Uccio

his genius shined last year when he revealed to rossi the evident spanish conspiracy

I agree to the extent of 'some' of the spanish conspiracy theorists.

I do believe Marquez and Pedrosa purposely didnt try and overtake Lorenzo. However I dont see it as something Uccio can have a whinge about - them 'helping' Lorenzo is no different from some of the riders that would have moved out of the way for Rossi/not try very hard to stop him passing from the back of the paddock

shaunna said:

I agree to the extent of 'some' of the spanish conspiracy theorists.

I do believe Marquez and Pedrosa purposely didnt try and overtake Lorenzo. However I dont see it as something Uccio can have a whinge about - them 'helping' Lorenzo is no different from some of the riders that would have moved out of the way for Rossi/not try very hard to stop him passing from the back of the paddock

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Its not that they didnt try, they were just not willing to risk taking Lorenzo out of the championship. As we saw today, a faster bike can get held up for half a race because its so difficult to pass.

povol said:

Its not that they didnt try, they were just not willing to risk taking Lorenzo out of the championship. As we saw today, a faster bike can get held up for half a race because its so difficult to pass.

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Agree. Not only that, Valencia is notoriously difficult to pass and what most proponents of this absurd conspiracy theory overlook is the fact that like this year, Lorenzo's race lap times were insane.

These guys race for their teams, their sponsors but above all they race for themselves. From PI onwards Marquez was always going to get the better that Rossi - but head to head on the road, not by handing Lorenzo a title by proxy. I think had it been possible to effect a clean pass on Jorge, both Marc and Dani wouldn't have thought twice. If they looked tentative to some, it was purely as Pov says given such a rancorous end to the season, the prospect of skittling the champion elect was unthinkable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p52Me252LM&frags=pl,wn

I find the music chosen for this video to be rather inspirational and empowering.

AJV80 said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p52Me252LM&frags=pl,wn

I find the music chosen for this video to be rather inspirational and empowering.

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Didn't understand a word of it, but then does anyone understand the .... that falls out of Uccio's gob.

"Uccio The First & Ultimate Rider Assistant"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwN0qGGvHoo&t=105s&frags=pl,wn

The words 'rider assistant' have become a common phrase used in the paddock in this day and age, but that wasn't always the case. This is a video that celebrates Uccio and the role he has pioneered and helped define.

I dont like to bad mouth Uccio too much, as I was of the belief that he was intellectually handicapped. Matter of fact it was perhaps the one thing I admired about rossi ie. helping out a disabled kid he grew up with.

BarryMachine said:

I dont like to bad mouth Uccio too much, as I was of the belief that he was intellectually handicapped. Matter of fact it was perhaps the one thing I admired about rossi ie. helping out a disabled kid he grew up with.

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I have always considered the anti-Uccio stuff a tad cruel, but was not enamoured of either his PI 2015 conspiracy theory and pride about same, or his behaviour in the garage/pits after the Argentinian race this year.

michaelm said:

I have always considered the anti-Uccio stuff a tad cruel, but was not enamoured of either his PI 2015 conspiracy theory and pride about same, or his behaviour in the garage/pits after the Argentinian race this year.

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Yeah I get that ..... but again I just dont think folk dont realise that he is disabled. Otherwise folk would not have let it go to their hearts so much.

It's always heartening to hear about the children of celebrities coming out from the shadow of their parents and making something of themselves on their own, what with Uccio being the son of Elmer Fudd.

Keshav said:

It's always heartening to hear about the children of celebrities coming out from the shadow of their parents and making something of themselves on their own, what with Uccio being the son of Elmer Fudd.

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You really shouldn't be mocking how someone else looks, you know...

It's like one of those movies about dead people who haven't yet figured out that they're dead. Head toward the light!

It’s like one of those forums where the former alpha dog is now just a beta ..... and is too chickenshit to respond to the real big dog anymore. Head towards a noose.

Uccio Imitates Rossi at Media Test

You may need Videopass to watch this clip, a demonstration of Uccio's raw talent and skill when he takes the M1 onto the race track.

Uccio imitates Rossi at media test | MotoGP?

This is an older article but one full of great insight from one of the biggest names in motorsport. He goes into some great detail about his mysterious role and what it encompasses... After reading this its clear that Uccio is not just a pretty face but the lifeblood of the sport itself



Instantly recognisable as Valentino Rossi’s friend and confidante, Alessio Salucci – otherwise known as “Uccio” in the MotoGP Paddock – discusses his relationship with the nine-time World Champion in a special interview.
You can watch the interview in the attached video. Below is a selection of Uccio’s answers…

How did the friendship with Valentino begin?
“It’s been a long time, it’s hard to remember! Vale’s been there since my earliest memories, our parents were friends and we practically grew up together. We’re from a little village and went to the same nursery, schools… we’ve always been very close.”

What are your earliest memories of Valentino?
“I have plenty! I remember that in nursery our friends often played football, but we would go to a downhill slope we knew and ride a tricycle down it! A group of us would go, me and three friends, one of whom was Valentino. It’s a memory that is well fixed in my mind, even at that age we were taking big risks – there was a big turn to the left!”

How did the passion for bikes start?
“I was born around motorbikes, I have always loved them since I was a child. I didn’t like football, I liked (Kevin) Schwantz. It’s thanks to my father. In Pesaro everybody was a fan of Graziano (Rossi, father of Valentino) and because of this two-wheeled sport was more important than any other. I did like F1, but I chose bikes because that was the path Vale took.” Maybe if Uccio followed his F1 career path it may have been Vale as his assistant...

What do you do during a GP weekend?
“My main role is to drive the motorhome to the races, even if this year it isn’t a motorhome but a truck used as a home as the old motorhome became too small. Over the winter we worked a lot on this new truck and I take care of it. It’s a big job as it’s more or less like a hospitality suite. I also take care of the leathers, gloves, boots, helmet… every detail so that Valentino can concentrate fully on racing.” I'm glad he cleared that up for all the haters who make out he does nothing

What’s paddock life like?
“My experience of the paddock is a very positive one. When I was a kid it was my dream to enter the paddock just once. I remember one time, with Valentino, we waited for four hours outside Mugello for two passes from Maurizio Vitali. Now life is perfect, I couldn’t live in another way. I get along well with everyone.”

What’s changed in the past year, following the switch to Ducati in 2011?
“My role hasn’t changed too much because I work for Valentino. Some of the personnel has changed in the team, but not too much because 15 people followed from Yamaha. The atmosphere in Ducati is amazing. I have met a lot of people with a great passion here, Italians with a fantastic spirit of victory and with racing firmly in their hearts, perhaps more so than at Yamaha because the Japanese have a different approach.”

Valentino’s partnership with Jeremy Burgess has been a long and successful one…
“Jeremy doesn’t speak a word of Italian, which annoys me a bit! I had to adapt myself to learn English and we speak in English. He’s known me since I was 20 and now I’m 32, and he’s seen me grow up. He’s given me a lot of advice and I have always listened because I admire him greatly. To me he is a legend.”

And what about the future?
“I hope to be here for another 10 years with Valentino. Without him here my motivation would be zero. I’m here thanks to him, and also for him. Having said that, I would like to remain here for the rest of my life, until the age of 60. That’s why I’ve started to look around, and I’ve had the chance to take part in this project with Andrea (Iannone, Moto2 rider). Perhaps in the future I’ll continue with him, but I hope it’s in the distant future because apart from the shoulder I see Valentino in great shape, both physically and mentally, and with this challenge here at Ducati the motivation is even higher.” Rossi was worried when he heard Uccio was looking around, could you just imagine the offers HRC would make to attain Uccio's services??

Were there ever any doubts that Valentino had made the right decision to go to Ducati?
“Honestly yes, most of all when he tried the bike in Valencia and said: ‘Crikey, this bike is complicated’. Then, in my opinion, he quickly understood that that shoulder was the real problem because he still hadn’t had the surgery, so I’d say the injury more than the decision to switch was what the issue was. Now he is thinking: ‘It’s not a bad bike, we can do it!’, but yes, you could say he was a bit concerned after the first test.”

And what about the injury at Mugello last season?
“This was a terrible moment, a difficult one. We had just gotten through a shoulder injury and then that happened. They were terrible days, especially the first two. When you see a friend suffering you almost want to put yourself in their place to take the pain off them. Vale is a legend because even on the Saturday evening he was already making jokes to try and relax everybody. It was him calming us down!”

When do you think Valentino will be capable of winning his first race on the Ducati?
“I think after the Sachsenring round. After that race there will be a big step up. I’m a realistic guy, he is not at 100% and to win you must be. He will be after Sachsenring, and I think then it will be possible to win.”

Uccio is a pure talent. Did you see that racing line? Better than everyone on the grid. Breathtaking.

synn said:

It’s like one of those forums where the former alpha dog is now just a beta ..... and is too chickenshit to respond to the real big dog anymore. Head towards a noose.

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Alphas and betas now?.

Pure nonsense, in regard to Internet forums or anything else.

Spygoat said:

Uccio is a pure talent. Did you see that racing line? Better than everyone on the grid. Breathtaking.

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I felt sorry for him, you could see very clearly from his riding that he had been 'told' by the Japanese and his minders to not outshine Rossi and the other MotoGP competitors. He went out on a bike with used tyres, no warmers and nothing set up for him and even then he still had the pace to finish in the top ten.

He was 0.3 seconds behind for historical accuracy. Yet the time was not actually divulged...

All we know is there was a bike, like the others, but not really