[ashwin.terminat]

More on the whole Spanish "love triangle"!

Lorenzo later appeared to backtrack, stating that he 'could not see the race from the outside' and adding that he had gained more insight into the race from Marquez and Pedrosa's explanation over why they were unable to challenge for the win.

Marquez talks about his race and what happened with Valentino after Philip Island:

“I think me and Dani push at 100 per cent, we know with a hot temperature we have a front problem with the tyre and we expect today that the temperature will be lower, but it was five degrees higher than yesterday so I don't know [how it was for] Dani, but I was pushing the front, especially in the beginning,” said Marquez.

“Then in the last six laps I see that it was possible, the victory, but when Dani overtake me, we lose this half second and it was impossible to catch again Jorge.

“He [Rossi] already say in Phillip Island, so it's something that I don't understand because in Phillip Island I give to him five points and [Andrea] Iannone take from him four points, but after finish line in Phillip Island he come to me and say sorry because we overtake so many times, shaking hands and everything,” Marquez added.

“Then we arrive in Malaysia and happen what happened on Thursday [when Rossi accused Marquez of interfering with his race in Australia and of favouring Lorenzo for title]. Then in the race we fight, but not on the correct position because I tried to fight in the first position but it was not possible.

“Today, if I tried to be the bodyguard of Lorenzo, I will be five seconds or six seconds behind and I wouldn't take the risk to follow him. If the target was this one [to help Lorenzo] I stay ten seconds behind and don't take the risk and it was easy. But the target was always to give my hundred per cent and try to fight for the victory.”

Finally, the third and final member of the Spanish triumvirate, Dani Pedrosa:

“I tried all the weekend and I worked on the pace on Saturday but I wasn't comfortable and you can see in the race, I was so much struggling,” Pedrosa said.

“In the end I could recover doing the perfect riding, but I don't think Valentino can tell how I was feeling on the bike.”

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/225...onspiracy.html

[manson]

It must be a little feel sad for Lorenzo to have the sheen of his otherwise marathon 2015 world title taken away by MM93 & Rossi's controversial actions over the last couple of race weekend. Pretty certain the 2015 title would have gone down in the hall of fame or similar against Lorenzo's name had it not been for the meltdown between Marquez & Rossi.

[Manoj2268]

Rossi plays his mind games with the person who he perceives as a threat to his championship. His Sepang tantrum was baffling to say the least. Going after a rider who was not even the contender or his rival. His outburst only served to rile Marquez more which lead to the whole 'excrement hitting the fan' situation.

Instead of Valentino, it should have been Movistar Yamaha who should have lodged the complaint of reckless riding. Then Marquez would have been racing against a team, his anger divided between both Yamaha riders. Valentino waved sheets in the press conference and painted a bulls-eye on his back. Now, Marquez's irritation and anger is only directed against ONE person(same person he thought was responsible for his crashes in Rio Hondo and Assen).

[Magicallyme]

I don’t understand why people ignore one simple fact. If the Hondas were truly better than the M1 why couldn't they set better timings in the Qualifiers.

It seems to me that Rossi is behaving like a sour looser. His off track behavior is a complete opposite to his on track charisma.

[GT145]

A repeat of 2006 Championship in a sense, Vale deserved it the most but ended up losing another MotoGP championship for 5 points. Anyway fantastic race from the master, once again Vale proved why he is the best. I serioulsy don't think anyone else could end such an important race at 4th after starting from 26th.

It was disappointing to see how MM was riding, maybe he was doing his best. As a spectator, watching him riding for last few years it was not his best for sure. He always gave the feeling that he will easily smoke Jorge out. But it never happened, felt like he was not at all worried about overtaking Jorge. Personally for me MM is a better and talented rider than Jorge, he could have easily gone past Lorenzo. End of the day it was Rossi's mistake that cost him the championship. I still feel he lost his composure completely at Sepang, an experienced and legendary rider like Vale could have easily avoided such an incident.

Well looking forward to next season, he will turn 37 and it's going to be tough outing. Forza Vale !!

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by GT145

Well looking forward to next season, he will turn 37 and it's going to be tough outing. Forza Vale !!

I for one am looking forward to it. Valencia did NOT look like a final charge. He's pissed, disappointed with himself as well as the field. It's going to be tough, but I feel it'll be a hurrah next year, may be the last .
Vale forever, indeed!

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I for one am looking forward to it. Valencia did NOT look like a final charge. He's pissed, disappointed with himself as well as the field. It's going to be tough, but I feel it'll be a hurrah next year, may be the last .
Vale forever, indeed!

Man, the way he ruthlessly carved the field was just stunning to watch.

No-one, absolutely no-one would've been able to finish 4th from 26th and that too in such a tense situation - didn't put a wheel wrong.

You're right, it's probably a sign of things to come, he'll come back stronger with even greater motivation to bury these two you-know-who fake champions.

To borrow a phrase from the upcoming Batman v/s Superman movie -

FALSE GODS WILL BLEED!

FORZAVALE.

PS : his post-race slow down lap was amazing, with riders making a beeline to shake his hand, pat him on the back and what a reception back in the pitlane. What a ride, and what a champion.

The tenth will surely come, godspeed.

PPS : Boy, it's just mind boggling, unedifying to watch JLO going on like this about how he was the best and how he was faster, and how he was better and bla bla bla. He's a 5 times world champion or a gloating teenager. JEEZ!

[ashwin.terminat]

Here's what Lorenzo had to say about Rossi crying foul:

“It’s obvious there are younger riders who are faster than him,” Lorenzo said. “It must be frustrating not to have the speed that would have allowed him to win more races and arrive in Valencia with a greater advantage,” added the 28-year-old, who won seven races to Rossi’s four. “We don’t know what will happen in the future but probably, just as will happen to me, this was his last chance to be world champion.”

“None of this controversy and comments would have happened if Valentino had the speed of Marc, of myself, and had won more races,” he said. “With a bit more speed and consistency, and without what happened at Sepang, he could have arrived in Valencia with a clear advantage and won the championship comfortably.

“It was not like that and he knows that he let slip this year the opportunity to win his 10th championship and that is hard to accept.”

Honda also responded to the allegations made by Rossi against their rider:

"This is not the atmosphere we wanted to experience at the end of an unforgettable championship," said Honda Racing Corporation vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto in a statement."We understand that its been a very difficult day for Valentino ... However, on the other side we cannot accept the strong accusations he has directed against our rider and Honda in the past weeks and in today's post race press conference."

"Today Valentino has alleged that Marc never attempted to pass Jorge, who has clearly had a very good pace all weekend which he demonstrated by taking a strong pole position in qualifying," he added.

"Marc was struggling to stay behind him during the race and both him and Dani have done a great job to not lose too much distance to Jorge.

Nakamoto said Marquez had planned to attack Lorenzo on the last lap but a late move by Pedrosa thwarted that.

"We are sorry that Valentino doesn't believe this is the case, but we are certain both Marc and Dani were pushing 100 percent to achieve the best result for the Repsol Honda Team and all our partners as always," he said.

"We cannot accept that these accusations continue to surface time after time, as this is the perception of one person -- which we respect -- but it is not the reality.

"Valentino is a great champion and clearly an intelligent individual so we truly hope that in time, once the dust settles, he can reevaluate what has happened and accept this was another great race from a wonderful season," he added.

To be honest, reading: "this was his last chance to be world champion" makes me irritated. Rossi is still good enough to fight at the top flight. And it would be foolish to write him off.

Hope Rossi gives Lorenzo a run for his money next year! If he had just said, "This was his best chance to be a 10 time world champion", it would have been so much better. People wrote Rossi off before this season. Given how things were going, that was understandable. But to count him out again after this season, big, big mistake.

[shyn]

Rossi's father speaks to cycleworld magazine:

Valentino Rossi had an all-but-impossible task at Valencia, but he was supported in Spain once again by a yellow wave hoping for a miracle. The Number 46 was everywhere, and the color yellow was dominant among the 110,000 spectators packing the grandstands. Many yellow shirts had this message: "#IostoconValentino," which means "I support Valentino."

Rossi's father and mother, Graziano and Stefania, were there to support Valentino in his quest for a 10th world title. How does a father survive such a tense moment? We asked Graziano himself.

CW:As a father, how did you see Valentino's great challenge?
GR: "From the last spot of the grid, it was impossible for Valentino to finish in the positions he needed to win the title. But we waited for the checkered flag. Although Valentino's mission was almost impossible, we have a limitless trust in him that's close to love."

CW: Valentino was leading the championship and everything was going in the right direction
GR: "Last year he worked hard in preparation for this year. From round 1, he built his championship race by race in such a wonderful way that many people say that this is the best championship of the last seasons."

CW: Did you expect the title between Rossi and Lorenzo to have been decided by a third party?
GR: "I still haven't understood this"

CW: What was your first thought when you saw the clash [at Sepang]?
GR: "I watched the Malaysian GP from home. My first thought? Vale could only do what he did and now let's see what will happen tomorrow. But I would never have imagined that it would have finished like that."

CW: Did Valentino lose his head, as many have written?
GR: "Valentino didn't lose his head. It would have been serious if he kicked Marc, but this didn't happen. He did the only thing he could do: call Marquez's attention to the fact that, while they were passing and re-passing each other, Lorenzo and Pedrosa were pulling away. From a rider point of view, it's easy to understand: Valentino couldn't continue to lose time due to Marc's unmotivated passes. He called Marquez's attention to this, but in doing this, Marc touched his brake level and crashed. This was very unlucky for Valentino. He absolutely didn't want to make Marc crash. A rider never wants to crash."

CW: Wouldn't it have been an option for Rossi to remain in fourth position behind Marc and wait?
GR: "If you have two balls, you cannot throw them away."

CW: Do you think this story can affect your son's motivation in the future?
GR: "Motorcycle racing is at the moment the thing he enjoys most, and it's the thing he would miss most. After Linda, his girlfriend. So I don't think that his motivation can change."

CW: Where does this motivation come from?
GR: "Everyone has a dream in life, a mission to accomplish, a goal. For Valentino, it's motorcycle racing. But always after his girlfriend (I'm joking, but not too much!)."

CW: What was so special about Valentino when he was a kid?
GR: "He was immensely curious. But kids are like that. He really enjoyed accomplishing very difficult tasks. But kids also do that. Every kid has a talent, but sometimes they don't know they have it, or maybe they don't know for what they have a gift. Valentino had a big talent. Fathers make their kids play, first of all with the toys they like themselves. Valentino developed a great passion for speed. I think it's difficult not to become passionate about the game of speed. Valentino had talent, he enjoyed racing and this became his life."

CW: Can you tell us a story about Valentino as a kid?

GR: "The last time I gave him advice as the father of a rider, he was 10 years old. We were at the pocket bike circuit of Cattolica, close to Misano. Vale was leaving from the pole position and he chose to take the start from the right side of the track because the first corner was on the right. I joined him on the starting grid and I suggested that he start from the left side so that he could pass on the outside. Vale looked at me from under the visor and told me: "Dad, let's leave it to me!"

CW: What is the best moment of his 20-year career?
GR: "Every time he leaves for a race, I hug him and he hugs me back. Throughout his career, it has happened more than 200 times now. The best moment for me is this hug. It happens only on these occasions."

CW: Where do you Valentino in 10 years?
GR: "Maybe in Superbike with Yamaha! I'm joking. I see him in car racing. Or maybe playing with the VR46 Academy kids, trying to make them grow and trying to understand why he cannot beat them anymore, when they are racing at the Ranch."

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/11/08...src=SOC&dom=fb

[Sheel]

Welcome to Moto-GP Avishar & GTO

Originally Posted by GTO

Rossi's ride was superb - man, he was overtaking as if everyone else was standing still. But once he got to 4th, it was quite lonely as the gap was too big + guys ahead were too fast.

While I do agree that Marquez and Lorenzo were/are faster than Rossi, there is something called race-craft, in which Rossi has got himself a doctorate. No one can tussle like him on the field, 9 times out of 10, on equal machinery Rossi will come out triumph in a dog fight.

Originally Posted by avishar

It was so tense and so fast!

Hope you enjoyed.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

What Marquez did was clear as daylight and its a shame to the sport. Rossi losing cool in Sepang cost him the title. If Rossi was at the front in Valencia, Marquez would have fought really hard and ensured he would make Rossi crash too

Rossi can make others crash and not the other way around. I remember Lorenzo falling when he was coming on to the grid from the pits, maybe 2/3 seasons ago, I am yet to see a Moto-GP rider doing so.

In the press conference, Lorenzo was blabbering how fast he was and mentioning Rossi was 20 seconds behind. What he is completely ignoring is that he started from the back of the grid and not the 1st or 2nd row. Would like to see how many seconds Lorenzo will be off the 1st position when he starts from the last.

Yup he is fast, but when the time comes to mix it, he starts behaving like a kid who has lost his lollipop. [Remember his sponsorship]

Originally Posted by Shivank

Some excerpts from David Emmett's latest write-up. He's one of the finest MotoGP journalists, so it's worth giving a read whichever camp you belong to!

But what about Sepang?

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

To be honest, reading: "this was his last chance to be world champion" makes me irritated. Rossi is still good enough to fight at the top flight.

Let some rules bunch 'em together on the track and see who wins.

I would rather watch IOMTT if I had to see a single rider going out all in a spectacular fashion.

Originally Posted by shyn

Rossi's father speaks to cycleworld magazine:

Had misty eyes after reading it up.

[Abhi_abarth]

I am searching for the replay but couldn't find it on youtube. Can anybody help.

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by Abhi_abarth

I am searching for the replay but couldn't find it on Youtube. Can anybody help.

"Like" a page called "Video MotoGP" on Facebook.

They upload some great videos, and most of this season's races are available in HD, including some great Rossi classics.

Much better option than searching YT for Dorna's crappy videos.

Be warned though, it's a "yellow" page so don't expect a neutral stance there.

Cheers

EDIT : Just came across this page while searching for good MotoGP videos, not associated with the page in any way.

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

Can you share the page link, please? I'm having a bit of trouble searching for it.

Here you go mate : https://www.facebook.com/VideoMotoGP/videos

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by Parth46

"Like" a page called "Video MotoGP" on Facebook.

Can you share the page link, please? I'm having a bit of trouble searching for it.

[badri]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Rossi can make others crash and not the other way around. I remember Lorenzo falling when he was coming on to the grid from the pits, maybe 2/3 seasons ago, I am yet to see a Moto-GP rider doing so.

Rossi is not immune to pressure too..2006 Valencia race is a prime example.

By the way, Lorenzo crashed on sighting lap in Mugello in 2009. In the race, he went on to finish 2nd behind Stoner and ahead of Rossi!

Crashes on sighting lap (or) warmup lap, are rare. However, some big names were caught unaware on cold tyres and were victims to it.

Casey Stoner:
https://motomatters.com/news/2009/11...n_to_cold.html

Marc Marquez:
http://www.twowheelsblog.com/post/54...ged-125cc-race

Andrea Dovizioso:
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8993389

Ben Spies:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/164...y-to-grid.html

Stefan Bradl:
http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/06/28...-sighting-lap/

Troy Corser:
http://www.crash.net/wsbk/news/12444...lap-crash.html

All these can be attributed to cold tyres. There was one strange crash due to error by Lorenzo which costed him... his finger tip! In Philip Island 2011, after a practice start, Lorenzo took the next curve without downshifting. Yamaha's launch control system was programmed to disengage (and traction control to engage) only after a down shift. As Lorenzo took the curve without shifting down, the traction control was not on and he was thrown off the bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no2QlSOCmTE

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by Parth46

"Like" a page called "Video MotoGP" on Facebook.

Here you go mate : https://www.facebook.com/VideoMotoGP/videos

Thanks for that Parth!
End of a phenomenal season! One thing for sure, Rossi isn't done!
I just can't wait for 2016!!!!

I wonder how many fans have moved camps (Rossi, MM, LOR) after this season.

Cheers!
Blind Rossi Fanboi!