Ducati technician: “Valentino Rossi extraordinary, but Marquez stronger”

He worked with the ‘Doctor’ during one of the most complicated periods of his career, but he made time to appreciate him.

“Valentino Rossi had an extraordinary mind.” This was stated by Marco Rigamonti, a longtime Ducati engineer who has worked for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer since 2004 apart from a brief stint in Suzuki alongside Andrea Iannone. And the engineer, despite the difficulties the ‘Doctor’ had in the 2011 and 2012 MotoGP seasons, praised his qualities. Which, however, in his opinion, Marc Marquez was able to overcome.

“Valentino Rossi had a great ability, that of putting anyone in trouble,” Rigamonti explained in an interview for ‘Slick-Magazine.’ He created big problems even for those who were stronger than him. Like, for example, Casey Stoner, who maybe in riding was even more talented but could not handle the pressure like him.”

“When Stoner was in Ducati, the other teams praised our anti wheelie system,” Rigamonti recalled, “And in fact when Valentino Rossi tested our bike he asked us why we had disabled it. The truth, however, is that that was a technology we never had.”

Compared to Valentino Rossi and Stoner, however, Rigamonti believes that one rider was even superior. “Only one, in my opinion, has been stronger than the two of them. That is Marc Marquez, who is the perfect union of their merits. In fact, he manages to merge Stoner’s talent with Valentino’s mental toughness,” said the Ducati engineer, now chief technician to Enea Bastianini.