Winning the MotoGP Championship
Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 at 8:11 pm by angrybob
Whether its here or other places, there is a lot of discussion about who will win the championship this year. Much of it is emotional based on which rider you like…it goes like this:
Hayden fans - Rossi passed in a yellow and should have been docked points. Hayden has been more consistent. Pedrosa is a m-f’er.
Rossi fans - Rossi has the most wins. Rossi has DNF’s and a 15th place. Rossi is the best rider.
The funny thing is that all of the above are true.
The reality is that the winner of the MotoGP Championship is the one with the most points. Read that again:
The winner of the MotoGP Championship is the one with the most points.
I have to refer to a recent reader comment that makes this point so perfectly that I’ll show it again:
It not just about the rider. First, I want to say that I am a big Hayden fan. Second, I think Rossi is the best GP rider in the world today. Third, remember the motorcycle? Remember the team? Being World Champion is as much about managing racing and all its vagaries the best as it is about the riders skill. You may not like that a rider not as good as another may become champion. Nonetheless the fact is that the champion is the one who perseveres the best through it all. It not just about the rider.
EXACTLY! It is about the best team. Put the best rider on a bike that breaks, and he doesn’t finish. Put the best rider on a bike that performs, and he likely wins. Put a good rider on a great team with a reliable bike and he may win every now and then, but he finishes all the time.
This is not my opinion, but fact. The points race is about the best team. In order to score points, the whole team has to perform from the rider to the engine builder. MotoGP may appear to be a solo sport, but its not. Its as team oriented as any other. The difference is that everyone but the rider is in the background.
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HRC (a team) let Nicky down last week but not telling Pedrosa to “cool it” before the race. Yamaha (a team), on the other hand, has done everything they can, in the face of adversity (some definite mechanical issues) to put Rossi back on top (and it’s working)! Golf clap to Jeremy Burgess et al.
There’s one other factor you forgot to mention …. LUCK! If Sete hadn’t skittled a major portion of the the field about mid-season injuring several top riders, Melandri or Capirossi might be leading the Championship (both have won more races than Nicky).
This is why we watch, why humans are so fascinated with competition. The best rise to the top but there’s still always a doubt as to the outcome. Here’s to the most exciting MotoGP season in years! I’m not a home team patriot, I’m hoping for a title to finally go to Ducati. Go Loris!
Rhino