Valentino Rossi looks set to tuck another Moto GP Championship Title under his skinny belt.
The 30 year old Italian is 38 points ahead of his closest rival, Jorge Lorenzo, but only needs to put in a modest performance at the penultimate leg of the championship at Sepang this weekend to secure his top spot.
Jorge Lorenzo is said to be disappointed by the standings, but is very motivated for next year, and in the meantime very happy with a second placing.
Back in June, Rossi became only the second rider in history to amass 100 wins, and even more unlikely, Rossi became the first rider to take consectutive title wins for different teams. In 2003, Rossi raced and won the GP for Honda, and in 2004 he took the title for Yamaha – a feat previously and still unbeaten by other racers.
Rossi is likely to take a leap over to rally or F1 in the coming 2 or 3 years, but in the meantime his performance needs to stay razor sharp, and it will be no easy ride.
Jorge Lorenzo is waiting in the ranks, like an opportunist scavenger waiting to spot a weak point. As if Lorenzo wasn’t enough, 2007 champion Casey Stoner is back on form after a mystery illness, and is likely to keep Valentino right on his toes. Not to mention, whirlwind Ben Spies (admittedly unproven in the GP) will be nipping at everyone’s heels.
We may be speaking too soon, but with 2009 spoken-for, it’s 2010 that looks set to get our hearts racing.