The Petronas SRT rider was forced to come back from 20th on the grid after a drop in qualifying, and managed to score a point by finishing 15th in the race on his last visit to the United States before retiring as a MotoGP rider.
But the multi-champion veteran admits the race was one of the toughest he has ever experienced due to the grueling heat and extremely physical nature of Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
“Now we rest two or three days and then we have to train hard for the next three races, because this Sunday the physical condition was a disaster. It was very, very difficult, very hard,” said Valentino Rossi.
“With a modern MotoGP it is very physically demanding and you arrive on Sunday when you are already tired from the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, and you have to be 100% fit and you also have to be very young.”
“I can try to be 100% and fit, but being young, unfortunately for me it’s very difficult.”
(Click on the link or on the photo to enjoy the best images of Rossi in Austin)
Rossi was one of only two riders to opt for the medium rear tire along with Brad Binder on the KTM , noting that he did not follow the choice of most of the grid because he did not feel strong on another compound.
“I used the medium because during practice I felt better with the medium and I don’t really like the soft,” he added.
“In the morning [in the warm up] I tried the soft, but I was slow.”
“So we decided to go our own way, even if I was the only one along with Binder to use the medium.”
“But it was the right choice because he was consistent until the end and I was able to make some overtakes and get a point.”
“It’s not fantastic, but considering my speed, it wasn’t too bad.”
Rossi wasn’t the only Yamaha rider to suffer physically in Austin, where works team rider Franco Morbidelli called the race “the toughest ever”. Also Italian, his sore left leg forced him to slow down after only eight of the 20 laps.
“Unfortunately I was able to do more or less seven or eight laps well and then I had to slow down a lot because it would not have been possible to finish the race at that speed,” said Morbidelli, who fought to be 19th and last of the classified drivers.
“I just didn’t have more strength in my leg, I just couldn’t get it up properly on left-handers, on left-handers, and then changing direction with just my arms and not using my legs was really hard on the bumps.”
“So, it was really tough. It was the toughest race of the year for everyone, for sure, but for me, the toughest race of my life because in the physical condition that I’m in now it really was a challenge.”
