Mick Doohan, who once featured on Forbes’s top ten worst sporting haircuts, has steamed into the Moto3 debate regarding the way Jaume Masia won the title in Qatar.
For those not in the know here’s what happened via Twitter (because we can’t be bothered explaining it)
First Jaume does this:
THE GLOVES ARE OFF! ⚔️
The title contenders are locked in battle! 👊#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/1ixnnw3Ljl
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 19, 2023
Then again:BAM! SAME CORNER 💥 @jaume_masia STANDS @AyumuSasaki UP! 😮#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/4Nm5gIr9XB
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 19, 2023
Finally his teammate puts the boot in:😱 @31AdriFernandez MIGHT HAVE JUST WON HIS TEAMMATE THE CHAMPIONSHIP! 😱
He BARGES @AyumuSasaki1 back to 9th! 👊#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/X1MNShIN1l
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 19, 2023
After the race Doohan, who can often be found beating people up outside his nightclub, had possibly had one ‘tinnie’ too many when he took to Instagram to write:
“I’m in shock, no penalty for the riding standards shown by the winning rider, and team. Racing should be hard, but fair, the winner did not win on talent, he knew he didn’t have your talent. Sensational ride Sasaki, you gave it all.”
Eyebrows were raised with Mick’s comments that Masia didn’t have Sasaki’s talents despite leading the championship before the race and having won four races this season to Sasaki’s zero.
“Mick’s the kind of guy to fight for the little guy – especially when he’s had a few” explained someone to us “And you don’t get more little than Sasaki. Or should that be less little? Anyway the point is Sasaki is tiny – you could easily misplace him in a plush carpet.”
“I messaged Mick after he made the comments” our mystery insider continued “asking if he was just jealous because Masia had won the championship on a Honda that didn’t have a massive advantage over the rest of the field! He didn’t respond. But I was just pulling his leg…albeit not his right one in case it fell off.”
After the race Ayumu stayed relatively tight lipped about proceedings but did scribble the following haiku on the pit garage door:
Cheating shadows cast,
Moto3 dreams slip away,
Noodle tainted.
Expert opinion
With Sasaki’s beansprout well and truly wilted the young Japanese rider will head to Valencia knowing just how close he was to winning the title. I suggest that next season he may consider more time with his engineers and less time rearranging the furniture in his motor home, dressing up as an anime schoolgirl and writing poems about cherry blossom.