Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi is widely regarded as one of the most gifted MotoGP riders in history, but Loris Reggiani thinks one rider who never managed to claim a premier class title was even better than The Doctor.
Given the extent of his success in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi is often considered the benchmark for every young rider who shows glimpses of becoming a future world champion in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Rossi’s famous ‘Doctor’s Dangle’ changed the way riders enter braking zones during races now, which is a testament to the everlasting legacy that the Italian rider left on the sport following his retirement at the end of 2021.
His formidable success also made him the number one enemy for every other rider who wanted a title shot in the premier class.
They had to go through #46 first, which meant that Rossi shared several fierce rivalries during his career.
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Loris Reggiani thinks Marco Melandri’s talent was ‘even stronger’ than Valentino Rossi’s
In a recent appearance on the Mig Babol podcast, former premier class rider and team manager Loris Reggiani shared a story of when Marco Melandri blew him away at just 12 years old.
The Italian began by touching upon his relationship with Melandri’s father, before citing an exchange he had with a young Marco in which the aspiring MotoGP rider declared that he could ride the same bikes as his older acquaintances.
Reggiani continued with, “I said to him, ‘The next time we go for a ride, you come too, bring your suit and we’ll take you for a spin.’
“Then, he came to Magione. First, to learn how to use a gearbox, etc. After four laps, he was a second slower than the track record for that bike on that circuit.
“We stopped him when he arrived because his feet didn’t touch the ground. He was really short. He had always been short, but at the age of 12, he was really small; he didn’t weigh much either, but I guess he had an inhuman talent.
“He had truly extraordinary talent, in my opinion. His talent was even stronger than Valentino Rossi’s.”
Melandri was able to showcase his talents against the nine-time Grand Prix world champion upon his promotion to the premier class in 2003.
Unfortunately, he was unable to get the better of his compatriot over the course of a full season. The 2005 and 2006 seasons proved to be the most fruitful campaigns for Melandri.
He secured all five of his MotoGP victories during those years, finishing second in the 2005 riders’ standings to the one and only Rossi.
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Marco Melandri previously recalled how he made ‘life difficult’ for Valentino Rossi
Despite the lack of silverware that Melandri managed to accomplish during his career, he did prove to be a thorn in the side of Rossi as he continued to challenge the MotoGP icon at every opportunity he got.
Melandri previously recalled making ‘life difficult’ for Rossi during the height of the seven-time MotoGP world champion’s career.
He was also lucky enough to share the grid with Marc Marquez during the final season of his career, when he joined the then-Aprilia satellite Gresini Racing outfit for half a season in 2015.
Despite the fierce battles that he shared with Rossi, Melandri is adamant that Marquez is even more selfish than the Spaniard’s arch-nemesis, dubbing him ‘Rossi 2’.
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