Rossi has gone insane.

[skypig]

My opinion (the only one that matters to me...)

The difference between legitimate hard riding, inc block passing etc, and the BS move that VR46 pulled is:
If stupid lines and slowing when you should be accelerating are allowed, not only does the sport turn from racing to roller derby, but close racing would be dangerous and rare.

To get the racing we enjoy (eg Phillip Island this year) the following rider has to turn in, and open the throttle based on the racing line. If the following rider can't trust the rider in front of him, and has to leave the throttle closed till he sees the rider in front open his, he would be severely disadvantaged. Doubly so if he has to worry the rider in front might slow for no reason (except to cause huge "issues"  for the following rider)

Ironically, my take on the last week is:
Rossi blatantly and deliberately did to MM93, what he claims MM93 has been doing to him, so subtly that it can only be seen using hindsight and yellow lenses.

[KTM47]

The answer to the question asked in this post is"-

YES

[Nathan S]

Well spotted Loz, as bike journos they are both capable of giving a balanced view to what began as an emotive discussion and soon escalated into an ugly slanging match worldwide.
I can't help feeling that the genesis of this incident should have been nipped in the bud years before by a senior race official (or against a pit garage wall by an aggrieved competitor) when Marquez was allowed carte blanche on his way up the ranks of the support categories to ride with excessive vigour, contact and disregard for fellow riders. He should have been straightened out years ago : had this happened, the Sepang dust-up need never have occurred.
However he is guilty of no more here than engaging in a spirited scrap, the lack of which is bemoaned race after race by myopic fringe dwellers who claim GP racing is "boring". Without dwelling on the causes and shortcomings of that viewpoint, racing is racing. And, as others including Rossi and Lorenzo have demonstrated plenty of times without sanction, rubbing is racing. Those who have quickly jumped on the bandwagon that Marquez was "holding Rossi up" are overlooking the fact that their lap times blew out by no more than a second a lap compared to Pedrosa, whizzing away unimpeded at the front, pretty reasonable considering the amount of passing and repassing going on.
I doubt Rossi's kick was intentional, and I think Marquez could have neutralised the clash by braking short, turning inside Rossi and squirting away....but his incredulity at what was unfolding, being brake-tested, eyeballed and ridden to the outside kerb DURING A GP initiated  a couple of irrational moves, including trying to finally turn in and overbalancing onto Rossi, causing the fall. Both have some degree of blame, but race direction's view that Rossi instigated a crash can't be denied. What I dislike is that the penalties applied should be relevant to that race alone, and it smacks of the shortcomings of the farcical F1 administration that the grid penalty should be applied to the next meeting. Ridiculous.
Finally with Rossi threatening to boycott the race at Valencia, that won't be happening for all sorts of commercial reasons. It's certainly the first time I can recall a competitor going into a final round of a world championship with a 7 point LEAD and offering to not ride. Lots can happen : Lorenzo could crash in practice and be injured, the bike could go pop, Rossi could get his finger out, get a good start and be in the top 10 by the end of lap 1, it could rain, all sorts of possibilities exist. And it wouldn't be outside the scope of the Rossi fantasy story his yellow-clad rabid supporters feed off for him to get up behind Lorenzo and win the damn title anyway. Certainly got to give it a red-hot crack.
One thing's for sure....we'll be watching.....

Post of the thread.

[oldyzman]

Well I think Rossi 's Kick was intentional but maybe not enough to really knock MM off, It did also look like MM took a bit of a soccer dive and did not really try to save it... We will be watching!

[cyclegod]

What I dislike is that the penalties applied should be relevant to that race alone, and it smacks of the shortcomings of the farcical F1 administration that the grid penalty should be applied to the next meeting. Ridiculous.

Rossi was penalised 10sec during a race at Philip Island one year (2003) which is what he should have gotten at Sepang.
Even though he was given 10sec he still pulled out a lead in excess of that to win by 15sec anyway

[Lozza]

bit more than passing under a yellow this time though

[tony27]

Does MotoGP not have the same rules as a lot of sports now about bringing the sport into disrepute which would have brought some sort of action after the Thursday press conference?
Same rule generally applies to social media meaning the riders can't vent on facebook etc without some sort of sanction being applied, 1 of our top speedway drivers got a 6 or 10 week stand down at the start of the season a few years ago for complaining on facebook that he'd been refused permission from the governing body to use cro-mo tubing in his rollcage instead of seamless mild steel in a full contact car

[KTM47]

Well I think Rossi 's Kick was intentional but maybe not enough to really knock MM off, It did also look like MM took a bit of a soccer dive and did not really try to save it... We will be watching!

If the kick hit MM arm and pulled to front brake on that would cause a fall.  MM would already be partly riding the brake.

[Lozza]

http://www.mcnews.com.au/lap-times-look-backs-leg-movements/

[80-85 husky]

interesting summary, sound logical and above prejudice...fans don't like it....!? go figure?

[KTM47]

I agree what a well thought out and researched story.

I also would not be surprised if Rossi still wins the Championship.  All the pressure is now on Lorenzo and Rossi really has none.  If he wins his god like status is reinforced if he loses it is MM fault (in his mind).

Either way the fake doctor has got the motivation he wanted.

[skypig]

It's going to be interesting.

Previously I'd have put my money on Rossi. - expecting a supernatural ride from the back, and probably George cracking (at least a bit).

But, Rossi genuinely seems to be "unraveling". All the conspiracy theories, losing his mind/control in the last race. (A guy with that experience, knows there will be consequences to ridding like he did - fact.)

I wouldn't be surprised if he races with a foil lining in his helmet, pulls out/crashes, and never races again.

[KTM47]

Of course he is not phased by it all. If he wins he is a god if he loses it is someone else's fault.

Jorge (not George) has all the pressure, then again he might not care anyway.  He is in a lose lose situation.

I'm sure he is over the back room politics at Yamaha (and Bridgestone).  How does anyone think when Rossi qualifies down the grid third row etc, by race day he has gained some magic setup change.  Could it be that his team has had a chance to study the data and setup of a faster bike and rider combination and then make the changes that make him faster.

[skypig]

I was trying to be funny by calling him "George"...
(Jorge is the Spanish equivalent of George, I believe.)

Can't wait for Sunday.

[supersenior 50]

We got it mate, but one foot wrong and they'll put you right.