of the race line and not at all finished with the right hander. Much later and all the way to the right side he tires to switch over banging into Rossi doing so.
And don't try to suggest that this was lorenzo's normal line. That is just utter BS J. I did check this and just like all the others he switched from left to right approx 1/3 of the track width from the left side and did so very early, NOT 3/4 from the left side and at the very entrance of the right hander like he tried to at this lap.
This is where you say Lorenzo pushes Rossi out, but that is incorrect, as this is the normal trajectory.
What ever you're on it got to be really good stuff, who's your dealer? Normal trajectory my ....
The reason its close is because Rossi, stays on the outside so long that the next turn is approaching.
WTF is this? Because he stays outside so long..... Cry me a river, this is a competition, not some veteran gentleman "race".
This is where some people said Rossi was pushed out to the grass, but this is not true as he never made contact with it.
True, he never touched the grass but he had no buffer and he had to keep a hard lean angle all the way to the edge and as normal when they are all the way to the edge like that they have overcompensate slightly because they really really don't want to miss the line by a single degree as that would mean hitting the grass.
Rossi continues to wedge and power through the turn and Lorenzo (not Rossi) concedes space. At this point the next turn is upon the riders going right. It here that Rossi pushes Lorenzo wide, and you can see Lorenzo slightly bobble as contact is made.
No wedgeing there J. Rossi had the inside line again, favor returned, nothing more nothing less. Unfortunately for Lorenzo his own line forced the new difficult situation.
Maybe it's an expression not used in English but we call it to keep him hanging when you are on the inside and go very deep holding you opponent on the outside desperate to turn in. Rossi did that but the situation was a direct result of how Lorenzo pushed for the impossible when he got the entry of the lefthander wrong to push in front of Rossi at all cost. Lorenzo didn't do a slight wobble, he slammed his bike into Rossi. It's very easy to see from Lorenzo's own on board camera. Take off your glasses and you might be able to see it.
It was an amazing sequence but Yamaha is correct in sanctioning this behavior as they do not what their investment to get hurt. If this sequence would have happened between rival brands, it would have been much more acceptable for Yamaha.
It's easy to see why Yamaha supported Lorenzo, I have no problem to see that. As you say, they protect their investment. It doesn't however make it more tasteful. Instead of taking it internally an at the most communicate that Yamaha is not happy about the whole sequence, they go out and single sided criticize the wrong man.
