In an absolutely unexpected move, the promoter of the MotoGP world championship has made the decision to dispense with one of the icons of the paddock, the ‘Clínica Mobile’, founded by Claudio Costa 45 years ago and which during all this time has actively cared for of the health of the pilots and, in general, of the World Cup family.
The news, announced by GPone.com , will be communicated to the runners during the Safety Commission which, like every Friday Grand Prix, will be held tomorrow afternoon at the end of the first day in Buriram , adds the information from the Italian portal.
The mobile clinic that accompanies the championship caravan in each and every one of the great prizes in the last almost half a century, is currently directed by Dr. Michele Zasa , who took over from Costa in 2014, and is made up of, Currently, nine doctors and two dozen physical therapists take care of the runners’ health.
Although the reasons for the maneuver carried out by Dorna are unknown, everything points to purely economic reasons, since the facilities of this mobile medical center are becoming more modern and sophisticated every day, in addition to the expense of moving from one circuit to another, a load that increases as the MotoGP calendar continues to expand and already exceeds, by 2023, twenty races around the planet.
Over the years, in addition to being an increasingly specialized medical center, the mobile clinic has become the routine space for recovery, physiotherapy, massage, and also an environment in which pilots sometimes seek relaxation and rest before the races.
The iconic ‘Clinica Mobile’ was created in the 1970s by Claudio Costa , who initially attended some races to provide healthcare support. Little by little, the World Cup caravan began to follow, until in 1997 the so-called mobile clinic of the world championship was officially opened.
After the withdrawal from the coast, in 2014, Dr. Zasa took over, intensifying the work and improving the facilities and machinery.
Since 2013, Dorna introduced the figure of the Medical Director of the MotoGP World Championship, a responsibility that falls to Dr. Angel Charte and a small team of doctors from the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona, and from 2023 everything indicates that they will be the only doctors that participate in the world championship, in addition to those of each circuit.
According to information, the ‘Clinica Mobile’ will remain in the SuperBike World Cup paddock, and will keep open the current external structures it has in Italy and Andorra.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
