Rossi Meminta Maaf, Stoner Tetap Ngambek

Tidak ada yang dapat merasakan kesalnya hati seperti Casey Stoner. Betapa tidak,  saat lomba MotoGP Jerez Minggu (3/3) lalu, saat sedang berkonsentrasi mengejar Simonceli yang berada di urutan pertama, Stoner disalib Rossi. Tapi apa daya, Rossi terjatuh dan membawa Stoner turut serta. Juara sesi pembuka di Qatar itupun harus terjungkal mencium aspal. Rossi tertimpa dua motor, sementara Stoner terseret beberapa meter. Rossi masih beruntung bisa melanjutkan lomba dan finish di urutan ke-5. Tapi Stoner, justru harus menelan ludah karena motornya tidak bisa dinyalakan kembali, dan harus pasrah karena gagal menyelesaikan lomba.

Kabarnya, Rossi langsung menghampiri pit HRC Stoner ketika lomba usai dan meminta maaf. Rossi meminta maaf, tetapi Stoner tetap menyindirnya dengan mengatakan, “Ambition is more than the talent”. Seperti yang dilansir situs crash.net:

Stoner (smiling): “How’s your shoulder? Is it okay?”
Rossi (helmet still on): “I’m very sorry.”
Stoner: “Okay. You have some problem with your shoulder?”
Rossi: “I make a mistake”
Stoner: “Yeah. Obviously your ambition outweighed your talent.”
Rossi: “Eh?”
Stoner: “Ambition is more than the talent.”
Rossi: “I’m very sorry.”
Stoner: “No problem.”

Toh Rossi sadar dia salah, dan sepertinya pasrah saja, memilih tidak berdebat.  Tapi ternyata itu tidak cukup bagi Stoner. Segala jerih payah latihan dan persiapan, kandas hanya karena ambisi Rossi seorang. Mungkin itulah yang ada di pikiran Stoner dan seluruh timnya.

Berikut pernyataan Stoner (dikutip dari Motogp.com).

”We made a good start to the race, we understood the tyres weren’t the best and they were trying to spin, so we needed to back off quite a bit,” said the Repsol Honda rider. ”Rossi came up the inside and wasn’t able to stay on the bike and took me out. It was not the best day for us for sure, after such a good weekend. We’re very disappointed with this result. I believe we would have been there at the end because it was a long race with many people crashing which is why we were being quiet.”

Meskipun Rossi sudah meminta maaf, Stoner masih saja terlihat tidak puas dengan tingkah laku pembalap no.46 tersebut. Ia malah menilai, Rossi selalu pamer dalam situasi apapun.

”For sure, I would prefer if Valentino did it away from the cameras and would say something to me quietly without always having to have proof,” commented Stoner. ”For sure Valentino doesn’t do this for himself, he just wants to show to everybody that he has apologised. Yes it’s a nice gesture, it’s very good, but it still doesn’t change the result today, so we’ll see what happens in the next races.”

Sementara Rossi, masih tetap bersikukuh, bahwa yang ia lakukan hanyalah mencoba mengejar target podium. Walaupun dia mengakui, membuat kesalahan dalam pengereman, sehingga terjatuh dan menyenggol Stoner.

”Yes it was a crazy race because it was difficult conditions and everyone was on the limit with the softer tyres,” explained Rossi. “I was very fast in the beginning of the race in the wet, but unfortunately I made a mistake in braking and I crashed. Unfortunately, I also crashed into Stoner. I went to him to say sorry that I made a mistake. With my race today, we had the potential to try and win or finish on the podium, but at the end the result isn’t so bad. I came back to finish fifth which was important points for the championship.”

Pelajaran penting bagi Rossi, bahwa tidak selamanya membalap nekat itu berhasil. Toh Stoner pernah mengkritiknya ketika mereka terlibat duel di Laguna Seca 2008, ketika Rossi ngotot mendahului Stoner melalui gravel atau pinggiran jalur sirkuit.  Stoner menilai gerakan itu, “terlalu liar”. Tiga tahun kemudian, Stoner kembali menerima getah ulah Rossi yang kadang-kadang nekat itu. Wajarlah jika Stoner ngambek. Untuk Rossi, sante aje napeh! kan masih 20 lap tuh! Mukegile ente.

Sumber: crasht.net & motogp.com

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