The Sort Of Champ I Like To See

Yes we get quite a skewed perspective in the UK. On the European continent, the biggest motor sports person's name is Rossi, and he happens to ride a MotoGP motorbike. I'm not kidding. People might tell you otherwise, but amongst real fans, this bloke is easily more popular and well known worldwide than David Beckham, and the like. And it's nice that, because he's lived in London for the past few years, only recently moving back to Italy, he still gets involved with UK charity, and promises to remain so.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/7713352.stm

Top bloke and massively talented.

I rate him, and hope our champ can learn a little about how to conduct himself from VR's example.

I think Senna, Hill and Hakkinen are the only World Champions who were really likeable since about 1990.

Hamilton and Alonso both too arrogant. Kimi has no personality, Prost is French, Mansell is a moaning git, Villeneurve only won it because he has the quickest car by a mile and Frentzen was crap and well... Schumacher.

I would have liked Irvine to have won in 1999 and Coulthard to have won it at some point. Also Montoya in 2003. He was a bit ****y, but exciting to watch IMO.

P.S. Rightly or wrongly, I'd have thought Beckham was more famous, both in Europe and globally. I know Rossi is very popular in Europe, but I' believe football still has the edge over bikes.

amongst real fans, this bloke is easily more popular and well known worldwide than David Beckham

Sorry, but you don't really believe that do you?

Sorry, but you don't really believe that do you?

It's not up for discussion Scummer. It's a fact.

It's not up for discussion Scummer. It's a fact.

Ok, I'll consider myself told.

I sense Landrew feels quiet strongly about this subject.

I disagree mate, and so does the stats.

http://www.google.com/trends?q=david+beckham%2C+valentino+rossi&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

incidentally, even Hamilton versus Rossi over the last 12 months is a fairly close thing.

http://www.google.com/trends?q=lewis+hamilton%2C+valentino+rossi&ctab=0&geo=all&date=ytd&sort=1

I think Senna, Hill and Hakkinen are the only World Champions who were really likeable since about 1990.

 

Hamilton and Alonso both too arrogant. Kimi has no personality, Prost is French, Mansell is a moaning git, Villeneurve only won it because he has the quickest car by a mile and Frentzen was crap and well... Schumacher.

 

I would have liked Irvine to have won in 1999 and Coulthard to have won it at some point. Also Montoya in 2003. He was a bit ****y, but exciting to watch IMO.

 

P.S. Rightly or wrongly, I'd have thought Beckham was more famous, both in Europe and globally. I know Rossi is very popular in Europe, but I' believe football still has the edge over bikes.

Ok, I'll bite.

Alonso only appears arrogant from his portrayal by the British media, he's anything but. He's a very humble and shy person who certainly doesn't believe that he makes a team. This is all very evident from transcripts of interviews rather than the fancy of journalists, and, of course, I've seen it first hand.

Oh, and this will ruffle a few feathers, Senna may have been a great champion, and IMO the most complete driver of all time, but he didn't half spout some sh!t sometimes. I give you:

"And suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension."

"Then suddenly something just kicked me. I kind of woke up and realised that I was in a different atmosphere than you normally are. My immediate reaction was to back off, slow down."

Although he was bang on with this one just before Imola '94.

"It's going to be a season with lots of accidents, and I'll risk saying that we'll be lucky if something really serious doesn't happen."

Senna was a great driver, but like Lady Di, the whole aura of his has been blown WAY out of proportion.

I'd stick Sebastien Loeb on the list. He's not flash, not shouty, no ego, no bull, just a fast Frenchman at the top of his game at the moment. He was mega quick in lower formula rallying, and would have won on his WRC debut (by a country mile) if it wasn't some mixup with Citroen and his tyres.

My, my, you lot have been productive. Sorry I haven't been back to comment. I got called out to a last minute sail. I should apologise to Scummer for cutting him down like that. I'm afraid I'd had some really bad news regarding Give It To Ron, and I was in an appalling mood. Thank goodness for the sail; it worked wonders. So sorry Scummer..!

As to Rossi being the favourite motorsport's person in Europe, and Worldwide, I have seen stats myself that this is true. But these things are so ephemeral, that it is entirely possible it has changed. It has been the case though, and fairly recently. However, all that is purely academic. The truth is, is that the bloke is a real champion who, isn't boring, doesn't have a chip on his shoulder, isn't universally bad mannered or humoured, doesn't sulk, whine or moan, is almost certainly the greatest of all time [the GOAT] in motorcycle racing [with apologies to to Giacomo Agostini], and is probably one of the few sportsmen/entertainers where the reputation does not exceed the evidence. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other sportsman who has those qualities. If he was driving an F1 vehicle, he'd be even bigger, as F1 is obviously followed more because people drive cars more than ride bikes. But to be top, or in the top three, is astonishing, for a bloke who races bikes, because half the people who watch and support him would fall off as soon as the stabilisers were removed.

Anyway, on and upward to the next season, where instead of the abject failure of SFC, I have my favourite motorsport covered with no adverts, and another that I still want to love, despite all its failings, being given the same treatment.

What about Jimmy Johnson, 1st driver to win 3 Nascar championships in a row since Cale Yarbird this weekend. This guy can drive anything. If you have not been to a Nacsar race then i can highly recommend it if you find yourselfs in the USA. Tickets are cheap, the atsmosphere is great, beats F1 hands down when you see the drivers bump drafting at 200mph.

I went to a NASCAR race last year and the F1 at Spa this year.

Had to say, I liked the F1 more, even though it was only qualifying. The NASCAR race was the Phoenix 500. ABout 350 laps and one accident. It was so boring. As a spectacle it was pretty impressive, with a USAF flyby, fireworks and the huge crowd. We were sat on the side of a hill next to the raceway, fighting with the rattlers.

Tickets on the hill were only $30, compared to E75 for the whole day at Spa. I did get much loser to the action (20ft from the track, with no fence in the way) compared to nearly a quater of a mile away in Phoenix.

The NASCAR race was the Phoenix 500. ABout 350 laps and one accident. It was so boring.

Did you know that NASCAR racing is about racing, and not accidents? True story.

I would say that Phoenix is not one of the best tracks for Nascar as its so flat. You can't beat Daytona or Talledega for pure speed. If you get a chance go to one of the super speedways.

Did you know that NASCAR racing is about racing, and not accidents? True story.

Well, the race I saw failed on both counts. Jeff Gordon lead for all but one lap (around the 200th lap when he was overtaken, then took the lead back on the next turn).

The Sky Sports team were discussing the best track to attend a NASCAR race during last nights season finale. Bristol was the one that seemed to come out at the top of that discussion.

Could not disagree with that, Bristol is insane, 36 degree banking, half mile track. It looks like a coliseum for racing. I would love to go there and i bet the noise from 40 odd cars is amazing.

At least since he has retired Schumacher has seen the light and now enjoys racing bikes.

At least since he has retired Schumacher has seen the light and now enjoys racing bikes.

I know Michael Schumacher is a pretty capable racing rider, but apparently, Honda are willing to offer him a World Superbike bike for a season. How's that for it's not what you know, but who you know..?

I know Michael Schumacher is a pretty capable racing rider, but apparently, Honda are willing to offer him a World Superbike bike for a season. How's that for it's not what you know, but who you know..?

I know bit mad really but think of the publicity it would get for them,but can't see it happening with his links to Ferrari can't see them liking him advertising Honda.

I know bit mad really but think of the publicity it would get for them,but can't see it happening with his links to Ferrari can't see them liking him advertising Honda.

Another apparently - Schue is said to be very fast on the Desmosedici Ducati Superbike. Now Ducati DO have links with Ferrari, and Troy Bayliss has just retired as World Superbike Champion for Ducati. How about that for a rumour..?

Hello Hello Hello..? Straight from MotoGP, then Rallying, Rossi is now wringing the neck of a 2008 Ferrari.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/7742565.stm

I think that Rossi has already been quoted as saying that the best car wins in F1 not necessarily the best driver, he also is in love with rallying....

Schuey is indeed quick on a bike, but i also seem to remember that he keeps crashing, can't imagine his insurance company being that chuffed with that!

It's not up for discussion Scummer. It's a fact.

You bully, Boo!

Hello Hello Hello..? Straight from MotoGP, then Rallying, Rossi is now wringing the neck of a 2008 Ferrari.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/7742565.stm

That gave me goosebumps, such a legend. Would love to see him actually compete in F1, even for 1 race.

That gave me goosebumps, such a legend. Would love to see him actually compete in F1, even for 1 race.

Apparently he's only a few 10ths of a second away from Massa and Co. To have such command and feel for racing machinery, MotoGP, WRC, and F1. I call that genius.

The fact that he's Italian doesn't hurt either. I used to be ashamed of my Italian heritage. Nowadays, I'm far more sanguine about it.

Think history will show him as the greatest motorsportsman that ever lived? I mean, there's gifted and there's being able to do it across the disciplines

TBF, there are precedents for those sort of skills. John Surtees, a Brit no less, won both motorcycle and formula 1 world championships.

And there we have my lack of knowledge...

TBF, there are precedents for those sort of skills. John Surtees, a Brit no less, won both motorcycle and formula 1 world championships.

What you say is true Ponty. There's also Mike Hailwood who changed from 2 to 4 wheels. Even Damon Hill did it. But I've a feeling that if ever Valentino ever changes properly from 2 to 4 wheels, we'll possibly see a new level in control and speed in a new era.

Tbh though. I think he loves bikes too much.

If he ever changes to 4 wheels it will only be to rally driving after he retires from bikes,although i think it would of been good if he had switched to F1 2 or 3 years ago but surely to old to make the change to that discipline now.

If he ever changes to 4 wheels it will only be to rally driving after he retires from bikes,although i think it would of been good if he had switched to F1 2 or 3 years ago but surely to old to make the change to that discipline now.