Valentino Rossi launched an unforgettable attack on MotoGP rival Marc Marquez before the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix. It was one of the most remarkable moments in the sport\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Rossi<\/a> entered the race as the championship leader, 11 points clear of Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. But he alleged that Marquez had been \u2018playing with\u2019 his rivals at the previous round in Australia.<\/p>\n He declared that the Honda rider had become a \u2018new supporter\u2019 of Lorenzo<\/a>. As such, he was trying to \u2018help\u2019 his fellow Spaniard close the gap in the championship \u2013 an accusation Marquez firmly denied.<\/p>\n 10 years on, Rossi and Marquez<\/a>, the two most successful riders of the modern era, are still at odds. <\/p>\n Julian Ryder says \u2018somebody\u2019 was in Valentino Rossi\u2019s \u2018ear\u2019 before 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix<\/p>\n On the Racing Back podcast, legendary MotoGP<\/a> commentators Julian Ryder and Nick Harris reflected on some of the most memorable press conferences they had attended. The events at the Malaysian Grand Prix<\/a> inevitably came up.<\/p>\n Ryder pointed out that Rossi hadn\u2019t expressed any grievances in the immediate aftermath of the Phillip Island GP. After jostling with The Doctor and Andrea Iannone, Marquez<\/a> passed Lorenzo on the final lap to snatch the victory. <\/p>\n Rossi lost out to Iannone in the battle for the final podium spot thanks to another last-gasp overtake. Ryder suspects that \u2018somebody got in his ear\u2019 afterwards, inciting him to confront Marquez. <\/p>\n When the two riders went head-to-head in the race, Rossi appeared to kick out at the #93 bike just before he crashed. The resulting penalty points saw him start the Valencia finale at the back, opening the door for Lorenzo to win the title.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know who\u2019d got to Valentino between Phillip Island and Malaysia, who\u2019d been in his ear,\u201d Ryder said. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was no hint of it after the race [in Australia]. Somebody got in his ear, and in that press conference he talked himself out of his 10th world championship.\u201d<\/p>\n Casey Stoner says Valentino Rossi did something even worse than the Malaysia \u2018kick\u2019<\/p>\n Rossi appealed his penalty in the hope of either delaying it or getting it overturned. He was unsuccessful, and he could only recover to fourth in the title decider. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll say one thing about Valencia,\u201d Ryder added. \u201cThe atmosphere was poisonous. Valentino was only ever going to finish fourth in that race. It had no discernible effect on the result.\u201d<\/p>\n