Going in to that race Jorge had a 56 point lead over Pedrosa with 4 races left including Motegi. Dani did not start due to injury but at that stage nobody knew the extent of the injury so potentially Dani could have retuned for the final 3 races and scored 75 points. He would have still been in with a shout if Jorge had DNF'd at Motegi and sustained a serious injury which ended his season. As it happened Jorge got 4th which made it almost an impossiblity for Dani to win the championship so he stayed out for the remainder of the season to heal properly. That doesn't get away from the fact that the team actually asked Rossi to assist his team mate prior to the race, and Rossi publicly said that he would do all he could to help him. How would the fans have reacted if Rossi had taken Jorge out and ended his season? What if Jorge had become irritated by Rossi and run him wide? Still understandable or a dirty trick? Here some footage of Rossi helping his team mate Valentino Rossi vs Jorge Lorenzo Motegi 2010 - motoros videó - SportMotor
Thanks for that, I remember now. Very interesting. Lorenzo was super sensible there, he lifted the bike up a couple of times mid corner to make sure there was absolutely no chance of contact with Rossi. There were a couple of corners Rossi was so slow that Lorenzo had no choice but to overtake.
It's a very loose comparison Gilps. I am pretty sure VR mentioned helping before the Pedrosa crash and I very much doubt the clinica mobile did not know that Pedro was proper crocked and that would have filtered back to the other teams. At 56 point lead it was almost a done deal anyway and with Pedro crashing out even more so. Unlike this year where 1 point could and possibly will decide it. I take the point VR is prepared to tread the line or even cross, I'm under no illusions, nor do I dislike MM who has been a breath of fresh air and has raised everyone's game. But at no point that I am aware of has VR or anyone else in that class knowingly sought out another rider whom he has no championship connection with in an attempt to change their race in favour of someone else he should have no allegiance to. And that is my problem with MM on this occasion. Team orders happen, comes with being in a Team but that is where it should stop, end of.
Taken from Matt Oxley's twitter feed: "To underline how racing is every man for himself this is Schwantz on aftermath of Doohan taking him out Donington 93"
Luv it I was at that Race Schwantz talks about. Luca Cadalora won it but it was a non event after the crash, much like Sepang was.
i was there too, Foggy had a wild card and ran out of fuel and just missed getting on the podium, as it happens Niall Mackenzie got third so it wasn't all a disaster
But we have no evidence that MM tried to alter the outcome of the championship other than to beat a rider near him on track. To my knowledge not one person, be it racer, commentator, armchair pundit, or member of this forum, ever alluded to MM deliberately helping JL atyPI. Not one person. Until Rossi said it at the press conference on Thursday, and then the veil was lifted from our eyes and it was all so obvious then. I personally don't think even Rossi believed it. I reckon it was a veiled threat to MM to keep out of he way and to ensure that all eyes were on MM. Usual Rossi mind games. Only they backfired and wound MM up. If you're going to do the time then you may as well do the crime. I've also rewatched the race in entirety and not just the bit where MM deliberately accelerates into the innocent Rossi who unfortunately outbraked himself and ran wide whilst repeatedly looking to see where MM, all the time trying desparately to avoid MM who was clearly intent on headbutting VR and taking a dive. I'm still not convinced that MM deliberately fell backwards just to play with VR. Dani had been fast all weekend and it was credit to JL that he managed to stay with him until the end. We don't know what strategy any of the riders had, including MM. It looks like his setup and strategy at PI was to conserve the tyres to the end. Who's to say that wasn't the plan at Motegi. MM was clearly struggling with the bike from the start. Unless he just faked it of course to hide his cunning plan.
Rossi has escalated it - reported 10 mins ago !!! Valentino Rossi appeals FIM Stewards’ decision The sanction imposed by the Race Direction at the Malaysian GP is suspended until further action from the CAS. On the basis of Article 3.4.2, para 3 of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Regulations, Mr Valentino Rossi has filed an Appeal against the decision taken by the Race Direction of the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang, penultimate round of the FIM MotoGP Grand Prix World Championship, and confirmed by the FIM Stewards, to award 3 penalty points to Mr Rossi following an incident on Turn 14. In appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Mr Rossi seeks annulment or reduction of the penalty. He further requests stay of execution of the decision in accordance with Article R37 of the Code of Sports-Related Arbitration. The FIM will not comment any further at this time.
No one outside of MM or VR knows the 100% truth. Whether MM was playing dirty in PI, I don't know. If he was I certainly didn't pick up on it but his lap times did suggest he was under performing for most of the race compared to just about every session leading up to it. That can happen sure but his last lap was best part of 2 seconds faster and that is a huge amount @ GP level. Having had the very same thing happen a race later clouds it a bit more but it's possible it is just the way it panned out. As the Schwantz comment shows, every man does and should ride for themselves and in that respect MM had every right to fight with VR. But, and this is where there is an issue for me. is that Doohan didn't slow to hinder Schwantz, he cleared off. MM didn't and it's my perception that he had the pace to do so. He was likely pissed @ VR for the comments etc, I get that. Whether VR could have caught Lorenzo, I have my doubts but I think MM may well have taken second from JL. I don't buy MM headbutt stuff or he faked it, bars hit bike, rider goes down. VR ran him wide, caused the accident no dispute. But as we only know what we know, our perception is just that, perception and not fact and will likely always be so as I doubt any new facts will come out.
HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLACK FLAGGED,DISQUALIFIED,HUNG,DRAWN AND QUARTERED. He feels aggrieved and not being disqualified and starting at the back of the grid. No doubt he will get his own way.
rossi did wrong , he should have lost his points , I hope he loses the championship now and hope marquez totally takes the piss out of him at Valencia , all these posts trying to defend him unbelievable, you could tell by his and his teams face he fkd up big style, the goat I don't think so the huffy twat who couldn't get his own way yes, this time hes picked on the wrong person mm doesn't give a fk and has the balls to go head to head and what ever happens, happens good luck mm
All Rossi did was hung the little scroat out on a corner... didn't force him off track, took him to the edge and MM fell off. Anyway, hope he wins his appeal and I look forward to a cracking race. VR46 to win his tenth world championship....4 + 6 = 10, it's written in the heavens........
He should of concentrated on racing instead of playing head games...he knows he isnt fast enough to win so his dummy came out...mm does right i would av done the same.
It matters not now as the championship is forever soured whoever wins. VR knows it's his last chance so will explore any avenue that gives him a better shot but it will never be as if it was the straight bun fight that it should have been between JL and VR.
