Claudio Costa: “Valentino Rossi could have already returned to Assen or Barcelona”

Dr. Claudio Costa is a kind of guardian angel for world championship riders. He is the one to whom they entrust all their hopes of being able to return to the track after an injury, the one who, for example, pulled none other than Mick Doohan out of the tunnel in 1992, torn from his hospital bed in Holland when his leg was in danger of 'amputation. There have been many recoveries in the history of the Clinica Mobile, but now Costa is talking about Valentino Rossi's return to the Sachsenring, a half-miracle for everyone, not for him who even states that the Pesaro native could have returned to Assen or Barcelona. Here are his words.

“Doohan's recovery was most exceptional – says Dr. Costa to “Lastampa.it” – After the fall, a clear feeling of renunciation prevailed in Valentino. He had never felt that pain, he just wanted safe refuge. Everyone told me they weren't in a hurry, but I only know how to heal: I'm a racing doctor. Then passion prevailed. The public's skepticism is natural, the human race is inclined to safeguard the species, but the pilots pursue their own transcendence." Could Rossi return to Assen? «I immediately reduced the fracture, I chose a phenomenon like Doctor Burzi for the operation. By installing the system, we added one less screw to allow for quick recovery. There I thought of Assen and Valentino could certainly already be there in Barcelona."

Costa then also spoke about Rossi's shoulder injury, an injury that had damaged the relationship between the two, relationships which then returned to what they were before.

“Valentino falls on April 15th, he comes to me and we immediately understand that there is axillary neurological involvement. I'm taking him to the Porcellini specialist. Everyone, including Valentino, agrees on minimizing: he agreed with us. There was Motegi a few days later, the Icelandic volcano was a sign of destiny. Valentino made the podium at Jerez and Le Mans, but his shoulder wasn't improving. His was a legitimate outburst, we clarified. I take my responsibility, we didn't tell him clearly that the shoulder would take months to heal, but we didn't make a mistake in the diagnosis. The shoulder does not need to be operated on: next year, whether Ducati or Yamaha, it will be as good as new."