MOTOGP » Valentino Rossi: Agostini still the greatest

For me you are the greatest champion!...

Must agree with 'The Doc' here. Agostini won on bikes and circuits/race tracks which were lethal. Even if 'The Doc' wins more races it will be no record to match 'Ago'. Also I do not remember seeing 'Ago' racing but Rossi's child like manners after winning leave me stunned. The tarmac kiss in the USA, the 100 win banner today at Assen - I could go on. Even the BBC commentators were laughing (well if I am not mistaken I did hear some laughing) What it is to him......the other guys just take it in their stride.

It's really nice to see Rossi being very gracious to Ago... but mathematically for Valentino Rossi, 122 wins in not very far out of reach so folks GET READY FOR ANOTHER CELEBRATION TO CROWN HIM MOST WINS BY ANY RIDER IN MOTOGP!!!!!!

"child like"? - Oh for the love of God, JOHN! Are you so against the world that you hate to see anyone having fun? It's what Rossi does, he enjoys himself when he races, even more so when he wins. Can you imagine how stale MOTOGP would be if you weren't allowed to have fun? We need characters like Rossi.

******** john ??? rossi is just being kind .while ago was a great, many of his gp wins, he won by several minutes ??(ulster gp) etc ---cos he was on four cylinder mv and most of the rest on single cylinder bikes ? like rossi racing his m1 against guys on 125s

direct comparisons between riders of different eras are pointless. sure, ago raced on much more dangerous tracks like spa and the isle of man, but the speeds were lower and as mentioned, he enjoyed a massive bike superiority. ago also raced in multiple classes in the same year. can you imagine rossi's victory count if he raced in motogp and 250s at the same time?

besides, "greatest" is more than victory totals anyway. doohan, rainey and schwantz all raced in an era when the bikes were at their most dangerous, the tracks were more deadly and the level of competition was more even. if not for career-ending injuries, who's to say how many victories they would have?

as for the comment about rossi's post race antics... you've got to be f@#$ing kidding. i clearly remember the pre-rossi era of post race tedium where doohan and company would regale us with scintillating tales of tire choice and rim diameter. now that's entertainment!

rossi takes real pleasure in racing and in winning (thank god, since he does it so often) and he expresses that joy. his celebrations are hilarious and genuine. but i guess if you don't get that, you probably never will. too bad, you're missing out on the fun.

Rossi races and celebrates with pure emotion. Don't you have any emotion JOHN? Child like? What a stupid comment! Ago had it easy when Hailwood retired but struggled against Read and Saarinen.

Absolutely right plan4. The Doohan, Rainey, Schwantz era was massively competitive. If Rainey hadn't had Schwantz and Doohan to fight with he could of reigned for a whole decade!

I have nothing but respect for all the riders out there, but I would rather hang out with Val over any of the other riders, by a long shot. He is by far the most dynamic and interesting character in all of racing (IMHO). Congrats to him on a well deserved victory.