VOL. 55 ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 11, 2018 P41
ROSSI SNUBS MARQUEZ
T
he simmering feud at the top of the premier
class was renewed at Misano, when Valentino
Rossi openly snubbed Marc Marquez's offered
handshake at the pre-event press conference.
The awkward moment was provoked by ques-
tions arising from Marquez's comments in an
interview in the break after the canceled British
GP, where he said he would be happy to "make
peace" with his great rival.
Speaking from a position while significantly
leading the World Champion-
ship, Marquez might have
thought it a timely move, but
when Rossi was asked his
opinion, he demurred: "It sounds
to me a bit strange, because in
reality we don't have any prob-
lems between me and Marc.
So I don't know why we have to
'make peace.' For me, it's okay."
In that case, came another
question, would you shake
hands?
Marquez put out his paw, but
Rossi kept his arms crossed
and shook his head. Marquez
accepted the rebuff with a smile,
later commenting: "I am leading
the championship and riding re-
ally well, so I am in a sweet moment. So it's okay."
Rossi repeated his "we are okay," comment,
saying: "We don't need to shake hands." But
his aloof refusal even to look at his rival said
more, and the next day he told Italian media he
was sorry about the situation, but that personal
relationships were not important. "It is not written
anywhere that we must go out to dinner," Rossi
said.
Some deplored that Rossi had not taken the
chance to cool down an atmosphere that has his
legion of fans hissing and booing at the podium
every time Marquez wins—which is rather often.
This is to misunderstand the nature of their rivalry.
In terms of racing, each will draw strength from
it, while Rossi in particular will also make money
from it, with boosted sales of memorabilia.
The first major fallout was in 2015, coming to a
head when Rossi unexpectedly (and very illogical-
ly) used the Malaysian GP pre-race conference to
accuse Marquez of helping his (Rossi's) Yamaha
teammate Jorge Lorenzo to win the champion-
ship.
"How?" wondered Marquez. "By beating him at
the last race?"
Nothing daunted, Rossi swerved around to
slow Marquez at the race three days later, even-
tually pushing the Honda rider into a crash. He
denied a deliberate kick, but was hit with a back-
of-the-grid penalty at the next round, and Lorenzo
won the title.
The animosity flared up again in Argentina this
year, when it was Marquez's turn to bump Rossi
off. Rossi insisted it was deliberate, refused to ac-
cept an apology, and, not offered a chance to do
so, was happy to continue the fight.
Michael Scott
Valentino Rossi's staunch refusal at Marc Marquez's
handshake hinted at the bad blood between the two.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
GOLD
&
GOOSE
