VR46 Team Principal Alessio “Uccio” Salucci recalls the impact of Marco Bezzecchi’s collarbone surgery after the crash at the VR46 Ranch in October
Shortly after Marco Bezzecchi had tasted blood in the title fight in the 2023 MotoGP season, he had a crash away from the race weekends at the worst possible time. At the end of September, Bezzecchi clinched his third Grand Prix victory of the season at the India weekend. This brought him closer to championship leader Francesco Bagnaia and his closest rival Jorge Martin. However, Bezzecchi’s disillusionment came at the beginning of October
Because he crashed on October 7th during training at the VR46 Motor Ranch in Tavullia and broke his right collarbone, Bezzecchi had to undergo surgery. The VR46 rider only arrived at the last moment for the Indonesian Grand Prix (October 13-15) and was far from being in full possession of his strength. But “Bez” gritted his teeth. He finished third in the sprint on Saturday and fifth in the Grand Prix on Sunday.
The consequences of the operation, which had become necessary at short notice, only became clear later, as VR46 team boss Alessio “Uccio” Salucci now reveals. “I asked [Doctor] Porcellini whether we were crazy or not if we put Marco straight back on the bike,” Salucci recalls the days after the collarbone operation.
The doctor’s answer? “The only problem could be the heat, because that could lead to an infection in the wound,” recalls Salucci and continues: “Fortunately, we received first-class medical care at the track. We followed what Porcellini had said and regularly re-dressed Marco’s wound with sterile dressings. We took it step by step and wanted to see what was possible.”
Because Bezzecchi had a good feeling on the bike “right from the start and the wound did not cause him any pain, we made the decision to start the race,” said the VR46 team boss. In this context, he immediately admits: “The fact that he finished in the top 3 in the sprint in Indonesia as soon as he got back on the bike was tremendous. But we paid the price for that in the subsequent races in Thailand and Malaysia. “
Does “Uccio” believe that the crash during training at the Ranch ruined Bezzecchi’s World Championship chances? “Well, Marco suffered the injury at a crucial stage of the season. We had just built up really good momentum, because we had been the big winners in India. We felt strong. So of course it was a setback.”
“Would we have fought for the World Championship otherwise?” asks “Uccio” and answers his own question: “Probably not. I definitely believe that we could have stayed in the championship fight at least until the weekend before Valencia. But I don’t think we could have won the world title. “
With a view to the 2024 MotoGP season, in which Bezzecchi will once again line up for VR46-Ducati, the team boss says: “We still have to improve. As a team, we weren’t ready [for the world title] and Marco wasn’t ready either. But I believe that he will be from now on. He just needs to be a bit more consistent. We are working on that. “