FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 8 | Page 66

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has been passed to Yamaha. HRC
have been accused of both resting
on their laurels and taking a wrong
direction on development, led by the
relatively inexperienced Márquez.
No one doubts Marc’s speed and
ability, but perhaps he lacks the
experience to lead the development
of a motorcycle. What he lacks in
technical ability he certainly makes
up for in raw speed. Whatever the
cause of the slump at HRC they
appear to be on the upward trend
with their second victory of the
season at Sachsenring.
Valentino’s strength this year has
been his race craft. His ability to
fight for wins when he is strong
and then bring home a podium on
tough weekends makes him the
most likely candidate this year. Marc
Márquez’s never-say-die attitude
has seen him prevail in many last
lap scraps, but in Rossi he has an
adversary that uses brain over balls
in a devastating way. Valentino
has always been a master of mind
games. He uses the media to his
advantage, and really knows how
to play the game. On track he is
a fierce competitor who is rarely
toppled in a scrap. Not seen as an
overly aggressive rider, his race craft
and passing ability can look almost
effortless at times in comparison to
the all-action riding style of Marc.
The last laps of Assen divided
opinion, and whatever your take on
Valentino jumping the gravel, there
is no denying he did all it took to win
that race. Marc’s passing maneuver

was optimistic; he came from a long
way back, touched Vale and still
wasn’t making the corner. Rossi’s
reaction clearly showed he had preempted the situation. Once Rossi
felt the contact, he straightened
the bike and opened the gas (the
safest way to cross the gravel).
Now it could just be lightening
reaction times and someone who
is well-versed in making the correct
decisions under pressure, but for me
the more likely explanation is that
Valentino had mentally prepared for
the inevitable last Assen lunge at the
final chicane.
If you look at Rossi’s career on a
whole, you will find many similar
instances. He is a fantastic racer
in the heat of battle. He has
weaknesses, like his qualifying and
race starts but he deserves the title
of GOAT based on his stats alone.
Valentino’s following is undoubtedly
a part of his strength. He is the most
popular rider on the track no matter
where in the world the MotoGP
circus arrives. Many had written
Valentino off following his tenure
with Ducati but even more are now
pulling for a 10th Valentino Rossi
world title. If he can win another
MotoGP Championship at 36 years
old and five years after his last title,
for me he will certainly cement his
status as the greatest of all time to
go alongside the mantle of biggest
Motorsport athlete on the Planet! T

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He is a
fantastic
racer in
the heat
of battle...
but he
deserves
the title
of G.O.A.T.
based on
his stats
alonel

© ANDREW NORTHCOTT

£ Rossi awaits the
inevitable last lap charge
from Márquez in Assen

66 | FreestyleXtreme.com