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Good list, though I also think Wayne Rainey is missing, and probably even Lorenzo if you're going to stick Marquez on there.
Kevin Schwantz was definitely a Superstar, loved by riders and fans alike.
Who is your favorite rider and why? :)
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Good list, though I also think Wayne Rainey is missing, and probably even Lorenzo if you're going to stick Marquez on there.
Kevin Schwantz was definitely a Superstar, loved by riders and fans alike.
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Those are my favorite riders, the list is not meant to be comprehensive; so many great riders are not there. I respect them all, but somehow they don't move me as much.
But Kevin, oh god, I just forgot him! Fixed...
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I only forgot Schwantz, -- now fixed that. The others are missing not because they were (or are) not great, but because somehow they're not "my favorites" (they dont give a damn of course!). Ago is not really a fav of mine either, but I needed him in the list as the first Superstar (which he was).
Marquez, well, if he doesn't qualify as alien I don't know who would. Regarding the capacity to ride anything fast, all riders can fail (or be less successful) if a bike denies them their strongest points.
Even Hailwood didn't win any titles on the Honda 500, -- actually even tried having a new frame designed for it privately, trying to fix its incurable chassis faults. Had he stayed with MV, he would have won every year.
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I don't rate Marquez in the same league as Lawson, not even close....................yet. The thing I remember most about Lawson is the time he finally had enough of Gardner whinging the Honda was crap and the Yamaha was better, then jumped on the Honda pig and beat him. There's a review of this I think its the Unrideables where Lawson says while the Honda was difficult he enjoyed the challenge of riding it and along with Erv they minimised its weaknesses and took advantage of the strengths. In Gardner's defence something I didn't know att Lawson had his frame modified because his contract allowed Erv to change the bike without interference from factory Honda, while Gardner would have to go through 'the appropriate channels' to get something modified, meaning the long vs the short road.
But back to Marquez, the one thing I always remember was this argument it was better for everyone to get rid of the rookie rule. It was argued most likely by Krop that LCR apparently didn't want the burden of Marquez and his entourage. To this day I cant get over this logic, LCR would not want the best rider to graduate from moto2 with massive wraps on him to ride for them? What LCR aren't there to win races? No much better for them to get one of the 'lesser riders' or 'those deemed unworthy of alien status'.
Rossi..obviously..
but Maverick is my 2nd fav. I tickets to the Catalunya GP were in the Maverick fan club section and those folks converted me. They had flags and a marching band and just didn't stop. Met him in Indy and he's just awesome.
but Maverick is my 2nd fav. I tickets to the Catalunya GP were in the Maverick fan club section and those folks converted me. They had flags and a marching band and just didn't stop. Met him in Indy and he's just awesome.
Arrabbiata1
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No, neither do I.
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Why? This is the third year of Marquez in the premier class. One can always compare what Lawson did in his first three years: he won 1 title. MM93 is already 1 title better, and his third year is not over yet.
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I watched my first MotoGP race in 1991. I was living in Germany and had access to the British channels which showed the races (GP and SuperBike). I wouldn't even learn to ride a motorcycle until 1995 (and then only Harleys for the first few years). But I loved watching that racing!
And so, my first favorites were Rainey and Schwantz and Doohan and Lawson. Those were great races! And I don't remember when McCoy first came in, but I loved watching him race when he wasn't crashing.
Today, I like several riders as well. I enjoy watching Valentino race and have enjoyed his personailty. I am a big fan of Nicky Hayden (I lived in Kentucky for fifteen years so it is natural to root for the Kentucky Kid). And I like Cal. I respect most of them, and really just enjoy good hard racing more than watching one favorite or another always win everything.
And so, my first favorites were Rainey and Schwantz and Doohan and Lawson. Those were great races! And I don't remember when McCoy first came in, but I loved watching him race when he wasn't crashing.
Today, I like several riders as well. I enjoy watching Valentino race and have enjoyed his personailty. I am a big fan of Nicky Hayden (I lived in Kentucky for fifteen years so it is natural to root for the Kentucky Kid). And I like Cal. I respect most of them, and really just enjoy good hard racing more than watching one favorite or another always win everything.
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Jumkie will love you. If he could adopt Nicky Hayden, he would.
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Kato
Of the living riders I must say Valentino Rossi. But Daijiro Kato and Norick Abe where my heroes
Of the living riders I must say Valentino Rossi. But Daijiro Kato and Norick Abe where my heroes
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And how do you know that? Truth is, you don't (anybody doesn't) know how a rider like Marquez would have fared on the 500's. So that's just your opinion isn't it...
The only ex-500 rider (and champ) in activity is Valentino Rossi. He should know, but he's not using that argument against Marc.
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And even then the 2000 NSR spat Rossi off plenty of times and attempted murder once at Suzuka when Rossi says he highsided then wore through his gloves to the skin of his hands trying to stop sliding into the Armco. In 2001 JB got him a new smooth engine.
The 1989 Honda, the one with the famous double act highside of Doohan and I don't remember was it Chilli? The one that very nearly almost broke Doohan in his own words he was seriously tempted to go back to a superbike.
Schwantz said 500cc were generally not enjoyable to ride. Completely unforgiving, spat off without a moments notice or forewarning. Ive obviously never ridden one but this is his opinion not mine.
But as for Marquez he may well end up better than Lawson for all I know. If he should choose to take on the challenge of a Ducati like Lawson did the 1989 Honda then I might rank them as equals.
The 1989 Honda, the one with the famous double act highside of Doohan and I don't remember was it Chilli? The one that very nearly almost broke Doohan in his own words he was seriously tempted to go back to a superbike.
Schwantz said 500cc were generally not enjoyable to ride. Completely unforgiving, spat off without a moments notice or forewarning. Ive obviously never ridden one but this is his opinion not mine.
But as for Marquez he may well end up better than Lawson for all I know. If he should choose to take on the challenge of a Ducati like Lawson did the 1989 Honda then I might rank them as equals.
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So my statement is just my opinion, and your statement is fact? Yes I know what you are going to say "Numbers are facts". True, but in different era's. No one in their right mind would say Michael Schumachers 7 F1 titles make him better than Juan Manuel Fangio's 5 titles because everyone knows Fangio's titles were won in a far more competitive, dangerous and entirely harder era. You cannot use Marquez' performances in 2013/2014 as a direct comparison and argument for Eddie Lawson' in 1983/1984.
Seeing as it was before my time I won't pretend to know details about Lawsons era, but just looking at the Wikipedia page for the 1983 Season (His first) it looks like you had 5 or so riders relatively close in points ignoring the fact that only the top 2 won races so for his debut year, it looks like there were certainly more than 3 bikes capable of winning compared to Marquez debut season where in reality only Lorenzo and He were competitive all season, kind of brings the odds down a bit doesn't it?
Plus you may say it's 'just my opinion' but it's an opinion agreed by many. I don't think many people from Lawsons era would have walked away from a Mugello style crash that Marquez had in his first year. He was too wild: he barged Lorenzo off at Jerez, and did countless other things that he would not have gotten away with on a 500cc 2/. Sure, you can do that on a 500, but you wouldn't be consistently forgiven like you are as much on todays 990's.
Rossi commented last year about him changing his riding style HERE:
A new way of riding, a new way of crashing - MotoGP - Motor Sport Magazine
Now, the 'Great RCV topic' thread has consistently shown this year that certainly earlier in the season a big problem was Marc Marquez's refusal to adapt to the limitations of his bike and kept crashing. That is someone who doesn't learn and doesn't adapt, so I think it's safe to say with an attitude like that had he been on 500's he wouldn't have lasted long before he broke something.
I do remember a couple of years ago a guy saying Casey Stoner wouldn't have won on a 500 but then I pointed out he won on an 800 Ducati which Rossi didn't but did win on a 500.
I got into motorcycle racing via my grandfather who remembers the watching the very first 500cc champion Leslie Graham and then Duke, Surtees, Hailwood and Ago and I was sat watching a race in the 90's and he said to me "you see, the problem with these 2 strokes is that they're toys compared to the old Honda 4"
Now those of us who grew up with the 2 stroke soundtrack say the same thing about todays bikes. I've seen an interview in a magazine a few years back where Steve Parrish was saying the riders of his era would have been ...... on a modern GP bike after a couple of laps because they weren't fit enough to be able to cope with the demands of a modern bike, Kevin Schwantz said something similar like "these bikes may be easier to ride with all the rider aids but they're certainly no easier to race"
I got into motorcycle racing via my grandfather who remembers the watching the very first 500cc champion Leslie Graham and then Duke, Surtees, Hailwood and Ago and I was sat watching a race in the 90's and he said to me "you see, the problem with these 2 strokes is that they're toys compared to the old Honda 4"
Now those of us who grew up with the 2 stroke soundtrack say the same thing about todays bikes. I've seen an interview in a magazine a few years back where Steve Parrish was saying the riders of his era would have been ...... on a modern GP bike after a couple of laps because they weren't fit enough to be able to cope with the demands of a modern bike, Kevin Schwantz said something similar like "these bikes may be easier to ride with all the rider aids but they're certainly no easier to race"
