Hey Tony look they racing in MotoGP again!
If you are a Jorge Lorenzo fan you are most likely livid about the audacity of Marc Marquez on the final corner at Jerez today.
I am in two minds. Lorenzo rode hard after losing the lead to Dani Pedrosa and for the most part he blocked Marquez from taking second in what seemed to be a fait acclompli until he was essentially bumped into third.
Is it fair? Should Lorenzo be p*ssed?
Probably but it also depends on where you sit. I mean MotoGP has become so damn boring. With all the electronics on the bikes and the usual domination of the factory rides it was getting, well frankly, too predictable.
At the very least Marquez has injected a little oomph into the proceedings. He is aggressive. This is a known fact given his record in Moto 2.
Moreover, what I saw on the last corner today looked like real racing to me, no?
And, the bump is nothing new really. Remember when Valentino Rossi did the same to Sete Gibernau at Jerez in 2005?
It was exciting then and it is exciting now; down and dirty that is. We need a little hot blood rivalry and some kick ass attitude to liven up MotoGP.
So even though I am a fan of the reigning champion, Lorenzo, I am also just thrilled to bits to see the overall rivalry heat up - and we should not forget that Dani Pedrosa beat them both today in an excellent show of skill at a track where he still holds the fastest time ever.
It all looks good and will even look better if my all-time favorite rider, Rossi, can make a few podiums this year.
And finally, I never thought I would say this, but man it would have been even nicer if Casey Stoner was still in the mix.
Of course my boy Tony has not thrown his trusted two cents into the ring yet - he being the real expert on all things bikes and racing. So its over to Melbourne then for a solicited opinion.
Onward!
2 comments:
Hell, boet, if I was Lorenzo, I would have been pretty pissed off. It was a bit of a silly move, but there was a fairly big gap - Jorge left THE BARN DOOR open.
Ok, I need to take a step back - as far as assigning blame - I think that they're both to blame.
Marquez....he was a little far back to pull that move off cleanly, but Jorge did leave the door open and wasn't a small gap, hence the barn door reference. I also feel that Marquez could have pulled his turn in a little tighter, although I will concede that with the lack of grip (everybody complained about it), and amount of braking force that Marc would have had to use to close the big gap, he may have not have had much grip in reserve to turn any tighter. Still a bit of an over ambitious move that paid off in the end, but could just as well have ended in tears.
Jorge....should have kept the door shut (as he too admitted in the post race interview)and I also feel that he turned into Marquez; it's not like he was unsighted, Marquez was slightly in front of him. He should have stood it up a little, Marquez would have passed him and ran wide - he would then be able to zip up the inside and claim his second place. His bump actually helped Marquez to make the turn. But I think that on this rare occasion, the red mist got the better of him. It may also have been a bit of an intimidation tactic to let the young pup know that the MotoGP boys can play just as hardball as the Moto2/3 boys, after all, it is their old stomping ground.
So I think that it should pass as nothing more than a racing incident, but yes, if I was Jorge, I would be extremely pissed off.
We should also take our hat off to the world champ - he didn't make any reference to the incident in the post race interview, except to say that he should not have left the door open.
I salute you Jorge, you are a hard racer, a fair sportsmen and you are a gentleman.
Thanks for a comprehensive analysis and comment bra Tony.
I too was impressed with Lorenzo's maturity at the press conference.
He has every right to be pissed off as you say. But it is all par for the course is it not? The young gun is taking it to the champ. Two weeks ago he crossed swords with Pedrosa - who by the way looked imperious yesterday.
At Jerez Marquez saw Rossi off quite comprehensively too.
So the race was a continuation of his bold entrance and history making feats in MotoGP.
On a related note - I was surprised to see him celebrate drinking champaign on the podium in Texs. Since he is only 20 it is in fact an illegal celebration.
The drinking age in the US is 21 as you know.
And despite the nanny state posture of all things official in the US nothing was said that I know of.
Thanks again for a great comment Tony.
Peace,
Ridi
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