English
Italiano
After 45 years of honourable service, the Clinica Mobile from 2023 will no longer be in the world championship. The decision has been made by Dorna, the organizer of the MotoGP world championship, who felt that the services of the doctors and physiotherapists of the historic facility created by Claudio Costa were no longer essential and, according to what GPOne has learned, the Quironsalud clinic is set to take its place.
The news will be given tomorrow to the riders, who have not yet been notified, and it is definitive, during the Safety Commission. Dorna's reasons for this decision are still awaited, but they are expected to be of an economic nature.
After all, there can be no doubts about the men of the Mobile Clinic, in 2022 nine doctors and 24 physiotherapists followed the riders in their every need, in case of injury of course, but also in the normal routine of massages and physiotherapy, as well as giving them a safe place to relax.
It all started in the ‘70s from the dream of Dr. Claudio Costa, for everyone dottorcosta. It was he who realized that the riders needed trained doctors to follow them from race to race. He did it himself, starting from when, in 1972, at the first edition of the 200 Miglia di Imola, organized by his father Checco, he was on the track as a resuscitator. From that moment he began to follow the races of the world championship, up to inaugurating the Clinica Mobile on 1 May 1997, during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Salzburgring. A real traveling hospital, to welcome riders and also save them in the most serious cases.
Soon, dottorcosta became their guardian angel. It is impossible to write how many riders he and his structure have helped or saved, it would be a very long list indeed and it would include virtually anyone who has raced bikes in the last 50 years, not only in the world championship but also in SBK, where the Clinica is also present.
Over the years it has evolved, enlarged, equipped with increasingly sophisticated and cutting-edge machinery, but without losing its original spirit. In 2014 Costa handed over to Dr. Michele Zasa, who continued his mission with the same passion and professionalism. So much so that this year he had renewed the Clinica Mobile once again, making it even more modern and functional.
“This clinic is the home that we donated to the heroes of the mythological world of motorcycle racing”, was the dedication of dottorcosta to all the riders, but it seems that now there is no longer any place in motorcycle racing for certain values.
Business has therefore shown the door to the Clinica Mobile, which is not simply a group of professionals or a travelling hospital, but a sort of refuge for all riders, where they knew they could be treated but also listened to.
Now it is up to Dorna to say why it wants to destroy a symbol of the world championship, to explain what advantage there can be behind this decision. Because we just don't see any.
The Clinica Mobile, however, will not disappear. It will continue its work in the SBK world championship and also outside of racing. Dreams are not cancelled so quickly.
