Marco Bezzecchi, a rider for VR46, has praised his mentor Valentino Rossi for assisting him in resolving the “foolish” clutch issues that have persisted throughout his MotoGP career.
Race starts have consistently been a challenge for Bezzecchi, with the Italian rider often failing to translate strong qualifying performances into competitive race results due to difficulties getting off the line.
Even in the recent Portuguese GP, Bezzecchi reported ongoing issues with the clutch on his Ducati GP23, finding it to be a stark contrast to its predecessor.
However, in a significant breakthrough at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, Bezzecchi cleanly pulled away from pole position, positioning himself just behind polesitter Marc Marquez. Though he briefly lost a position when squeezed between Brad Binder and Jorge Martin into Turn 1, he swiftly regained momentum, settling into third place.
Following the race, Bezzecchi expressed gratitude to MotoGP legend Rossi, who was present at Jerez as part of his role at VR46, for assisting him in overcoming his clutch issues and achieving a successful start from the front row.
“At the beginning, I was really focused on the start,” Bezzecchi remarked. “It’s a crucial part of the race where I’ve historically faced challenges, but thanks to Rossi’s help, I was able to make a rapid getaway.”
“The clutch on our bike is quite tricky, and at times, I’ve felt a bit foolish struggling with it. It’s frustrating not to perform consistently. So, yes, I was feeling a bit anxious about it.
“Vale provided me with invaluable assistance throughout this weekend. He offered me plenty of advice, and thankfully, today, I managed to execute a great start and stay competitive from the beginning.”
Before last weekend’s race at Jerez, Bezzecchi’s best finish had been sixth, a far cry from the results that secured him third place in the standings last year.
However, he experienced a resurgence at the Spanish GP, clinching a strong third-place finish behind the fellow Ducatis of Francesco Bagnaia and Marquez. This marked his first podium since the finale of last year’s season at Valencia.
When asked if his performance indicated that he had returned to his peak form in MotoGP, the 25-year-old responded, “Hopefully, yes. I’ve been longing for this moment.
The end of last season was marred by a shoulder injury from a training crash, and the beginning of this season with the new bike and the adjustment period was tough for me.
I’ve been missing this feeling for quite some time, so I’m very pleased to be back on the podium. It was a fantastic weekend, to be honest.”
“I didn’t anticipate it,” he continued, “but I was highly motivated when I set out from home because I struggled here last year. So I was determined to perform well.
Moreover, I had been steadily improving step by step. So I was eager to deliver a strong performance, and fortunately, I succeeded.”
