People have been baying for Rossi to retire for years yet he was mostly ahead on Vinales. Why would KTM want him?! Can Dovi ride a bike that’s about corner speed and not just straight line speed?
Just reading about Vinales’ career and shock horror, this is not the first time time he’s walked away from a team having thrown a hissy fit. Also surprised he only competed in Moto2 for one season before signing with Suzuki. His performance with Yamaha since 2017 has been plagued with inconsistency (his and machinery) and this latest claim of lack of respect from the team and being given a bike he can’t win on, echoes exactly what he said when he walked away from Blusens Avintia in Moto3 at Malaysia in 2012. From what I read, his performance has never been stellar. Andy
Thing with Vinales, when he wins, he WINS, in my book, when it clicks he is a bit of a Biaggi and just dominates. This is why I do honestly think Marquez is the greatest of all time, nobody has managed to rattle him mentally, Rossi got close in Sepang but honestly came off worse, where as even Stoner who I think is a magician got rattled by Rossi, then on the bad days Marquez grinds out the 4th/5th places generally and just keeps the points going. I know it's about Vinale's, just trying to give the context. Watching Stoner at Donnington in 08, dominate and then lap melandri his team mate, I'll never forget it, my jaw was on the floor watching him and how hard he rode, and how little electronics he used
The modern era has been dominated by 4 riders and IMO, Vinales doesn’t come close to the talent of any of those 4. I also don’t think Vinales is as good as Dani Pedrosa. There, I said it Andy
If he got out of the right side of the bed, the bike/tyres were right, and he got a good start, Lorenzo in his prime would have been close to Marquez. Marquez though undoubtedly great, has been pushing his luck for a long time. One more big off, and I reckon he'll be done. I reckon Rossi at his best would have pushed Marquez over the edge too.
I'd agree with that, there's only so much luck that anyone can have and Marquez has played that game many many times, how many times has he pushed beyond his and the bikes limit and somehow not crashed, but likewise he has had some horrific accidents and got up and walked away, Mugello springs to mind some years ago. I think now Marquez has had his second serious injury (No. 1 being his detached retina in PI back in Moto2), he doesn't bounce as well any more, both of his shoulders are buggered and he's has multiple surgeries on them both now. Rossi nearly beat him in 2015 at 37 years old, and Lorenzo was the only guy to beat him in a straight fight. In the last year the game has moved on somewhat, Fabio, Miller, Zarco, Pecco, Morbidello, Oliveira to name a few, then you've got Pol and Brad Binder who aren't afraid to get stuck in, likewise Mir can be quite aggressive when he needs to be. I'm not sure we'll see the dominance of old from Marquez, age and injury are catching up with him. I'm sure he'll win more races, but with the current riders he's going to struggle to bag another championship, and by the time we get to 2023 we could have a certain Pedro Acosta as a rookie, let alone a few others moving up also. 2022 could be his last chance at a title.
With the explosively amazing talent in Moto 2, why would you bother with any of these moody old geezers?
“Explosively amazing talent” and “Moto2” are not two words I would use together. Certainly there is some talent on display but whether that talent can transfer to MotoGP is yet to be seen. Dorna changed the rules to accommodate MM step up to the factory Honda, I don’t see anyone in Moto2 with his talent. Andy
No doubt Vinales can ride as quick as anyone if all the stars align. However the stars ain’t been aligning much over the years. Not surprised he’s moving on ,but looks like he’s had his chance at the top spot. I think it will all be downhill now albeit maybe with a bit of a swan song if his head is in the right place now he doesn’t GAF at Yamaha ?
You mean like Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio joining the FLEX-BOX Gresini MotoGP Team in 2022? Or Tech3 KTM Factory Racing with Remy Gardner and one other? Or Raul Fernandez.....
Thats because Pedro Acosta is still in Moto3. I see Martin has the talent, I also think Oliviera has the talent and Jack when the bikes right. Theres plenty of talent that could challenge MM. Remy too, Brad and Darryn esp Darryn I think will elbow MM out of his way. MM's stock has peaked, the others are rising. IMO. Time will tell how good they can become. MM's legacy will still be tough to meet in the future tho.
Please have a look at their careers. Enea only won 3 races on his way to Moto2 champion last year. Yes he is having a reasonable rookie year in MotoGP but ‘explosively amazing talent’ ? Fabio has no championships to his name and spends far too much time in the gravel. Remy has been in Moto2 for 6 years, about time he started to perform and as for Raul, CEV Junior world champion and failed to deliver on that performance in the RedBull Rookies and Moto3. He’s a rookie in Moto2 and way too early to form an opinion about his potential performance in MotoGP. I’d be delighted to see a MotoGP field that is as competitive as Moto3 but I don’t see it with the current crop of up and coming riders likely to replace the old guard. Andy
It's gonna be bye bye Rossi & Rabat and no rides for Dovi & Lorenzo. As for Fabio, he spends far too much time on the podium........ Remy, he is the one leading Moto2 this season..... Raul, he will be the guy who is second in Moto2.....
Lots of good observations. Pedrosa was mentioned, a fantastic rider imo, a shame he was a nearly man. Vinales is not as good as Dani was. Also, Dani was an ambassador for Honda, always smiling, rarely complaining. MV too often has huffed and puffed. His look the other day after a very good second place..I think he also realises he is outclassed by his team mate. Fabio pulled a blinder at the start of the last race, but also had the class to battle and overtake from lap one. Vinales has frequently and inexplicably been middle of the pack while Fabio has cleared off at the front. It has been said though, loads of new talent. Bring it on. I would like to see Mir or Morbi alongside Fabio next year. Mir is showing some real class grinding out results on the Suzuki.
Again, it demonstrate what an exceptional career Rossi has had and why he is the goat. MM would have been a force for many more years without this set back imho. But he’s only ever one crash away from killing/maiming others or himself.
Yes he had a good career, in the past, but totally irrelevant to today's racing. As for your MM comment I expected a lot better from you, 'killing / maiming others' really ? Shit like that belongs with the trolls on Facebook.
Not really. He has simply no respect for others. Been shown time and again. He’s mega exciting and incredibly talented and add in the ‘I dgaf’ attitude and it’s simply dangerous imho. He pushes boundaries. He oversteps the 100% mark and creates a new 100% mark. He has been a catalyst to a change in riding style on modern mGP bikes. I love watching him race but fear for the impact on others at times in the past. And as he gets more frustrated with injuries I fear for him: he can’t crash how he did and walk away as easily. It’s almost like he’s used up his 15yr racing career luck already.
