He was ‘nipping’ at Valentino Rossi’s heels after first MotoGP podium but never earned another

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Valentino Rossi recorded 21 seasons competing in MotoGP, which saw the seven-time premier class champion come up against a raft of prospects while they cut their teeth.

The Italian made his MotoGP debut back in the 2000 500cc season before going on to claim an all-time record 89 Grand Prix wins. Rossi even reached the rostrum 199 times through his 372 starts, while scoring pole position 55 times riding Honda, Yamaha and Ducati machinery.

MotoGP’s record books are also dominated by Rossi, including him registering 23 successive podiums. He also stood on a rostrum with 38 different riders in his premier class career, and 55 in all world championship tiers. Rossi shared the most podiums with Jorge Lorenzo at 53.

But one of the 38 riders Rossi shared a podium with in MotoGP never managed to return to the rostrum throughout their career despite Randy Mamola having high hopes following their breakthrough result. Their debut podium also came in their 27th of 131 premier class races.

Randy Mamola felt Stefan Bradl was ‘nipping’ at Valentino Rossi’s heels after his first MotoGP podium

The rider whom Mamola had high hopes for was Stefan Bradl, who scored his first and only MotoGP podium with second place in the 2013 United States Grand Prix. The German even scored his first and only premier class pole position for the race at Laguna Seca that season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth

Bradl punished factory Honda rider Marc Marquez for falling during Q2 to score pole for the 2013 US Grand Prix by just 0.017 seconds in the final minute. Yet the Spaniard took revenge in the race to win by 2.298s in front of the LCR Honda rider, with Yamaha rival Rossi in third.

Mamola believed the result showed the potential that Bradl possessed, as well as why Rossi would not deny a rookie Marquez the 2013 MotoGP championship. Marquez ultimately did win his first premier class crown in his rookie campaign, while Rossi could only come fourth.

“This is nothing against Valentino,” Mamola told Asphalt and Rubber back in 2013. “In Texas, I was asked a question on stage, ‘Do you think Valentino can win the championship?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely not’.

“He can win races but not the championship. And because Texas was the second Grand Prix, Valentino showed something and everyone thought he’s gonna go. But I watched the tests.

“I was in Malaysia for the two tests. I was standing in Jerez at every corner, watching what he was trying to replicate from all these young guys. And I know how hard he was digging.

“The thing is, he’s been able to control himself enough to where he is not getting off the bike, and that’s obviously enabled him to score decent points.

“Cal [Crutchlow] is pushing him, but it’s not just Cal. Now, it’s Bradl. These young guys are nipping at those heels.”

Stefan Bradl’s MotoGP career regressed into a test rider role after his maiden podium

Bradl made his premier class debut in the 2012 MotoGP season with LCR and won Rookie of the Year honours after coming eighth in the standings. His promotion to the premier class in 2012 also followed Bradl winning the 2011 Moto2 title for his only world championship title.

LCR saw Bradl improve to seventh in the standings during his sophomore season, which also yielded his debut MotoGP pole plus podium and impressed Mamola. But it would mark the high-point of the German’s MotoGP career, as he would never eclipse his 156 points scored.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Following his maiden rostrum at Laguna Seca, splitting Marquez and Rossi on the podium in the 2013 US Grand Prix, Bradl also only finished as high as P4 in three Grands Prix. All three of those occasions also came in 2014 during what would be Bradl’s final campaign with LCR.

Bradl joined Forward Racing at the start of 2015, yet only contested eight Grands Prix for the satellite Yamaha crew before moving to Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. The 2016 season would also be Bradl’s last term as a full-time rider before later joining Honda as a test rider in 2018.

Honda initially joined forces with Bradl in the World Superbikes Championship in 2017, in a move which failed to yield a stronger result than P6 in the production bike series. His return to MotoGP, initially as a replacement rider, also later saw him deputise for Marquez in 2020.