Marty reflects on MotoGP 2015 Valencia finale
By Martin Thompson
I found it distasteful to listen to the very unsposrtsmanlike comments and accusations from Valentino Rossi post race at Valencia.
I also found it disgusting to read some of the comments, all be it expected, from the Rossi fans post race.
It appears Rossi and his fans are now only gracious in success, but vile and poisonous in defeat.
The abuse of Jorge Lorenzo, the booing on the podium of both Lorenzo and Marquez was quite frankly poor form. I remember Gentleman Jim Richards making comments on the podium at Bathurst when he won in a Nissan and received booing from the audience. If Lorenzo or Marquez had shouted back “You’re all a pack of arseholes”, as gentleman Jim Richards had, I would not have thought badly of either rider. To not accept that Lorenzo was just clearly the better rider this season, just because your hero didn’t win, and to react with such unflattering words and actions by both the fans, and Rossi, just shows the lack of respect these people have for anyone else, and dare I say it, a distinct lack of intelligence in being able to decipher the facts.
Jeremy Burgess made comment recently as quoted in AMCN (which I should remind everyone is the long running print magazine mainstay of Australian motorcycling, but not in any way related to the on-line only MCNews.com.au Trevor Hedge started 16 years ago), stating, “The plan was working well except Lorenzo was the one who didn’t give up. Sadly things appeared to start unraveling in Valentino’s mind at Phillip Island…”
This to me says it all in terms of the end of season results.
Valentino, who was taught by one of the best mind games specialists,  five-times World Champion Mick Doohan, historically has always had the upper hand when issuing barbs and upsetting other riders minds with polite, subtle, yet powerfully effective comments, which worked to place pressure on his opponents.
However, this year, Rossi appeared to fall foul of his own tactics.
His first mistake was to criticise Iannone at Phillip Island, who is known to be not only a fellow countryman, but also a friend. Rossi later seemed to heal this rift, I would assume in an attempt to ensure he had his countryman on his side come Valencia.
Then to wave a red rag at the Marquez bull, accusing him of riding to take points from Rossi. Which after Phillip Island made no sense at all, considering Marquez passed Lorenzo for the win, taking valuable points, not only from Rossi, but also from Lorenzo, only added to the out of character actions of Rossi. In Addition, Iannone, who was further behind in the championship chase and a fellow countryman, also took valuable points from Rossi at Philip Island. Why is he not facing the same acccusations as Marquez? Why is Dani Pedrosa also not facing the same accusations as Marquez? After all, he also was not a title contender and is Spanish to boot.
Of course, the Rossi fans refuse to look at facts and logic and continue to make false accusations of Marquez.
To me, the crowning glory in all the nasty post championship accusations is the comments made by Lorenzo post race at Valencia. Lorenzo threw the first arrow in the war of mind games for the 2016 season, and both Rossi and all his adoring fans appear to have taken the bait hook line and sinker. I hope Lorenzo used a barbless hook on his bait, as otherwise it’s going to require micro-surgery to remove them from the big mouths of the overtly passionate Rossi fans who swallowed said bait, and are now allowing it to fester and churn within their guts.
Lorenzo’s comments I refer to, were where he thanked both Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez for not passing him for the race lead at Valencia, and for being patriotic fellow spaniards who protected his championship lead, and allowed him to win the race. These are perhaps the most clever and antagonistic comments that could have been uttered by Lorenzo, and the Rossi fans have taken the bait well and truly, claiming it as proof that Pedrosa and Marquez protected their countrymans lead in order for him to win the championship.
I just think this was perhaps one of the most ingenius barbs i’ve heard in years. It has hit the mark well and truly and will ensure that 2016 will continue with some spite and a huge amount of passion.
I just hope that Rossi doesn’t retire during the offseason, making the comment slightly redundant and acedemic.
If Rossi does decide to continue next year, I think we are going to find the same Rossi we have seen in the latter part of this season. The nasty Rossi. The Rossi willing to go to all and every length to ensure he gets his way. The Rossi who for the first time in his career has allowed his own specialty of mind games to get to him, and the Rossi who for the latter part of this season, portrayed an ego that indicated his mindset; That of his sense of entitlement due to the undoubtedly huge impact he has had on the world of MotoGP. A sense of entitlement that gave reason for him to believe that riders not competing for the championship, should just pull to the side and allow Rossi through to fight with Lorenzo.
But, if Rossi is going to write out expensive verbal cheques next year, he had better ensure that he has a little more cash in the bank to cash them in. This year, he wrote verbal cheques, that his on track ability had no hope of cashing.
I look forward to reading the verbal abuse I will undoubtedly receive from the passionate Rossi fans, for speaking what is the truth. Who when given facts can only retort with either abuse or immature gifs and mems from the internet.
Martin Thompson
