Marco Bezzecchi: Scary fire, marshal hug, Rossi ‘sees what I feel’

The young Italian, already confirmed as rookie of the year, was caught out when he lost the rear and then the front of his GP21 through the quick Turn 7 kink.

Bike and rider were sent rolling through the gravel with the Ducati in flames by the time Bezzecchi got to his feet.

“It was very strange, also from the data we couldn't really see a specific reason for the crash,” Bezzecchi said. “I lost the rear almost in the straight, as soon as I put 5th gear and the bike put me in the sky.

“I was not pushing. I was on my out lap so I didn't expect at all. So this is why also, I was really surprised. But fortunately, apart from the bike that was really damaged, everything was OK.”

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A 1000 Euro fine, then a hug

Frustrated at how long it took marshals to arrive and douse the flames, Bezzecchi gave one of the marshals a ‘hurry-up’ shove. The ‘physical contact’ would cost him a 1,000 euro fine from the FIM Stewards.

“The bike burned for so much time and if the bike exploded it was dangerous for everyone. This is why also with the marshal I was a bit angry,” Bezzecchi said.

“But obviously he tried his best, running from that far, so afterwards I went back on the scooter to see the marshal.

“The marshal was very kind and he said that he tried to run faster! Then we hugged each other, everything went well.

“I crashed in a place where normally you never crash! So also the position of the marshals [posts] was before and really after [where I fell].

“We can speak about this [in the Safety Commission] but I mean the marshals are doing their job at their best. So it's not their fault. Just for the future now we know that somebody can crash there!”

Bezzecchi added that he had been slow to get to his feet after the fall because he was feeling dizzy after rolling so many times.

“I didn't want to stand up and then ‘crash’! So I waited a little bit, then when I saw the fire the adrenaline put me in a perfect shape!”

But the Rookie of the Year suffered another fall later in the session and his day eventually ended with just 18th on the grid in qualifying.

“After the crash this morning, I went back out but honestly we didn't really improve anything compared to yesterday. So I crashed again trying to make a good lap time, and my confidence in the front of the bike was not really good.

“Then in the afternoon we made a small step, but unfortunately it was not enough, still a bit far. But anyway, I'm not too worried. My pace is not so bad. Not to fight for the top positions, unfortunately, but I think I can do some overtaking in the race.”

Rossi ‘sees what I feel’

MotoGP legend and VR46 team owner Valentino Rossi was trackside at Valencia on Saturday, ahead of witnessing what he hopes will be the crowning of the first VR46 Academy MotoGP champion in the form of Francesco Bagnaia.

“Yeah, I spoke with [Rossi] during all the day, also just three minutes ago,” said Bezzecchi. “I explained to him my sensations, but he already told me that he saw this on track before I explained to him. So he sees what I feel.

“But at the end in this track the gap is very small, so it's just a little bit in every corner. If I can find the solution, maybe I can go a lot better [in the race]…”

Bezzecchi's VR46 team-mate Luca Marini will start the season finale from eleventh on the grid.