Too aggressive?

"At the end of the day I'm not happy because I've made a mistake and it
has cost me the chance to win this race, but I also think that even if
he rode a great race, some of Valentino's moves early in the race were
too aggressive."
http://superbikeplanet.com/2008/Jul/080721a.htm

Even though I didn't see anything overly aggressive that doesn't mean
it didn't happen, but cryin' about it after you drop your bike in sand
comes off, well, a little "un-Champ" like, doncha' think? Mostly what I
saw was the master taking the youngster to school and very well done
too..

Heheh, Vale breaks another one? Once they start cryin' it's usually
already over and it will be interesting to see how Brno goes...

 

I re-watched the first five laps today, and I really can't see
anything that Rossi can be critcised for. The one 'incident' was
where Vale went past on the way into the corkscrew (a nice clean
move), and ran just into the dirt on the downhill part - he then came
back on to the track a little out of shape, and Stoner had to move
over a little. But really, what was Stoner expecting Rossi to do -
*not* ride back onto the track?

Every other pass from Rossi was as clean as you like, on the brakes
and tucked inside.

 

Heh, I'd imagine he was surprised (as I was) that he didn't crash and
take them both out, much less come back leading! (That deal had
catastrophe written all over it and had it been anyone but Rossi prolly
would've been credited to dumbluck)

As good a 2 man race as you could ever hope to see and if there was any
bangin' they didn't show it on the tube over here...

 

T3 notes:

Roger that.

What about the mess in turn 3, just after they came back
from commercial I think. A lap or two before Caseyboy
binned it. Stoner was past Rossi, Rossi crammed it under
him in 2 (maybe numbers aren't right but that double apex
left thing after start-finish), Stoner got a drive towards three
and was well inside Rossi and looked like anybody else
he was past. But not Vale. He braked even later then
leaned in on Stoner and Stoner had to back off to avoid
taking them both to the dirt or losing the front.

Hard move. I loved it.

Yep, be interesting to see how the whinging goes. Maybe
Caseyboy is smarter than Gibby and Max but I ain't placing
that bet.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.

 

Yeah, that one got me on my feet, err, foot, it was so awesome, I liked
the one where he rode around Casey on the outside too, though I'll be
dammed if I can remember where it happened right now. Suffice to say it
was one hell of a race and I was sorry to see Stoner drop it, as it was
shaping up as a for sure photo. But I got news for Casey, if he thinks
Rossi was too aggressive up to that moment, then it's prolly best he
did crash, because I'd imagine the last lap with Vale yesterday
would've been a minute 20 of "paint tradin'" (praticin' for DSB next
year%-) at it's best..

Btw, you see those Red Bull kid's bangin' coming to the flag? Killer, huh?

He's got 3 weeks or so to spit the hook and mend the wounds, so, we'll
see. My take? Pediboi is prolly toast, so it'll be "bring it" time for
Stonah, but if Vale can keep both eyes on Casey instead of just one,
well, I'm not sure that Duc has enough black boxes, or pony's to
compensate for a fully engaged Rossi...

 

From the armchair where I'm sitting, leaning on people a little bit,
running them out to the white line and suckering them into braking to
late is all part of the game. There's a slightly nasty undercurrent some
times to racing where you have to impose your will as much as your
speed. And then there are riders who love that side of it and love
racing and there are riders who only love winning. I didn't see a single
pass that was dangerous because Stoner always knew where Rossi was and
always had the option of backing off, letting him take it and then
taking a clean pass later.

But what I did see was the moment when they finally go head to head,
mano a mano. Rossi didn't blink while Stoner did. And for someone who
only likes winning that hurts. And the worst of it is that Rossi knows
that and knows how to rub salt in it so it hurts more. The final master
stroke was to stride over and offer a handshake with a big grin just as
Stoner's about to start the interview with the BBC in Parc Ferme.

And you just know that if the cards land the right way again this year,
and they surely will, Rossi's going to do it all over again. and again.
Because for him its not about running off into the distance. It's about
beating someone on the last lap when they thought they had it in the
bag. It's about destroying their belief in their ability to beat him.
And its about kicking them when they're down if they don't have the good
grace to acknowledge that he won. Really, Rossi is the biggest bully of
them all. But then he goes and kisses the tarmac at the Corkscrew and we
love him for the spectacle he provided.

Maybe now Stoner has to learn how to follow someone for 25 laps and then
overtake and hold it on the last lap? If that race had gone down to the
wire I don't know how it would have turned out. Maybe they'd have both
ended up in the gravel.

 

Aren't you forgetting the Catalunya race last year? And that time
Stoner came out on top. But at any rate a terrific race, just a pity
the confrontation between the two of them ended early. And, like
Champ, I'd like to know where Rossi found his race pace from.

Cheers,

 

It happens - at Catalunya this year, Pedrosa found the best part of a
second a lap in the race, compared to all his previous sessions, and
consequently rode away from everyone.

Actually, that race is a good example of why I like Rossi so much -
while Pedrosa rode off into the distance, Rossi and Stoner had a
ding-dong battle. After the race, Rossi was clearly exhilarated by
the race he'd had for 2nd with Stoner, and didn't seem too bothered
that Pedrosa had won it by a country mile. Rossi just *loves* to
race, and I love that about him.

 

People who love to race vs People who love to win. The problem with the
second is they turn into arrogant bastards when they win and grumpy
bastards when they don't. Like Fogarty.

BTW. On the PB forum[1], "Marge" wrote. "I spanner for a couple of
clubracers now and then, and if either of them got of the bike and spoke
to me like Stoner did to his team (or at least appeared to), they'd be
shitting paddock stand splinters for weeks."

[1]http://www.pbmagforum.com makes for entertaining reading.

 

Indeed he did. And IIRC in that race Pedrosa's team made some setup
changes *after* the morning warmup. So it was a bit of a gamble that
paid off. Has anybody heard if Rossi/Burgess made any significant
changes after practice at Laguna?

 

Julian Bond reports:

I gotta remember that.


Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.