autoevolution
 

Valentino Rossi Fans Are Getting Ready for the 2016 Season

MotoGP riders are steadily entering their "asphalt fighter" mood, with the first official test of the pre-season drawing ever closer, but their fans are not as serene as them. In fact, the 2016 MotoGP season promises to reserve a special role for the fan clubs of at least three riders.
Rossi and his fans at Assen 1 photo
Photo: ttcircuit-tickets.com
Obviously, we're talking about the fans of Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, and those of the 2015 World Champion Jorge Lorenzo. The first ones to make a move were the Italian fans of Marc Marquez, who said that they would not be at the race in Mugello this year.

Mugello is regarded as the "temple of the Doctor," the holiest of the holies, and the Italian MM93 fan club said they would rather not show up there to cheer for their idol on May 22. According to statements made by members, they believe that they have reasons to fear for their safety.

Rossi fans only declared that they are ready to help Rossi obtain what they feel was wrongfully taken from him

No threats ever came from the fans of Rossi, so maybe the reaction of Marquez' fans is a bit exaggerated. Seeing MotoGP fans fighting like football hooligans is probably the last thing we will get to see in the premier class.

On the other hand, Rossi fan club reportedly sent a New Year letter to all the members, containing congratulations and wishing them a good 2016. The letter also contained hard words regarding how the 2015 season ended.

The text read something in the vein of "Vale always kept his promise to ride better than the previous year and the four splendid victories and 11 podiums are a testimony of his worth. We all disliked the unsportsmanlike manner he was deprived of the chance for a fair fight, but this only makes us more motivated and stronger in helping Vale claw back what his adversaries maliciously took from him."

Even if the dedication of Rossi's fans can be admired, we cannot simply condone the assumption that, in the absence of the Sepang incident, he would have won the crown. All we can say is that the last row start in the final race deprived him of the chance to put up a shoulder to shoulder fight with Lorenzo, his only rival for the 2015 title.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories