MotoGrandPrix-Malaysia 2019

[Manimal]

funny, I find myself not being the only whom similariy have their fav, rider likes and dislikes.

I admit, I really started tuning into racing in 2004, even though I had attended some early day GP and AMA races at Laguna in past years.

Those earlier days, I was not a Rossi fan when he was the one on top. I had mostly rooted for NH primarily, but had also rooted for other talent as well. My respect for Rossi and him starting to grow on me wasn't till he jumped to Ducati, and became a fan of him since.

NH had always been my fav rider to root for, then Rossi, and from race to race, there were others too. But, Never Pedro (for obvious reasons), nor Stoner, nor Jlo. Although, like many others, I did start rooting for Pedro to win something, towards the end of his GP tenure.

When NH went to WSBK (sadly), I then mostly rooted for Rossi, and some of the others too.

When MM came on the scene, I immediately liked him, due to his raw talent. I lost some respect for MM when he started pulling sh*t with Rossi. But, I still respect him, due to his talent over everyone else.

Currently, like many others, keep hoping for Rossi to win that one last title. But, we all know that's not going to happen. Let's be real. I still root for him, having some hope. With new talent within the field, I now root for some of them, over MM. Anybody but MM

 

[tzrider]

I haven't kept up on any actions from MM that might alienate him from certain fans but it seems fairly common for a large swath of fans to lose interest in a series that is thoroughly dominated by one athlete. Initially, we think, "How can he be so much better?" That holds a fascination for a while and will certainly serve to raise the bar for up and coming talent. When it goes on, people get used to the new standard and become bored watching a race for second.

I recall being at Laguna towards the end of 250 GP in AMA racing when Rich Oliver was killing everyone. The weekend I was there, he was gridded on the back row because he had been late for qualifying or something like that. The race began and Oliver had the lead by the time they were exiting turn three. By the end of the race, he had lapped all but three riders.

One one hand, I was fascinated by the performance but fans were quickly losing interest in the series at a time when there were other pressures to stop racing 2-strokes. Some said he killed the series and I think there is truth in that.

MotoGP doesn't face the obsolescence that 2-stroke racing did and while MM is dominant, it isn't to the point where he's making everyone else look ridiculous. He is raising everyone's level of belief in what is possible, which I think will be exciting as other riders start to figure out what he's doing.

 

[stangmx13]

I don’t understand how a “true” racing fan could not like Marquez. The dude does things on a motorcycle that we’ve never seen before and no one else can replicate.

How a “true” racing fan can’t enjoy that is beyond me.

i dont understand how u think your way of enjoying racing is "true" and other ways are somehow beneath that.

itll work out better if everyone let everyone else enjoy racing how they want. And I will admit, I have been guilty of not doing this at time and am trying to fix that completely.

 

[scootergmc]

i dont understand how u think your way of enjoying racing is "true" and other ways are somehow beneath that.

itll work out better if everyone let everyone else enjoy racing how they want. And I will admit, I have been guilty of not doing this at time and am trying to fix that completely.

This is a good pot/kettle post. :laughing Bonus barf points for you today.

 

[scootergmc]

I recall being at Laguna towards the end of 250 GP in AMA racing when Rich Oliver was killing everyone. The weekend I was there, he was gridded on the back row because he had been late for qualifying or something like that. The race began and Oliver had the lead by the time they were exiting turn three. By the end of the race, he had lapped all but three riders.

One one hand, I was fascinated by the performance but fans were quickly losing interest in the series at a time when there were other pressures to stop racing 2-strokes. Some said he killed the series and I think there is truth in that.

I remember him winning from pit lane but don't recall when/where.

 

[tzrider]

That was Road America. He changed out a fouled plug after the warmup lap.

 

[scootergmc]

That was Road America. He changed out a fouled plug after the warmup lap.

Ah. Thank you.

 

[kevin 714]

I don’t understand how a “true” racing fan could not like Marquez. The dude does things on a motorcycle that we’ve never seen before and no one else can replicate.

How a “true” racing fan can’t enjoy that is beyond me.

I’ve followed the sport for over 20 years
I host a podcast about it
I have tattoos about it
I host private groups on FB, and run social media accounts on it

I’m bored by the current season and especially MM/repsol’s domination

Am I not a true fan?

 

[stangmx13]

stick and ball sports are lucky when it comes to domination and dynasties. even if the Patriots are going to win the Superbowl every year, you still get to watch tons of games where the Patriots arent even playing. your fav team will still probably get to win a few games. hell, in baseball even the worst team probably wins a ton of games :laughing. but none of that is true in GP. Marquez participates in EVERY SINGLE RACE and wins most of them (this year). riders like Karel prob have tons of fans that will never get to them win again. thats rough. IMO, domination is far more taxing on fans in motorsports than most other sports.

 

[Maxzzi]

I admire MM for his skill and talent but what he really did during the 2015 season I won’t forget, hence the hate. :teeth

 

[kelsodeez]

I mean, there's really no denying that Marquez is a damn beast of a man on a motorcycle, but when the most watched clips from the race weekend are repeatedly a near crash/knee save from Marc, week after week after week, rather than than something interesting that happened during the race, that to me is an indication that we are entering the an era of racing that is universally boring. It was the same story with the Era of Stoner dominance. People were more preoccupied with watching a clip of a power slide through a turn rather than the boring inch perfect passing between Casey, Jorge and Dani.

 

[stangmx13]

I hated that the feed showed MM getting on a scooter for a solid 20s instead of the closing laps of the Moto2 race.

really, thats not MM's fault. the feed director has an unhealthy hard-on for MM. I blame him instead.

 

[NSR500]

Is WinOrBin a great motorcycle talent?

Yes

Is he an asshole on the track?

Absolutely

Someone dominating on the track and getting all the media doesn't bother me because it's the nature of the beast. What bugs me about WinOrBin is his lack of respect for the other riders and his asinine behavior.
The on-track games like following Fabio and things like forcing a pass on Crotchlow which knocked off his winglet is just plain stupid.
If you're the champ and you're the fastest ever then why ride like a moron?

*I also won't cheer for a guy that kisses his brother on the mouth. That's just weird.

 

[Shaggy]

I’ve followed the sport for over 20 years
I host a podcast about it
I have tattoos about it
I host private groups on FB, and run social media accounts on it

I’m bored by the current season and especially MM/repsol’s domination

Am I not a true fan?

I’m familiar with your résumé. My post was a response to the above posts about being “hardcore” racing fans, etc... and not a personal attack on anyone in this thread.

Like Rob said.... enjoy racing however you want. I simply don’t understand the perspective of the MM hate. He has taken road racing to a completely different level

 

[scootergmc]

What bugs me about WinOrBin is his lack of respect for the other riders and his asinine behavior.
The on-track games like following Fabio and things like forcing a pass on Crotchlow which knocked off his winglet is just plain stupid.
If you're the champ and you're the fastest ever then why ride like a moron?

Plenty of riders troll for tows and make hard passes. I'm not sure how your MM examples are different than xxxx rider. You do realize there were like four or five guys in line for a tow off Fabio with MM first in tow? And are you sure the Crutchlow incident wasn't Lorenzo cruising on the racing line in Australia during qualifying? I don't remember Crutchlow losing a winglet from MM. I remember MM's hard pass on Crutchlow, and Crutchlow said he didn't have a problem with it.

 

[dsapsis]

I
The on-track games like following Fabio and things like forcing a pass on Crotchlow which knocked off his winglet is just plain stupid.
If you're the champ and you're the fastest ever then why ride like a moron?

*I also won't cheer for a guy that kisses his brother on the mouth. That's just weird.

If you were more fair-minded and observant, you'd note:
1. MM has been followed a lot more this year than he has followed;
2. MM didn't knock off Cal's wing (and that pass would have gotten a screaming cheer of adulation from you if Vale had executed it);
3. Europeans kiss each other. It's really not a big deal.

Maybe I need to bow out here. I don't seem to be following tz's sage advice.

 

[NSR500]

Plenty of riders troll for tows and make hard passes. I'm not sure how your MM examples are different than xxxx rider. You do realize there were like four or five guys in line for a tow off Fabio with MM first in tow? And are you sure the Crutchlow incident wasn't Lorenzo cruising on the racing line in Australia during qualifying? I don't remember Crutchlow losing a winglet from MM. I remember MM's hard pass on Crutchlow, and Crutchlow said he didn't have a problem with it.

I agree that plenty of riders troll for a tow. My view is if you're the champ, then you're supposedly better than everyone else and don't need the tow.

For example, Borenzo.

I've hated on that dude because it was boring at times watching him checkout. To his credit, though... The dude is a Champion and didn't wait around for a tow. The guy lay that hammer down and just sought to annihilate people with his outright speed. I respect that.

 

[Shaggy]

I agree that plenty of riders troll for a tow. My view is if you're the champ, then you're supposedly better than everyone else and don't need the tow.

For example, Borenzo.

I've hated on that dude because it was boring at times watching him checkout. To his credit, though... The dude is a Champion and didn't wait around for a tow. The guy lay that hammer down and just sought to annihilate people with his outright speed. I respect that.

Even when he didn’t have the pace for Pole?

I can’t recall a time watching JL99 go out for a solo lap, grid on the 2nd or 3rd row, and just settle for that.

 

[scootergmc]

I agree that plenty of riders troll for a tow. My view is if you're the champ, then you're supposedly better than everyone else and don't need the tow.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard.

If you're the champ, you know what it takes to win. If that involves getting a tow because you know your bike doesn't have the pace, so be it. They ALL do it. MM did it because he knew it was key to winning on Sunday. He knew Fabio never had race pace. He needed a flyer to stay with Maverick on Sunday. When he didn't get it and went airwalking, he went with a soft rear tire on Sunday to make up positions early. He made his bed knowing he probably wouldn't win. Racecraft for 2nd place? It was revered when Rossi did it, why not now?

BTW, you sound like you watched a brotogp short...:cool

 

[stangmx13]

for this round, I think MM didnt have a good QP pace because he focused a lot on race pace earlier in the weekend. he tried to make the Soft rear work Friday. that failed, so he had to bail to the Medium, which required more track time on Sat. all-in-all, it was a great tactic because his starting position didnt mean shit and he managed the rear tire drop just fine.