Last weekend’s meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (hereinafter to be referred to a IMS) didn’t really prove a great deal, except for what we already knew; that Valentino Rossi is probably the greatest motorcycle racer of all time.
The results of the race aren’t really that significant, as the race was called early after a rain/wind storm, the tail of Hurricane Ike, blew in and created havoc both on the track and in the pits. Indeed, the whole weekend was dogged by horrendous weather and the organisers must be ruing the decision to schedule the race in the northern Autumn, when the hurricane season is at its highest. Mind you, they probably had to accept the date that DORNA offered.
But the race result does elevate Rossi into a class all by himself, finally standing atop the ladder as the racer who has won the most GP’s, 69. It also was the 701st GP victory by an Italian rider and completes Rossi’s CV, the popular Italian now being able to boast that he has won on every track on which GP’s are contested.
And it moves him to within 1 point of being crowned 2008 MotoGp Champion, which he should score at the next round at the Motegi Twin-Ring track in Japan. This will be especially pleasing for the 29 year old after having to surrender his title for the last 2 years to Hayden and Stoner, respectively.
Regarding Hayden, his 2nd place was excellent, but typical of the hot/cold performances of the American. It has been a feature of Nicky’s performances that he has always performed well at home, but less well elsewhere. For that reason alone, he falls well short of the stature of the great American riders who have preceded him, Roberts, Spencer, Lawson, Rainey and Schwantz, who could (and DID) win anywhere and everywhere. I have always regarded Hayden’s championship as a pretty tainted one, and it will be interesting to see how his temperamental and emotional style will suit now that his signing with Ducati has been confirmed.
I believe that he has just changed cabins on the Titanic, swapping from a team where the whole team effort is focused around one rider, in the case of Honda, Pedrosa, to another where exactly the same situation exists.
The 125cc race was completed at Indy, but the 250cc, moved to after the MotoGp race in an attempt to get the big race over before the foul weather closed in, was cancelled due to the appalling conditions.
By the way, I was asked today why the Indianapolis track is called “The Brickyard” and the answer is that, in its very early days, the track was paved with bricks right the way around. How that must have felt to drivers driving cars with rudimentary tyres and no suspension is beyond anyone’s imagination. As cars got faster, the track was finally sealed with hotmix, but, in homage to its origins, a strip of bricks were left exposed on the Start/Finish line, just across from the Control Tower.
Here’s a picture of the famous bricks.
Picture courtesy of superbikeplanet
