It is a known fact that somewhere in the mind or soul of every driver there is a dark corner hidden away from the rules of rationality, but year after year we keep seeing new evidence of this. And not only because of the speeds achieved or the exciting way in which they overtake each other in races, but also (and perhaps above all) because of the many very fast returns that they make after accidents on the track, which, at least from a normal human’s point of view, would likely require months and months of recovery time.
The history books of motorcycle racing are full of cases like this and now that we are in the Mugello atmosphere, The first example that comes to mind is Valentino Rossi in 2010. There we were in the hills of Tuscany when the second free MotoGP practice was underway when Valentino fell 15 minutes before the end in the Biondetti and contracted a displaced, complicated fracture of his right tibia that had to be operated on without any ifs or buts. Initially, the estimated recovery time was forecast to be at least two months, however it all fell apart when Rossi drove to the Sachsenring just a month after the accident, took home an amazing fourth place after a heated duel with Casey Stoner.
That year he shared a garage with a certain man Jorge Lorenzo (who also became world champion that season), another rider who sustained several serious injuries and subsequent return. He was thrown in free practice in China for the first time in his rookie year in the premier class and for his problems he has broke both of his ankles. GP over for him? No chance, because the next day the Mallorcan finished fourth in qualifying, only to repeat his performance in the race on Sunday. Another weekend of resistance was that in Holland in 2013when Jorge lost control of his Yamaha in second free practice (in the rain) and suffered a complicated broken collarbone. Despite everything, he took part in the race and stoically finished fifth.
Back in Assen, in 2000 it was Loris Capirossi who achieved an extraordinary performance. The Imola rider broke his hand during the warm-up and had to undergo rigorous medical examinations before he was released to race. The doctor gripped his hand vigorously, but Loris managed to remain indifferent. The final result? A podium place for which he gave everything so much that he passed out after driving under the checkered flag.
The particular ranks of the riders and their heroic gestures (or foolish, depending on your point of view) cannot help but embrace Marc Marquez, a rider who earned honorary citizenship on the edge of the razor. There are also plenty of anecdotes about the defending champion, including two that come to mind immediately. The first is from the year Silverstone 2013 when Marc suffered a dislocated shoulder during the warm-up that he practically rested against a post by himself. And as if that wasn’t enough, he narrowly lost the race to Jorge Lorenzo in one final head-to-head dashto bring home a second place that was heroic as well as amazing. The second anecdote, however, took place in the first GP of the following season, namely Qatar 2014: Number 93 appeared under less than ideal conditions for the first race of the season after suffering a broken right fibula on February 19 in training before the season opener. It looked like it would be a defensive race, but not for Marc, who took pole position on Saturday and won the race on Sunday after a fantastic duel with Valentino Rossi.
Last but not least, this brief review of current historical real stories is true Cal Crutchlow and his 2012 sporting wonder. The setting for this story was Silverstone, Cal’s home race, where the Englishman fractured his left ankle in free practice on Saturday morning. However, Cal’s innate patriotic spirit enabled him to block out the pain completely until he reached it a sixth place after a brilliant comeback from the end of the grid thanks to a really effective racing pace.