seriously... i would venture to say that ever since the first big leg break, Rossi lost a bit of the killer spirit. Ducati took a little out of him. Marco dying definitely took a little of his firey spirit away... if Marquez was there before any of those and won? maybe i'd agree, but Rossi hasn't been in his prime for a few bunch of years now at this point. its not Marc's fault, that's just life, but he don't get that notch on his belt.
Rossi has had to change his riding style to keep up with Marquez. One would think that made him even better than he was before.
Definitely, but the thing that some people are missing is that the job is a grind. Seems like a dream to us, but it's a lot of work. The training, testing, and travel must wear you down and it's very rare for someone who's been at it as long as Rossi to keep working and improving. Old dogs and new tricks and shit. Most careers are over by 30 and I honestly believe it has more to do with the mental part than physical. What impresses me most about Rossi is that he has enough money and nothing left to prove, but he still has the fire. Time will tell if Marquez burns out or keeps his pace. He seems to be having fun, so hopefully we get to see him race for quite a few more years.
Fair statement. Although, I don’t think it necessarily made him “even better” rather it enabled him to prolong his competitiveness. I think one can make the argument that Rossi was well into the twilight of his prime the first year MM entered the premier class in 2013. It wasn't until after this season or 2014 ??? That Rossi found it necessary to change just to stay even / regress less. I don’t think it’s a valid argument to make that Rossi was in his prime against MM much more than one season and even then, it is debatable.
I poke rabid Rossi fans as much as humanly possible, but the fact that anyone will even argue he was still in his prime well past 30 really does say a lot about his talent.
And Rossi said stoner was the fastest rider he's ever raced against and did things nobody else could.... So Colin<Rossi<Stoner
I guess my POV, is that since the Alien inception, he has faced the toughest competition yet. Which speaks volumes of his abilities. But, MM, Lorenzo, and Pedro, racked up pretty good win totals against him. So, is he fading? Are they better? Is MM that much better than all of the above? Don't know. But the squirming is fun.