MotoGP: Rossi smothers Marquez!

Author : cmunroe

MotoGP fans are always willing to embrace a cataclysmic battle between any of the protagonists in MotoGP. On Saturday, at the Cathedral of Speed – the Dutch GP – fans won the lottery! They did not know that their ticket would allow them to claim a significant prize. All 90,000 plus fans who made the trip, got the opportunity to witness a joust, that reporters, journalists and MotoGP aficionados, are still struggling to place in its appropriate context. Various terms have been assigned thus far, but just to give you an insight to how vicious the battle was – epic -  would be a feeble term to capture the ferocity of the GP!

Lorenzo

Former World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo has emerged as a dominant force in 2015. He won 4 consecutive GP’s prior to his arrival in Assen. But luck has a way of changing without notice. Lorenzo struggled. He was a pathetic shadow of himself. He qualified P8!

Rossi

When Lorenzo’s door closed, another opened for the individual who traditionally has a poor qualifying performance. Rossi, apparently motivated by the desire to remain at the top of the leader-board, bullied his Yamaha and soared to P1. The man who, it is rumored, has lost his ‘mojo’ served notice that he was not willing to throw in the towel – Marc Marquez qualified P3.

When the red lights appeared, Lorenzo’s laps-led record was in jeopardy, Rossi’s slim lead was at risk and Marc’s championship hopes were clinging to a strand of hair! A lot was on the line!

The red lights faded and like a frightened hare, Rossi took off and the shuffling began. Lorenzo’s rapid pace saw him rise quickly to P5 and eventually to P3. Marquez was impatient and snatched P2. Rossi, however was making a bid for the only spot he wanted – P1.

In a matter of laps, the mouth-watering treat, a Rossi-Marquez head to head fight to victory, took shape. It was evident that they were riding in a different league. Lorenzo was breathless in pursuit, no match for the blistering pace of the lead duo. His, (Lorenzo) was a lonely ride, in a slow bubble, in P3.

At the front, the commentators could not maintain politically correct, self-control. They dug deep for adjectives and selected verbs which fulfilled their role, but they failed to mask their childish delight. Their highly emotive tones were almost visible! They were like kids at a waterpark!

Rossi remained steadfast in his quest and Marquez, thanks to the onboard cameras, was always at touching distance from the Yamaha’s rear wheel! We knew he (Marquez) was waiting to pounce. We also knew that Rossi would respond. But we were still unprepared.

With less than 10 laps remaining, Marquez capitalized on an imperceptible error and wiggled to P1. Rossi’s response was immediate. Like glue, he was attached to the Repsol Honda! He stalked Marquez, devised a strategy and with a rather forceful move, he displaced the reigning World Champion. The roaring crowd could be heard in London!

But wait, there is more. Rossi, realising that the Marquez-threat would not go quietly, increased the tempo and bought a minor gap. By the penultimate lap though, the gap was nonexistent! Rossi fleeing, Marquez chasing and 1 lap remaining – the recipe for fireworks!

As the chequered flag beckoned, Marc’s courage grew. Rossi said Marc was an “all or nothing” rider, so he had a plan. At the final chicane, as Rossi positioned, Marquez dived for glory but he underestimated Rossi’s resolve. Marc was not aware that the multiple World Champion was willing to trade paint, fairings, leather and even wheels, if necessary, to maintain the lead. Rossi, the master tactician, showed true grit. He slammed the door with subtle violence. There was contact as he smothered the defending World Champion. Rossi kept the throttle pinned and rode through the gravel. He re-entered the circuit, saw Marc behind him, grabbed a wheelie and blasted to P1!

Do you intend to miss the next GP?

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer

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