When a sportsman—in particular, a sportsman of the highest level—arrives at a certain age and his results begin to decline, it’s inevitable that people will question if he is too old to continue and would it be better if he quit while he is ahead. But to question Valentino Rossi, the absolute icon of motorcycle sport, and his competitive prowess is putting oneself in the middle of a fight; an avalanche of criticism and even insults is guaranteed. But this is to be expected when you discuss a subject that implicitly carries so much passion.
We must first start with Rossi himself. The subject of his future isn’t a new one. It emerged again this past November during the last Grand Prix weekend in Valencia, Spain, and has remained a topic throughout the winter break. Rossi has always been clear: He will decide what to do after evaluating his competitiveness at the end of the first third of the 2018 season, which begins on March 18. We can surmise Rossi would like to continue but before making that decision he wants to check where he stands amid the competition.
Global figure, worldwide debate: We know on which “coast” of the “Should Valentino Rossi continue or stop racing?” discussion Italian fans will side. But what about Americans? Or the French, Japanese, or Spanish? Or MotoGP’s most fanatic followers, Indonesians?
“I hope that by the end of 2018 we renew—maybe a year, but I bet it will be for two seasons,” said Alessio “Uccio” Salucci, Valentino Rossi’s best friend, right hand in racing, confidant, and the person who knows him best. “Vale thinks of nothing other than a 10th title. Between one GP and another he trains 10 hours a day—gym and riding, riding and gym. He is always watching what others are doing and thinking about what he can do to learn, to improve. From small things to big things, he observes everything.”
Let’s imagine that after a tumultuous 2017, Rossi gets back to the consistency trail in 2018. Would it be enough to beat young, hungry wolves like Marc Marquez, Maverick Viñales, and Franco Morbidelli, who arrived in MotoGP from Moto2 ready to develop into premier-class contenders? And don’t forget other names like Johann Zarco, Andrea Dovizioso, and Andrea Iannone. The championship already looks tough for 2018; think about the possible situation in 2019 and ’20.
The truth is that in the last few years we have seen the fastest Valentino Rossi ever. But the clock keeps moving. No one should ever doubt Rossi, but 40 years old—which will be his age in 2019—is a lot in any top-level sport. In my opinion, Rossi will make a decision around the French GP at Le Mans at the end of May. If he thinks he is still in a position to fight for the championship, he will mostly likely continue.
Rossi’s current contract with Yamaha will expire at the end of the 2018 season. Would continuing to race without having won a 10th title turn into a fool’s game for the MotoGP legend so many call the “greatest of all time”?
“In a position to fight” doesn’t necessarily mean winning the title but being competitive and able to battle for race wins. If Rossi believes he is not in that position, he might quit. Because, unlike many other riders, he will not be content contesting fifth, sixth, or seventh position. So what do you think Rossi will do at the end of 2018? If he wins the championship this season, there is no doubt, but what if he fails to reach his goal again?
Source: Sport Rider