Six of MotoGP’s best pantomime villains...
“Every hero needs a villain, and every great sports story needs a compelling antagonist.”
Shehryar Bin Shahid 16th March 2024
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In modern sports entertainment, storylines are the lifeline of the sport. While it’s the heroes that get the biggest cheer from the crowd, it is the antagonists that help amplify them.
MotoGP’s list of hero figures is virtually endless, but in this article, we will be taking a look into riders who usually evoke a different response from the fans – hate.
All the entrants here are considered ‘villains’ in this list, based on fans’ perceptions. So without further ado, here are six of the best villains in MotoGP history.
6- Jorge Martin:
Jorge Martin didn’t exactly draw many eyes from the fans until the second half of 2023, when he suddenly emerged as the guy to beat Francesco Bagnaia for the championship.
An Italian riding an Italian bike and being closely knit to Valentino Rossi is a dream scenario for the Italians, and that is exactly why Francesco Bagnaia has the whole of Italy behind him. Being 60 points clear of the next best guy in the championship, Bagnaia was looking good for his second premier-class world title.
In comes Jorge Martin. After a nasty crash for Pecco in Barcelona, Jorge Martin felt that the championship was within his grasp. The Spaniard went on a tirade as he went on to win two of the next three rounds whilst also dominating the sprints from start to finish.
With this upturn in form, Martin was able to overturn a massive 60+ point deficit to Bagnaia to take the championship lead in less than four rounds.
The Spaniard’s upsurge in form was exactly what the Italians didn’t need; fortunately for them, Pecco would come into his own and fight Jorge Martin tooth and nail for the world championship to ultimately win the 2023 crown.
The thing that makes Jorge Martin such a great antagonist among the fans, is his outspoken personality with zero PR filters, which promises to get a reaction from the fans. Not to mention his overzealous style of riding, aggressive overtaking, and his spirited nature to get into the lead as early as possible. Beating such a formidable opponent is what made Bagnaia even more endearing to his fans.
5- Casey Stoner:
Very much a victim of the press’s ‘stirring pot’, Stoner much like Biaggi was also at the center of wrong light amongst the fans.
With his no-bullshit attitude towards racing and committing the cardinal sin of being competitors with a certain beloved Italian, Stoner was always under scrutiny from the fans for most of his short career.
The Australian came into the premier class and immediately won the world championship in just his second year. And he did not just beat his opposition into submission that particular year- he annihilated them!
The Australian on his Ducati was highly reputed for his natural talent in riding a bike. He would usually qualify on pole, get a great start, and then disappear into the distance at the earliest, much to the dismay of the fans. This made him a perfect antagonist for Rossi, who was struggling to keep up with Stoner in 2007.
Rossi would get his chance to one-up Stoner a year later, where he would dominate the 2008 world championship. He would also win the infamous Laguna Seca battle against Stoner, which left the Australian riled up due to Rossi’s hard maneuvers.
Stoner also got flak for being too meticulous with his approach to setting up his bike. He would often be referred to as ‘Casey Moaner’ or ‘Casey the Whiner’ by the fans.
Sometimes he could comfortably win the race, and instead of returning to his pit box and rejoicing the win, he would sit down straight away with his crew chief to have a serious discussion to improve his feeling on the bike.
For him, the best way to make reads from the bike was to call up his thoughts and sensations immediately after stepping off the bike. But the fans always mistook it for his uptight attitude, similar to Max Biaggi’s in the past.
4- Max Biaggi:
In 1998, four-time 250cc world champion Max Biaggi moved to the 500-cc class, where he made headlines by winning on his debut weekend. He would inevitably clash with then-500cc world champion Mick Doohan.
Max used to refer to himself as the ‘Roman Emperor’ and would occasionally bring two guys dressed up as Roman soldiers to stand outside his pit box.
The Italian’s uptight attitude is what earned him the title of “Kleenex” from none other than Mick Doohan.
“Max loves himself too much,” Doohan said. “He thinks too much about his appearance. He’s more of a product than a person – he’s plastic. He just makes up excuses and lies. And he cries so often that he should be sponsored by Kleenex.”
Biaggi finished his first season in second place in the championship, right behind world champion Mick Doohan but it wouldn’t take many years before another Italian would jostle for his place as the center of his nation’s affection.
Valentino Rossi entered the premier class in the year 2000 and finished the year in second place, much like Biaggi in 98’. In years to come, both Italians engaged in a heated rivalry where Rossi’s antiques on and off the track got Biaggi riled up with some famous incidents coming in the form of Japan 2001, where Biaggi pushed Rossi off the track, only for Rossi to return the favor later on with a hard pass into turn one – whilst also flipping the bird in the process.
Even before entering the premier class, both Italians were already flapping gums at each other. Back in 1997, when Rossi was dominating the 125cc class and Biaggi was en route to clinching his fourth consecutive 250cc world title, a journalist asked Rossi if he was “the Biaggi of the 125cc.”
Rossi responded by saying, “If anything, he is the Rossi of the 250cc.” Then, in the same year, Rossi, celebrated his Mugello victory with an inflatable doll to throw shade at Max Biaggi who was dating a supermodel.
The ‘Roman Emperor’ served as the perfect villain for Valentino Rossi in his rise and despite coming up short to ‘the doctor’, Biaggi will remain a synonymous figure among the fans for years to come.
3- John Kocinski:
If this was a list of the most unlikeable riders of all time, then Kocinski would surely top the list.
The rest of the riders on this list at least had some fans, but this guy was just universally hated, whether it be from his peers, fans; he even managed to rub off his team managers the wrong way. His Cagiva Team boss, “King Kenny” Roberts, famously dubbed him as “The Little Sh*t!”
Even before arriving to the premier class, he had the entire grid riled up for calling the elites of 500cc, old and washed up, and even suggested that they should have only three years to try and win the championship before being thrown out of the class.
He was so hated that when he won his first 500cc GP at Shah Alam in 1991, his podium mates, Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan splashed so much champagne in his face that he had to go for a medical checkup for blindness.
In 1994, John Kocinski was leading the 500cc world championship, but title rival Kevin Schwantz told the press that Kocinski would “fall apart like a cheap watch.” He even offered $10,000 to anyone in the paddock if they slept with Kocinski’s girlfriend.
There are other fun stories of the American rider, like the one where he was riding with Suzuki in 250cc in 1993 and he was battling Tetsuya Harada for second. After being unable to get the better of the Japanese rider, John was so furious that he stopped the bike at the side of the track on his cooldown lap and revved the bike until it blew up. Suzuki was pissed!
Here’s another one!
In 1991, at Laguna Seca Grand Prix, being teammates with Wayne Rainey, the brash John Kocinski who by this time was on everyone’s nerves due to his outspoken nature, said “We’re going to find out who is King of Laguna,” in reference to Wayne Rainey.
Rainey secured pole, with Kocinski in second. In the race, Rainey immediately distanced himself from Kocinski in second, only for a desperate Kocinski to crash on lap six.
The furious American left the circuit in haste, so much so that he was later arrested for not to pulling over. He had to spend the night in a cell and was given community service.
There are many instances of his brash attitude, which antagonized the fans over the years, thus earning him a spot at number three on my list.
2- Jorge Lorenzo
If there was a rider who fits the definition of a pantomime villain, it is Jorge Lorenzo.
The five-time world champion has the distinction of being the only rider to win world championships in the era of Rossi, Marquez, and Stoner.
Lorenzo entered MotoGP with Yamaha in a highly coveted position of being teammates with Valentino Rossi in 2008.
The young Spaniard went toe-to-toe with ‘The Doctor’ from their very first instance and became the first rider to beat Valentino Rossi on the same bike in 2010. It was also because of Jorge that Rossi decided to jump ship to Ducati.
Lorenzo’s titanic tussle with Rossi would resume once again two years down the line as Rossi would make a euphoric comeback to his beloved Yamaha in 2013, which would lead to a memorable yet controversial 2015 showdown between the two for the world championship, with Lorenzo emerging as the eventual victor.
Many people despise Jorge Lorenzo for being the only rider to have beaten Rossi at home and for being the rider to bring in more wins and championships later in their careers.
Another factor which may have played a role in such antagonism towards Lorenzo, is his style of winning. Which in most cases was just him running away into the distance with metronomic consistency, churning the exact same lap times with no fear from behind.
Lorenzo was also famed for his amazing starts and fast early laps on cold tires, which would result in him pulling the pin from the very first instant.
If Lorenzo qualified on pole, he will get the best start and more often than not, he will run away into the distance unchallenged, much to the agony of his haters.
Furthermore, Lorenzo in his early days with Yamaha, was often considered a ‘try-hard’, who would imitate Rossi’s style of big celebrations to endear to the same crowd, but fans often found it repelling.
Being the closest challenger to Rossi for seven years will always result in you losing the popularity battle, but Lorenzo proved during his time with Rossi that he was more than just a match.
Lorenzo did earn a lot of respect and admiration from the fans after his retirement, but during his time as a relentless force for the world championship, he wasn’t exactly given his flowers.
1- Marc Marquez
It doesn’t get more personal than that of friends turned foes, and that is exactly why this entrant makes it to the top of the list.
What started off as a ‘passing of the torch’ moment between the old master, Valentino Rossi, and the new heir to his throne, Marc Marquez turned into a bitter spat that remains to this day.
The two were respectful competitors in 2013 and 2014, but it all started kicking off when the Italian rediscovered his championship-winning form in 2015.
The first time the two came to blows was in Argentina, where Marquez looked untouchable in the race until Rossi’s gamble on the extra hard tires started to pay dividends later on, with Rossi rapidly closing in on Marquez for the lead and then getting past him before the two made contact, which ended with Marquez catching the gravel.
A couple rounds later, the two would come to blows again, but this time in Assen, with Rossi again getting the better of Marquez despite Marquez’s controversial attempt for a pass in the final chicane, which forced Rossi to go off-road and cut the corner to the finish line.
The two would then engage in a four-way battle for the win in Phillip Island, which at first looked fairly normal before all hell broke loose at Thursday’s press conference for the Sepang Grand Prix, when Rossi accused Marquez of sabotaging his race in Phillip Island to allow championship contender Jorge Lorenzo to get away at the front.
Now this harsh criticism from the Italians is what broke the camel’s back, both were now sworn enemies for life. Funny how Rossi finds himself on most of this list, after all the mercurial Italian held such powers to sway the public’s opinion – and Marquez was feeling it.
Come race day, both would engage in a fierce grudge match with both exchanging no less than twelve times in less than four laps of their engagement before Rossi made a controversial move on turn 14, which pushed Marquez wide and resulted in him crashing out of the race.
This resulted in Rossi getting a grid penalty which forced him to start from last on the grid at the season finale, where crucially, Jorge Lorenzo scored pole position and would go on to win the race. With Rossi finishing fourth in the race in an impressive comeback performance, it still wasn’t enough to clinch his tenth world championship.
Many Rossi fans are angry to this day for Marquez’s involvement in the championship, as they felt that the Spaniard deliberately did not pass Jorge Lorenzo in the final race despite being glued to his rear and was extra aggressive towards Rossi when the two battled in Sepang.
Rossi and Marquez to this day haven’t gone over the events of 2015, with Rossi claiming that Marquez ‘stole’ his elusive tenth title from him. Since then, Marquez has been the public enemy number one for Rossi fans, who, as we know already, are the most loyal fanbase in MotoGP.
Furthermore, Marquez’s aggressive style of riding and his antiques on the track, have also been a subject of criticism from riders and fans alike who deem him to be very dangerous.
So this is my list of the best villains from MotoGP. Do let us know in the comments below if you know any more!
