Rossi | GTAMotorcycle.com

Rossi

What defined the Rossi era for me were his epic rivalries. Rossi vs Gibernau, Rossi vs Biaggi, Rossi vs Stoner, Rossi vs Lorenzo, Rossi vs Marquez. No other racer has generated so much excitement with his grudge match-type battles with so many other opponents. His longevity in the sport had something to do with this, but to stay competitive for so long is very impressive.

WLF!
 
Guy is retired and still his stuff sells more than all the other riders. They need someone to step up to keep the fans in the seats indeed. numbers have been down this year for sure.
 
800over said:
Guy is retired and still his stuff sells more than all the other riders. They need someone to step up to keep the fans in the seats indeed. numbers have been down this year for sure.
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Agreed. But he didn't turn into who he is and what he did for the sport over night.
Whoever would take his place in terms of skill and everything else on and off the track will need to start at a young and show the progress.
Big racing boots to fill.
 
crankcall said:
possibly, nobody like him again. Talent, showman, entreprenure .
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KING Kenny Roberts, Mike "the bike" Hailwood, John Surtees, Randy Mamola, Ago... even Stoner (Stoner did his best to avoid the "circus" that is GP) all CHANGED MotoGP
Rossi was good, but come on...
Kenny and AGO have more influence on how we ride today.
Dragging a knee? Kenny taught us that. He changed the method of how we steer a bike.
Ago was the first TRUE professional racer, he changed the way the game is played.
Rossi didn't CHANGE anything, he did what the other riders did... he was just BETTER at it. He also rode more MotoGP races than anyone else... and didn't know WHEN to hang up the leathers.
 
bitzz said:
Rossi didn't CHANGE anything, he did what the other riders did... he was just BETTER at it.
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Agree with that. Rossi was better than everyone else, but he didn't make any radical changes. Kenny changed the way people cornered with his flat track-esqe sliding. Spenser use to slide the front wheel of his underpowered NSR into corners then regain traction with the throttle to turn. That was a game changer, but mostly just for him. Marquez took the bar, tossed it into the dumpster, and installed his own bar. It was a good year or so before anyone figured out how he could achieve the lean angles he did.
 
bitzz said:
KING Kenny Roberts, Mike "the bike" Hailwood, John Surtees, Randy Mamola, Ago... even Stoner (Stoner did his best to avoid the "circus" that is GP) all CHANGED MotoGP
Rossi was good, but come on...
Kenny and AGO have more influence on how we ride today.
Dragging a knee? Kenny taught us that. He changed the method of how we steer a bike.
Ago was the first TRUE professional racer, he changed the way the game is played.
Rossi didn't CHANGE anything, he did what the other riders did... he was just BETTER at it. He also rode more MotoGP races than anyone else... and didn't know WHEN to hang up the leathers.
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People don't remember people who created technical details...they remember people who made them feel good. Valentino Rossi just made you smile inside.
 
Thought this was cool, found in a random convenience store in Argentina

IMG_3203.jpg
 
regder said:
Thought this was cool, found in a random convenience store in Argentina
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Yeah, those are everywhere around the world... EXCEPT North America.

I can't believe how unpopular motorcycle racing is here.

Rossi is a pretty global phenomenon, though. Earlier this year, saw a guy while I was waiting for a flight at Vancouver airport, he was wearing a red 04 jersey. You don't see that very often. I had to go up to him and yell, "DOVEEEEEEEE!"

So rare to be able to talk MotoGP to a complete stranger here in North America. We gabbed for quite a long time like excited schoolkids. He rode a Diavel, so that further sealed the deal. His wife was shaking her head at us.

this-is-getting-out-of-hand-now-there-are-two.gif
 
Rossi did something no motorcycle rider had done before or has done since: become a truly global megastar. Whatever he achieved on track was entirely secondary to his societal impact in all corners of the world. We feel it least in North America, as we have by far the most insular sports culture here, but it's impossible to overstate how popular he is across Europe (except perhaps parts of Spain), Africa, Asia, and South America. The seas of day-glo yellow at every race event tells part of the story, but the real story is even people who would never even go to a race know who he is and love him.

Granted, he doesn't achieve that kind of stardom without the racing success (and it's easy to forget just how good he was after so many latter years of being an also-ran), but it's the profile away from racing that really makes him unique. I think the closest before him was maybe Sheene in the UK, but Duke, Surtees, Hailwood, Ago, Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, and Doohan before him, and Lorenzo and Marquez alongside and after him have come nowhere near his popularity.
 
Priller said:
Rossi did something no motorcycle rider had done before or has done since: become a truly global megastar. Whatever he achieved on track was entirely secondary to his societal impact in all corners of the world. We feel it least in North America, as we have by far the most insular sports culture here, but it's impossible to overstate how popular he is across Europe (except perhaps parts of Spain), Africa, Asia, and South America. The seas of day-glo yellow at every race event tells part of the story, but the real story is even people who would never even go to a race know who he is and love him.

Granted, he doesn't achieve that kind of stardom without the racing success (and it's easy to forget just how good he was after so many latter years of being an also-ran), but it's the profile away from racing that really makes him unique. I think the closest before him was maybe Sheene in the UK, but Duke, Surtees, Hailwood, Ago, Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, and Doohan before him, and Lorenzo and Marquez alongside and after him have come nowhere near his popularity.
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He was the first champion in the age of internet and had a very good marketing team. It helped that he was such a likeable guy to begin with and got upto some funny shenanigans.

Before rossi, you could buy a tshirt and maybe a replica helmet of your favourite rider. Rossi put his branding on EVERYTHING.
 
Priller said:
Rossi did something no motorcycle rider had done before or has done since: become a truly global megastar. Whatever he achieved on track was entirely secondary to his societal impact in all corners of the world. We feel it least in North America, as we have by far the most insular sports culture here, but it's impossible to overstate how popular he is across Europe (except perhaps parts of Spain), Africa, Asia, and South America. The seas of day-glo yellow at every race event tells part of the story, but the real story is even people who would never even go to a race know who he is and love him.

Granted, he doesn't achieve that kind of stardom without the racing success (and it's easy to forget just how good he was after so many latter years of being an also-ran), but it's the profile away from racing that really makes him unique. I think the closest before him was maybe Sheene in the UK, but Duke, Surtees, Hailwood, Ago, Roberts, Lawson, Rainey, and Doohan before him, and Lorenzo and Marquez alongside and after him have come nowhere near his popularity.
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Sheene and Hunt were the megastars for Schoolboys growing up in the UK, i don't think you will see that kind ever again especially in this PC world.

Rossi will still continue to bring something back to the sport even after retiring, one of his VR46 academy riders may become WC this weekend.
 
Love this interview. The guy is a character plain and simple.
 
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