What’s race nowadays with some sort of controversy? What’s better than having the most loved and at the same time the most hated rider involved in it? Take Valentino Rossi mix him up on a fantastic charge from 12th on the grid, make a novice’s mistake, wipe out the Repsol Honda rider who was expected to finally break his duck at Jerez, while the popular Ducatista gets all the loving help and even finishes in 5th and you get an instant web frenzy.
We all saw Rossi head to the Honda garage and apologize to Stoner, with Stoner saying that Rossi’s “ambition outweighed his talent” what many of you didn’t hear was the Italian talking during Sportmediaset’s post race show on Italia 1 who commented on Stoner’s phrase saying, “I don’t know, maybe he doesn’t know exactly who I am these years.
But it’s okay, it’s fair enough, he’s angry and I would be too.
I’ve made a mistake and for me it was important to apologise.
I’m not so interested in what he says.
”Maybe Rossi’s apology was sincere, but his retort on Stoner’s comment certainly wasn’t.
Nicky Hayden – 3rd“That wasn’t necessarily a pretty win because my last laps were so slow when the tires were worn, but we’re on the podium, and I’m pretty happy about it! In the beginning, our bike was really good because I had a lot of traction.
After a while, it was all about focus, and there was no room for error.
The track was changing every corner, because there was rain in some parts and no rain in other parts.
Also, the tyres and the lines kept changing.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy start to the season, so we’ll take success any way we can get it.
Big thanks to the team.
Hopefully we can try to build on this, and it will be the little shot in the arm to help get us going.
I know Ducati’s not sleeping.
They’ve got some work to do, but I think our bike is better than we’ve been showing.
We’ve just been missing a little bit, but I’m confident we can still recover and have a good season.
”Valentino Rossi – 5th“Today in the wet we had a great chance for me to make my first podium with Ducati, or even to get my first win.
I felt good, both with the bike and my shoulder, because I could brake where I wanted to rather than where I’m forced to in the dry, since I still don’t have the necessary strength.
The bike is very fast in the wet.
I was advancing really well, and I’m sorry to have made that mistake and thrown away such an opportunity.
While braking for the first corner, I entered a bit long, and although I tried to stay to the inside, I lost the front and couldn’t stay up.
I’m sorry, because I also took out Stoner, and I certainly didn’t want to do that.
I apologized to him, and I’m truly sorry; it was a mistake.
It’s a shame because we really could have gotten some satisfaction, but we’ll keep trying.
We’re still not so fast in the dry, but we’re working hard.
Anyway today’s fifth place gave us eleven points that are very important in the championship.
”