[Rassegna stampa] – Maverick Viñales has shown, with his fall of instinct and also of experience, what a MotoGP rider can do when he is in trouble. Despite not being appreciated by everyone (Mir argues that it was dangerous to advance on the track knowing that there were technical problems), the gesture of the Yamaha Spaniard is another of the symbols of a crazy season for which the coronavirus was obviously not enough to get noticed.
“A week ago, a crazed 150-pound bullet passed a few inches over his head. Yesterday at the braking of the first corner, where from 300 he slows down to 98 per hour, in pulling the right lever of his Yamaha, Maverick Vinales has found nothing. Without brakes and without thinking for a moment, the escape route closer and closer, like a cowboy jumping from his runaway horse launched towards the ravine, at a speed of 220 km / h Maverick self-unloaded from the M1, which a moment later is swooped at about 170 hours on the airfences on the track, igniting itself and forcing the Race Direction to display the red flag, as a week before. The Spaniard has enough to sprinkle his head with ashes in the face of what turned out to be a serious technical error in his garage. Because on what is the most demanding track in terms of brakes in the entire calendar, Maverick was the only one of the Yamaha riders who did not use the new caliper introduced this year by Brembo and who usually use Ducati, Pramac and Suzuki. After the problems especially of Quartararo last week, for the second Austrian appointment the Brembo technicians had advised all the teams to adopt the new specification, equipped with a thicker caliper, capable of dissipating heat better thanks to the external fins“.
Paolo Ianieri, The Gazzetta dello Sport
“The patron saint of motorcyclists also had his work cut out in the second stage of the MotoGP in Austria. On lap 17, right in the straight, the Spaniard found that his Yamaha was no longer braking. With a cool head that speaks volumes about the drivers’ instinct, seeing the barriers on the side of the track approaching, he let himself fall on the asphalt. Meanwhile his M1 ran straight like a shaken horse against the airfences, the safety air cushions, ending up in several pieces. There was even a fire beginning on TV. The telemetry that records the Yamaha data, at that time marked 220 km / h of speed. At 270, after a first braking attempt, the nasty surprise for the “gypsy”. The time to understand the situation and half straight had already disappeared behind him. The 25-year-old from Figueres then told it this way: «In those moments you don’t think about anything. It is pure instinct… », that of those who live at 300 per hour. Certainly not that of an ordinary person who would not have the same readiness even on a scooter. «I had been having difficulty braking for a few laps – he added -. I tried to adjust the front brake lever, but the system overheated and finally the pad blew off ».”
Paolo Lorenzi, Corriere della Sera
“Another thrill shook the Red Bull Ring and and once again it was Viñales in the spotlight. Last Sunday he was touched by Morbidelli and Zarco’s bikes in their crazy flight after an accident, yesterday Maverick found himself without brakes at over 300 km / h. “I immediately thought of one thing: I had to jump off the bike,” said the Spaniard. He did not hesitate and at almost 220 per hour he abandoned his M1 to his race. He slipped onto the tarmac and got up without a scratch, in time to see her crash into the barriers. “It all happened quickly but I was not afraid – he said a few hours later -. On the contrary, I feel anger and frustration for not being able to get the most out of it. The brakes gave me some problems after a few laps, then the situation got better, got worse and even better. Finally it seemed to me that they exploded. Stop me in the pits first? I wanted to continue, even one point would have been important ». “We Yamaha riders put them under particular stress, because losing a lot on the straight we have to recover from braking – explained Rossi, Viñales’ teammate -. Last week I too had some problems, but I worked a lot with the technicians and we managed to solve them ».”
Matteo Aglio, The print
“Viñales will have to light at least a couple of candles in the first church within reach. This 2020 is running too badly for him and perhaps for the whole Yamaha. «The Zeltweg races were the worst of my career – concludes Vinales -. And in any case, even the previous one to Austria hadn’t been that good. The World Cup? Forget it, also because Yamaha is suffering more than expected and is starting to have difficulties even against Suzuki and Ktm ».”
Riccardo Galli, The Rest of the Carlino
“For San Colombano, patron saint of motorcyclists, these are busy days. Then there is the Spaniard who gives him no respite: last Sunday with Rossi he was touched by two crazy bikes. A matter of centimeters. Thousandths. Yesterday the same boy broke the brakes of the Yamaha: to avoid crashing he let it go, throwing himself on the asphalt at 210 km / h. Unharmed. It is no coincidence that father Viñales, Gypsy origins, religious as well as superstitious, called him Maverick: like the protagonist of Top Gun with Tom Cruise. “Luckily there was no one in front: I would have overwhelmed him with the M1, and then who knows”, confesses the pilot candidly“.
Massimo Calandri, The Republic
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