Rossi Psychology (SPOILER)

Wow... what a race.
I was rooting for Nicky, and he pulled it off, as did that fabulous
Bayliss.

I think Nicky deserved the title, it was touching to hear him put it
into
words: He knew people criticized him for not being the fastest all the
time, but he rode for all he's worth, always. And don't forget that
fantastic
Assen battle he had with Collin Edwards, and his win in Laguna S.

Still... there is something that keeps itching in my mind:
What was it with Rossi today? BBC commentators talked about
nervousness, but I don't buy that, not with Rossi.

I think, that secretly, or even subconsiously, Rossi didn't mind losing
the title to Nicky. I really think that he hated the way that he was
about
become champion by Pedrosa's screw-up. That was not the way it was
supposed to happen. He wanted to win in truly great style... winning
against the odds.

The crash looked strange to me... I think Rossi's psyche suddenly
yanked
his front brake, got in the dirt, and got awakened by the awesome
prospect
that now, starting from the last place, he could achieve immortality.
When
it did not happen, he was secretly pleased to see Nicky as Champion.

I know that my writing this may upset people. Sorry for that. But
somewhere
deep down, I feel that Rossi was content with this. Maybe he loves the
sport
just too much (He must love it too much, as he is waving a Ferarri F1
seat).

However, Nicky deserved it, and Troy Bayliss is a hero! (Ducati: please
put him
on the 800cc desmo!)

Bram

 

If we are going to have a poll then I would vote for Troy over Colin.

 

What a stretch. Rossi crashes to gift Nicki the championship?
Rossi is a hard case on the race track. And does Wayne Rainey ring a bell?
Anytime you fall down you put yourself at risk for injury.

 

The crash didn't seem strange to me. From the very start, I could see
Rossi struggling to keep pace with the bike full of fuel. I would bet
the farm that he had set up the bike for maximum at the end of the
race, which is typical for him. And it was no big surprise not to see
him at the front from the get-go. His priority was to keep it alive
until the tires came in and the fuel got spent somewhat. Unfortunately
for him, he made a mistake, but it wasn't something that couldn't be
seen from the start. The bike was quite unstable and Rossi was
obviously pushing hard, even at the early stages not to drop back too
much. Going from 6th to 7th most likely was an unwelcome surprise when
he wanted to settle in 6th and wait to make a charge. I'm a big Rossi
fan, but hey, it ain't checkers, it's motorcycle racing. This is the
greatest sport in the world and I think the Valencia finale was part of
the reason why. I don't like all the drama with the crashes and
mechanical DNF's, but Nicky did deserve it at the end, as would have
Vale had he come through. Congratulations, Nicky!

 

Ludicrous. Love him or hate him, this much is clear - he wants to win,
always, as much as anyone out there. It's part of what's made him the
great champion that he's been.