Why Rossi vs. Marquez Sepang circus will end up hurting Moto GP badly

VR46 fanclub Vale Yellow

“Marquez succeeded. He has cost me the title.” – Valentino Rossi.

Last week, after finishing 4th in the race at Phillip Island and allowing Jorge Lorenzo to close in at just 11 points behind in the Championship fight, Valentino Rossi shocked the Motorsport world by accusing Marc Marcquez of trying to help Lorenzo win the title. And after what happened this weekend at Sepang, Rossi’s comments are now beginning to look prophetic.

After a good start, Marc Marquez allowed Jorge Lorenzo to pass him without a fight. When Valentino Rossi was behind Marquez just minutes later, the Spaniard got involved in a crazy duel with Vale, seemingly slowing him down and touching him a couple of times. It wasn`t long until Rossi intentionally entered wide in a corner, pushing Marquez even wider. Marc touched him, knocking his foot off the pedal, and Rossi reacted with an (instinctive) kick which forced the young Spaniard to crash. MotoGP verdict: Rossi will start the last race in Valencia, two weeks from now, from the back of the grid. With just 7 points between him and Lorenzo, they might as well have handed Jorge the 2015 title.

“Despite what Marquez said we think he was deliberately trying to affect the pace of Valentino. However he didn’t actually break any rules. Whatever we think about the spirit of the championship, according to the rule book he didn’t make contact. His passes were clean. He rode within the rules.

Valentino reacted to what he saw as provocation from Marquez and unfortunately his reaction was a manoeuvre that was against the rules. It’s irresponsible riding, causing a crash. So he’s been penalized for that. We believe the contact was deliberate.” – MotoGP Race Director, Mike Webb

The decision? While surely debatable, it`s hard to definitely say it wasn`t right. No matter the circumstances, Rossi kicked or at least slightly pushed Marquez, which you just can`t do. The motivation and following events? Mindblowing. Because Marquez was clearly in the wrong as well, fighting too aggressively, while also breaking an unwritten rule – do not excessively interfere with riders battling for the title when you are not. Nevermind the suspicions about him letting Lorenzo pass like it was the warm up lap.

But MotoGP chose to only penalize Rossi, while pretty much absolving Marquez of any fault. Motivating that Marquez did not make contact, when it is clear as day that he touched Rossi first – and it wasn’t the only time during the race. When the official statement sounds like this, you can only have two questions: are all of these guys blind, or are there other forces at play?

“Everybody who rode a bike in competitions knows that when someone is leaning on you, you have to break loose or you both fall. It was Marquez’s fault” – Robi Muresan, former Romanian Moto3 racer.

The position of race director Mike Webb quickly spurred a social media frenzy, but no statement had more impact than Lorenzo’s pathetic plea to suspend Rossi. Missing a great opportunity to keep his mouth shut, Jorge launched himself into a tirade against his Yamaha teammate, questioning his character and blatantly calling him an “undeserved champion” if he would somehow win it all in Valencia. Lorenzo even let slip a funny statement about possible rain in Valencia, inadvertently admitting that he does not know how to ride in difficult conditions.

Rossi’s first race back at Yamaha (Qatar 2013)

  • 45% was the TV audience increase in Spain
  • 75% was the TV audience increase in UK
  • 5.28 million Italians watched the race

With Valentino Rossi holding an estimate of 80% of MotoGP’s fanbase, the comments and statements made by MotoGP officials, along with the general demonizing of Vale has left his supporters outraged. With the Italian likely to retire after his Yamaha contract runs out next year, many of these fans will be out as well – migrating to other competitions, or, for the more casual fans, leaving moto racing all together.

They will not be compelled into watching a duel between the boring Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, two guys they now believe have worked together, along with the race officials, to deny Rossi his 8th Premier Class title. And will not support a product, MotoGP, which demonized their idol for suspect reasons and in a suspect way.

  • TV Ratings for MotoGP saw an above average increase in numbers for each of the three seasons since Rossi returned at Yamaha

How could have all this circus been attenuated?

  • Make both Rossi and Marquez start from the back of the grid in Valencia
  • Issue an official statement in which both riders have the same degree of fault
  • Don`t make rushed allegations, giving Lorenzo the chance to alienate even the few fans he had left

MotoGP was already in the wrong in my eyes, after celebrating the killing of a Seagull in Phillip Island last week, when the poor bird was hit by Adrea Iannone – even trying to make money off of it with pay per view. With another fiasco at Sepang, they just shot themselves in the foot. Such a good product, but now set to follow in Formula 1’s footsteps, with the numbers sure to drop consistently and constantly after Rossi retires. And if there were odds about TV ratings plummeting from 2017 onwards, I would be all over them.

Still, a question remains. How bad would Rossi, his fans and even this article look if Marquez finishes ahead of Lorenzo in Valencia and ends up handing Rossi the title? We`ll have to wait until November 8, when the Spanish GP will take place, to find out.

Also read: Why will Valentino Rossi be the Moto GP GOAT if he wins the 2015 title

Jorge Lorenzo to win the 2015 MotoGP title – odds 1.45 @ Bwin
Valentino Rossi to win the 2015 MotoGP title – odds 3.00 @ Ladbrokes

About Rostick

Born in '88. Running betting tips websites since 2007. Launched Betdistrict in 2013. Worked as a bookie for a year to spy on the other side. Rugby Union and NBA expert. Editor info & statistics.

One comment

  1. This was a joke, motogp is spanish 100%. I hope Rossi will prove evrybody what he is.

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