I'm sure MM has upset and embarrassed a lot of the top riders, their reputations have been tarnished. Not only are they all losing to MM but at this point in time he looks set to win the championship and those at the very top having the most to loose are of course the angry ones.

I think some of the top riders expect to be treated with extra respect on the track, reminds me of some of the things said about the late great Marco Simonchelli.

These guys have been racing against each other for years and it has become quite comfortable for them, racing against some of these up-and-coming young-bloods takes them out of that comfort zone.

I think Cal Crutchlow put it rather well

“If you see him at every race when he's behind a rider when he's going to make a mistake or run wide he always goes to the outside. A lot of riders go to the inside and make a massive crash so he's actually doing a better job than a lot of riders in that sense.

“It's not for me to comment on it because I said before that I don't believe he should be punished. This isn't going to make him change one thing because he rides the way that he rides and it's how he wins so I don't think there should be a penalty. I don't think he's doing anything too bad but what's happening is that he's embarrassing everyone by winning and some people are angry about it''.

Cal, being in a similar position to MM must find it all very amusing.

 

I agree with Cal on the subject. And on the old GP threads - I constantly said that there was nothing wrong with the way Simoncelli rode the bike as long as he was not deliberately trying to take people out (which of course - he wasn't).

When he (SuperSic) collided with Dani (I think it was Le Mans) - he was riding his lines. The problem was that it differed from Dani's lines. Dani was complaining the exact same way back then. Did he expect that everyone had to have the same exact line everywhere on the track? It wasn't SuperSic's fault - just as this isn't MM93's fault.

I find it really offensive that JLo and Dani are using Simoncelli's death (which had nothing to do with his aggressive style - it had to do with cold tires and him getting stuck) to try and sway Race Direction to giving more penalties for aggressive riding.


As far as Dani - isn't that calling the kettle black. I'm sure he remembers what he did in his rookie year at Estoril. There wasn't any Race Direction trying to take points away. All he got then was a "F*ck you, know you're role" from teammate and championship leader Nicky Hayden. That's pretty fair if you ask me. He should have had some words with MM93 privately - and that should be it. Team Repsol could decide whether or not they want to do something about it.

And JLo - I don't see why he's so upset. It seems a bit ridiculous to be so upset over that incident. The other problem I have is that they and some of their fans seem to make the argument that it's about the cumulative. The big problem with that is - he's been penalized for those infractions already. They say things like "well, he could have possibly hurt marshals at Silverstone". The reply is - Yes, he could have - hence the penalty. "What about Corsi last year in Moto2?" HE WAS PENALIZED FOR THAT!

So after a penalty has been levied - you can't continue to count those infractions on smaller incidents like Aragon.

And as far as Jerez is concerned with JLo - Rossi made that EXACT move on Sete - no penalty. JLo (even as a 11 yr old) made that EXACT move in a 125 class to take a win. When questioned, the young Jorge said "That's racing".

I don't like the lip service they're providing. They should just can it - and race. Oh well - it's not like I have thought about the matter. I wouldn't even say I have an opinion....


P.S. - It was also a very 'ballsy' move by Pedrosa too, when at the conference, he said he didn't want to say anything regarding the penalty because of a sore throat...

 

well, you know you you get a sore throat....I'm sure if it was a guy in the back of the pack everyone would have made a stink about it and promptly forgot.

I like Rossi's response to the incident: "I didn't see the crash, but I think Marc has to be penalized for 2 or 3 seasons! A lot easier for me!"

 

CJardine is right. Rossi nailed it. Racing, especially at the highest levels in any form, it also involves employing every possible tactic OFF the track, too. If a team can get the win by challenging a race result after the race, arguing a rule or protesting a rider's actions, it's still a valid win and they all do everything they can to win. Rossi may have been joking a little, but he was speaking truth, too.

At a more Grass Roots racing level, the other guys in the series might go have a 'chat' with a wildman competitor if they're all worried about him/her on the track..Or they go to the race stewards and complain...and eventually, the organizers respond or the riders have to 'fix' the situation on their own...There is too much money and attention focused on Moto GP for MM to be 'disciplined' by the rest of the riders on the track. But the teams are probably using a lot of other tactics, off the track, to curb ol' MM's riding style.

"Racing" in the protest rooms is not much fun for us fans or for the racers themselves but it's as important as actually riding the bike, in the end. Racing is the total process of being awarded the win, really. Being the "best" rider isn't the same as being a winner, sadly.

 

Wow, great racing between JLo and Marquez. I was surprised to see them shake hands on the cool down lap.


I'm pissed Hayden's motor blew up. He was pulling away from Dovi and catching Smith - he was going really well. And to make matters worse - that was a new engine - and his 6th...

 

unfortunately i wasnt able to catch the gp race, sleeping in vs. waking up at 4am to watch the race...tough choice....But i did watch the moto2 race, quite the nasty wreck on that first lap.

 

Man, you're not kidding. That was one of the worst group crashes I've seen. It's really remarkable that no one was seriously hurt. That was really scary.


But I wonder what would have changed with Redding and Espargaro if the race hadn't been stopped.

 

I'm watching the race tomorrow, payed for the subscription so I'll have to avoid this thread until then.

 

Pretty good race. REALLY hypocritical of Lorenzo - but, non the less, great racing.



So what would you do if you were in Hayden's situation (motor wise)?

 

Collect my paycheck the rest of the season and let the friggin' team worry about the Lame Duck bike. Hope for contract for a better ride next season.

Lame duck rider on a lame duck bike....Sorry, couldn't resist that awful pun.