All a rider can do is go out and win races. A comparison would be that Giacomo Agostini, (15 times World Champion, 122 GP wins etc etc) is all the all time best rider in road racing bar none. Jim Redman whom I know, only won 6 world championships, though in his meetings with 'Ago', he beat him more than the other way around. Ago will never be over took as the number one rider, but he could not beat Jim very often.
Does that make sense as a anaolgy?