Well, Lorenzo admitted he was having rear wheel spin issues and had to back off his pace which is why Pedrosa was able to close the gap in the last few laps. You don't find it strange that Marquez couldn't muster a pass on Lorenzo while this was happening? But I do think Lorenzo was right when he said "if the situation were reversed, and it was Rossi in 1st with 2 Italians behind him, the same thing would have happened"... I'll be interested to read what Pridmore thinks when he posts his next article.
Personally, no because marquez was dropping off the front tire, and I believe fully when he said that he could not take any more risk after already having 6dnf. He said a last dnf was made clear to be not acceptable. And then the small battle with Danni did not help things. Marquez could have passed Lorenzo and Lorenzo still would have been the champion. It was not necessary for Marc to wait behind. Just my thoughts though.
I don't get why JL is so disrespected by VR fans other than his thumbs down and expressing his feelings about the Sepang penalty. He has always been a strong finisher and when he's in the zone, he rides perfectly even under pressure. He deserves respect. He had nothing to do with MM's decision to fuck up VR's chance at winning the championship. VR rode a fantastic race and absolutely could have won the championship if MM would have gone for the win because DP obviously would have been there in second place as well. Props to DP for at least trying! Given what I've just said, there's certainly no reason to believe that JL wouldn't have fought back and won anyway. To dismiss JL's talent and believe that he was in on some sort of Spanish conspiracy is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. 2016 will be an interesting season!
Well, I think Lorenzo had a great season and his riding speaks for itself. If he kept his mouth shut about Sepang I don't think there would be anything to complain about him. I do think Marquez sat back and chose not to take a shot for the win at Valencia. That's his choice though, and if he wants to finish second in his home GP that's fine. My heroes always play to win, and in the past Marquez has ridden this way. That's why I'm a little disappointed in him. Rossi I think is still the best racer out there (not necessarily the fastest rider - there is a difference), but has lacked some speed at times this year. I think he should stop talking and complaining about Marquez though. I just wish Rossi had been able to start the race normally. It would have given the season the ending it deserved, however it panned out.
I don't think it will repeat next year - MM will be wanting the championship again... While I think it's true that MM is messing with Rossi, it's time for Rossi to move on and focus on 2016...
I'm a Rossi fan too, but I appreciate all of the riders for having unspeakable talent and discipline. I was disappointed that Marquez made the allegation (and still stands by it) which was completely disproven by that one camera angle. He got blocked bigtime, but it was his impatience/inexperience that caused the crash. He was doing the same to Rossi in prior corners. I would have been proud of him if he had simply sucked it up and said, 'that is racing, I played and I lost.' Easier to say than to do. I was extremely disappointed (to the point of disbelief) that Lorenzo opened his mouth about the incident. I still struggle to believe he did something so immature and unwise, considering the incredible clarity and talent he displays on the track. I think Rossi was honest about the whole thing. He was playing rough, as they all do. All that said, I think Lorenzo deserved the win 100%. I think he had margin on Marquez and whenever Marquez was disturbing the atmosphere right behind him, Lorenzo amped up a tiny bit. We've seen Marquez do this to others, but I don't think we've seen anybody do it to him. Lorenzo exhibited amazing strategy and discipline. He simply made ZERO errors. Incredible feat at that level. Pedrosa's rush was desperate, but unsustainable. Some of the lines he was taking to shortcut to Marquez were zany. The pass on Marquez was his last desperate gasp. Also an amazing performance in my book. All in all, I think it's possible, maybe even likely that the outcome of the race would have been the same, even without the penalty. Rossi's charge from the back was incredible, but he didn't have Lorenzo's digital perfection... and he wasn't running the pace of Marquez and Pedrosa either. In the end, my whole family was intensely following the race. Good times.
I agree. Lorenzo was actually starting to grow on me a little this season. He seemed to be maturing, getting along with Rossi, and was just a machine in some of those races. But what he said after Sepang really disappointed me. I think it has tainted his championship and soured a lot of people on him. I wouldn't have begrudged him the championship were it not for that because he did have a great season. But once again, I am just not a fan...