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MotoGP 2020

Cougar377

Express elevator to hell
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I don’t want to bang on about this, but it’s a good point that you’ve raised there - so I will (but only a tiny, tiny bit)!

Honda’s philosophy demands the perfection of the machine and all of its support systems. I think most race fans - and racers, too - can recall that among Rossi’s stated reasons for leaving Honda was the immutable fact that Honda considered the bike to be the focal point of all their efforts, and the rider - any rider - was simply there to ride the machine; in other words, the rider “didn’t matter”, it was the machine that would win the race.

In contrast to the above, Yamaha (the last of the Japanese manufacturers to enter the motorcycle market in 1955), originally built reed organs and pianos. Their philosophy demanded not only "harmony", but also “beauty that fulfils its design function as it moves the heart of the user”. Well, the M1 MotoGP bike certainly moved Rossi’s heart and he soon began to refer to it as “my M1”, which highlighted a relationship that he’d never once expressed while with Honda. Remember his “love letter” to his bike - and the “Bye-bye baby” T-shirt when he tore himself away from Yamaha? Contrast that with “The Chain Gang” uniforms and trackside rock-breaking protest with his buddies when he wanted “away” from Honda!

I’ll leave it there, but; good shout, Cougar - a really good shout. (y)

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Oh, dear - here I go again!

I never met Joey Dunlop - never saw him race - but in 2017 I went to the Manx Grand Prix with a few mates and there, during a night out, we walked into a pub and the first bloke I saw was Michael Dunlop. He was sitting at a little table having a pint with a pal of his and… everybody just left him alone and carried on with their own enjoyment.

RESPECT.

He’s just a bloke. No, no - not an “ordinary” bloke; he’s "just a bloke" with an almost tangible aura that finds its way into the deepest channels of your mind - whether you want it to or not - and no matter who you are, powerful, rich, poor, famous or a nobody. He’s a bloke who absolutely commands respect.

I wonder what his dad was like?

Wasn't 2017 the year we met at Quarterbridge...? I was marshalling and you were there with an oppo. We had a quick chat through the fence before I had to get back to it.

I never met or saw Joey (or his brother Robert) race but Michael is certainly an unassuming guy to meet (as was his brother)....that is, until you got them on a bike...! One thing I've really enjoyed over the years marshaling on the Island is that the riders (with very, very few exceptions) are down to earth and thoroughly approachable blokes. It's another facet of what makes the sport of road racing almost unique.

If you've not yet seen the movie "Road" about the Dunlops then I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It is up there with "On any Sunday" as one of the greatest movies about motorcycling.
I defy anyone not to be moved by the part which covers Michael's win at the NW200 days after his father was killed there.

His book "Road Racer: It's in my Blood" is also well worth a read. (y)
 

sr71caspar

B̶a̶n̶n̶e̶d̶
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It seems that Rossi has missed out on the Yamaha test/development rider spot.



Lorenzo has reportedly signed up for that.
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
Wasn't 2017 the year we met at Quarterbridge...? I was marshalling and you were there with an oppo. We had a quick chat through the fence before I had to get back to it.
Stap me - yes, I remember! I’m sure I took a picture of you, but I must have lost it in all the excitement of the event, so my belated apologies to you for my photographic incompetence - I would certainly have included it on my website if I could.
If you've not yet seen the movie "Road" about the Dunlops then I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It is up there with "On any Sunday" as one of the greatest movies about motorcycling. I defy anyone not to be moved by the part which covers Michael's win at the NW200 days after his father was killed there. His book "Road Racer: It's in my Blood" is also well worth a read.
Netflix for the movies and Amazon for the book. Sorted! (y)

Thanks for the recommendations and nice to “see you” again! :D
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
It seems that Rossi has missed out on the Yamaha test/development rider spot.
Lorenzo has reportedly signed up for that.

Yes: Yamaha have certainly been busy, haven't they?

Is this a test of trust where the Yamaha/Rossi relationship is concerned - or simply a shrewd move to enhance the Yamaha test team while giving Jorge a chance to "get his eye in"?

Just imagine: Rossi and Lorenzo end up riding for Petronas Yamaha and finish "one and two" in the championship!!

Just imagine that!!

:campeon:

Go on - I dare ya!! :p


 

jeffa

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
Robert Dunlop one of the nicest people i have ever met
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
“…since the official team for 2020/2021 has already been defined with Vinales and Quatararo,
we could even see the Rossi-Lorenzo pairing reformed with Petronas colours.” :eek: :D


 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
Rossi/Petronas venture a real possibility for next year.

Free to watch but you have to register.




Final day's testing at Sepang, current times. Let's see how they stand at the end of the day!

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Cougar377

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The one other thing that you could take from that picture .... Rossi is sat talking to yet another former rival who he has bested on the track, who has subsequently retired and who is younger than Vale.
How many riders like that have have come and gone in his racing career so far...?
 

Malone

Been there, and had one
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I’ve little interest in MotoGP but I’d rather that Rossi retired at the height of his success rather than be one of the also rans and be seen as little more than mediocre when he does finally go - or worse get seriously injured trying to push too hard for success.
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
Rossi is sat talking to yet another former rival who he has bested on the track, who has subsequently retired and who is younger than Vale. How many riders like that have have come and gone in his racing career so far...?

Too many to recall. Ignoring any reliable maths requirement, it’s twenty years since Valentino’s MotoGP debut year, so if, for convenience, you propose an average grid number of twenty riders (just plucked out of the air), perhaps 300 or so former competitors are wondering how Valentino’s managed to continue for so long - as well as tens of millions of MotoGP fans around the world.

If anyone wants to work out a more accurate response, they’re welcome to do so as I’d like to know the answer to this one as well! :rolleyes:
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
I’d rather that Rossi retired at the height of his success rather than be one of the also rans and be seen as little more than mediocre when he does finally go - or worse get seriously injured trying to push too hard for success.

Rossi fans in particular - and MotoGP/WSBK/BSB fans in general, tend to stay faithful to their selected riders. Go to any MotoGP race and you'll see Biaggi t-shirts, Doohan caps and so on. In that sense, a rider is always at the height of success, regardless of results, in the eyes of his or her fans. To describe any racing rider as "mediocre" is (I would say) unwise, uninformed and unappreciative of the skills and bravery that those competitors bring to the sport.

Valentino has often stated that he "...will not push beyond the limit unless I can trust the bike". The fact that he has suffered only one serious racing injury throughout his career suggests that he knows how to look after himself - and remember that he hadn't missed a race until 2010, when he broke his leg at Mugello. Any racer can have a career-ending crash at any time, including during practice and qualifying sessions, and it would be reckless beyond belief to discard those possibilities; but while I appreciate your sentiments and I respect your opinion, I find it impossible to accept your stated preference over and above Rossi's decision to continue to compete in MotoGP.
 

Cougar377

Express elevator to hell
Staff member
Moderator
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Rossi fans in particular - and MotoGP/WSBK/BSB fans in general, tend to stay faithful to their selected riders. Go to any MotoGP race and you'll see Biaggi t-shirts, Doohan caps and so on. In that sense, a rider is always at the height of success, regardless of results, in the eyes of his or her fans. To describe any racing rider as "mediocre" is (I would say) unwise, uninformed and unappreciative of the skills and bravery that those competitors bring to the sport.

Valentino has often stated that he "...will not push beyond the limit unless I can trust the bike". The fact that he has suffered only one serious racing injury throughout his career suggests that he knows how to look after himself - and remember that he hadn't missed a race until 2010, when he broke his leg at Mugello. Any racer can have a career-ending crash at any time, including during practice and qualifying sessions, and it would be reckless beyond belief to discard those possibilities; but while I appreciate your sentiments and I respect your opinion, I find it impossible to accept your stated preference over and above Rossi's decision to continue to compete in MotoGP.

There are few in any sport that become true masters of their craft, maintain their level of commitment at the top of their sport AND do it over such an extended period. I'm talking about the 1% - people like Federer, for example - who also maintain a hugely loyal fanbase during their time in competition. Rossi is one of the few people in any sport who I can honestly say that I admire and follow, I have done for years and will do until he retires. The man has provided SO much pleasure and entertainment to me and the wife....and to his fans, so we will continue to follow his exploits if he moves on to some form of 4 wheeled sport.
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!
There are few in any sport that become true masters of their craft, maintain their level of commitment at the top of their sport AND do it over such an extended period.

I agree, but in further acknowledgement of Malone’s earlier post, I must add the caveat that some athletes do fail to recognise when it really is time to stop - to retire - to call it a day; the supreme example of this was The Greatest: Muhammad Ali (some sports writers claim that Ali’s team either couldn’t, or wouldn’t prevent him from continuing to fight, against doctors’ orders).

Rossi’s team of career-long acquaintances and lifelong friends are doubtless much more supportive and protective of their leader, and Rossi himself seems almost fully prepared to bow to the march of time. Yamaha seem also to be sympathetic to Rossi’s situation, “…no pressure to leave:no pressure to stay. Take your time. We understand. Let’s just wait and see.”


Let’s all be patient - let’s just wait and see.
 

DEG5Y

Been there, and had one
Club Sponsor
Rossi fans in particular - and MotoGP/WSBK/BSB fans in general, tend to stay faithful to their selected riders. Go to any MotoGP race and you'll see Biaggi t-shirts, Doohan caps and so on.

Still wear the odd 'T' shirt that gives a nod to Barry Sheene!
 

Dark Angel

Still kickin' it!

In a not very sporting broadside, Ducati’s MotoGP sporting director Paolo Ciabatti has pulled
Honda’s pants down and told them they have been totally reliant on the talent of Marc Marquez
for the last two-thirds of a decade. :qmeparto:
 
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