Motogp crapenings.

I don't remember Valentino losing much if any time due to injuries until his broken leg in 2010 at the age of ~31.

 

That's what I'm saying. The greats seem to bring new something to the sport that changes it. It's a little more subtle with mm but it's definitely there. The riding has definitely changed. You could say that really started with simo though. Easy to forget his ability.

 

Correct, and he also wasn't a crashed either. He's probably crashed more in the last 5-6 years than in the first 15 or so years of his career.

 

I think I'm the only one who believes that regularly un-crashing yourself from front-end slides takes at least as much skill and reflexes as avoiding a highside. I'm sure he would've been the best on a 500 as well after racing 125s and 250s.
Biaggi won the first 500 race he entered and finished second in the championship that year. His name has never come up in any GOAT discussion of any kind.

 

No you're not the only one.

Who's Biaggi? just another one of those nobodies that Rossi had to race while racking up a bunch of wins against untalented bums?

 

Biaggi would be on my list of top 5 250 racers of all time. Yeah, best equipment (most of the time) and his team held his hand, wiped his nose and tushy and built him up but he was a machine on two-five-zeros.

500s? He was damn good but so was the rest of the grid (well, most of it).

WSBK, he was a gawd damn gawd again but a bit too all over the place.

 

Gotta give the mad emperor mad props. IIRC he didn’t swing a leg over a bike until around his 70th birthday.

 

Biaggi and Simoncelli were my fav 250 riders. Cannot believe Marco will be gone 10 years next year. Doesn't seem like it was that long ago.

 

Wow, that seems like just a few years ago.

 

Put them in a bar and pick a fight... MM down!

 

My money is on Kenny Roberts Sr in that one.

 

I remember seeing Schwantz do it.

 

Yep, someone posted a video of it a while back...Donington Park, into the esses?

Likewise, Marc’s elbow drag was done previous to even CS27...there’s a pic of a French rider on I believe a Yamaha 500 doing the business, elbow on deck.

 

I remember seeing pictures of the French rider, I want to say that was in the early 90's, but he wasn't really ever a factor that I recall.

For me the difference with Marc's elbow drags is how often he does it and saves a crash. I don't remember anyone before Marc, consistently doing that? If someone did save a crash, we all thought it was just a lucky save. Where with Marc, he actually seems to have a consistent talent at saving a front end slide that others don't have.

 

Jean-Philippe Ruggia

 

I'm probably wrong but I think it was Christian Sarron.

 

He was the only guy out there who didn't even put his knee down.

 

Probably seconds before he dragged his elbow and crashed. Ruggia spent more time in the air then an U2.

 

No, he was the first guy consistently dragging his elbow.