The Hall of Fame Dinner
On the MotoGP YouTube channel, a video of just over twenty minutes appeared showing the highlights of a dinner among icons of the motorcycling world. Present were world champions Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Casey Stoner, Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, Dani Pedrosa, but also Carmelo Ezpeleta – CEO of Dorna – and Jorge Viegas – FIM president.
The recording of the dinner is in all probability attributable to last September, when they all met in Rimini for the unveiling of the new MotoGP Hall of Fame.
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Some quotes to highlight
The chatter among the diners was quite free and relaxed and must anyway be contextualized – as mentioned – to last September. In particular, the words spoken by Valentino Rossi about the VR46 Academy riders were interesting: “At the moment the one in the best shape is Bezzecchi, he is very strong at the Ranch too. He wants to win and is very focused. However, the Aprilia is a bit worse than the Ducati and it is impossible to beat Marquez with a slightly inferior bike. Bezzecchi has a very aggressive style, but he understands what the bike is doing and this is good for Aprilia.”
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Jorge Lorenzo then asked Valentino Rossi what he thought of Bagnaia and his difficulties: “Unfortunately, at this moment he is a bit lost. Then Marquez arrived and he is so fast… It’s not easy psychologically.”
But has Valentino ever thought about returning to a MotoGP bike, even just for a test? Question from Dani Pedrosa. Rossi replied curtly: “Never. Many have already asked me. But I don’t miss it. Usually when I ride with the guys I use a Yamaha R1 or R6, small bikes.”
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