Photo: motogp.com
Marc Marquez will have to race at Mugello without the support of his Italian fans, the official fan club announces. Members of the Italian branch of the club have said that the club will not attend the Gran Premio d'Italia at Autodromo del Mugello on May 22 this year.
They openly said that the club, as an organization, fears for the safety of its members. The Mugello circuit is regarded as "Valentino Rossi's turf" and one of the tracks where he is welcomed as a motorcycle racing god.
Funny thing, some might say, perhaps expecting that the Misano World Circuit in San Marino to be Rossi's fav track, most likely because of it being in the vicinity of his native town Tavullia. Still, it's Mugello that holds a special place in the heart of the Doctor. He won his first 125cc race there in 1997, followed by the 250cc victory two years later.
It was also at Mugello where the one-off helmet tradition started in 2002, followed by a record 7-win straight. Rossi still holds an incredible run of nine podiums, of which three are victories, and his fans gather by the tens of thousands at Mugello during the MotoGP weekend, and given how the 2015 season ended, things can become, indeed, awry.
He may have withdrawn his appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Sport and said that the whole matter belonged to the past, but not all the hatchets are buried. We saw people close to Rossi almost barging in Marquez' box at Sepang and we reckon things have not cooled down to the extent Dorna, the FIM or even the riders themselves want us to believe.
Even though no threats have been made, insella reports that Marc Marquez Italian fans speak about how they do "not feel to take risks so high."
"We find it shameful that a fan club can't support freely their champion safely, and receive threats or even be spit at. We hope you understand that this decision has been taken to ensure the safety of members," they said on their Facebook page.
A lot of guys are still waiting for a solution in the Sepang incident, one that is transparent and backed by facts, not words.
Funny thing, some might say, perhaps expecting that the Misano World Circuit in San Marino to be Rossi's fav track, most likely because of it being in the vicinity of his native town Tavullia. Still, it's Mugello that holds a special place in the heart of the Doctor. He won his first 125cc race there in 1997, followed by the 250cc victory two years later.
It was also at Mugello where the one-off helmet tradition started in 2002, followed by a record 7-win straight. Rossi still holds an incredible run of nine podiums, of which three are victories, and his fans gather by the tens of thousands at Mugello during the MotoGP weekend, and given how the 2015 season ended, things can become, indeed, awry.
The echoes of the Sepang incident trail into the new MotoGP season
The clash between Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi at Sepang at the end of the last championship and what followed after it caused resentment among the Italian rider's fans.He may have withdrawn his appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Sport and said that the whole matter belonged to the past, but not all the hatchets are buried. We saw people close to Rossi almost barging in Marquez' box at Sepang and we reckon things have not cooled down to the extent Dorna, the FIM or even the riders themselves want us to believe.
Even though no threats have been made, insella reports that Marc Marquez Italian fans speak about how they do "not feel to take risks so high."
"We find it shameful that a fan club can't support freely their champion safely, and receive threats or even be spit at. We hope you understand that this decision has been taken to ensure the safety of members," they said on their Facebook page.
A lot of guys are still waiting for a solution in the Sepang incident, one that is transparent and backed by facts, not words.
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