MotoGP News
Date:
2/June/2013
Alvaro Bautista found himself in the unenviable position of colliding
with home legend Valentino Rossi during the opening corners of the Italian
MotoGP.
Rossi was undefeated at Mugello from 2002-2008 and the event
remains a kind of pilgrimage for the seven time world champion’s adoring fans.
Now back on a Yamaha, expectations were high that Rossi
could pull out some of the old Mugello magic and at least finish on the podium,
something Rossi has not achieved since round one in Qatar.
But it all ended in a cloud of dust.
Bautista claimed not to see Rossi, who had overtaken him
around the outside. The ensuring contact put the Spaniard on the ground, while Rossi
was sent off track and bouncing through the gravel before hitting a tyre wall.
It was heavy impact that left the home fans almost as
stunned as Rossi.
Rossi said: “I was on the outside of Alvaro and I think
Alvaro opened the throttle so that he didn’t lose a position. But I was already
in front, so he just hit me. He said he didn’t see me, which is possible…
“I was lucky because it was a bad crash and I hit the wall,
but I'm ok. But it is a pity because
firstly it is Mugello and secondly I think we could have maybe arrived on the
podium. But that's racing,”
The incident was investigated by Race Direction, which declared
that it had been a racing incident and that no further action will be taken.
Gresini Honda rider Bautista, who caused controversy when he
took down Rossi’s current team-mate Jorge Lorenzo at turn one of last year’s
Dutch round, said:
“Valentino and I have watched the incident back together in
Race Direction and it was just a racing incident that leaves us both with a
bitter taste in the mouth but neither of us is to blame.
“I was on the inside and it is very difficult to see a rider
on the outside from there. He was taking the outside line and that's why we
came together when we changed direction. I didn't see him. I just felt his bike
hitting me.”
While Bautista was being booed on his way back to the pits, Lorenzo
was riding to a third successive Mugello victory. Title leader Dani Pedrosa was
second with Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow inheriting third after a late mistake by
rookie Marc Marquez.
Rossi also got to stand on the Mugello podium, but only to
thank the thousands of fans still chanting his name.
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