Rabat interview
Smashed-up star reveals how hard it’s been to fight back
Last year’s British Grand Prix may have been a disaster for race fans and organisers when it became the first Grand Prix to be cancelled in 35 years, but the biggest casualty was Tito Rabat who was caught up in the series of crashes at Vale when bikes began aquaplaning into the gravel during free practice. After crashing he was struck by Franco Morbidelli’s flying Marc VDS Honda, causing his right leg to be fractured in three places, breaking all the major bones and leaving him at risk of losing the limb. The crash ended his season and put him on a long road to recovery. Now, a full seven months later, he’s ready to return to the grid this weekend in Qatar, albeit still not fully fit.
“The injury was very bad and I had very bad moments after it,” the former Moto2 world champion told MCN. “When it’s a month after the crash and you still can’t get out of bed it’s tough. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to ride again, because nothing worked in the leg. The second month was bad, too, because it felt like nothing was improving. Finally, in the third month I was able to improve and get on a bike with some pain. Eventually I hope to get back to 100%.” Looking back on the incident, Rabat is now adamant about one thing: that changes need to happen before the world championship can return to the Northamptonshire circuit. Echoing the words of MotoGP bosses Carmelo Ezpeleta and Loris Capirossi, Rabat says that nothing short of a full resurfacing will do to make sure that the track is safe enough to ride for when the series returns for the British GP in August.
“For sure Silverstone needs to be resurfaced for this year. For absolute certain. Even before the rain came, there were more bumps than the year before and the water can always come again like it did last year. It’s dangerous for the riders. For sure, they have to make changes.” But with the crash and the majority of his long road back to recovery now behind him, Rabat is still going into the 2019 season upbeat. Turning heads by being fast and consistent in preseason testing and getting fitter by the day, he’s adamant that this year will be the one where he can finally show that he fully deserves a spot among the best in the world.
“On the bike, to be honest I’m now back to being 100%. It’ll be a little bit more of a problem if I crash or something because then there could be further problems. But apart from that, everything is very good. I feel fit to go fast and to finish some races and I’m happy to be where I am now. I didn’t expect to be in the physical condition that I’m already in and there’s still a little bit more to come.
“For the first time in my career all three things have been perfect, with a good bike, a great team and a good Tito! This is the year where I need to make a big step up in MotoGP. I need to be at the front, I need to be finishing in the top ten regularly, I need to stay with the top guys, and maybe to fight with all that I have in one or two races. I need to do that, to stay here for next year.”
‘Silverstone needs to be resurfaced. For absolute certain’
‘A month after the crash I still couldn’t get out of bed’
‘I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to ride again’
‘On the bike I’m back to being 100% – I feel fit to go fast’