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MotoGP, To hell and back: when heroism overcomes pain

From Valentino and Lorenzo all the way to Crutchlow, including Marquez. Stories of disastrous crashes and lightning fast returns on the brink of the unthinkable

MotoGP: To hell and back: when heroism overcomes pain

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It is a well-known fact that, hidden away somewhere in the soul or mind of every rider, there is a dark corner that escapes the rules of rationality, but year after year we continue to see new evidence of this. And not just because of the speeds they reach or the thrilling way they overtake one another in races, but also (and perhaps more than anything) because of the many very rapid returns they make to the track after accidents that, at least speaking from the point of view of a normal person, would probably require months and months of recovery time.

The motorcycle racing history books are full of cases like these and since we are now in the Mugello atmosphere, the first example that springs to mind is Valentino Rossi in 2010. There we were in the Tuscan hills with the second MotoGP free practice session underway when, 15 minutes from the end, Valentino crashed at the Biondetti, suffering a displaced compound fracture of his right tibia that required surgery, no ifs ands or buts. At first, the estimated recovery time was predicted to be a minimum of two months, but all of that fell apart when, just one month after the accident, Rossi rode onto the Sachsenring, taking home an astonishing fourth place after a heated duel with Casey Stoner.

That year he shared a garage with a certain Jorge Lorenzo (who also ended up being world champ that season), another rider who has racked up several serious injuries and subsequent returns. In his rookie year in the premier class, the first time he was thrown was in China during free practice and for his troubles, he broke both his ankles. GP over for him? Not a chance, since the next day the Majorcan took the fourth spot on the grid in qualifying, only to repeat the performance in the race on Sunday. Another weekend of resistance was the one in Holland in 2013, when Jorge lost control of his Yamaha during the second free practice session (in the rain), suffering a compound fracture of the collarbone. In spite of it all, he participated in the race, stoically finishing in fifth place.

Again at Assen, in 2000 it was Loris Capirossi who carried out an extraordinary feat. The rider from Imola fractured his hand in the warm up and was forced to go through rigorous medical checks before being cleared to race. The doctor gripped his hand forcefully, but Loris managed to remain impassive. The end result? A podium finish for which he gave his all, so much that he passed out after riding under the chequered flag.

The special ranks of riders and their heroic gestures (or foolish, depending on your point of view) cannot help but include Marc Marquez, a rider who has all but earned honorary citizenship on the razor’s edge. There are also plenty of anecdotes involving the defending world champion, including two that come to mind straight away. The first dates back to Silverstone 2013, when Marc suffered a dislocated shoulder during the warm up, putting it back in place basically on his own against a post. And as if that was not enough, he barely lost the race to Jorge Lorenzo in a final head to head dash, bringing home a second place that was as heroic as it was astonishing. The second anecdote, on the other hand, took place in the first GP of the following season, namely Qatar 2014: number 93 turned up to the first round of the season in less than ideal conditions after fracturing his right fibula while training on 19 February ahead of the season opener. It looked like it would be a race ridden on the defensive, but not for Marc who took pole position on Saturday and then won the race on Sunday after a fantastic duel with Valentino Rossi.

Last but not least in this brief review of actual historic true stories, is Cal Crutchlow and his sports miracle of 2012. The setting for this story was Silverstone, Cal’s home race, where the English rider suffered a fracture to his left ankle in the Saturday morning free practice session. However, Cal’s innate patriotic spirit allowed him to completely block out the pain until after he had achieved a sixth place finish following a brilliant comeback ride from the back of the grid thanks to a truly effective race pace.

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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