The Continental Circus paddock is losing its soul, and Stefano Bedon isn't about to stay silent. In a scathing statement for GPoneThe manager denounces the transformation of a once raw and authentic sport into a sanitized marketing machine. For him, Valentino Rossi's departure marked the end of an era of passionate athletes and the beginning of one dominated by "standardized" performers.
Belly He doesn't mince words. He draws a stark parallel between the electric and fraternal atmosphere of the era Rossi and the coldness of the 2020s. According to him, the "Formula 1-ization" of MotoGP has transformed the riders into smooth consumer products.
« When Rossi was around, we were all bikers. Now we look like tennis players. »
This comparison with tennis is not accidental: it highlights the rampant individualism, the meticulous control of image, and the disappearance of the "madness" that was the very essence of Grand Prix tennis. We no longer talk about grit and sweat and life-or-death duels, but about nutrition, mental preparation, and hashtags.
Bedon: " We lost that visceral connection with motorcycling and with the public that made fans identify with us. »
According to BellyToday's drivers live in an ivory tower, disconnected from the mechanical essence of their sport. Where a Rossi or a Roberts While the previous generation embodied a form of rebellion and freedom, the new generation seems trapped in a professional straitjacket that stifles the spectacle.
« Everything has become too clean, too polished. We've lost that visceral connection with the motorcycle and with the public that made the fans identify with us. »
The alarm cry of Belly It goes beyond simple nostalgia for "old bikers". It's an economic warning: if MotoGP loses its "rock'n'roll" motorsport identity to become just another athletic discipline, it risks losing its most loyal fan base.
By becoming "tennis players" on two wheels, the drivers risk making the races interchangeable and emptying the stands of those who are still looking for the smell of rubber and gasoline.
