What makes Rossi tick?

[Lowe119]

Don't y'all just find it amazing that Rossi can do the things he can? I look at it like - I can't even come close to winning in CCS, those people can't come close to winning in AMA, and then Hayden is trying his hardest to keep up with the top guys in MotoGP. And then there's Rossi, who just dominates on whatever bike he choses to ride.

Now, I know there's more to it, but I'd like to know what makes Rossi so dominant. What goes on in his head? What is he thinking when he goes out and beats everyone? There has got to be a lot more than what is covered in the 60 minute Speed coverage of the race.

Any comments? Any of you know if there is any good books or videos on him?

[gixxerfever]

talent, simple talent, skill....

[motomadness]

Not to mention he's raced and tested on most all of the tracks for 7 years now.  His talent is supreme, but he's always been riding the best equipment at the best tracks in the world.  He's formed a lot of good habits that works well for him.  Key word = discipline.

[Lowe119]

I was kind of thinking that his difference in experience (of the GP circuit) has a lot to do with why people like Hayden are having a harder time.

What kind of influence do you think the teams have on their riders? Can Honda bring Hayden up to that level? Why can't Biaggi do it? How was Rossi able to go to Yamaha and still dominate? Or is it just the talent of the rider?

[davegsxrold929r]

talent, simple talent, skill....

yup tallant., it is all the rider.,

he has such a feel for what a bike is doing under him , that is what gives him such control...  he can mess up and still make a pass out in the grass., i love watching him run wide and off the track and never let off the gas., others panic and roll off the gas., he just makes the biek do what he wants.,


he is legend on a bike in my eyes...  :-[

[motomadness]

I don't believe it's all about talent.  I think he's got the most confidence and the best crew.  His relationship with his crew has been the key element to his success this year.  Without them, Rossi would have struggle just because they would have had to learn how to speak to each other.

Back to the confidence - Rossi aint afraid to try something.  He does it seemingly by telling himself he can do it, rather than can I, or should I do it.  Can anyone else say that?  Mladin is an awesome racer, but when the championship is on the line, he won't push it.  If the AMA field were at his same level, would he push more, or would he take the same conservative approach to maintaining a points lead.  I like Rossi's attitude about winning the championship while winning the pivotal race.

Last year, I finished 4th in LWGP without ever finishing 4th in a race.  What does that prove?  Simply that I came to more races.  It doesn't make me more confident in my ability to compete for a championship.  I want what Rossi's got, or even what Jesse Janisch has.  I've seen both of them try passing moves that seemed to come from no where.  Oh yeah, throw Blake Young into that category as well.

[Protein Filled]

I would say it's natural talent, experience, feel, a great crew, and the confidence that on a given day no one can beat you, is what allows him to be so unique.

You can't buy or teach most of those things. His dad was a World level racer and he has been on bikes ever since he was a little kid. I think it kind of comes naturally to him. He instinctively knows what the bike is doing wrong and has the experience to know what to change to fix things.

[OmniGLH]

Rossi just has that oh-so-perfect combination of genes, that has allowed him to master BOTH talents necessary to ride the way he does - 1) the physical riding, and 2) the talent of being able to describe, clearly, what the bike IS or ISN'T doing.  

Being able to describe what the bike is doing wrong is a talent in and of itself - something I bet a LOT of racers (myself included) could use some improvement on!

Self confidence is also a HUGE factor, in really just about anything.  If you THINK you can do it (within reason, of course), then chances are - you probably will.

[MELK-MAN]

I don't believe it's all about talent.  I think he's got the most confidence and the best crew.  His relationship with his crew has been the key element to his success this year.  Without them, Rossi would have struggle just because they would have had to learn how to speak to each other.

Back to the confidence - Rossi aint afraid to try something.  He does it seemingly by telling himself he can do it, rather than can I, or should I do it.  Can anyone else say that.  Mladin is an awesome racer, but when the championship is on the line, he won't push it.  If the AMA field were at his same level, would he push more, or would he take the same conservative approach to maintaining a points lead.  I like Rossi's attitude about winning the championship while winning the pivotal race.

Last year, I finished 4th in LWGP without ever finishing 4th in a race.  What does that prove?  Simply that I came to more races.  It doesn't make me more confident in my ability to compete for a championship.  I want what Rossi's got, or even what Jesse Janisch has.  I've seen both of them try passing moves that seemed to come from no where.  Oh yeah, through Blake Young into that category as well.

Confidence and Talent go hand n' hand.. and one will NOT make you fast without the other.

[tshort]

Talent schmalent...

What in *he11* is that supposed to mean, anyways? Talent.  I saw a woman in a bar once who had a lot of talent...least, that's what me and my buddies all concluded.

So does Rossi have more talent, than, say, Corser or Gibernau?  Or is it just a better bike?  Or maybe it's the rubber? Great team helps, too.  So do nice uniforms. Oh, man...

Talent.  How about Yogi Berra's take on it:  "99% of baseball is half mental."  Now we're getting somewhere. I think it's the same thing with motor racing.  Attitude.  Mental discipline.  Mental toughness (not the same thing). Raw intelligence. Natural temperment.  Some of these are gifts - that talent thing - but others are clearly willed, trained, learned.  Doesn't matter how much "talent" you got, it ain't enough if you don't get yourself focused, and disciplined in the art of winning (not whining ;)).

Does Rossi have the natural gifts that are table-stakes needed just to play the game?  Absolutely.  But how many other riders could have taken on the entire MotoGP field on what everyone thought going in was an also-ran bike, and win the whole thing?  Man, that's chops. That's the real deal.  

And I don't buy the notion that it's some kind of "talent" thing.  That's definitely a part of it, but I think he also has cultivated a winning mindset, spirit, attitude - call it whatever you want - through discipline, and deliberate pre-mediatated hard work with an unwavering focus.  He could've blown off practices or races because it was raining, or too cold, or too long a trip, or he was too jet-lagged, or whatever.  But I'm guessing he didn't (I have no idea what this guy's history is).  I'm guessing he threw a leg over the saddle, fired her up, smiled, and figured, "hey, cool - I'll give it go."

I swear sometimes I think champions are not that different from the rest of us - they just want it a little badder than I do.  

Talent?  Yeah, sure - whatever.  Give me "heart" any day. That's where I'll put my money.

[Super Dave]

Had read this didn't I...

Well, what do you have?

Ok, you have to start with some kind of capability.

Heartbeat, etc.

Genetics come in, yes.  I have no depth perception.  I can't recognize things Rossi does with his eyesight.

Reactions come into play.  If you see something and it takes you so long to react...Rossi reacts faster.

Feel...well, that comes with experience and reactions...

Confidence, yeah, it's needed.  That's the game of putting ability to use.

But heart?  Yeah, kind of...never give up, right.

But I'd go further.

I'd call it agression.

You've got to want it.  That's what makes one push beyond what one is confident in...just a little faster...just to rub it in...and recognizing that difference.

Bike?  Well, it needs to be reasonable.  

Crew...it has to be good.  Even better is best.  Rossi was no dummy in taking his crew...he wasn't smart...HE WAS WISE...wisdom is a great virtue.

When Freddie Spencer started going to European tracks, like Kenny Roberts, people were astounded that they could win pole positions even though they had not been to the track.

Why shouldn't Nicky be the same?

Not enough agression?  Has the heart...

Crew?  

So, it was 1991 and we were at Brainerd.  I had been working with Dale Quarterley for most of the year.  We were going out to dinner, but we were going go beat up the go-carts on that road right by the track.  Dale, his helper guy Daytona Mike, Tom Kipp, Dave Sadowski and his toddler son, myself and a few other guys went.

I remember Tom Kipp winding himself up, "Dale's goin' down.  Dale's goin' down...."  Over and over and over.  He was so wound up to go get Dale on the track.  I recognized that Kipp had an amount of agressiveness that I didn't seem to have...a willingness to hang it out really, really far.  

Didn't really matter...Dale was just out there to make anyone around him crash...eventually, we all got thrown out...LOL!

[MELK-MAN]

Talent schmalent...

What in *he11* is that supposed to mean, anyways? Talent.  I saw a woman in a bar once who had a lot of talent...least, that's what me and my buddies all concluded.

So does Rossi have more talent, than, say, Corser or Gibernau?  Or is it just a better bike?  Or maybe it's the rubber? Great team helps, too.  So do nice uniforms. Oh, man...

Talent.  How about Yogi Berra's take on it:  "99% of baseball is half mental."  Now we're getting somewhere. I think it's the same thing with motor racing.  Attitude.  Mental discipline.  Mental toughness (not the same thing). Raw intelligence. Natural temperment.  Some of these are gifts - that talent thing - but others are clearly willed, trained, learned.  Doesn't matter how much "talent" you got, it ain't enough if you don't get yourself focused, and disciplined in the art of winning (not whining ;)).

Does Rossi have the natural gifts that are table-stakes needed just to play the game?  Absolutely.  But how many other riders could have taken on the entire MotoGP field on what everyone thought going in was an also-ran bike, and win the whole thing?  Man, that's chops. That's the real deal.  

And I don't buy the notion that it's some kind of "talent" thing.  That's definitely a part of it, but I think he also has cultivated a winning mindset, spirit, attitude - call it whatever you want - through discipline, and deliberate pre-mediatated hard work with an unwavering focus.  He could've blown off practices or races because it was raining, or too cold, or too long a trip, or he was too jet-lagged, or whatever.  But I'm guessing he didn't (I have no idea what this guy's history is).  I'm guessing he threw a leg over the saddle, fired her up, smiled, and figured, "hey, cool - I'll give it go."

I swear sometimes I think champions are not that different from the rest of us - they just want it a little badder than I do.  

Talent?  Yeah, sure - whatever.  Give me "heart" any day. That's where I'll put my money.

You can not be serious.. Just "wanting" it bad will get you only so far. Your telling me that some rider that just "wants it bad" and has the financial backing to get on a great bike could become the next Rossi? Please. Tiger woods was born to be perhaps the greatest golfer and many knew it from his early years. Did he WANT to be a great golfer at 4 years old?? doubt it. Hopkins.. TALENT.. early teens running circles around guys at track days..
Talent AND confidence...  ;) Gotta have both.
As SD said, aggression is necessary to be a winner as well but without talent and confidence an agressive rider will just crash alot and probably crash into other riders to boot.

[Dawn]

I think that he truly enjoys what he is doing, it's not just a "job" to him.   This is also to his advantage.

Dawn   :)

[tshort]

I think that he truly enjoys what he is doing, it's not just a "job" to him.   This is also to his advantage.
Dawn   :)

I think we're in violent agreement.  If you re-read what I wrote you will see that I don't believe talent is unnecessary - in fact, I said it is table-stakes - gotta have that just to be in the game.  They all do at the pro level.  So what makes Rossi stand out?  

Or do you think that he has some extra super duper special level of talent that makes him different??  

[Super Dave]

 

Or do you think that he has some extra super duper special level of talent that makes him different??  

There's no big magic.

Potential is a rock at the top of a hill.  As riders, we all have to learn.  We're rocks at the bottom of a hill.

So, talent is learned.  However, some have physical abilities that make us better suited to the objective...genetics.  We might start on a hill that has "less grade" to it as a result.

On top of that, luck.  I've watched some guys that shatter upon impact.  Again, it's part genetics there.  Survival of the fittest.

To learn you have to push.  Agression, heart, desire...the want to beat someone.  

Tell me if anyone besides Miguel want's to beat Mladin...really beat him.

BUT...

You can have all the want and money in the world and get no where.

You can have a little money and a great deal of ability and desire...someone that knows the difference might see that...it's special.

[Super Dave]

Why does Rossi do this?

It's fun.

It's still a challenge.

When those go away, he'll probably retire and do something else.

Few are so lucky.

[motomadness]

I was watching the motogp race today and noticed something about a pass that Rossi put on Tamada.  It was a double apex turn.  Rossi went a little wider than Tamada through what looked to be a wide rubber patch on the track.  As soon as his front tire hit the patch, he accelerated hard towards the second apex underneath Tamada.  Did he know he was going to get more traction at that point?

[motomadness]

Potential is a rock at the top of a hill.  As riders, we all have to learn.  We're rocks at the bottom of a hill.

Great quote.

[Lowe119]

I was watching the motogp race today and noticed something about a pass that Rossi put on Tamada.  It was a double apex turn.  Rossi went a little wider than Tamada through what looked to be a wide rubber patch on the track.  As soon as his front tire hit the patch, he accelerated hard towards the second apex underneath Tamada.  Did he know he was going to get more traction at that point?

That pass was amazing. I just sat there with my jaw on the floor. I couldn't figure out how he would even attempt that pass.

[Super Dave]

I was watching the motogp race today and noticed something about a pass that Rossi put on Tamada.  It was a double apex turn.  Rossi went a little wider than Tamada through what looked to be a wide rubber patch on the track.  As soon as his front tire hit the patch, he accelerated hard towards the second apex underneath Tamada.  Did he know he was going to get more traction at that point?

Sean, don't you remember some of the drawings I've done for you...

Didn't see the race, but I can imagine...

[motomadness]

SD,
I remember the drawings, but sometimes just seeing it work is astonishing.

[Ryan125]

25 MILLION DOLLAR CONTRACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Super Dave]

Pay Biaggi $50 millions and the result would still be the same.

And STOP YELLING!