You are here

MotoGP, Checa: "2020 could have been Valentino Rossi's year and he knows it"

"The desire to win made him make mistakes. Quartararo and Vinales weren't up to it. Dovizioso’s farewell surprised me, he deserved better consideration"

MotoGP: Checa: "2020 could have been Valentino Rossi's year and he knows it"

Share


Carlos Checa won the SBK World Championship close to the age of 40 and continued to race even into his forties. The Spaniard knows very well how age is only a date on your ID when there is talent and passion, but also that the years, sooner or later, take their toll.

In an interview with Motosan, Carlos talked about the most famous 40-year-old in motorcycling, Valentino Rossi.

"I think that with the move to Petronas Valentino can improve, because it will take some pressure off him - he explained - This year he made several mistakes and I think he will try to make amends for that. It was the desire to win or to achieve good results that made him commit some mistakes. Thinking about it, this could be his season because he has always been consistent in his results, but this year he wasn't and it might have been the one in which he fought for the championship. In my opinion this hurts him enough because he knows it was a great opportunity. Valentino is aware that it will be very difficult to win again ”.

At the beginning of the year Checa was betting on Vinales and Quartararo for the championship, but his prediction did not turn out right...

"What happened to Yamaha is very strange, both for Vinales and Quartararo, the riders and bikes have enormous potential but they did not live up to the season - he said - It was not a good year for Yamaha due to technical problems with the engine, which I think they handled badly. However, on the other hand, Morbidelli was able to fight for the championship with a very similar bike, it's the small details that make the difference ”.

Another theme of the year was that of the divorce between Ducati and Dovi…

"Dovizioso's farewell surprised me and still surprises me - admitted Carlos - I was greatly surprised by both his decision and the time of the season in which he made it. I can honestly understand it, it wasn't the offer he was hoping for. Dovizioso has been one of the best riders of recent years, after Marquez, and I think he should have received a different consideration".

Of course, he also expressed his opinion on what happened to Marc Marquez. Checa recalled the bad accident he suffered in England in 1998…

“The Donington crash changed me a lot, for a moment I thought I was going to die, I wasn't breathing. Then I lost my sight, but not my mobility and that hit me a lot mentally. Marquez's problem is a bone, I don't know how this whole long process will affect him. There are injuries that leave a mark and others that don't, the one in England marked me a lot. In the end it probably helped me to be a better person, but I lost a bit as a rider. In Marc's case, things have become complicated due to his haste to return and an odyssey began. I hope he can come back as soon as possible” he concluded.

 

Related articles