MotoGP Fairytale Finish A Bit Far Fetched

The final race of the MotoGP season in Spain is set to be one of the most dramatic finishes to a season yet seen in motorsport with the rampant Valentino Rossi just seven points ahead of his only challenger Jorge Lorenzo. The rivalry between these two team mates has long since stopped being cordial and things have only got worse with on track incidents and post-race words building this into a battle of almost movie-like proportions that could end up a MotoGP fairytale.

Last Race In MotoGP

• Spanish riders mass against Rossi?
• Can Valentino pull off the miracle?
• Will it be a fairytale finish?

Lookng back you might think someone should have seen it coming. Like seeing a picture of Jimmy Saville now and wondering how the hell we all missed the blatantly obvious. Putting Valentino Rossi in the same team as Jorge Lorenzo was always going to end up with the two of them at each others’ throats, it was as clear as the nose on your face that no was gambling news of these two former world champions would end up with them living happily ever after like some MotoGP fairytale couple.

Their skills are unquestionable, their determination ridiculous, and their records speak for themselves. Championship leader Valentino Rossi is chasing his 10th world title, whilst challenger Jorge Lorenzo has only hit the top spot four times before. That said, Valentino hasn’t held the title since 2009 whilst Lorenzo’s wins were far more recently in 2010 and 2012. This means that despite his record perhaps it’s The Doctor with more to prove than the bushy eyebrows of Lorenzo, and that’s why it’s set to be a MotoGp fairytale finish.

The season has now culminated in Spain for this final race with the balance of victory very finely perched on the fulcrum of fortune, and for the team and the two riders this has been somewhat clear for quite some time, indeed it’s been obvious to the entire MotoGP community, it was always going to be close at the finish, and that has lead to some ugly incidents that are entirely in keeping with our MotoGP fairytale theme.

Are We Set For A MotoGP Fairytale Finish?

The situation has become quite complex, the MotoGP fairytale resembling a South American daytime soap opera some of the time, and seemingly scripted by the same people at moments, with the rivalry between the two team mates inside Yamaha not the only players in proceedings. Indeed it would appear that there is far more at play than merely internal team troubles, and that has lead to the President of the International Motorcycling Federation to say they have “poisoned the atmosphere” of MotoGp.

For those of you that like to bet on sports in Spain I should point out this is Vito Ippolito going just a little off-piste and off-message, with the atmosphere of competition inside the MotoGp fairytale always having been a cut-throat business, but it is hard to deny that the latest round of incidents has started to go above and beyond the usual racing battles we’ve seen before. One does now have to take sides as there are clear differences between the explanations for what is going on, with Rossi on one side and some Spaniards on the other.

Like all good stories the MotoGP fairytale of 2015 begins many, many races ago in Australia where Rossi accused Marc Marquez, the defending world champion, of assisting his fellow countryman Jorge Lorenzo by deliberately “blocking” him. In Malaysia, before the race, the press asked him about this and Rossi was pretty forthright about accusing Marquez of holding a grudge and deliberately trying to damage the Italian’s chances in the Championship. “He would prefer Lorenzo to win.” Said Rossi.

Is Marquez Lorenzo’s Evil Henchman?

This would perhaps have been written off as banter, accusations tend to fly in motorsport, if Marquez and Rossi hadn’t had a coming together that saw the former off out of the race and the latter penalized for causing it. This is where you need to take sides. Did Rossi kick him off? Did Marquez force Rossi into it? Just what did happen? Watch the tape and take your pick. The fact remains that now Rossi has to start the last race of the season from the back of the Grid (unless CAS changes that ruling) and so we are truly set up for a MotoGp fairytale.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=F3gVcdRe1RU

We’ve the old hero back from retirement to fight the good fight one more time, we’ve the ambitious young pretender (who looks like Tom Cruise with a well plucked mono-brow) and his evil henchman willing to lay himself down for his master. Can Rossi really ride through an entire grid, a grid that includes Marquez and get the second place he needs to guarantee his 10th World championship title?
If anyone can, Rossi can, but for those of you that take advantage of Spanish gambling laws, do the bookies agree?

The short answer is no. At sites like Bet365 you’re looking at perhaps 2/5 on Lorenzo grabbing the title trophy with Rossi back a bit at 7/4, and perhaps worse news for the Italian is that when it comes to that final race at the Grand Premio Motul De la Comunitat Valencia it’s Marc Marquez getting 6/4 to win it, with Lorenzo on 7/4 and Rossi back at 9/1, which is fair enough considering he’s starting dead last. One thing is guaranteed, this will be a race to watch and it really could end up a MotoGP fairytale with Rossi winning, but I wouldn’t bet on it.