I can’t quite believe I’m about to say this, but I’ve been thinking it for a while and I’m just going to take the plunge and put it out there – should Valentino hang-up the leathers and call it a day? Now I’ve just said this out loud in the office and everyone has looked at me in disgust, totally flabbergasted that I could even think such a thing, never mind actually voice it out loud, so you’ll be forgiven if you’re feeling strong dislike for me right now too!
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Rossi as much as the next person and some of my favorite Moto GP moments involve this iconic rider – 2009 with the teacher (Rossi) showing the student (Lorenzo) at the Catalunya GP just how it’s done has got to be my absolute favourite. I was on holiday in Spain at the time and I remember screaming at the telly and feeling total elation as Rossi took Lorenzo on the last lap to win the race. It was absolutely brilliant – if you haven’t seen it you MUST watch it.
And if things were going a bit smoother for Rossi this year since his return to Yamaha and he was actually competing for a podium finish now and again I would not dream of this, but let’s face it, he isn’t and to be honest it doesn’t really look like he’s going to be doing so anytime soon.
Sunday’s collision with Bautista at the first corner in Mugello was so sad to watch. The crowd were at the end of the day there to see Rossi and although I think we all knew deep down that Rossi was not going to win, a place on the podium would’ve been more than enough for the thousands of fans who had turned up to see him in action.
The crash was nobody’s fault really (although I’m sure the die-hard Rossi fans out there will have crossed Bautista off their Christmas card lists because of it) but it just sums up the way Rossi’s career is going doesn’t it and sadly it isn’t up.
At 34 years old, he isn’t old but he is at least seven years older than a lot of the top-riders out there – Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Marquez, Crutchlow and Dovizioso to name but a few. And like in any sport there is a time when you are at the peak of career which is probably where the likes of Pedrosa, Lorenzo are at this very moment.
We have to go all the way back to 2008 when Rossi, at the tender age of 28, was probably at his career best and although 2009 was another pretty good year (he won the championship again), it has gone down-hill since then with 2010 seeing Rossi involved in a bad crash which sidelined him for a good few months before his ill-fated move to Ducati in 2011.
And that’s another thing that needs questioning isn’t it – was it the Ducati that was the problem-half of the Rossi/Ducati relationship, or was actually Rossi? Don’t get me wrong, I do fully concede that the Ducati appears to be a pretty awkward thing to ride (unless you’re Casey Stoner of course) but fellow Italian rider Dovizioso would appear to be making it work so why couldn’t Rossi – is it because he just isn’t good enough?
The home-coming to Yamaha should’ve quelled the fear that it was the bike and not the rider that was the weak link but it hasn’t has it? Since Lorenzo started riding for the factory Yamaha team in 2008 he’s been consistently good so why isn’t Rossi good again now he’s back on the Yamaha?
People out there will cry – “But the sport needs him – he must stay”, but does the sport need him? With new up and coming riders coming through all the time, yes he will be missed but he’s certainly not irreplaceable.
And sure he can keep riding for many more years if he wants to (just look at Colin Edwards) but is it surely not best to bow out gracefully. When you’ve been as good as Rossi has over his near-on twenty-year career, if you’re simply there to make up the numbers then what’s the point (just look at Colin Edwards!)?
So maybe the time has come for the Doctor to take the decision upon himself and to wave goodbye to Moto GP before he ends up being struck off by Moto GP’s equivalent to the GMC.
