Engine failure ‘a great shame’
In a post-race interview, Rossi says that he was competitive before the engine failure.
Unfortunately on lap six, the bike start to have a problem and the clutch didn’t open, maybe because the engine already start to seize a little bit. It is for that reason that I go wide. But in seven-eight corners I was already back on Lorenzo, because I was a little bit faster, but after the engine broke. It’s a great shame, because it’s always a pity when you have a problem with the bike in the race, but here even more so because it was in Mugello in front of all the crowd. I was very competitive in the race and very fast, I had a good start and I was there. I think I could have fought for the victory because I had a very good feeling and a strong pace. It’s also a great shame because this zero points score for the championship weighs very heavily. Lorenzo and Marquez finished first and second, so now the distance is hard, but it’s like this. But I think this weekend I did my job at the maximum. I ride well, I was always concentrating and I arrived ready for fight for the victory in the race. In English they say ‘shit happens’! This is today. It is like this, but is very important to be strong and try to take from this bad moment extra energy for the next race in Barcelona.
Sister: Family in reality show discussions
McGregor’s sister Erin, says that the family are in talks to create a reality TV show, that would include home life, her business ventures and the final countdown as she prepares to give birth later this year.
It’s something I would definitely, definitely want to do. I think there’s a great market out there for a new reality show for Irish people.
Bike ‘not so stable’
Marquez says his fourth place grid was a result of his bike’s lack of stability.
The Ducati on the straight is really fast but here we are also losing to Yamaha and Suzuki in the small accelerations. OK, here that is not as demanding as Le Mans, they are small ones [straights]. But with one tenth here, one tenth there, in the end we are losing a lot. We cannot use all the torque because of the stability on the rear…The electronics we are working really hard. Honestly we are still not perfect. We need to improve there, the stability. It looks like it’s not such a stable bike. At the top is Ducati. It is very stable. Then Yamaha. Suzuki is more unstable but they can keep pushing. For example in Le Mans we cannot use the power for the wheelie. The wheelie stops us and we need to reduced the power for the wheelie. Here we have the wheelie but the worst problem is the stability on the exit.
Rose: Mayweather-McGregor will happen in 2017
On his Jalen and Jacoby radio show, Rose says Mayweather-McGregor will happen in 2017, although he declines to name his sources.
I got some breaking news, the Floyd and McGregor fight is going to happen. Floyd and McGregor will probably announce in a month. It will be in May, the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby, in 2017. I’ve already booked my room in Vegas for the first weekend of May for this fight. The only way it doesn’t happen , is if the combatants and/or the business changes going forward. But as of now, all signs lead to this happening.
On McGregor’s contract:
Basically what they will do is that [the UFC] will get the same percentage as if he was fighting on a UFC card.
‘I need to start in top five’
Due to wet conditions Rossi completes a series of practice starts at pit exit, but does not set a time in the morning session. He comes sixth in afternoon practice, 0.644 seconds behind Ducati’s Andrea Iannone, but within two tenths of team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.
Unfortunately this morning we had wet conditions and for going on the track it was quite useless because it was half and half, so not enough for the wet tyres but too damp for the slicks. For the afternoon, we had quite good conditions but it was quite cold and the track didn’t provide fantastic grip after yesterday’s rain. But at the end of practice it was not so bad…But at the same time the first 10 people are very close so for tomorrow we need to try and improve, especially in the second part of the track where I am not very fast…We need to improve and improve the feeling. I don’t have enough rear grip and I have to wait too long to open the throttle and especially with the exit from the last corner, I lose too much. It’s very, very important if I want a chance to fight at the top [in the race], I need to start in the top five. First row is more important, for sure. But also top five is OK.
McGregor: Relationship with UFC ‘in a good place’
McGregor says his meeting with White went well.
I met with Dana and Mr. Fertitta, good conversation like it always is. We have a good relationship. It is what it is. It happens. This is the fight game. Sometimes emotions get into it but it’s important to recognize that emotions have no place in business. We just set it aside. There’s no place for emotions in this. We are doing beautiful things so let’s continue. Let’s fix it and continue…I’d say [our relationship] is nice and in the middle. In a good place.
Lorenzo, Marquez given bodyguards for Mugello
MotoGP organisers have arranged a bodyguard each for Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix in order to minimise the chance of an incident with Valentino Rossi’s fans. A third security specialist has been assigned to Alex Marquez, Marc’s brother. Whe Rossi is asked if he would make some kind of appeal to try to calm any fan that might want to harm Lorenzo or Marquez.
I didn’t do it, but my fan club did it, which is as if I have said it.
MotoGP spokesperson:
We have asked the German company that provides us with security personnel for access to two more employees. Lorenzo and Marquez will also both have a bodyguard who will be prepared and will have a green light to act if the situation requires it.
‘We can be competitive at Mugello’
Rossi says everything is in place to enable him to win the Italian GP. He set a record of seven back-to-back premier class wins at Mugello from 2002 to 2008 and heads into his home race in strong form following a runner-up finish at Le Mans.
I love Mugello and its atmosphere. It’s very difficult for me to keep my concentration here because there are always so many of my friends and fans around, but the Mugello race is also special for me for that reason. I’ve had some victories here, many great battles and a lot of good memories. I think this year we can be competitive because our bike is good and I’m getting into a good shape. At the Le Mans GP we arrived late at achieving the right set up for the race, at Mugello we will not make this mistake again. I’m relaxed and now I’m ready to try to attain the maximum level of concentration.
White: UFC 200 ‘ship has sailed’
White will meet with McGregor in Los Angeles.
[We] are having dinner with Conor McGregor. So tonight at like, 10 (p.m.), I’ll have a lot more answers on the Conor McGregor situation…[Conor] will not be on UFC 200. Not at all. That ship sailed. But we’ve put that behind us, and we’re in a good place with Conor, and we’re looking to make his next fight. We should have that done tonight.
Jeffries: ‘This guy can box like f-k’
Jeffries tweets his impressions of McGregor’s boxing skills.
Great to have @TheNotoriousMMA in @BoxNBurn today sparring-
Wow this guy can box like fu*k 👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/Bo0h5pRk84
— Tony Jeffries OLY (@Tony_Jeffries) May 17, 2016
Can win Italian GP if acceleration improves
Marquez says he can win in Italy, if the Repsol Honda team can improve the acceleration of the RC213V.
I look forward to the next two races: we need to focus and concentrate on Mugello and Montmeló, which are two very different tracks from both Jerez and Le Mans. They require more corner speed and if two years ago I would have said that they were demanding tracks for us now I think that maybe they can be better. We have work to do but I believe that if we improve the acceleration, our bike is one of the best out there. Not easy to get it due to the actual rules that prevent us from working on the engine, but I know that Honda is working hard on every other area of the bike and I believe in them. So we remain positive and in Mugello we will go with the podium as a target.
Van Heerden: Mcgregor’s boxing ‘is right up there’
Van Heerden tweets about his sparring session with McGregor.
All thats been asking!I've sparred with TOP fighters & @TheNotoriousMMA Boxing game is Right-Up there 👊🏻💯 @BoxNBurn pic.twitter.com/gLcNygYq39
— Chris van Heerden (@TheHeat001) May 15, 2016
Lamas: ‘I’d love the chance to punch McGregor in his mouth’
In an interview with Submission Radio, Lamas says he would like to fight McGregor:
I’d love the chance to punch McGregor in his mouth. So probably McGregor would excite me the most…[Promotion] is part of the job, man. I mean, I’ve never been able to get out of any media obligations. And I know that he’s had a lot more put on him, but they’re paying him the money to do it. So he needs to get his ass in there and do this stuff. He’s gotta promote the events just like everybody else. Listen man, we’re all in this to be champions. We’re all in this for the UFC to, you know, hype us up as much as they can. The more exposure we get, the better it is for our career. That guy (McGregor) is making money hand over fist. He’s got nothing to complain about.
Daily Mail interview
Highfield is interviewed for a Johnston Press investor profile in The Daily Mail. On whether the i will increase national advertising share.
We have the opportunity now, if we can package ourselves properly, to go on the front foot to take a greater share. Even in a declining market this should be possible. For the first time we have enough clout, being the fourth largest publisher in the UK, to go to the agencies and forge our own agreements.
On Johnston Press’ general business condition:
We are only halfway through this journey. We have the debt down from almost £400m when I joined and a business that had a cost base that was unsustainable is a business with still almost the whole range of attractive brands. But as I say, the job is only half done.
‘I run boxing’
McGregor adds to Mayweather-McGregor boxing match speculation with a Facebook post:
https://www.facebook.com/thenotoriousmma/posts/1274566762611620
Mayweather: McGregor fight ‘absolutely’ will happen
In an interview with Showtime, Mayweather says that a fight with McGregor is going to happen.
It’s really not a rumor. The fight may happen. We really don’t know, as of right now. As of right now. But do I think the fight will happen? Absolutely…We’re the A-side, of course. It has to be a boxing match, because most fights that Conor McGregor won inside the Octagon, he was a stand-up guy. So I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a tough fight for me. We really don’t know as of right now, but there’s been a lot of talk, and hopefully we can make the fight happen…One thing about Conor McGregor, he’s no pushover. He fell short in his last bout, but a true champion can always bounce back. So that’s a guy that I can’t overlook. But no numbers — we haven’t picked a venue, we haven’t talked about money yet…I’m gonna get $100 milion of course.
Cadalora: Rossi ‘a Frankenstein Rider’
Caladora talks about how he came to help Rossi;
I didn’t know him well. One day we met in Misano with the R1. He invited me to the Ranch at Tavullia. Then he asked me to follow him to the Phillip Island test. He asked me if I would be his ‘Boris Becker’ (former number 1 professional tennis player who has helped many current players). I told him that the money was not important, the passion yes. And I told him that the job had to be serious, or it wasn’t worth even to start.
On his style:
I don’t give any advice, I don’t allow myself to say, ‘Do this or do that.’ I think about what I have seen and then speak. Then Valentino decides to use those words as he sees fit. I go around the circuit with my scooter and study the track; I observe. I try to ‘feel’ the circuit and watch how Valentino and the other riders interact with the track. And afterwards, by studying the times, perhaps he can discern whether it is better to use this or that line. It’s not a very technical operation, there is not a hard rule or anything like that. Each time is different. It’s a little ‘artistic’ work, so to speak. And it’s good that way. What is really important is that Valentino and I do stay tuned. Today’s bikes and riders are at the very limit. The difference is one-tenth of a second per lap or less. You win by covering all the details.
On Rossi’s riding style:
He is a Frankenstein rider. As focused as Eddie Lawson, as whimsical as Kevin Schwantz; able to improvise like Wayne Rainey, while being as combative as Mick Doohan. All this with the enthusiasm and the desire of a teenager to improve…I expected to find another type of person. He is a simple, modest, likeable, straightforward guy.
Jeff Mayweather: Fight talk is just PR
Jeff Mayweather, Floyd’s uncle, says that McGregor fight talk is just PR.
He ain’t gonna fight no f-kin Conor McGregor. That’s a joke…It’s publicity… What I’m saying is this; Floyd is just playing with them. He’s playing with the public. He don’t give a f-k about no Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor ain’t got a shot in hell of beating Floyd…He ain’t gonna fight Conor, let’s make that shit clear. He ain’t gonna fight no Conor McGregor.
White to Mayweather: ‘Call me’
In an interview on the Dan Patrick show, White says that if Mayweather wants to fight McGregor, then he should give him a call.
"If Floyd @FloydMayweather wants to fight @TheNotoriousMMA….call me Floyd." –@danawhite on a Mayweather/McGregor fight. @dpshow
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) May 11, 2016
White: McGregor relationship ‘great’
White says that he and McGregor have made up.
Conor and I have been talking every day, we’re going to have dinner next week. Our relationship is great, and we’re going to put the little speed bump in the road that happened there behind us and move forward. So everything is great…He will not be on 200. We’re going to get together next week and see what card he’s going to be on.