The highly-anticipated duel between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez in the upcoming 2015 MotoGP Championships in Valencia is playing out more like a soap opera than a major sporting event.
This, after the dramatic encounter between the nine-time MotoGP world champion and the Spanish Grand Prix racer in Malaysia last month has continued to hog the headlines, according to CNN.
The controversy between the two riders reached its peak when the 36-year-old Italian racer reportedly pushed the current MotoGP champion wide during their Sepang encounter, which sent the later sprawling on the track.
Although the 46-year-old biker went on to finish third place in the race, he was penalized an additional three points by racing officials, which meant that he would be starting from the back of the grid in Valencia.
As the governing body rejected Yamaha's petition against the sanction on Velentino Rossi, Marc Marquez called for a stiffer penalty against his rival.
The dispute has set social media on fire with the hashtag #Sepangclash trending on Twitter.
An online petition seeking to annul the penalty against Rossi has also gained momentum, gathering 720,000 signatures from the champion's supporters.
Even the Italian Prime Minister has stepped in on the controversy, calling up the top motorcycle racer to express his support.
Spain's President Mariano Rajoy, on the other hand, has tweeted his support for his countryman.
The Court for Arbitration For Sport (CAS) has asked Velentino Rossi and Marc Marquez to cease from giving press statements about the incident in Sepang after the body made the final ruling.
Both riders have expressed their desire to move forward.
"Honestly, I try to be in my home, and try to prepare (for) Valencia, but honestly, I'm human, and I hurt," Marquez told reporters.
For his, Rossi has reflected on how he will be able to overcome the penalty which could cost him the championship title.
"Starting from the back of the grid makes things very difficult," he admitted. "Already it was difficult anyway."
Meanwhile, the The Fédération Internationale de Motorcyclisme (FIM), the governing body of all motorcycle sport throughout the world, issued a statement acknowledging the decision of the CAS, reported Autosport.
"Following the hearing, the CAS issued an order dismissing the application for a stay filed by Mr Rossi concerning the decision rendered on October 25 2015 by the FIM stewards," the FIM statement said.
"The FIM takes note of the ruling of the CAS," the statement added. "As a consequence of this ruling, at the Gran Premi de la Comunitat Valenciana, Mr Rossi will start from the last position on the grid."
Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez may indeed be facing the biggest challenge of their racing careers.
