Several MotoGP riders have defended their preference to train on dirt bikes during a season despite Valentino Rossi’s recent injury from an enduro crash.
The nine-times world champion Italian suffered a displaced fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg in an enduro training crash last week, and will be out of action until at least the Japanese Grand Prix in October.
Fourth in the standings and just 26 points from the top, Rossi’s injury has crushed his ambitions of a 10th world title, and this has led many to question if riders should be allowed to train on dirt bikes.
Championship leader Andrea Dovizioso is aware of the risks posed by this, but feels it is the only way a rider can truly prepare for the strains of MotoGP.
“Like I always say, I think we have to train with a lot of different sport and different bikes because we can’t test on MotoGP (regularly), and we have to be fit,” stated the Ducati rider ahead of this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix.
“The consequence is you can take a lot of risk, but I believe in that type of training.
“I believe we have to ride, in my opinion, the motocross bike for physical condition, but also to train on a bike.
“So, for sure, it’s dangerous; we have to try to train and don’t take too many risk. But if you want to improve your situation you have to push almost 100 percent.
“This (injury) can happen, it’s something unfortunately easy to happen, but it’s the only way to be ready for MotoGP.”
Marc Marquez, who trails Dovizioso by nine points in the championship, echoed the Italian’s sentiments, and pointed to Cal Crutchlow’s knife incident as proof injuries can happen at any time away from the track.
“I hate when I read sometimes ‘why are you riding motorbikes, it’s dangerous,’ but it’s part of our job,” he said.
“Of course we would like to be on the beach and just relax, but there you cannot improve your skills, and for improve your skills you need to ride your bike and train at home.
“Injury can happen, every time, but it’s part of our job. Also, you can get injured cooking, like Cal.”
Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales reckons the performance level in MotoGP is such that riders have no choice but to push themselves in training if they want to fight at the front.
“I think it’s impossible to stay fit if you just stay on the sofa, if you don’t train on the bike, or you don’t take any risks,” he said.
“If you do cycling or other thinks you always have a risk, but if you want to be fit on the bike you have to take it.
“You have to take care and try to get less risk, but always riding a motorbike, cycling, running you always have some risk.
“It’s something we have to have, we have to be really fit, especially on a MotoGP bike.
“The level is really high and you have to be really fit to fight for the race (win).”
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