It pains me to say it, but I think VR was riding irresponsibly. 1. He rode with the explicit and admitted aim of running MM out wide to the edge of the track. As anyone who watches racing or who has taken part in a trackday knows, grip is severely reduced in that area and crashes are a real possibility. 2. He rode in a manner intended to provoke a confrontation with MM. That in itself is irresponsible, perhaps bordering on dangerous, because a racetrack packed with 250bhp 200mph bikes is no place for confrontation. There were also 22 other riders on track at the time and it's simply untenable to be having two riders dicking around playing dodgems on the edge of the circuit. That VR was provoked by MM's agressive riding is mitigation, not a defence, which is probably why he only got 3 points and not a disqualification. 3. Although "irresponsibility" isn't a term used in UK road traffic offences, it is probably something akin to the offence of "careless or inconsiderate driving", where the test is "has the driving fallen below the standard of a reasonably competent driver?". I think there certainly is scope for finding that VR's riding fell below that standard. If you watch the whole sequence, in an echo of what he did to Max Biaggi early in his career, he had already given MM the finger whilst exiting a bend, so his behaviour in the build up to the incident was confrontational and agressive (as was MM's in my view, albeit just about within the rules) 4. To find that he wasn't riding irresponsibly would have set an awful precedent and would have condoned his behaviour. As THE rider who is the face and personality of MotoGP and a hero to millions, including children, that simply couldn't be allowed.
I think the fact that VR clearly misjudged how MM would react to his Phillip Island accusations thus provoking MM into further disruptive riding which then led to the Sepang incident, has earned him the criticism of many riders on the grid, the majority of pundits and probably millions of fans, has severely tarnished his reputation as a good sport, has ended up spending the week leading up to the title decider engaged in distracting litigation and will be starting from position number 24 on Sunday speaks for itself. :
On this, I'm curious to see people's thinking on it. I read the article on the MCN Sport magazine love in with Valentino Rossi. Based on the amount of times he appears on the cover compared to other riders and the fact they basically think that Rossi is MotoGP. So...... Does Iannone try to help Itallian pride, having another Motogp world champion by aiding Rossi? Or are the other riders busting their hump week in, week out with very little recognition because of Rossi. Iannone didn't help Rossi in Australia by passing him with 2 corners to go. There were a few earlier posts about how Rossi should be allowed to ride through the field by the other riders. He may be popular with the fans, but could the other riders be a bit tired of the VR46 circus? Who's be inclined to help him and see Lorenzo suffer? Surely their professional pride means they ride as hard as they can, but obviously don't ruin anyone's championship by taking them out. How will the Italian riders in the field react to Rossi if he catches them. Iannone & Dovi would come in for some stick at home if they were seen to be impeding Rossi. Can they handle that?, Do they care? This isn't anti VR, I'm just curious.
Iannone i Well Iannone isnt going to move over ,he is still fighting for 4th in the championship,i dont think it will be the parting of the waves but i wouldnt think they would put up much of a fight if he shows a wheel...we dont wont more foul play do we.
I predict that the riders will ride for themselves - as usual. I suspect that they are less concerned with whether "justice is served" and about how the fans feel about all of this stuff. The riders are just going to ride with a view to securing or improving their own futures. I would suggest that it's only the fans, and riders directly involved in this circus, who are tying themselves in knots. The other riders will be concentrating mostly on their own game-plans.
Pro rata (years in the top flight) hasn't MM appeared an equal number of times on the cover of this tome? Just asking before you attack
I suspect (but that is all it is - I don't know) that the other Italians will roll over quite easily if they know they have VR up their tailpipe. I am sure that all the riders ride as hard as they can, but am not sure that they are "tired of the VR circus" or even if they think about it much. What is sure is that VR is good for MotoGP and therefore for the sponsorship budgets and the remuneration of the other riders. He is the biggest marketing vehicle that MotoGP possesses. The other riders may not even care about this, but it is better for all that Rossi is competitive and on a competitive bike. His wilderness years at Ducati didn't do the sport any favours.
I'm not in attacking mood. :Angelic: Here's the link, but I've extracted the quote below. It just got me thinking. Doctored: MotoGP’s Obsession with Valentino Rossi – Part 2 | Trunk Talk Quote : Motorcycle News is a weekly newspaper printed in the UK that does what it says on the tin. Road tests, news, sport and so on. Every week. It is, to many, the motorcycle bible of the UK and on the whole, it’s a great read. It also has a dedicated magazine, MCN Sport, that comes out quarterly. It’s aim is to focus on the entire world of motorcycle racing from MotoGP to the Isle of Mann to Speedway. It’s a well put together publication with articles by some of the most respected motorcycle journos out there like Matt Oxley and Neil Spalding. It also has some truly stunning photography in it and excellent regular retro articles. But, since it returned to newsstands in late 2009 there have been 21 issues. Valentino Rossi has appeared as the cover star 10 times. If you discount the annual IOM TT special issues, you’re looking at Rossi being on the cover around two thirds of the time. That’s also not including his smaller appearances on numerous other covers, though not as the feature. In that same time, across those sixteen issues, Casey Stoner graced the cover once. Jorge Lorenzo, not at all as a featured star but did appear standing behind Rossi, with Stoner, on one occasion. During the time period of these publications Valentino Rossi won 4 GPs and no titles.. Lorenzo won 33 races and two world titles. Stoner won 18, a title plus he announced his retirement in 2012. To be fair, Marc Marquez graced two covers in this period for his four titles and 45 wins, but that’s still well short of Rossi’s coverage. In fact, just for a silly bit of maths, if Marquez graced a cover at the same percentage, per win, as Rossi, he’d have been on over 110 covers by now. Which is obviously absurd but it illustrates my point. This for a magazine claiming to cover all of motorcycling racing. This is a massive problem.
How many of the current crop of MGP riders head over to his ranch for a play and some coaching? Is there anything in the rules for him to wait til he's caught by lorenzo then have a play with him (oops I braked too hard and locked the front, sorry to Jorge for takimg him down, I didt see the blue flag like he didnt see the yellow at Sepang)
I'd agree with that, and I'm on record as saying so. But if you were riding against him week in week out, and you had results or performances go virtually unnoticed because the focus is so much on him, how would you feel about him? I really don't know is why I ask.
I could certainly imagine that Lorenzo has a chip on his shoulder about him. I don't think MM did, but I bet he has now. As for the others, I doubt it. Maybe Stoner did (almost certainly...) but Pedders? And who else could justifiably think that they were being hard done-by? You'd have to be beating him regularly to complain. When you go to a race, you really see the extent of the VR support. It is massive. This is not only because he is the winningest rider, but also because he is the most charismatic and articulate. That's what puts bums on seats and torsos into t-shirts. Looking back, Doohan, Rainey, Lawson or Gardner were not cuddly people. Schwantz was the closest to a Rossi in terms of charisma, and his popularity far outweighed his actual results.
[. This is a massive problem.[/QUOTE] how so? david beckham may have graced more covers than was in proportion to his skills and achievements .. (dont even know if that is correct england but you get the point) still does and hes a has been! if the media take to someone because they are marketable /personable or a draw card is it wrong? i think celebrity for celebrities sake is but this aint the case here. if rossi's face sells more mags and gets more people interested in the sport then it can only be good for those prepared to invest in it and those that like the sport. thank fuck we have future poster boys coming through or there might not even be a race series
