Pit Shadow

I know what you’ll expect me to talk about, and I’m kind of going to but from a different angle because you’re probably bored of it all. I certainly bloody am, and it only happened days ago as I tap away…

So, this whole team orders thing, a facet of racing for years that fans and those involved alike have said time and again has no place in motorcycle racing. It’s funny, isn’t it, that when it’s a particular rider who has seemingly gone against them, suddenly team orders should be obeyed, shout all. Well, what a surprise!

So rather than focus on whether a certain Spaniard should or should not have moved aside, no matter what the facts, nor what’s been said afterwards, or even giving these racers credit for knowing their business, I’ll ask this instead – what if had been Valentino Rossi?

Picture the scene: Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales goes into the final round 21-points behind the ever imperious Marc Marquez. The chances of him winning are pretty slim, but then nothing is impossible. Yet all weekend his pace is pretty naff, and analysis of his race pace does not make bode well for Sunday. But his team-mate, Rossi, appears much faster and has publicly vowed to help Maverick if the right circumstances arrive.

Come the race, after a couple of laps, Marquez lies ahead with two other riders, Rossi is right in front of Vinales with a small but significant gap to the leaders. On television, and therefore also in the pits, it appears that on the first half of the track Vinales is faster, though not in the last split. It kind of looks like he may want past, but is unable for some reason to even try and make a single move to overtake. The team starts issuing orders to Rossi to allow him past however they can. Many laps roll by, but Rossi hasn’t budged and the gap to the leaders remains static. Why is he doing this, everyone asks. Because it’s Rossi, he must have a good reason, the majority will conclude.

Then, a potential miracle. Marquez runs off track and could (as far as they know) be on the deck. At that moment, Rossi puts the hammer down to catch the leaders. Within two laps he has, everyone rejoices because they know he’s going to fight with them to slow them up, giving Vinales a chance. Except, in those two laps, Vinales can’t stay with the faster rider. And then it turns out, both were already on the limit, Rossi crashes, then Vinales does, game over.

In the pits, Rossi says he ignored orders because he knew what he was doing would help Maverick better than moving aside, and Vinales agrees and thanks him for helping keep him near the front as he was, actually, so off the pace. The world praises Rossi for ignoring team orders, for being a genius and thinking outside the box to help his team-mate. This all sounds familiar, right? Of course it does, just the names and outcome has been changed – but it’s what would have happened had this not been that Spaniard, isn’t it? Delude yourself all you want, you know this is true, and it’s depressing. A racer’s job is to finish in front, team orders, and obeying them or not, can go to hell…