Cycle News

VOL. 52 ISSUE 27 JULY 7, 2015 P135 the race. It was all mapped out: he'd practiced it the day before, and again in morning warm-up. Now Marquez is a marvelously creative rider, adapting instantly to changing requirements and circumstances. Just one person better than him. The one he bumped into now. Rossi was indeed pushed off the track into the gravel trap. He adapted. Opening the throttle to keep the rear spinning and the front light, so the soft going didn't bog him down. Spewing stones from the rear like a flat-tracker, he recovered from the blow that should have scuppered him to win the race. Assen has a great tradition of last-corner attacks, both failed and otherwise. One of the most plangent was in 2006, when Colin Edwards tried too hard and lost it there. Pushed Nicky Hayden across the gravel in the same way. And the gravel guy won, while Edwards fell, within sight of the flag that would have signaled his first and only Grand Prix win. The result was equally crucial for Hayden. It was one of just two Grand Prix wins that year, but the 25 points were crucial in defeating Rossi for the World Championship, by just five points. It may turn out that Rossi's 25 points are equally crucial in 2015. But let's turn to the last-corner history shared by the two adver- saries of 2015. Consider just the last turn at Jerez. There it was that Rossi bashed into Sete Gibernau on the final lap. The outcome was victory for Valentino, and everlast- ing resentment for the Spaniard. Fast forward to 2013. This against Rossi in Argentina, at the end of the back straight. Didn't work. Rossi didn't budge. And his immediately subsequent at- tack was even worse—he fell off. Something similar happened at Catalunya, with Lorenzo. This was even more badly timed. Fell off again. Barging tactics that might have served well in Moto2 aren't quite so effective against the big guys. Lesson learned? Obviously not. In the interim, Rossi and Lorenzo were asked if they were finding Marquez's attacks a little too intimate. Lorenzo did little more than nod. Rossi was more vocal. "He is very friendly. He likes to be very close. Some- times even inside your bike." Marquez's willingness to do it again to Rossi was punished. Once more he had been clearly behind, and the antagonist in the collision. Rossi did no more than stick to his line, and once knocked off it to save himself from falling. Nobody except Marquez could have found the outcome unjust. That he did so did not reflect well. A loser is just a loser, and to compound it by being a bad loser just makes it even worse. If Valentino was to escape official sanction, the youngster opined, this would only open the door for other riders to do the same. Hmmm. Got anyone in mind, Marc? CN "THAT HE [MARQUEZ] DID SO DID NOT REFLECT WELL. A LOSER IS JUST A LOSER, AND TO COMPOUND IT BY BEING A BAD LOSER JUST MAKES IT EVEN WORSE." time the battle is for second, the protagonists Marquez and Lorenzo. The older guy had it buttoned… until Marquez copied Rossi's move, batted him into the gravel, and stole second. Lorenzo's accusa- tions of dangerous riding, that he should be penalized, fell on deaf ears. Did Marquez crow? Well, just a bit. And now to 2015. He has al- ready played the same tactics

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