Jorge (Slingshot) * Lorenzo.
The UKOD. Except he generates more ozone around him than he destroys.
He has it all, talent, courage, zanshin. Testosterone levels to give Miura bulls the heebys.
I wouldn't be surprised if he lost most of his hair by the time he's 29.
At the moment, barring major cataclysms, he's absolutely unbeatable at the championship level.
He certainly does not have the charisma of the Doctor, but he's presently a better rider.
About the charisma... I live in Mallorca, where he grew up, and I've heard first-hand accounts (and I mean first-hand, and reliable too) about his family, especially his father, and if you take those into account, he's doing all to well on the personal level. Considering.
If you have any doubts on what he's capable of by now, watch the Qatar race. The Jerez race. All races this year. He could start from fourth row, go wide at he first turn, and still win the race, he's the only one who can do that.
Daniel (Dani) Pedrosa.
Incredibly talented. A virtuoso of the motorcycle. He has it all, talent, courage, zanshin... the testosterone levels may not be up to the challenge, though :)
Mind you, he's a real Ninja warrior. Except, maybe just too much of a Ninja. He really should be Japanese, not Spanish. Sort of has it all, but lacks... creativity, you know ;)
He also has, in my opinion, the best bike on the circuit at the moment, and he can certainly use it.
Andrea (Dobby) Dovizioso.
He also has, in my opinion, the best bike on the circuit at the moment, and he can certainly use it.
Does he lack something? Time will tell. He's young.
Does he look like Dobby? Hmmm... I bet if he really put on a Dobby face, he could :)
Does he ride like Dobby? Well, no, but I wouldn't mind seeing Dobby ride a Honda, give him a few practice laps...
Casey (Crasey) Stoner.
He's my favourite rider. He sort of rides like me... well sort of. (I also ride a Ducati).
I think he hasn't quite got the talent of any of the above, but he certainly makes up for it with vigour :)
He's sort of a Rodeo Rider, taming the Beast turn by turn, race by race. With mixed results.
He certainly was the first to tame the Italian Beast. It took his present teammate a lot longer, and most other riders never did it at all.
I just love to watch him ride.
Valentino (The Doctor) Rossi.
The Greatest. Whatever he does from now, he's already done it all.
And he has the top charisma of all times.
There's not much to be said about him that hasn't been said already. Except... my take on this season...
Maybe Yamaha should sue him for malpractice. I mean The Doctor and all, goes and pretty much blows the season on a motocross accident. Who's to say whether the shoulder injury wasn't a key factor in the Mugello crash too? Hey? Hey?
Still, I'm really curious how long it'll take him to tame the Beast from Bologna next year. Probably not long, but... Lorenzo has an eight-year advantage in age, which is not going to get better, and a four-year (by next year) advantage on the bike. Hopefully, it will be interesting.
Nicky (KFC) ** Hayden.
Great guy. Great rider. Deserves the top six.
It took him a while to Tame the Beast, but he seems to have made very good progress. Though a very talented rider, he's not, in my opinion, in the same league as the ones above. The championship he won was a rather "cilly" one. He may well be the first (for the moment) of the rest of the league, though.
* A little cultural-historical note on the "slingshot" nickname.
The Balearic Islands are historically famous for three things: warm sandy beaches, cocktails with little straw hats, and hondas (which are called "fones" in the local language, but "hondas" in Spanish. Up to the 16th century, Balearic slingers were among the most highly prized mercenaries in Europe. The fact that Jorge never won anything much on a Honda seems to be just one of those historical ironies :)
** KFC obviously stands for Kentucky FireCracker ;)
A small note on Randy (Le Gauloise) De Puniet:
The guy is amazing. He rides like a true Gallic warrior on a magic potion overdose.
The thing is, he's way too Gallic. He's like Asterix, Obelix, Abraracourcix and Tragicomix all bundled together, with the consequent explosive results.
He's also the only true metrosexual rider in the championship, born on February 14, and sponsored by Playboy. And he's called Randy to boot.
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