Reckon Stoner and Marquez are just on another level in terms of riding ability, but in terms of results then he definitely has claim.
The saying goes “Form is temporary, Class lasts forever”…
Stoner is/was a real talent, on the right bike, in the right conditions, nobody could touch him. But dear god didn’t we hear about it when those conditions weren’t perfect! If Rossi doesn’t win, he gets off the bike and when asked why he didn’t win says “simple, I wasn’t quick enough” which is why people respect him, whereas Stoner is worse than the Boy who cried Wolf!
Marquez is an incredible talent too. But nobody is putting money on him having a long career! Lorenzo used to be a bit “win it or bin it”, but he matured a bit to his credit. Marquez you worry for, cos he doesn’t seem like he has the mental ability to tone it down a bit when required.
A living legend still active in his sport and not just making up the numbers, it’ll be a sad day when he goes.
More so than any other man in any form of motorsport ever, Rossi is pretty much universally loved. Beyond his sheer natural talent, he works harder than everyone else behind the scenes, he’s humble, he’s uber cool, he’s incredible to watch (he makes everyone else look like they’re just pointing and squirting as he makes his bike dance into and out of corners), and more than anything, you know that if you met him he’d be stoked to just talk bikes and racing with you…
Put it this way, you could have a brew and a chat about bikes and racing with Guy Martin and it would be ace. Valentino Rossi would be the one leading the charge to the nightclub, getting the beers in, and then insisting you stole a traffic cone on the way home!
An Italian friend of mine met him in a club in Venice years ago out on the pull or at least with a woman, definitely not gay, not that it actually matters.
That’s the thing about Rossi that makes him WAY cooler than any other racers, past or present. The likes of Barry Sheene or James Hunt were so caught up being cool, they liked to ram it down the public’s throats. Rossi is the coolest cos better than anyone, he’s always managed to keep his private life away from the media (more than likely helped in no small part by his hugely loyal fan club, and his closest friends), and he doesn’t go out of his way to show off how cool he is (and nobody likes a showoff!).