It is likely a rider would be injury free if he knew going into the contest his bike and certainly his tires were superior to the other "competitors". It's why I wholeheartedly don't buy the assertion that Rossi had inferior competition during the SNS era. Frankly, Rossi never really had to push for most of his career. Ask John Hopkins about pushing a bike that's inferior to others. In a world where we judge the riders by "results" the pressure is massive on those running around on bikes they must over-ride. That's why I don't understand Mike why you repeatedly insist the titles " won" by Rossi wilst on 'performance enhancing tires' are valid (tires the Michelin lab decided who got).
When did Rossi suffer injury? When he actually needed to push against his rivals. It's been said Rossi crashed at Mugello injuring his leg because of pressure. Noteworthy, on tires that were working for his teammate. However, this has been rare during Rossi's career because whenever he didn't have an overwhelming advantage he threatened to quit, then got his way.
Rossi was seen regularly on the tarmac during his first year at Ducati. Then clearly we saw a change in his approach during the second year. It's as if he already knew the seat was being kept warm by Ben Spies (well, when he was on the seat and not skidding on the gravel because his bike broke in half). That second year Rossi didn't push, and it wasn't just mentioned by me, detractors, but by the media (as weak as they are). So I submit to you, Rossi has been fairly injury free because of the advantages he's had most of his career. We keep talking about how great he's doing, yet often he's the fourth fastest in a field of four, 3rd when Pedrosa was out with arm pump, though he seems to be MIA again). 5 points last year, yeah. Marquez spent the better part of the year on his ass. The point being, yes Rossi is a good rider, and a big part of his longevity is uncoincidental, there is a good reason for his artificially extended longevity! Rossi has had it ALL his way, and we're supposed to be impressed that he gets results and at his age? Well of course, that's what happens when you can command such extraordinary influence! Stress breaks down the body, the fact is Rossi's rivals have to deal with twice the stress.
That's what happens when:
When you can run a rider off the track and rather than be banned in disgrace, the opposite happens, your stock goes up.
When you begin to struggle with tires, and on the mere threat of quiting the entire sport moves to a single tire supplier.
When you express your displeasure at Race Direction, the organization makes a "new" one.
When you accuse a double world champ of cheating with utterly zero evidence to date, he gets jeered. Not only the accused cheater but the supposed recipient of the cheating gets openly disrespected.
When the gutless media of the sport fail repeatedly to call out the cause of such disrepute and disrespect, and in a press conference ask about the jeering but have no balls to specifically identify it's cause so as not to make the perpetrator uncomfortable. Then when that rider chickenshits out of answering the question, not one other "journalists" follows up with a pressing question.
When the IRTA president and MotoGP team boss (Herve Poncharal) calls this rider "Our Emporer".
When a rival manufacturer (Honda) calls a press conference to specifically release data that they claim points to the smoking gun, then are prohibited to release the data to appease the Emperor.
When caught on camera, he summons the CEO of the sport to HIS motorhome to discuss the supposed cheating he just witnessed in a race, then the video of this exchange becomes 'debatable'.
When after two years without a win, struggling to make the top ten, the organization brokers a deal to return him to one of the only four contending machines, so as to appease his threat of quiting.
When a Japanese manufacturer's management with a supposed high standard of "honor" allows their team principal (Lin Jarvis ) wilst wearing Yamaha logos to mount a cowardly verbal defense for the indefensible act of deliberately eliminating a fellow competitor in an act that put him in peril.
When given the chance vetoes a possible superior teammate or creates such a toxic environment that rivals retire and or leave the team.
And when all the .... that has happened behind closed doors for years, surely much more than what has slipped out in public, and more so when nobody was aware or when everyone was happy to let him influence all manner of advantages and preferences...
Then yes, we get a guy that is free of injury and has artificially extended longevity. That person will get "results". Is this a revelation? Hardly. Are those results skewed and inflated, yes, naturally.
