Former 500cc champion Randy Mamola undermines Valentino Rossi win in Le Mans – MotoGP news
13-time 500cc Grand Prix winner Randy Mamola has said that Valentino Rossi’s first Ducati podium is because of the fact that fellow riders Dani Pedrosa and Marco Simoncelli dropped out of the race.
The Ducati Team rider Valentino Rossi may have scored his first podium with the Italian manufacturer at Le Mans, however, the MotoGP idol ranks Rossi fifth or sixth if the accidents had not taken place.
In the opinion of the former 500cc GP winner, Valentino Rossi’s third place finish on the French podium was a lucky one. San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli illegally passed Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa which caused Pedrosa to crash out of the race with a fractured collarbone. Simoncelli was penalised for his act but due to that incident, Rossi finished third 14 seconds behind race winner Casey Stoner of Repsol Honda.
In an interview to crash.net, Mamola said, “Rossi lucked into the position at Le Mans and Ducati are well aware of that. But in racing sometimes you get those gifts. In reality, he is about fifth or sixth, when you look at the machinery and the riders ahead of him.”
If Rossi’s first test ride on Ducati is considered, then the Italian rider has significantly progressed. Rossi came 15th in the test session during the mid-season break in November 2010. The ongoing season is just four rounds old and there are plenty of races still left. Meanwhile, Ducati also have to work a lot to challenge for the title.
Mamola is enjoying a struggling Valentino Rossi fighting as an underdog for the victory. The question however, is that whether he should focus on the 2012 1000cc prototype or not.
Mamola praised the work of Rossi and his team. He told crash.net, “Rossi left Honda [at the end of 2003] and turned the Yamaha into a winning bike, then came to Ducati at the end of last year and went 'how can you ride this thing?'”
The Italian rider is now working on to improve the GP11. It is good to see how Rossi is improving step-by-step and moving closer to the top.
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