VOL. 52 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 27, 2015 P17
TOO HARSH? NOT
ENOUGH?
J
orge Lorenzo led a chorus
of protest at the lenience
of the punishment of just three
penalty points. He pointed out
than when he had made a similar
move in 2005, "I had a one-race
suspension."
"I have to respect the Race
Direction decision, but I don't
share it," he said.
The minimum appropriate
punishment, he said, would be
"for Valentino to have the same
number of points as Marquez,
who would have finished third
or fourth in the race. He got no
points, Valentino should get the
same."
One reason for the leniency,
he said, was "his big name. I see
less aggressive action from other
riders getting
higher penalties."
Asked what
was the Yamaha
team's policy,
he said: "I don't
know what they
decided, but I
think they should
claim fair punishment.
His position was perhaps
understandable: were Rossi to
be stripped of his 16 points for
this race, then Jorge would go
to Valencia with a nine-point ad-
vantage instead of an eight-point
deficit. "If Valentino wins this
year, he will not be champion to
me," he said.
Second-placed Pedrosa has
no such axe to grind, but shared
the general opinion that Rossi's
action reflected badly on Mo-
toGP in general—and that he had
cut the post-race top-three press
conference made it worse.
"He has many fans. A lot of
people, and young riders, look
up to him.
"Everyone makes mistakes.
That's why he should be here to
answer questions."
Michael Scott
Lorenzo thinks
Rossi got off too
lightly.
RACE DIRECTION'S VIEW
R
ace Direction's deci-
sion had critics on
both sides—mainly for its
leniency, but also for the
fact that it was delayed
until after the race.
Veteran Italian racing
management figure Carlo
Pernat, the man who
originally discovered Val-
entino Rossi for Aprilia,
suggested that more
usually an immediate
punishment would be applied
for any such obvious violation—a
ride-through penalty, or a black-
flag disqualification (a notion
that had other riders nodding
their heads).
Race Director Mike Webb
had answers for press in the
paddock.
"We believe there
was fault on both sides,"
he said. "Despite what
Marquez said, we think he
was deliberately trying to
affect the pace of Valen-
tino." This didn't break
rules, he continued, "whatever
we think about the spirit of the
championship."
The decision was delayed
Mike Webb's view was that
both riders were to blame,
although Rossi was the one
who was punished.
cont. on page 20
