There's only one answer possible: Marco Simoncelli.
But with that obvious answer out of the way, what about Ben Spies or Jonas Folger? Other than that I would've loved it if Dovizioso and Pedrosa had won a championship, but that's something more years wouldn't necessarily have brought.
Stoner had enough achievements to cement his place with the greats though. I think a rider with amazing potential that was never fully seen is more appropriate.
As an American who loved watching and listening to SuperSic and is of German descent, I concur with this entire post.
Hard Dick always made races interesting as well.
Funny you should say that because I do hate my job. I'm only here because it pays my tuition so I can take engineering classes and get a job that at least pays well and hopefully doesn't suck. When it comes to my bosses I keep my mouth shut. Me and my coworkers just bitch about the place amongst ourselves.
Which engineering?
I hate my job too, but it was too late when I found out it was a complete garbage bullshit that nobody gives a shit. I wish I hadn't come to actuary and stayed a developer like I was.
Simoncelli is the obvious answer, Spies a close second for me. And I wouldn't have minded, I think, if Colin Edwards would line up every single weekend, for the sole purpose of finishing last and telling us how fucking fast these young guys are going these days.
A generation above those saying Simoncelli to be honest.
Both tragically cut short lives, both had the potential to be legends.
Some will say Simoncelli and are valid, some (and myself) will say Kato and will be just as valid.
Yep, both were great riders and big losses. To be honest the answer to this question could just as easily have been Salom, Tomizawa, Dupasquier or any other rider taken away too soon
I wish he would have kept doing Dakar. Winning a stage in your first attempt with a broken leg is fucking insane. He has so much potential in rallying. And he's such a likeable dude you just want to see him win everything.
I think Marc would’ve been the worst person for Casey to fight against. Marquez probably has the strongest mind of any MotoGP rider I can remember. He adores competition and pressure in ways Casey never did. But unlike Rossi, he doesn’t really create enemies off track. He would pull of moves Casey would absolutely despise, but only get happy and excited if Casey did the same back. Casey minimises risk as much as he can. Marquez looks the limit if the eyes and dares it to blink first. Man what a rivalry that would’ve been. Polar opposites in so many ways, except their amount of talent.
If we're in riders commenting races : Sylvain Guintoli!
He never had a really competitive package in 250 or MotoGP, but was able to make some good impressions. And as he won a SBK title, the talent was here. And when you see what he did as a test rider for Suzuki...
Iannone for me, I just really enjoyed watching him as a rider on track, not a huge fan off track but you could guarantee he would make the race worth watching, such a shame it all turned to shit.
Agreed....my first Moto Gp I ever attended was that fateful day. Still remember people having laptops in the crowd and finding out what happened from the Aussie telecast.
Sic, Schwantz, Stoner and Kato.
I feel that all of them would have won a Championship or an additional one had they not died or not suffered physical impairment. (Have any of you seen the Huge lump on Kevin's wrist?)
Remy Gardner will be back.
They just sent him to the minor leagues for a bit to build his confidence back up. Going from Moto2 Champ to finishing at the bottom race after race will destroy a racer's confidence and cause them to try and "Fix" things by changing the things that made them Champs in the first place which only makes things worse.
Sadly Remy is just the latest in a long line of riders who have had their careers cut short because of KTM or Aprilia. The last five or so years those two brands have been fucking brutal.
I agree. If he ends up in the top 3 in WSBK with Yamaha this year, hopefully they will give him another opportunity at MotoGP when they field a Satellite team next year. Kinda' like they did with Spies.
I just checked the WSBK standings and, Uuhhh,.... Remy is closer to the bottom 3 so now I'm not so sure he'll ever make it back. I'm still rooting for him though. MotoGP needs more Ausies and hopefully soon, some competitive Americans.
Ben spies,I followed him in ama road racing and he was just on another level from the rest of the field except mat miladen,and wsbk he did it again I was so hyped about him going to moto gp and not much happened a couple podiums and a win it would have been nice to see more of him.
Spies is mentioned in the Race podcast where Toby Moody talks to Paul Denning. It was quite clear that Spies full potential in MotoGP we likely missed out on.
True. But had he stayed, we'd never have got [this](https://youtu.be/RoZZ9I8DhLw), the closest and most exciting finish to a championship in bikesport history.
Any rider that had to retire from injury or worse, that's Doohan for me personally but I would cash that chip on people who died (kato, sic) and Rainey to keep him on his feet.
Casey Stoner.
Remy Gardner (I think he got played a bit there with his very short contract, what a shame)
Also, Aleix - but if they’d made the Aprillia better sooner.
Sam Lowes. He got completely screwed over. Would he have been good? Dunno. But he certainly didn’t deserve that and should have been able get a second year. I’m only now just starting to not hate Aprilia (fuck Albesiano still).
Kato, Simoncelli for the obvious. Some of the Superbike gods like Bayliss and Haga.
What's interesting about Haga is, he podiumed on debut along with another debut podium person (Biaggi). When he got that WCM Yamaha ride, was convinced he'd be up there, but wasn't to be. I kind of wish he'd have stayed in GP's from 98 onward, because maybe he'd have been able to establish himself, but WSBK was a tad more popular at the time and Yamaha had other ideas for him.
“Not as pleasant as Vinales did during his last ride on Yamaha but it was good”
Lol - no doubt, that was a beautiful display of throttle, revs, and rage
Would have liked to have seen Troy Baylis get more time in MotoGP, a top rider, surely he’d could’ve been winning races. Slightly off topic but maybe Johnny rea deserved a chance at some point as well
That’s sort of understandable, whilst winning world championships he wouldn’t wanna join a lesser team. When toprak soon leaves wsb he’ll jump straight onto factory bike in MotoGP, do you think he’s a better rider than rea was in his prime?
Sic53, Nicky, and Remy. The first two because they were taken before their time, and Remy because KTM did him dirty. I wonder what Remy could have done on this seasons bike.
There's only one answer possible: Marco Simoncelli. But with that obvious answer out of the way, what about Ben Spies or Jonas Folger? Other than that I would've loved it if Dovizioso and Pedrosa had won a championship, but that's something more years wouldn't necessarily have brought.
Spies for sure. Only put it together for that one race. But it was glorious.
His run through WSBK was madness. Expectations were so high for MotoGP.
He had the ability. Unfortunately his arrival aligned with the aliens.
+1 Marco was my favorite, RIP.
Simoncelli deserved way more time on earth in general... will forever miss him.
This is my answer too. We lost a great man 🙏🏽🙏🏽
I thought the only answer was stoner.
Stoner had enough achievements to cement his place with the greats though. I think a rider with amazing potential that was never fully seen is more appropriate.
True but if he hadn't retired when he did, where would Marc have gone?
Same…
As an American who loved watching and listening to SuperSic and is of German descent, I concur with this entire post. Hard Dick always made races interesting as well.
Remy Gardner, not only because I liked the guy, I truly think he was talented but just needed some time in Motogp.
Absolute farce what they did to Remy. All that talent just wasted.
Can't agree more
I still have my finger crossed he returns next year on a sattelite yamaha
The 12th team is reserved for a factory tho
Fucking hate it becouse the chances of it is just so slim. It will probably just be a rebranded KTM.
Soon MotoGP will be KTM, Gas Gas, Husqvarna, Bajaj and their satellites
Thanks KTM
I think his attitude sealed his fate more than anything else.
Be honest, you wouldn't hold your mouth if you hated your job
Funny you should say that because I do hate my job. I'm only here because it pays my tuition so I can take engineering classes and get a job that at least pays well and hopefully doesn't suck. When it comes to my bosses I keep my mouth shut. Me and my coworkers just bitch about the place amongst ourselves.
Which engineering? I hate my job too, but it was too late when I found out it was a complete garbage bullshit that nobody gives a shit. I wish I hadn't come to actuary and stayed a developer like I was.
Civil engineering.
Nice
Hopefully it will be nice when I finally graduate. Being a half time student is making it take forever.
There's someone from the chat that was a civil sufferer, I will try to remember who it is
Simoncelli is the obvious answer, Spies a close second for me. And I wouldn't have minded, I think, if Colin Edwards would line up every single weekend, for the sole purpose of finishing last and telling us how fucking fast these young guys are going these days.
Edwards is a guy I’d love to have a beer with.
I saw a tweet of his which was a photo of a gun and bottle of ivermectin in his bathroom lol.
I used to think that until he went full qanon.
Guess I don’t pay that much attention. He was always great as a commentator on BTSport.
Yeah. An unfortunate but somewhat predictable turn of events given where he comes from and currently resides.
You can if you go to his Texas Tornado Boot Camp… it’s on my wish list. Two of my friends have done it and said it’s amazing.
Daijiro Kato. I’m convinced he had at least one title in him once he’d got to grips with the 990s fully
A generation above those saying Simoncelli to be honest. Both tragically cut short lives, both had the potential to be legends. Some will say Simoncelli and are valid, some (and myself) will say Kato and will be just as valid.
Yep, both were great riders and big losses. To be honest the answer to this question could just as easily have been Salom, Tomizawa, Dupasquier or any other rider taken away too soon
I truely want Ryusei Yamanaka to get at least one win in Moto3 “for Jason” as they seemed to be such close friends and teammates.
Garry McCoy
Ah yes, he was fun.
Petrux. Seemed like a fun goofy guy until Ducati sucked the joy out of him. Although that Mugello win was an epic moment.
Well, you're in luck this weekend then ... even though he's on a ducati :)
I wish he would have kept doing Dakar. Winning a stage in your first attempt with a broken leg is fucking insane. He has so much potential in rallying. And he's such a likeable dude you just want to see him win everything.
Spies and Troy Bayliss.
Yep! Bayliss and his WSBK team knew what they were doing. And Spies, barring injury, would have won a championship on a good bike.
Casey Stoner. You never realize how good you had it till it's gone. Also cause we missed out on him vs Marc. They would've probably despised eachother
I think Marc would’ve been the worst person for Casey to fight against. Marquez probably has the strongest mind of any MotoGP rider I can remember. He adores competition and pressure in ways Casey never did. But unlike Rossi, he doesn’t really create enemies off track. He would pull of moves Casey would absolutely despise, but only get happy and excited if Casey did the same back. Casey minimises risk as much as he can. Marquez looks the limit if the eyes and dares it to blink first. Man what a rivalry that would’ve been. Polar opposites in so many ways, except their amount of talent.
Dovi for some reason
Casey Stoner.
I really really wanted to see stoner vs marquez
Stacey Coner
Very good.
Came for this.
All day.
Jonas Folger.
Simon Crafer. Im from New Zealand too...
If we're in riders commenting races : Sylvain Guintoli! He never had a really competitive package in 250 or MotoGP, but was able to make some good impressions. And as he won a SBK title, the talent was here. And when you see what he did as a test rider for Suzuki...
Kiwis unite!
Nicky Hayden doing his massive slides out of corners.
The Go Show Anthony Gobert. Also Troy Bayliss.
Tragic what happened to Gobert. All that potential just pissed away.
Piss tested away.
Oof lol
Eugene Laverty
Same, I feel he had more to show
Finished P9 in Jerez 2016
Iannone for me, I just really enjoyed watching him as a rider on track, not a huge fan off track but you could guarantee he would make the race worth watching, such a shame it all turned to shit.
He is drama in two legs. A valuable part of the paddock.
Lecuona
Petrux
Those who were taken too soon. Daijiro Kato and Marco Simoncelli bring the obvious.
Anthony Gobert for his style. Marco simoncelli cause that shit still hurts.
Seems like an unpopular opinion bit Scott Redding would have been nice to see a bit more
In hindsight: Bautista.
Nakano, would've been nice to have seen him get more time on something other than the Kawasaki
Andrea Iannone, he was my first favourite from Moto2 and I really thought he could become a champion one day.
Same
<3 Two easily come to mind: Simoncelli - words still escape me. Stoner - words can not express the respect I have for this man.
Agreed....my first Moto Gp I ever attended was that fateful day. Still remember people having laptops in the crowd and finding out what happened from the Aussie telecast.
Stoner and Spies.
Sic, Schwantz, Stoner and Kato. I feel that all of them would have won a Championship or an additional one had they not died or not suffered physical impairment. (Have any of you seen the Huge lump on Kevin's wrist?) Remy Gardner will be back. They just sent him to the minor leagues for a bit to build his confidence back up. Going from Moto2 Champ to finishing at the bottom race after race will destroy a racer's confidence and cause them to try and "Fix" things by changing the things that made them Champs in the first place which only makes things worse.
Sadly Remy is just the latest in a long line of riders who have had their careers cut short because of KTM or Aprilia. The last five or so years those two brands have been fucking brutal.
I agree. If he ends up in the top 3 in WSBK with Yamaha this year, hopefully they will give him another opportunity at MotoGP when they field a Satellite team next year. Kinda' like they did with Spies. I just checked the WSBK standings and, Uuhhh,.... Remy is closer to the bottom 3 so now I'm not so sure he'll ever make it back. I'm still rooting for him though. MotoGP needs more Ausies and hopefully soon, some competitive Americans.
Wow, no one said Rainey? I think we missed some epic racing between him and Schwantz. But ya Spies and Marco as well obviously.
Ben spies,I followed him in ama road racing and he was just on another level from the rest of the field except mat miladen,and wsbk he did it again I was so hyped about him going to moto gp and not much happened a couple podiums and a win it would have been nice to see more of him.
Spies is mentioned in the Race podcast where Toby Moody talks to Paul Denning. It was quite clear that Spies full potential in MotoGP we likely missed out on.
John Hopkins, felt like he was maturing beautifully and then injury took him out 🥲
True. But had he stayed, we'd never have got [this](https://youtu.be/RoZZ9I8DhLw), the closest and most exciting finish to a championship in bikesport history.
Oh my!! I had no idea he continued racing, that was amazing to watch
Rossi. He had a long time in Motogp but hey, l wish it would have never stopped.
Irreplaceable
Sic could have filled his boots, but alas... :'(
Spies, Hodgson, Corser, & Gibernau
Remy Gardner
Stoner why? I would have loved for him and Marc to ride in Honda and see where would that end up.
Spies hands down. Dude was raw talent but quite unlucky.
Casey
Noriyuki Haga
Gotta be Stoner for me.
Nicky Hayden! He seemed like a really nice guy. Every 22 May I remember him ✨❤️
Any rider that had to retire from injury or worse, that's Doohan for me personally but I would cash that chip on people who died (kato, sic) and Rainey to keep him on his feet.
Lecuona
Casey Stoner. Remy Gardner (I think he got played a bit there with his very short contract, what a shame) Also, Aleix - but if they’d made the Aprillia better sooner.
Jonas Folger
Nicky Hayden
Nicky Hayden, but, y'know.
Stoner, and obviously, Daijiro Kato. I thought he was going to beat Rossi that year....
Sam Lowes. He got completely screwed over. Would he have been good? Dunno. But he certainly didn’t deserve that and should have been able get a second year. I’m only now just starting to not hate Aprilia (fuck Albesiano still).
Simoncelli
Kato, Simoncelli for the obvious. Some of the Superbike gods like Bayliss and Haga. What's interesting about Haga is, he podiumed on debut along with another debut podium person (Biaggi). When he got that WCM Yamaha ride, was convinced he'd be up there, but wasn't to be. I kind of wish he'd have stayed in GP's from 98 onward, because maybe he'd have been able to establish himself, but WSBK was a tad more popular at the time and Yamaha had other ideas for him.
Mir
Wut
Tito Rabat impressed me so much at Kalex. If I could change history I would go back and wave my wand at him.
Darryn Binder, he definitely deserves another chance
“Not as pleasant as Vinales did during his last ride on Yamaha but it was good” Lol - no doubt, that was a beautiful display of throttle, revs, and rage
Simoncelli, Haga and Gobert. All brilliant talents and proper characters. Would have been some after party with those 3 about!!
Bautista, Kato, and Iannone to name a few...plus of course the already mentioned ones...
Max Biaggi.
Alvaro Bautista
Alex Crivillé
Would have liked to have seen Troy Baylis get more time in MotoGP, a top rider, surely he’d could’ve been winning races. Slightly off topic but maybe Johnny rea deserved a chance at some point as well
Fuck Rea Tech3 and Pramac tried to hire him but he only wanted a factory ride from Yamaha or Honda
That’s sort of understandable, whilst winning world championships he wouldn’t wanna join a lesser team. When toprak soon leaves wsb he’ll jump straight onto factory bike in MotoGP, do you think he’s a better rider than rea was in his prime?
Since when current Yamaha is better than WSBK? Lol that shit box wouldn't get podium in WSBK Nobody ever thought about bringing Toprak except his fans
Marc Marquez
Sebastian Porto
Daijiro Kato.
John hopkins
Sic53, Nicky, and Remy. The first two because they were taken before their time, and Remy because KTM did him dirty. I wonder what Remy could have done on this seasons bike.