Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi isn’t short of having many rivals during his highly successful career in MotoGP, and one former rider has revealed how he made life difficult for the Italian icon during the height of his career in the premier class.
During his storied career in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Valentino Rossi went up against some of the biggest names that the sport has had to offer. More often than not, he got the better of them.
However, many riders who have graced the premier class have also proved to be a thorn in the side of the legendary Italian rider during their own personal quest to be crowned as a world champion.
Marc Marquez is one of Rossi’s greatest enemies, but there is another rider who distinctly remembers making ‘life difficult’ for the seven-time MotoGP champion despite never having scored a single pole position in the premier class.
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Who is the greater rider?
Marco Melandri recalls making ‘life difficult’ for Valentino Rossi during the legend’s peak in MotoGP
Marco Melandri’s first stint in MotoGP coincided with the height of Rossi’s career. In the eight years that Melandri spent in the premier class, The Doctor won five world championships and cemented himself as one of the all-time greats on two wheels.
In a recent interview with Moto.it, Melandri reminisced on his tenure in the premier class after being asked about some of the races he competed in that he still dreams about to this day.
The Italian replied, “While you’re racing, you focus more on the negative moments because you want to improve.
“When you stop, however, you start to appreciate the good things you’ve done, and I tell you, seeing the support from the crowd still pleases me because I certainly could have won more, but I’ve done things that have remained in the hearts of the fans.
“I think of Philip Island, the San Donato braking point at Mugello where I passed Rossi and Biaggi in one fell swoop, and Germany where the four of us finished within a tenth and a half.
“Anyway, I made life difficult for Rossi at the moment of his peak form. So, I mean, I was strong. However little I may have won, when I look back at where I started, let’s just say I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better.”
READ MORE: Marco Melandri knows why Marc Marquez is not ‘likeable’ among fans, and it is MotoGP’s fault
Marco Melandri finished as the runner-up to Valentino Rossi in the 2005 MotoGP season
After making the step up to the premier class off the back of his 250cc world championship in 2002, it took a couple of years for the Italian to make his mark on the category.
He would get his chance to fight for a title in 2005, after making the move from Yamaha machinery to that of Honda through their satellite team, Gresini Racing.
It was this year that Melandri secured his maiden victory in MotoGP, ending the season with consecutive victories in Istanbul and Valencia.
Despite the late success in the season, the chokehold that Rossi had over the grid during the rest of the season proved to be too much as he took his seventh Grand Prix motorcycle world championship dominantly.
Melandri would fail to replicate his standing as the second-best rider on the grid for the rest of his career in the sport.
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