10-24-2016, 12:53 AM
I did watch the first part of the race again, right up until Marquez crashed.
Now that can only be called a real bonehead mistake, or something more calculated.
Marquez' profile puts him deeper into the category of "stunt rider" than most motorcycle racers. Stuntmen and women are people who are unusually comfortable actually crashing motorcycles, cars, or being flung into space. They LIKE doing those things. They seek opportunities to do them.
There have been a couple of times in my riding career of 35 years where I have had to lay the bike down, choosing that option over what seemed like it would be worse. I got away with it, but I'm not a stunter. I like to keep the bike under control.
I've known some stuntmen and women and they live to stunt. They especially like to do it when other people are watching and when there is some kind of payoff.
Anyone who watched all the races this year knows Marquez ran off the track many times and came back on some of those times to finish the race. He also crashed quite a few times. In 2015 he had 6 DNF's, if memory serves.
This takes me back to Aragon, where Marquez crashed during a practice session in a very similar way to his Turn 4 crash at Philip Island. Inexplicably, he just locked the front brake while the bike was nearly upright. If I recall correctly, he knocked Nicky Hayden down, but at any rate, Marquez, Hayden, and a third rider (I believe it was one of the Espargaro's) all fell. Turns out, an oil flag had been thrown and apparently Marquez' response was to slam on the front brake.
Marc Marquez seems to be pretty comfortable with throwing the bike down the road, and isn't at all afraid to crash. His is a very interesting pyschology, because a competitor who can both win on any given day, and isn't afraid to crash or pass dangerously, can be intimidating. That's how I assess Marc Marquez; he's willing to risk his own neck to scare off competitors. It's a well-known strategy but the risks are very high. Iannone is the same way, he calls himself the "Maniac" and his riding this year matched that moniker.
Getting on back to Sepang, the natural example of all this, I think we just saw an instance of two racers trying to work something out on the track that should have been handled with a handshake. But a handshake is not worth much any more, handshakes don't win races. Fans seem always to prefer winners over nice guys.
Now that can only be called a real bonehead mistake, or something more calculated.
Marquez' profile puts him deeper into the category of "stunt rider" than most motorcycle racers. Stuntmen and women are people who are unusually comfortable actually crashing motorcycles, cars, or being flung into space. They LIKE doing those things. They seek opportunities to do them.
There have been a couple of times in my riding career of 35 years where I have had to lay the bike down, choosing that option over what seemed like it would be worse. I got away with it, but I'm not a stunter. I like to keep the bike under control.
I've known some stuntmen and women and they live to stunt. They especially like to do it when other people are watching and when there is some kind of payoff.
Anyone who watched all the races this year knows Marquez ran off the track many times and came back on some of those times to finish the race. He also crashed quite a few times. In 2015 he had 6 DNF's, if memory serves.
This takes me back to Aragon, where Marquez crashed during a practice session in a very similar way to his Turn 4 crash at Philip Island. Inexplicably, he just locked the front brake while the bike was nearly upright. If I recall correctly, he knocked Nicky Hayden down, but at any rate, Marquez, Hayden, and a third rider (I believe it was one of the Espargaro's) all fell. Turns out, an oil flag had been thrown and apparently Marquez' response was to slam on the front brake.
Marc Marquez seems to be pretty comfortable with throwing the bike down the road, and isn't at all afraid to crash. His is a very interesting pyschology, because a competitor who can both win on any given day, and isn't afraid to crash or pass dangerously, can be intimidating. That's how I assess Marc Marquez; he's willing to risk his own neck to scare off competitors. It's a well-known strategy but the risks are very high. Iannone is the same way, he calls himself the "Maniac" and his riding this year matched that moniker.
Getting on back to Sepang, the natural example of all this, I think we just saw an instance of two racers trying to work something out on the track that should have been handled with a handshake. But a handshake is not worth much any more, handshakes don't win races. Fans seem always to prefer winners over nice guys.