Wha..No Sepang Thread

[JETFX...]

Who is Rossi? = the past.....

Its all about how you handle the pressure ya know!

[ChrisS]

Who is Rossi? = the past.....

Its all about how you handle the pressure ya know!

since you only joined this forum a few weeks ago I'm assuming your interest in MotoGP was created/increased because Stoner is winning. I could be wrong, if I am I apologize.

the majority of members here are from Australia so I think it creates the wrong picture. try other forums with more "global members" I believe you will find that most still think of Rossi as the man

[alfa155btcc]

since you only joined this forum a few weeks ago I'm assuming your interest in MotoGP was created/increased because Stoner is winning. I could be wrong, if I am I apologize.

the majority of members here are from Australia so I think it creates the wrong picture. try other forums with more "global members" I believe you will find that most still think of Rossi as the man

Great Reply, i too have noticed the australian biace on this site, has been quite one sided, nice to find someone who has the same thoughts as me
mokin:

[JETFX...]

since you only joined this forum a few weeks ago I'm assuming your interest in MotoGP was created/increased because Stoner is winning. I could be wrong, if I am I apologize.

the majority of members here are from Australia so I think it creates the wrong picture. try other forums with more "global members" I believe you will find that most still think of Rossi as the man

My interest in the 500's commenced circa 1987 actually if you are interested.... So what if I only joined just a few weeks ago, so what?

Wrong picture what the????? oh jeezzz not another 'krusty the clown' sprooker

Oh yeah "Appology" accepted

[maxu05]

Although I am an Aussie, ( I fly the Chinese flag, as I live in China at the moment), I must say that Rossi is still, IMO, the yard stick by which to measure other riders. Casey is great, and has had the most incredible year with Ducati, but, to totally dominate for 3 or 4 years is what is required to argue this point. Rossi dominated for 5 years remember, and he is still capable of winning (tyres permitting) more championships. I think the true test for Casey will be when Marco arrives at Ducati.

[JETFX...]

Although I am an Aussie, ( I fly the Chinese flag, as I live in China at the moment), I must say that Rossi is still, IMO, the yard stick by which to measure other riders. Casey is great, and has had the most incredible year with Ducati, but, to totally dominate for 3 or 4 years is what is required to argue this point. Rossi dominated for 5 years remember, and he is still capable of winning (tyres permitting) more championships. I think the true test for Casey will be when Marco arrives at Ducati.

Well opinions are for all, but not all the same thankfully

Rossi dominated for 5 years maybe.... yes but then ok please tell me who in your opinion was around to 'seriously' (consistently) challenge him? and again that were also on seriously competitive machinery and tyres to same level of support overall as Rossi during his winning seasons?

Of course Rossi also arrived in the premier class toward the end of the 500cc era pretty much when many of the true great racers were/had retired, then he also inhereted Micks legecy along with JB at HRC.... It was going to be pretty hard to stuff that ideal scenerio up with those odds on your side eh? And lets please not mention his lop sided superior Michelin advantage during all of his reign.

'To me' (Rossi) does not do so well when the balls not completely in his court so to speak! wet weather and serious on track pressures are not within his comfort zone from what I see. So that said and putting all sentiment aside (if possible) I think next year 08 is going to be the real story for Val and by which I reckon will show just what he is made of as well as for maybe the first time for many years will make or brake the myth...

They say you need to win two in a row to proove it was not a fluke, wonder if the same logic applys if you loose two or even three in a row?

[osg]

Who is Rossi? = the past.....

Its all about how you handle the pressure ya know!

jesus....... i'm an aussie who idolizes Rossi, and ok yes Casey has had the season to end all seasons. But get back to me when he runs 3 or 4 titles in a row up ok? Or when he breaks the 50 win barrier in MotoGP....

Yes, Casey is incredibly gifted, and the GP7 certainly didn't ride itself around this year, but to say Rossi who? smacks of arrogance and ignorance.

It's a very very big mountain to scale to get alongside Doohan, Ago and Vale......

[NinjaMaster]

Being an Australian hasn't blinded anyone's views in my opinion (as an Aussie). Sure we will support the Aussie riders more but have no problem recognising who are the top riders. For me, Rossi is still a top rider, no one can argue with that. However, whether or not he is the top rider anymore will be sorted out over the next few years. With the way Casey performed this year gives me a lot of reason to believe he could have beaten Vale on equal machinery. Remember that Casey has dominated with more than twice the race wins of anyone else this year, he hasn't just squeaked in because a few results went his way. Then there are the likes of Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Lorenzo coming through as well. Just because Rossi has been the best in the past doesn't mean he will always be.

Also, what really annoys me is the 'Rossi is the greatest ever rider' tag. According to who? Perhaps someone who has been following motorcycle Grand Prix racing since 1949 could answer but even then I don't think so. Rossi is the greatest of his era but I can't see how it can be said he is better than Agostini, Hailwood, Lawson or even Doohan. At the end of the day, all are legends.

Finally, for what it's worth, I do still consider Rossi to be the competitions yardstick but think the chasing pack are closing fast. And I believe this despite being very much not a fan of his anymore.

[osg]

Being an Australian hasn't blinded anyone's views in my opinion (as an Aussie). Sure we will support the Aussie riders more but have no problem recognising who are the top riders. For me, Rossi is still a top rider, no one can argue with that. However, whether or not he is the top rider anymore will be sorted out over the next few years. With the way Casey performed this year gives me a lot of reason to believe he could have beaten Vale on equal machinery. Remember that Casey has dominated with more than twice the race wins of anyone else this year, he hasn't just squeaked in because a few results went his way. Then there are the likes of Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Lorenzo coming through as well. Just because Rossi has been the best in the past doesn't mean he will always be.

Also, what really annoys me is the 'Rossi is the greatest ever rider' tag. According to who? Perhaps someone who has been following motorcycle Grand Prix racing since 1949 could answer but even then I don't think so. Rossi is the greatest of his era but I can't see how it can be said he is better than Agostini, Hailwood, Lawson or even Doohan. At the end of the day, all are legends.

Finally, for what it's worth, I do still consider Rossi to be the competitions yardstick but think the chasing pack are closing fast. And I believe this despite being very much not a fan of his anymore.

Well said ninja........

I've been thinking about the Stoner vs Rossi thing all year, regarding the Rossi fanboys arguement that it's the tyres for Casey, and if Vale was on equal equipment etc etc...... and i'm of the opinion that he may very well have struggled to lift the title even if he was on a Ducati.

Is Valentino the best ever????? Can't compare era's like you said, but he's certainly the best of the last decade obviously......

The main reason for the post here is to put this thought out there:

Could the reason for all the to and fro between the Rossi fans and the rest be this:

That it's been hard for Rossi fans to accept that he has indeed been beaten the last 2 years (i was filthy in '06 when Hayden pipped him at the post) because he is the first dominant champion to continue riding, and be beaten after a prolonged period of dominance...... and not have to retire due to injury?

Doohan retired 3 races into '99, and Rainey retired obviously due to the injuries suffered at Misano in '93.......... this is the first time in 14 years that we've actually seen an all time great beaten on track, not by injuries....

thats the overriding thought i'm having..... that it's a bitter pill to swallow. I myself as a ardent Rossi fan can accept that he now is entering into the last years of his career........ i think he can grab another title, but it would need to be in '08 or '09. If he does reclaim the title next year, i think we'll see him walk away.

If he can't win another in the next 2 years....... he's done, and we may see a sad descent into the midfield for Valentino....

[JETFX...]

Too be honest it was not until toward the end of 2006 that it became pretty obvious to me about Rossi's true metal under pressure... Seeing the way he lost the title to Hayden when really under (little) pressure was pretty average and has to make you wonder? it did me!!! but to say hes the best racer of 'all time' or amoungst them I cannot see this myself simply based upon his on track battles alone in the premier class... certainly not the same as many of the previous generations full on 'gun fight' battles like we witnessed in the late 80's and early 90's... now those guys Lawson, Rainy, Gardner and many more to many to list where somthing else altogether and well up a few more rungs of the ladder in my opinion...

The way Val also said in the press this season that the championship was over for him, conceding to Casey..... before it technically even was points wise, is not exactly what you would expect to here from a multi world champ and not very impressive either Could you imagine Gardner, Doohan, Lawson, Rainy, Schwantz or even Schmaker etc ever saying that......