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MotoGP, Rossi scolded by colleagues, forced to stop with a broken engine

In the Brno Safety Commission, other riders blamed Valentino for not having stopped following the engine failure of his Yamaha

MotoGP: Rossi scolded by colleagues, forced to stop with a broken engine

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The Safety Commission took place as it does every Friday, the meeting in which (almost) all riders come together to discuss safety-related issues. This evening at Brno, it was Valentino Rossi in the dock.

The Doctor suffered an engine failure during FP2, bluish smoke quickly seen pouring out of the M1's exhaust. Valentino didn't stop trackside though but completed his lap and brought the M1 back to the garage.

Despite his behaviour not having caused any problems, because the bike wasn't losing oil, other riders judged his move dangerous because the situation could have worsened and the bike could have started losing liquid at any moment, creating a danger for the other riders.

I was able to pull the clutch before the engine completely broke and that allowed me to continue - commented Rossi during the press conference - I checked that the bike wasn't losing oil and remained off line anyway. Back at the garage, neither my boots nor the rear tyre were dirty, we were able to put that same tyre on the second bike in fact.

Race Direction did not get involved in the episode, but other riders didn't appreciate the behaviour and said so during the Safety Commission. Prevention is better than cure, as they say, and when there's a risk of creating danger, it's best to do all you can to avoid it.

Valentino didn't do that, and the other riders pointed this out to him.

Translated by Heather Watson

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