Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/756138
P100 CN III FRIENDLY FIRE BY STEVE BAUER I have loved and followed all types of racing for as long as I can remember and 2016 was a very good year for people who love racing. It's not only the actual rac- ing that I enjoy; I'm also fascinated by the personalities and mindsets of people who become champi- ons in their chosen discipline. I am a huge fan of Formula 1 and was stoked to watch Nico Rosberg win his first world championship on Sunday, beat- ing his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, by a handful of points. Rosberg did what he had to do and it was refreshing to see the outpouring of emotion by the German rider, who always maintains a sort of humble coolness, no matter the circum- stances. Reigning champion, Hamilton, the winner Sunday and winner of the last four races, did an admirable job of hiding his disappointment, especially in light of the fact that he was leading the series in October, before suffering an engine failure in Malaysia. It was also interesting to compare the attitudes of Jensen Button and Felipe Massa on the last day of their long F1 careers. Button didn't even seem both- ered when his McLaren DNF'd early on with suspension prob- lems, while Massa was all smiles as he talked about being extra careful not to wreck his Williams racecar during the final laps on Sunday. Two weeks ago he was awash in tears, having crashed out of the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, his home race. The team at Williams rebuilt the car and gifted it to Massa, one of the humblest. I think hav- ing your F1 racecar hanging in your man cave would be a nice touch when telling stories to your grandkids. In MotoGP, there were nine different winners over the 18- race 2016 season, an unprece- dented number. In fact, I cannot recall any individual sport with that kind of parity, other than golf. Actually, parity probably isn't the right word, because in reality we have Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, and then there is every- one else. Going into any given weekend, the odds were pretty good that, barring some sort of unforeseen circumstance, one of those three riders was going to take home the win. Yet, some- how six other riders managed to beat the superstar trifecta and pull off a win. Interestingly, not all of them were due to unfore- seen circumstances, or even inclement weather. They simply stepped up and elevated their game to another level. I've seen it happen a few times and I have even been that guy a couple of times during my motocross rac- ing years—not quite to the level of passing Valentino Rossi at a MotoGP race, but hey! Sadly, the country that once gave the world Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spen- cer and Wayne Rainey has no A TRULY THANKFUL THANKSGIVING Steve certainly had many reasons to smile this Thanksgiving—at least two of them.