FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 10 | Page 62

The Valencia GP was building to a
crescendo and many were still clinging
with hope to Valentino’s final play, the
CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport)
case. When news filtered through
that the penalty had been upheld and
Valentino would start from the back of
the grid, the mood changed to one of
realisation, an impending doom if you
will that as good as the 46 is, this would
be a bridge too far.
The inevitable happened. Jorge rode at
his metronomic best, whilst Valentino
put in a superb performance to come
through from the rear of the grid to
finish 4th, but it wasn’t enough. Jorge
was the victor in both the race and
championship. Jorge himself pointed
out he beat Vale at everything in
2015: victories, pole positions, fastest
laps, laps led in both races and in
practice, everything but podiums and
consistency. In the end he scored
more points over the season and was
crowned the world champion, and a
deserved one at that! The fact that it
didn’t sit well with Valentino’s legion
of fans is irrelevant, his name will be
etched in the history books as the 2015
MotoGP World Champion.
The controversy did not end there.
During his post-race press conference
Valentino decided to once again throw
Marc Márquez under the bus. Unlike
Phillip Island however, this time the rest
of the world saw evidence during the
Valencia encounter, of wha t Valentino
had insinuated following the Australian
GP.
For me what happened in the race
is open to interpretation. In Marc’s
defense, he was already ‘that guy’ after
Sepang, just maybe he didn’t want to
run the risk of a collision with Jorge,
if he could not make a pass without
contact. The exit of turn 5 was the only
part of the circuit where Marc could
outdrive Jorge, so in my eyes a clean
pass was possible into turn 6. Marc
also explained that his strategy was to
wait until the final lap to pounce, again
entirely plausible as we have seen
him execute that plan on a number of
occasions in 2015. On the penultimate
lap, Dani Pedrosa joined the party.

Pedrosa’s overtake and the subsequent
repass from Marc, gave Jorge that little
bit of breathing space and Marc could
only get back in range on the turn 5 to 6
area where he was clearly faster. Having
said that, the final turn was still an
option for a pass but Marc chose not to
attempt it. Valencia is a difficult circuit to
pass on for sure, but I have seen Marc
make overtakes that just don’t seem
possible in the past. It’s a huge strength
in his riding, so there is certainly a
question mark over his tactics during
the season finale.
I always try to balance the facts
and remain unbiased and there are
arguments on both sides, but I can’t
conclusively say that Marc rode with
Jorge’s benefit in mind during the final
race in Valencia.

The
aftermath
Valentino Rossi transcended MotoGP
and motorcycling to become a
worldwide phenomenon, whilst en route
to winning his nine world titles. A 10th
would have been the icing on a simply
magnificent cake. Was 2015 his last
chance at a 10th title and could the
events of those final three rounds taint
his legacy? I doubt it, as his fame and
popularity seemingly affords him the
luxury of doing no wrong! Marc Márquez
however, has gained a certain notoriety,
and the jovial winning machine could
have his work cut out for him, to repair
the damage to his reputation. Jorge
Lorenzo, an unpopular winner, has
merely confirmed himself as a flawed
genius!
All three riders will be back on the grid
in 2016 onboard the same machinery,
each with a different axe to grind. There
will however be a shake-up in the
championship from an equipment point
of view. A switch to Michelin tyres and
spec electronics could well change the
current hierarchy. It’s a golden era in
MotoGP right now, enjoy it! T
/MichaelLaverty
@michaellaverty
@michaellaverty

© MILAGRO

Valencia

£ Rossi’s charge through
the pack at Valencia
was an epic effort and
showed true grit