It happens in pretty much every sport in the world, even outside of motor sport. A dominant sportsperson with a personality that appeals to a large section of that sport’s fans becomes its public face. It takes the sport to uncharted territories in terms of reach and establishes it as a staple in the crowded world of televised sport.
Formula 1 had Ayrton Senna and then Michael Schumacher. The World Rally Championship had Colin McRae and Tommi Makkinen before Sebastien Loeb took over.
As far as MotoGP is concerned, however, it pretty much all revolves around Valentino Rossi. With the social media revolution well and truly in place, it’s easy to get at least a fair idea of the interest generated by a Rossi performance on a MotoGP weekend.
And things were pretty dismal for ‘The Doctor’ when he defected to Ducati after the end of the 2010 season. His two seasons with the Italian team netted the former seven-time champion of the sport’s premier class just three podiums and no wins over the course of 35 races.
By contrast Rossi scored ten podiums, with two wins, in 14 races in 2010. Due to MotoGP not being covered as extensively as F1, the whys of Rossi’s struggles were often lost to the general viewer who tuned in to see the Italian languish at the tail of the top ten for most of the time.
Rossi’s return to Yamaha this year, a second placed finish in the opening race of the season and a win at the Dutch TT has had the facebook and twitter news feeds rather busy.
His ‘return to form’ has been hailed as one of the greatest comebacks in racing and has elevated MotoGP’s stock once. Especially amongst fans who grew up watching the likeable Italian battle and vanquish foes like Max Biaggi, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo.
But it is also revealing in how much Rossi’s success seems to be tied with the sport’s fortunes that has seen fluctuations due to cost-restrictions, shock retirements (Stoner) and a shrinking grid after the failed 800cc formula.
Fans of the sport can, however, breathe a sigh of relief as a successor to Rossi (who is seemingly as likeable) has started to flex his muscles with the works Honda team in his first season in the top category itself.
Spaniard Marc Marquez already made this apparent by rubbing Jorge Lorenzo the wrong way (literally) in the Spanish GP en route to second and in the round prior to that in Austin, Texas where he became the youngest rider to ever win a MotoGP race.
Injuries to Pedrosa and Lorenzo made his win at the most recent German GP at Sachsenring a little ‘easier’. But in beating Rossi to the top step, Marquez seemed to enhance his credentials as MotoGP’s next resident crowd pleaser.
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