What You Think About The Rossi/marquez Spat.

[Wackie 938]

Gutted. Great season spoiled by a spanish brat at the end. Rossi rode the nuts off that bike today, but had no chance with Marquez shepherding Lorenzo home.

 

At least Danny Kent gave us something (finally) to cheer about.

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

Lorenzo summed it up after the race "we are Spanish, the championship stays in Spain".

Lorenzo won, Rossi 4th after starting 25th

It was a Spanish 1-2-3 in the final GP of the season

If Lorenzo won Rossi had to finish 2nd, no chance from 25th, Rossi rode brilliantly to get through to 4th, but how do you catch 3 others on similar speed bikes.

I think the popularity of Marquez will have gone down today, and to a lesser extent Lorenzo.

A sad day for road racing today I think.

[Vince 9,458]

Personally I think that if Rossi hadn't goaded Marquez following the Australian GP he would be Champion tonight. Much as he is probably the best rider of all time and very charismatic he does have a history of trying to play mind games with his rivals.

 

I don't think Marquez tried to hold Rossi up at Phillip Island but following the criticism went to the Sepang GP with the attitude that 'if you think I did that I'll show you just what it's like if I hold you up' Wrong for sure but understandable. I think he did hold Rossi up a little and his passing was very hard but acceptable and comparable with what you see normally at that level (and a bit too gentle for Moto3!!). What Rossi did was run him wide and then slow right down, Marquez tried to push him a bit but Rossi kicked out and bought him down. I don't suppose for one minute he meant to put him down but the fact remains that if Rossi had continued at normal speed Marquez wouldn't have fallen.

 

Today I think Marquez would only have tried to pass Lorenzo if he could have done so with no risk at all and given the corner speed of Lorenzo and the Yamaha that opportunity never arose. There is no way he was going to risk taking Lorenzo out today.

 

As for popularity Lorenzo has never been a fan favourite in the Rossi mould but nobody could fault him this weekend, lap of a lifetime in qualifying then to lead the race from start to finish with a championship at stake is no mean feat. Marquez, I believe will go on to take the greatest ever title from Rossi, it's easy to forget how young he is and is probably the most talented motorcyclist I have seen in my lifetime. Rossi will never do any wrong in the eyes of thousands and fully deserves the plaudits he gets as the best of all time, in my opinion he made a mistake but I doubt it will make the smallest dent in his popularity.

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

A quote from Lorenzo press conference.........................

 

In a bizarre twist, Lorenzo appeared to support Rossi's claim in an interview with Movistar MotoGP channel

Whilst denying that "any pact" existed between him and Marquez he intimated that his compatriots had helped him win the title by not passing him.

"They knew what I had in play," Lorenzo said.

"The fact they are Spaniards like me helped me.

"That helped me because for sure in another kind of race they would have tried to overtake which they didn't this time."

"The title had to be for Spain."​

 

Marquez is a racer, and will do anything to pass an opponent, and he has proved that all through his Moto1 Moto2 and MotoGP years over and over again.

Lorenzo led every lap of todays final GP..... with Marquez close to his back wheel all the way - but never once attempting a pass. How unusual for Marquez.

When Maquez Honda team mate, Dani Pedrosa, passes him, straight away he re-passes. As rossi says... Marquez has been Lorenzos rearguard for the last few races.

You would think Honda would be very annoyed that their star man, Marquez, lost a race to a Yamaha rider. More then that if Marquez had passed Lorenzo there would be a good chance Pedrosa would have as well, as he was faster then both at the end of the race. A potential Honda 1-2 became 2-3 with Yamaha at No1.......... but then Honda are still sore that Rossi left them in (think) 2000 after Honda implied Rossi was only winning cause he was on a Honda....... so he left and won on a Yamaha.

 

 

​

[bruno 1,790]

In the last gp if Rossi had just let Marquez go and finished behind him and still finished fourth today would he have been wc?

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

In the last gp if Rossi had just let Marquez go and finished behind him and still finished fourth today would he have been wc?

 

If you mean last race ie Valencia, if Rossi was 4th with Lorenzo 3rd rossi would be world champ

Marquez and Pedrosa would be under instruction from Mr Honda for a 1-2 if they can. Marquez trailed Lorenzo closely all the race, never once trying to overtake which is unusual for Marquez. Pedrosa catches both of them in the last few laps (faster), goes and overtakes Marques who immediately gets him back, showing that Maruez had pace. If marquez had used that pace to pass Lorenzo then Pedrosa probably would have as well, meaning Honda 1-2 and also meaning with Lorenzo 3rd , Rossi 4th then Rossi would be world champ.

It seems as if Marquez was rear guard to Lorenzo and despite being on different bikes he let a competitor win a prestigious race in Spain, and by blocking a team mate as well.

Will Honda take action on Marquez, even in private. Honda have no love for Rossi since he left them in (think) 2000. And that was after Honda claimed Rossi is winning championships only because he sat on a Honda. Rossi went to Yamaha, turned their fortune around and won the world championship - Honda left with a bloody nose.

Its a very messy end to the 2015 season, and I think Moto GP has been damaged a lot by it.

We talk about how we all will miss "boring" Greg, and "dirty" Pederson, but Moto GP will miss Rossi much more when he retires.

And on retirement, I think Rossi should hang his boots up NOW, just walk away and write a book. He doesn't need the money, he has the fame, I don't think he will get another crack at the world title (the elusive 10th) again. Performing at top level in MotoGP at 36 (37 next season) would be a massive challenge, and I would hate to see him get injured so late in his career.

[Vince 9,458]

Still think it's putting 2 + 2 together and coming up with 356. There was no way Marquez could risk taking Lorenzo out, I'm sure Honda wanted the first and second place but not at the expense of the bad publicity if something had actually happened rather than people just guessing what Marquez was doing.

 

The other thing is that Lorenzo has always been superb around Valencia and broke the lap record on the way to victory. Apart from a really risky lunge I don't think Marquez had a single opportunity to pass and was doing all he could to just hang on to Lorenzo's back wheel. Rossi wouldn't have been on the podium if he had started on the third row which is where his qualifying time would have put him while Lorenzo put in the lap of a lifetime under pressure. Rossi lost time to the leaders once he had a clear track so you might as well say he was protecting Lorenzo in my opinion.

 

One person to blame for Rossi losing the Championship and that's Rossi. If he had kept his opinion about Australia to the end of the season he would be Champion. If he hadn't pulled such a stupid move at Sepang he would be Champion. I'm a Rossi fan and think he has been the best thing to happen in motorcycle racing since Barry Sheene but that doesn't mean he is infallible.

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

IF Marquez couldnt pass Lorenzo (and he didnt try!) then why stop his HONDA team mate having a go at a time Dani was faster. Better Honda win then Yamaha from a Honda point of view.

Rossi starting 25th (or was it 26th) probably used too much goodness from his tyres doing his best to get to 4th, where he had to be to have a realistic chance of the title. When he got to 4th he finds 1-2-3 some 15 or more seconds up the road - in GP racing at the sharp end that is a lot of time, very difficult task to close that then have a go at the leaders to get past.

Rossi was asking the race officials to look at how the situation was developing earlier then the Aussie GP I think, and they didn't take ot seriously.

I don't think it can be proved Marquez was rear guarding Lorenzo, technically I don't think he did anything wrong, he broke no written rules, the rules do not say you have to pass anyone, nor will they say you cannot race with any individual rather then chasing the top two ie Sepang. But fans can determine for themselves what was going on or not, and they will remember Marquez. Wasn't Marquez to be the successor as the "darling of the crowds" once Rossi retires? Mmmm.... not now I don't think.

[Vince 9,458]

Maybe pedrosa passing marquez was enough to prevent him trying for a pass on lorenzo. Marquez had a big incentive not to take risks with lorenzo, mainly due to Rossi.

If marquez was messing with Rossi in Australia why did he win the race and take 5 points off lorenzo?

[Oafski 174]

In the last gp if Rossi had just let Marquez go and finished behind him and still finished fourth today would he have been wc?

So Rossi finishes 4th on 12 points instead of the 16 he gained, so goes into the Valencia round with a 3 point lead and no grid penalty. Has to finish in front of Lorenzo to take the title. That would have been a nailbiter. Shame we never got to see it.

[bruno 1,790]

Thanks for that oaf ski,yeh what a shame.the MotoGP season ended like the way another motorcycle sport I follow tends to go at times

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

Hi Bruno&Oafski, it wasnt that Rossi wouldnt let Marquez go, it was more that Marquez could have left Rossi behind and chased Pedrosa and Lorenzo (the Hondas have proved quicker then the Yams at this point of the season). .But Marquez chose to play around with Rossi, pass, be passed, then come back again. This in effect slowed Rossi down thus not able to get near to Lorenzo. Marquez was on the quicker bike and no doubt could have passed Lorenzo and had a go with Pedrosa.

 

Saw the Valencia race on ITV4 tonight, Rossi did a good job from 26th on the grid to pass all but the first three, all nice and clean as well. Of course as he got further up the field it became more difficult to pass the "mobile chicanes". I no doubt if Marquez had started last he would have done a similar job but with a bit of bumping and barging - that's what he has become known for.

 

Next year should be interesting. Clearly for the last few years 4 bikes/riders have been well above the others, but I understand some control of the ECU come in 2016, as well as the change to Michelin tyres. Be interesting who manages the changes the best/quickest.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Joe Hatton

[Vince 9,458]

Think this is probably the best write up on the situation I've seen, bit long but worth the read.

 

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/motogp/summary-sunday-valencian-gp-2015/#more-96732

[Reviresco 708]

MotoGP penalty points system being amended:

 

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/motogp/2016/january/motogp-change-penalty-point-system-after-rossi-punishment/

[OveFundinFan 4,141]

Cracking race in todays Moto GP in Barcelona, overshawdoed by the fatality of Luis Salom on Friday practice.

 

Lorenzo takes an early lead followed by Marquez. Rossi starts from 5th on the grid but early on dropped to 7th, then started a comeback. Once he causght Marquez it didnt take long to pass and next in line was Lorenzo.

Takes the lead but Lorenzo starts going backwards, eventually being knoked off by Ianone.

Marquez keeps up with Rossi and 6 laps to go mounts a challenge which led to passing and repassing - makes look F! rubbish.

With the hot track and in the interests of safety (following Fridays creash) tyre wear was always going to be critical and Marquez tyres didnt stand up to the job as well as Rossis (but Rossi can manage tyres better then most), and so it was Rossi pulled away in the last lap and half to bag the win.

 

In the winners enclosure straight after the race, for the first time since Sepang last year when Marquez fell with the controvesy that followed, Rossi and Marquez shook hands and had a word with each other.

Marquez leads the championship 10 points ahead of Lorenzo with Rossi being another 12 points behind.

Could be some real racing for the rest of the season.