My 2/100ths of a dollar
The only thing that hinders Rossi's legacy is the lack of a definitive competitor, a la Schwantz and Rainey. It has now become clear that Biaggi, while extremely talented, can't harness the consistency and fire necessary to beat Rossi. He's brilliant one week, 8th the next. Gibernau has showed signs of following Biaggi into also-random, but his recent antipathy towards Rossi may be a welcome realization that winning the championship requires more than a top bike and a sunny disposition.
Further down the order, we've been teased with flashes of brilliance from Tamada, Nakano, and the Suzuki boys, but these guys have the added burden of inconsistent equipment holding them back. It's tough to win when your tires don't stick and your motor stops firing.
In the absence of a true rivalry, we're left with a contrived Rossi vs. HRC show-down, which doesn't mean anything if the HRC riders don't show up to the fight. So unless Biaggi / Gibernau take it to another level, another manufacturer bottles 990cc's of foolproof lightning, or maybe a young rider (Pedrosa?) lights MotoGP on fire, we'll be subject to another Rossi championship in 2005. And then it's only a matter of time before he moves on with his legacy of domination, but no real challenger to linger in our memories.
The only thing that hinders Rossi's legacy is the lack of a definitive competitor, a la Schwantz and Rainey. It has now become clear that Biaggi, while extremely talented, can't harness the consistency and fire necessary to beat Rossi. He's brilliant one week, 8th the next. Gibernau has showed signs of following Biaggi into also-random, but his recent antipathy towards Rossi may be a welcome realization that winning the championship requires more than a top bike and a sunny disposition.
Further down the order, we've been teased with flashes of brilliance from Tamada, Nakano, and the Suzuki boys, but these guys have the added burden of inconsistent equipment holding them back. It's tough to win when your tires don't stick and your motor stops firing.
In the absence of a true rivalry, we're left with a contrived Rossi vs. HRC show-down, which doesn't mean anything if the HRC riders don't show up to the fight. So unless Biaggi / Gibernau take it to another level, another manufacturer bottles 990cc's of foolproof lightning, or maybe a young rider (Pedrosa?) lights MotoGP on fire, we'll be subject to another Rossi championship in 2005. And then it's only a matter of time before he moves on with his legacy of domination, but no real challenger to linger in our memories.
