by Octavio Estrada
Two important figures from the world of motorcycling, the Englishman Phil Read and the Venezuelan Vito Ippolito, began their recovery phase on Wednesday. Ippolito after being diagnosed positive two weeks ago with the Coronavirus. They've now also started recovering in their respective homes.
80-year-old and seven-time motorcycling world champion Phil Read announced on social media networks that he was preparing to return home after testing negative.
He stated that he'll need oxygen to facilitate his breathing, since he is smoker.
Instead, Vito Ippolito, 68 years of age and three-time president of the FIM between 2006 and 2018, was hospitalized for two weeks at the Policlinico in Bari in southern Italy.
Without entering the so-called critical stage or level III, he required maximum care and attention from specialists.
"Today, Wednesday, I will be home again," Vito Ippolito said. "During this period, my family has been very close. The people who took care of me at the Policlinico in Bari did it with great dedication. I insisted on my recommendation before being hospitalized: nobody likes being locked up at home. But it is a sacrifice that everyone must make to overcome this pandemic that has cost the lives of thousands of human beings. I hope that we'll find everyone in shape when everything returns to normal, and that everyone in society will be able to continue again with their responsibilities and activities."
A few days before experiencing the symptoms of the virus that led to his hospitalization, Vito Ippolito made a statement through El Nacional urging people to respect the necessary confinement, in order to try and prevent the disease from spreading, a pandemic that has caused thousands of deaths worldwide.
Vito Ippolito, son of the motorcyclist, mechanic, entrepreneur, promoter, and sports leader Andrea Ippolito, continued the legacy of his father, who died in February 1983, and immediately took over the Venemotos-Yamaha racing team.
He also became President of the Venezuelan Motorcycling Federation, the Latin American Motorcycling Union, until he then became head of the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation), an entity that he headed for 12 years, the equivalent of three consecutive cycles.
He did not continue in this role, since VIto Ippolito himself imposed the three-cycle maximum rule.