The day Valentino Rossi ran out of luck
After 230 races and 12,000 racing miles, Valentino Rossi will be forced to miss a MotoGP for the first time following his leg-breaking crash at Mugello. Toby Moody analyses how the Italian's unprecedented absence affects the paddock
At 10.39 Saturday 5th June Valentino Rossi's luck ran out. He crashed at 111mph in the Biondetti chicane and before he even stopped rolling through the dusty gravel trap his lower shin had already broken in two with the inside parts trying to get outside. It was nasty and everyone knew it.
An air of silence soon fell over the whole valley. A human sixth sense seems to kick in; people just know when someone is in trouble. A loved one, a friend or a hero.
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