MotoGP - Portugal

[G.Irish]

Video of the crash: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIEUnSMebxw&mode=related&search=">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIEUnSMe ... ed&search=</a><!-- m -->

Man I could not have imagined that Dani would do something so incredibly stupid. It's funny, but I was just thinking that he might be one of those guys who's really mentally fragile and stays wound up tight all the time to try to hide it. Sure enough he made what will go down as one of motorcycle racing's stupidest moves of all time.

Dennis Noyes (SpeedTV writer and GP journalist in Spain) had a few things to say about the situation. He pretty much says it was bound to happen sooner or later with Pedrosa as a result of his oversized ego and somewhat irrational cheerleading camp.

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He brings up a great point that HRC thought Dani was the only guy who could beat Rossi back in mid 2005 and at the time it certainly looked like it. I don't think anyone expected Nicky to take the next step up in his riding to become a legit championship contender.

Still, Dani's golden star is definitely tarnished and I have to think there are going to be some consequences for some of the leadership in HRC. In Japan teamwork is a very, very serious matter and when something like this happens it brings shame upon the whole organization. Here are some rumblings about punishment:

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For me, I hope at the very least they kick Dani's mentor (Alberto Puig) out of the paddock. Puig was a former 500cc racer (not a champion mind you) and has been advising Dani. Here's what he said about the incident:

"Dani had a mathematical chance, so who would obligate him not to race?" Puig said, explaining why team orders were not in place. "He crashed because the other rider [Hayden] braked early, and he had to turn in. If that didnÔÇÖt happen, he wouldnÔÇÖt have crashed. Dani was going fine, and on the previous lap, Hayden had hit him.... A big deal is being made because this involves the leader of the championship and his teammate. The first thing Hayden had to do was get in front, which he hasn't done all year. I know it's terrible for Honda and for Nicky, but it could have happened to anyone.ÔÇØ

That guy needs to get sent walking.

Anyway I think no one at HRC thought Dani could do something so incredibly idiotic but that's no excuse. They proudly declared there to be no team orders, mostly likely in an effort to win the title in the most sportsmanlike manner, but instead they ended up with one of the infamous incidents in racing history.

For Nicky's part he said that the only way Pedrosa can make it up to him is for them to finish 1-2 in Valencia. Lucky for Nicky there are a couple of other guys who can get in front of Rossi so he still has a chance. Nicky HAS to win though, that's for sure.

I sincerely hope this doesn't cost Nicky the championship. You can see how hard he has worked to get here and how badly he wants it yet you never saw him whining or complaining even when he was having a hard time with the clutch issue. I hope he can still get to the promised land.