Rossi scoops the title…but Stoner proves the rain-master

“I don’t know who writes Moto GP’s scripts, but they’ve clearly got a direct line to the weather-man! Because Malaysia’s 125cc and 250cc Grands Prix both took place under absolutely perfect conditions. And, then, 15 minutes before the Moto GP was due to start, the sky suddenly darkened, the clouds opened up from above and the whole track was transformed into a river! All that after no Moto GP bike had done so much as a single lap on a damp or wet track during the whole weekend.

But those slippery conditions actually provided us with a much better race than it might have been in the dry, I think. This is one of Valentino Rossi’s favourite circuits, after all, and, under normal conditions, I think that he might have just run away with it; clinching his World Championship the way that he likes to – with a win from the front.

As it was, though, the Malaysian Grand Prix still starred a dominant winner – but it was Casey Stoner, on the Ducati. The show which I co-present for German TV received dozens of e-mails from our viewers, afterwards, all asking the same question; ‘How is it that Casey, coming from such a dry country in Australia, can be so good in the wet?’ I’m not sure I know the answer to that, but certainly Stoner is blessed with a fantastic natural instinct for almost immediately discovering the limits of himself, his bike and the track conditions faster than anyone else.

For instance, after nine or ten laps, Stoner’s and Rossi’s lap times were almost identical, with both riders having discovered the absolute ‘limit’…but in the eight laps leading up to that, Casey had opened up a twenty second lead over the World Champion! And that was simply down to the Australian having mastered the weather and track conditions so much quicker than Rossi did. Don’t ask me how; I just call it his ‘magic button’.

I think that Stoner may also have been laying down an important psychological marker in Rossi’s direction for 2010, too. Because it’s worth recognising that, since his comeback at Estoril, just a few weeks ago, Casey has actually scored more championship points than any other rider. I think that Valentino is going to find it really hard work, next season, to successfully defend his title.

But there should also be little doubt that he’s a worthy winner of this year’s crown. 2009 has been an almost unprecedented year in terms of wet-weather races, and a whole variety of other differing challenges and obstacles, and Rossi ended up quite a distance above everyone else in the points table. Plus, from a wider perspective, it’s so good for motorcycle racing to have such a sporting icon as him as its ultimate Champion to offer the world.

Rossi knows that he has two real rivals for next year, though, and, arguably, both Stoner and Lorenzo are now ready to beat him. Valentino should take seriously the fact that Casey is already promising to train hard every day right through the winter break, with the aim of being fitter than ever for the start of 2010, whilst Jorge Lorenzo – already the fittest man on the Moto GP grid – also aims to take his physical condition up another yet level for next year. Part of their motivation, I’m sure, is that both those guys want to beat Valentino – and be seen to have beaten him – whilst Rossi is still at his peak.

There may also turn out to be a further ‘outside’ contender for the 2010 title in the form of Ducati’s second rider, Nicky Hayden, who has improved spectacularly as the 2009 season has progressed. To be honest, the American started this year way off the pace, but has improved with every race this season, and was really fighting hard with both Rossi and Lorenzo during the middle stages of Sunday’s race. And, yes, it is another source of mystery of how a man from the Deep South can be so good in the rain, too!

In fact, it said an awful lot about the quality of the modern-day Moto GP field that the track in Sepang could be so absolutely saturated…but so few riders fell off or had accidents. That was with the exception of Randy Du Punier, of course, who – not for the first time – suffered a massive crash. I don’t what is it about that guy, but I think that he must be half-man, half-cat, because he can suffer the most almighty accidents and walk away from nearly all of them! That was a massive end-over-end ‘high-side’, at well over 100mph, and, yet again, Du Puniet didn’t suffer a single broken bone.

The Championship may well be settled now, then, but the 2009 season’s final race, at Valencia, could be a much better spectacle, as a result. With the pressure finally off, guys like Jorge Lorenzo, in particular, will be able to ride with a new freedom. Trust me, it’s going to prove worth watching!”