Liberty Media Purchases MotoGP

He's passed so I'll leave this alone.

He was good to people he liked, RIP Jim.

 

Yeah I don't care either. If Marc keeps it up, he'll have more titles than Rossi or Ago, and we can put it to bed.

I understand why people worship Rossi, but I can never understand the hate. He seems to have made a positive impact on the sport, no?

 

Even if he could keep beating the young challengers once they all get on good bikes, I doubt that he wants to be around long enough to even get a whiff of that record. I see a farewell tour with Honda in 2027 and 2028, then he's gonna kick Alex out of the house and start making future champions.

 

Barring any injuries that sideline him, I give Marc until he's 37. That's certainly older than most, but he's in his prime right now. I'm not sure if he's working harder / smarter / both / neither compared to his peak Honda years, but he's certainly dominating. I think there's a solid chance he wins the championship this year and next year somewhat easily. To be fair, 2027 is going to be a decisive year for a lot of riders, manufacturers, etc. Ugh... who knows anymore. I kinda hope 2027 shakes things up intensely for a reset.

 

I did. Not AMA pro, just club racing but attended AMA pro stuff and in the pits with racing friends. It was clear that not everybody got the same tires from either Dunlop or Michelin. The good tires were given to the select few that could run at the front with them. My opinion is that there were some who could have raced at the front more competitively if they had also had the good tires. I know that Jim Allen determined who got the good tires from Dunlop. I don't know who was in charge of that for Michelin at that time. That doesn't mean he was a bad guy, and has been stated here, he was a good guy to his friends.

 

He played favorites PERIOD... I was told by him on more than one occasion, he decided who got the good stuff.. direct quote to my face...Factory team or not, and quite frankly that's shitty for racing

 

ah capitalism...

 

Like I said Jim is gone and I refuse to speak ill of him since he is passed. The "fun" has all been pretty well documented and if people really want to know the details are out there.

 

Rossi was the People's Champion. Everyone loved him because he celebrated his wins with the people. And although he kept his distance, he never mistreated fans. Anyone who is loved by the masses, will be hated by a bothered few simply because they enjoy not riding the bandwagon.

 

Well, there was that female fan that he kicked from his scooter in the poddock. Some might call it a pattern...

 

To me, it was simply because Rossi made it seem like he was having fun. Not just fun on the bike, but he was enjoying the sport, celebrating in a fun way, and laughing / smiling. It may sound basic, but when you look at the stoic faces of guys like Lorenzo it wasn't a matter of who is a faster racer, but he never seemed like he was having any fun. Even his after-win antics looked like a serious expression of winning versus a joyous celebration. I think Rossi naturally liked to have fun and he probably saw a positive reaction from it when his career was still new and he leaned into it. I think Marc Marquez figured the same thing out and wants his legacy to be one where a majority of fans want to celebrate with him instead of booing after dominating the competition. Hence the post-win dances and all that that came around the last few years.

As much as a lot of people probably don't want to admit it, there's also probably a big overlap of timing. Rossi was the most dominant in an era and the people who got into racing during that era are highly susceptible to having grand memories related to his era. I think that's strongly the case for me personally. I would imagine there's another rider that fills that gap pre-Rossi era and Marc Marquez is now filling that gap post-Rossi. In the future we'll have another replacement after Marquez indefinitely.

One thing is certain. Without strong personalities (love me or hate em), the sport isn't as exciting. I was loving the Yamaha wall years, Casey Stoner's Ambition comment, Aleix's temper, etc. They create more to love than just lap times and points.

 

He didn't kick her. I was standing right there and saw it go down. Have pics too.

 

Also, Rossi was never a Saturday man. A lot of the fun watching him race was seeing him carve thru the pack on Sunday.

 

Do you think you deserved something special?

 

Rossi also came on the scene 30 years ago in a completely different time when riders didn't have to be so serious and could get away with more paddock and late night shenanigans. Most people didn't have a phone in their hands either, let alone one that can record almost instantly. Nor was there a huge social media presence through the first part of his career for teams and sponsors to track his behavior. Good on him for enjoying it more, but there are definitely reasons most of the guys have become more serious. And that goes for all sports. I mean think about it, you used to be able to go to a football game, show your ass, get your teeth knocked in and go to work on Monday. Now, that shits on FB/IG/X within 6 minutes and the only place you're going on Monday is the unemployment office.

 

And I still think tire wars are kewl!

 

A lit of it is down to the corporate bullshit that they have to adhere to these days. Have to act like a robot in case you upset someone.

 

Will the new company let me sign a petition to get Simon back in the booth ?
Al eww min ee ummm

 

If he didn't think he was being treated fairly, he could always move to another tire manufacturer. Come to think about it, there were complaints that "the good parts" weren't made available to everyone.

If I could only remember who was always bitching...

 

Have you seen the financials for MotoGP last few years. Profit has tanked since the doctor retired. Liberty better have a big ass rabbit.