Valentino Rossi declared fit to race at Mugello
Rennie Scaysbrook | June 1, 2017
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi still in pain, but will race
Valentino Rossi will compete in this weekend’s Italian MotoGP at Mugello. Rossi’s participation in the event was initially in doubt after a motocross training accident last week, suffering abominable and chest injuries.
Speaking to the media at Mugello, Rossi was in an upbeat mood about his prospects of racing at his home GP.
“I feel lucky, because, sincerely, with that crash it was very easy to break something and to stay at home for two races, the two most important races of the season,” he said to motorsport.com. “Unfortunately, in the landing of a jump, I landed one meter out of the track, [the ground] was soft, I was not prepared. When I landed, the bike stopped and I went in front and I took the handlebar [to the chest] and also a big hit to the ground.”
Rossi has since been out on a scooter and sportbike in Italy in the past week, although he acknowledges the forces he’ll encounter on a MotoGP machine around the demanding Mugello layout will be a true test of his fitness.
“To ride the motorcycle, two things I think: my movement on the seat, [because] changes of direction here in Mugello are quite severe, and especially, when you push hard, you need to breathe longer and I still have some pain. This I think is the part where I need to understand if I can recover enough.”