No, that's wrong. I'm an out and out Rossi fan, obviously, but I also closely follow the careers of two other riders. I have no trouble finding info about them at all, because I'm looking for it. The reason Rossi commands so much media space is simply because he's an enigmatic multiple world champion, one of the best motorcycle racers we've ever seen. All the other racers have a lot of work to do to fight for that media space.
Stoner Fans believe He can walk on water! No other is worthy to share the grid! He is afterall the X ducati racing god
Yes, I think that that is pretty much the situation. It's not as if top flight motorcycling has been short of talent. Doohan was utterly dominant, but you can't say he was (or is) a very media-friendly personality. Did Fogarty really become a household name in Britain? I wouldn't have said so. Spencer may have been ET, but as a strange Mormon character, or born-again Christian, or whatever he is, the media weren't likely to warm to him. etc. etc. Rossi is different because he is (or was) utterly dominant but cheerful and friendly on camera and always doing news-worthy things. You need some sort of hook to get the uninitiated punters in. This drives sponsorship. When Rossi goes, viewing will drop, no matter how good people like Stoner are. I have always been convinced that Beckham became a world superstar because he married the Spice Girl. Prior to that, he was just a footballer - albeit a good one. How many people who don't follow football have really heard of Messi? If he married a Hollywood star, you could bet that they would have. It's all about celebrity and that means more than having talent. Cal Crutchlow would have to win an awful lot of bike races before he becomes really famous outside motorcycle circles. I take this opportunity to say that I'm no more a Rossi fan than a Stoner fan. I think they are both amazing riders though and highly entertaining to watch. At least... Rossi was. Not so entertaining at the moment, though, huh?
So far no one has mentioned the huge visual difference between the hondas, yams and ducatis on track. You can see how vicious the ducatis power delivery is and how the thing slides and snaps sideways so theres no surprise the thing isnt at the front. I really do hope they manage to sort things out, not for.rossi but for ducati as it wouldnt bea party without them. Looking forward I hope aprilia, suzuki and kawasaki come back to motogp. It needs more teams and riders. Look at moto 2, best racing series ive ever seen.
As much as I think Glid makes some valid points, eg VR does attract people into watching GP, I think Damodicis point is being missed. That is that once these new fans are in, they are only interested in Rossi. Go to the British GP and it's 46 stalls selling his tat everywhere. If he wins he soaks up as much tv time as he can. F1 drivers would get paid for flashing their watch in an interview, so is it unlikely Rossi was not being bonused for extra post win tv time. All this means people don't get to know the other riders, and for this I do blame Rossi and I blame his greed for it. Let's face it he was not shy about having a moan about his salary at Yamaha, screwing Ducati for an obscene amount, and of course the famous ......... He was very shy before the race at Qatar though. Hiding behind his bike. Didn't Imola used to criticise Stoner for not giving per race interviews? In fact I recall Imola telling us Caseys Desmo should go to someone who could ride it? Who would that be now Steve? Casey ?
If people wanted to buy the merchandise of other riders in the quantities that they do for Valentino then it would be available, its called commerce.
He wasn't moaning about his salary, he agreed a big cut to make the team viable (25%). What destroyed the relationship and made him moan was that he was taking a cut for the good of the team and Lorenzo wouldn't but that was ok with the management.Think i might have been a bit miffed at that too. Had Yamaha managed it better Rossi would still be there just as Casey would still be at Ducati had he been handled differently (no cheese sandwiches and free teeth whitening products etc) If your are good with the media people will naturally want to interview you and if you put your foot in your mouth each time or not good at PR you will avoid being interviewed or they will not want to interview you. It has little to do with greed and everything to do with business. If i pay Mr Rossi to wear my leathers it's his Job to put them in the limelight at every oppurtunity. If he does that well MR X Helmet manufacturer will do the same. The media don't want to interview some and not others because of anything other than that is what their readership demands. It's newsworthy and sells papers and mags and that's what makes the world go round. Hence why Clarkson gets air and paper time because he has charisma and is newsworthy, because he is likely to say anything at any time. They are many many more talented journalists out there whose names you have never heard of because they are everything Clarkson is not, boring. Knocking people for having sale ability is like knocking someone for being extrovert when you are introvert and they get talked to more than you. Is that their problem or yours ?
Couldn't agree more spoonz. Casey is winning quite a lot lately yet hardly anyone gravitates towards either interviewing him or buying much of his merchandise. I exclude the obvious post race interview which is sort of mandated by the competition. Are we going to say that this is the fault of someone else on the grid, robbing him of his rightful place in the world? No i didn't think so. Is it because no one knows who he is because someone else has hogged all the media attention for years ? No i didn't think so.
What a load of bollocks. If that's true, why are you a Moaner fan and not a Rossi fan? Face it, Moaner is liked by less people because he is a lot less likeable. End of.
I just don't understand why they cannot let it lie. It usually ends with ludicrous statements being made attacking anything and everything to do with Rossi including his sexuality! Very strange behaviour if you ask me.:wink:
Because we are not too happy at the way the Heat magazine reading, Rossi fanboys, constantly moaned about best rider on the planet not being good enough for Ducati and that he should be replaced by something called a goat. Anyway, what we got was a $40 million dollar waste of space, who can't ride the bike and has been forced to eat humble pie while peddling Pish like "Stoner evolved with the Desmosedici" Rossi knows how to ride the Desmo, he has had a look at Stoners data. You know, the stuff he would not share with Lorenzo! It is just that he can't ride like Stoner. Someone say something about something called a goat? http://www.gpone.com/index.php/201103313287/Stoner-s-secret-He-doesn-t-lean.html He can't ride it He can't beat his team mate He can't beat all the satellite riders He can't develop it He is dumping responsibility for it at Ducatis door. Someone say something about a Doctor? He CAN continue to draw the biggest salary in GP though, so well done Vale. Now off you go and sell some more t shirts. He can also beat a CRT bike, some good news there too. There is a rumour Marlboro will be offering Stoner $20 million dollars for one season, since it seems he will be quitting after next season. I'd like to see him at Yamaha, beside Lorenzo in his last year. Most people appreciate quality more than quantity.
