Written by:
Evan Williams
FIAT Yamaha Team's Valentino Rossi (Photo: Yamaha Racing)
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Valentino Rossi crested the 100 Grand Prix victories mark on Saturday at Assen. The win was another masterful performance and one that broke a three-way tie for the points lead, too. Valentino won pole, was able to sprint by Casey Stoner early on, and then kept Jorge Lorenzo at bay with some amazing laps at a real riders' track.
With over 96,000 in attendance, there was a lot at stake. Hey, Rossi was going to win another race eventually, so despite the media attention and the “100” on the horizon, Assen was really about the championship. Rossi was able to win and now we are headed for Laguna Seca, a track where Vale put on one of the greatest races of all-time last year, repeatedly passing and harassing the faster Stoner relentlessly until Casey finally made a mistake.
Speaking of the greatest of all-time, lots of people consider Rossi the best motorcycle roadracer ever. I don't disagree, but I would add a caveat to that -- motorcycle racing has changed so much over the years, it's almost impossible to compare the eras. There's a longer list of greats who all contributed great things.
Italian Giacomo Agostini won 186 Grands Prix and 15 World Championships in his fabled career. 'Ago' was a great rider who dominated his era from the mid 1960s through the mid-to-late 70s. He absolutely ruled Grand Prix with the MV Agusta team, then went on to win the Daytona 200 and his last world title for Yamaha on two-strokes that would become so dominant over the next decades.
But greatness is more than just numbers on a stat sheet. One thing that makes me Ago in high regard was his decision to not race the Isle of Man after 1972. The TT was a huge race on the schedule but also insanely dangerous. After the death of a friend, Ago put his boot down and said he wasn't going back, points be damned. Other riders followed suit and the IOM TT was off the schedule a few years later. It was courageous stands like this that started the safety push that benefited motorcycle racing so much and continues on today. I think this is part of Ago's legacy.
