MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has once again pointed the finger at Marc Marquez over a bitter feud that he believes cost him an eighth championship in the premier class.
Rossi missed out on winning the 2015 riders’ title by just five points to Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo during a season in which he often clashed with Marquez both on and off the track.
The Italian accused the then-Honda rider of conspiring against him to aid Lorenzo’s bid for the title, and their relationship has never recovered since then.
Recalling his illustrious racing career on two-wheels in the MigBagol podcast hosted by VR46 Academy coach and former Moto3 rider Andrea Migno, the 45-year-old indicated that he still had unhealed wounds from one of the most controversial seasons in world championship history.
The two riders came to blows as early as the third round of the year, with Marquez retiring from the Argentine GP after hitting the M1 of Rossi, who went on to win the race.
“It’s the worst thing that has ever happened to me on a sporting level,” he said.
“The dispute with Marquez had started in Argentina. He had chosen the medium rear tyre, I had chosen the hard tyre. He got away, but I recovered and caught up with him.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team and Valentino Rossi, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Repsol Media
“I caught him on the straight after Turn 3 and braked well to overtake him. I got there, went into the right-hand corner and up to that point we had always got on well, but he came at me hard.
“I passed him and he thought the only chance he had was to crash into me. He tried to knock me down straight away, he deliberately came after me to try and throw me off.
“He didn’t want to lose. I went back to my line [and] unfortunately we touched. You give it to me, I give it back to you. Then [Marc] went down.
“From then on our relationship fell apart. Despite that episode, he kept pretending to get along with me and kissing my ass.”
Later in Assen, Marquez and Rossi again made contact at the end of the final lap, with Rossi going straight through the chicane to score his third victory of the year.
“We got to the last lap and I’m always in front,” Rossi recalled. “In the last chicane I knew he was going to try.
“I tried to brake as hard as I could, but despite my extra braking he came at me again. He was going to throw me off.
“As soon as I felt him coming at me, I cut the chicane and won.
Valentino…
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