Jorge Lorenzo emerged as a worthy three-time MotoGP world champion, besting Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi in a season that will go down in the history books as a classic.
The 2015 MotoGP season culminated in controversial circumstances with Valentino Rossi accusing Honda’s Marc Marquez of ‘acting as a bodyguard’ to title rival Jorge Lorenzo at the Valencia Grand Prix. Rossi was of the opinion that Marquez deliberately didn’t pass eventual race winner Lorenzo, despite running within close proximity of his countrymen for multiple laps.
However, such allegations, which received full support from Italian’s dissuaded fans, are far-fetched from reality. Marquez could have simply maintained a gap over Lorenzo, making it appear that his Honda wasn’t a match to the Yamaha at the Spanish venue. Alternatively, he could have let Pedrosa through and allowed him to chase Lorenzo, for second place would have been enough for the 28 year old to clinch the title.
Instead of making false allegations, Rossi should look at where the championship slipped away from him - for he led the standings for majority of the year. After showing remarkable consistency during the three quarters of the year, which included a string of 12 podium finishes, Rossi endured a patchy final part of the season. At San Marino, for instance, the Italian failed to capitalise on Lorenzo’s retirement, making a late decision to switch to the dry weather-bike. Instead of finishing on the podium, he crossed the line in fifth place.
Likewise, in Valencia, he was not quick enough when it mattered. After charging through the field from back of the grid and moving up to fourth place by lap 13 , Rossi failed to match the pace of top three runners, led by none other than Lorenzo. In fact, the seven-time MotoGP world champion lost over six seconds to the leading pack over the rest of the race.
That said, sub-par results during the last few races of the year shouldn’t take anything away from what Rossi has managed at the age of 36. From the very first race in Qatar, it was clear that Rossi is going to come one step closer to become, arguably, the greatest MotoGP rider of all time. But, it seems, it might take a few years more for pundits to unanimously hand him that accolade.
Lorenzo - a worthy winner
In the midst of the controversy surrounding Rossi and Marquez, the focus shifted away from the man who came on top by a handy margin of five points. However, there’s no second opinion that, over the course of the year, Lorenzo was simply the better rider, albeit by a small margin. The Spaniard beat a resurgent Rossi fair and square and deserves to be praised for his achievements.
After playing second fiddle to Rossi during the first three races of the year, Lorenzo rose to prominence by winning four races on a trot, which laid the foundation for his third title in the premier class of motorcycle racing. In all, he won six races this season, as compared to four for Rossi. Hence, it’s only apt that the two riders should be compared over the course of the year, and not just by the events of a race or two.
Michelin Move
2016 will see Michelin become the official tyre supplier of MotoGP, following Bridgestone’s withdrawal from the sport. As part of the switch, the wheel size will increase marginally from 16.5 inches to 17 inches next season. Another major change will come in form of a standard ECU, managed by Dorna and developed by Magneti Marelli in co-operation with the manufacturers.
Both the changes have the potential to shake-up the grid as teams get accustomed to the new regulation and rubber. But Yamaha and Honda are likely are remain at the front of the pack, given their financial and technical resources. Not to forget the quality of riders they employ.
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