Aprilia: Bezzecchi a True Example of Heart and Guts at British MotoGP

Massimo Rivola has revealed that Marco Bezzecchi could barely walk before finishing third at the MotoGP British Grand Prix, hailing his "big heart" afterwards.

The former championship leader arrived at Silverstone struggling from the aftereffects of a collarbone and knee injury suffered prior to the summer break. Those injuries came amid a dismal run for Bezzecchi, who failed to finish in four successive grands prix following his win at Mugello at the end of May.

That barren run came to an end on Sunday at Silverstone, as Bezzecchi fended off Alex Marquez to finish third and complete an Aprilia 1-2-3. A remarkable achievement given his physical condition.

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Asked by Crash how difficult it has been to manage Bezzecchi mentally during this difficult period, Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola said with admiration: "When you see a rider that struggled to walk in the morning and had a race like that, you can imagine how big his heart is."

Rivola then compared it to Jorge Martin's similar display last year. "As well as we saw with Jorge last year. So, we are a good example for the heart, and the balls, if I may say, of our riders. So, we have to be aware that we talked to someone special - last year Jorge, this year Marco. I'm really astonished after what I saw Marco do today," he added.

Bezzecchi admitted it's been difficult to deal with criticism from the outside and his own doubts, but putting his helmet on is "like putting earplugs in". He recounted the sequence of his injuries: "It was tough. Honestly, after Mugello, when we went to Balaton, we started the weekend in a fantastic way. Even if I was struggling, I made some decent performances. And in the sprint I made a very, very good start, and that gave me the possibility to fight and achieve a podium. And obviously in the race, with the mistake in the start and the massive crash, I already got a small injury. So, after that, things started to be a bit more difficult. My mistake in Brno. Then the big, big crash in Assen. I had just one broken rib but all my body was destroyed. Then in Sachsenring I was competitive, but another mistake ended with a double injury."

Despite the hardship, support from those around him kept him going. "Fortunately, my family, my friends, all the Academy staff, starting from Vale [Valentino Rossi], stayed close to me. But my team even more. So, it was a tough period. When you have a period like this, many, many things come through your mind and it's difficult to stop thinking. But in the end, when we put the helmet on, it's like putting earplugs in. So, it's very, very beautiful," concluded the rider, who is also known as a Valentino Rossi protege.