The MotoGP lands in the Netherlands, and this time I’m there too, Alessio Marocco, the physiotherapist of the Lifenet Healthcare group, alongside Team Aprilia. I remember well when Fabio Careddu, physiotherapists’ coordinator at the Chiros medical centre, asked me if I would be available to accompany my colleagues during the MotoGP season; I spent a lot of time wondering what it would be like to live an experience like this from the inside. For me, who had only been able to observe it from the outside, it all had a magical charm, like imagining an unexplored world.
On Thursday I am on the flight to Amsterdam with Fabio and Dr. Luca Corti; The car transfer to the TT Circuit in Assen goes by quickly. At our arrival at the circuit there is a huge billboard welcoming us with the words “The Cathedral of Speed.”. It’s a historic place, I would say iconic, for motorcycle enthusiasts. The paddock still seems to be sleeping, as if enjoying those last moments of dreaminess and torpor before waking up. Stretched glances, smiles, light talk. Relaxed looks, smiles, light conversations. The perfect prelude to the excitement of what, within a few hours, would become one of the most anticipated weekends in the MotoGP.
Friday: We are in Assen, the ‘Cathedral of Speed’.
The wake-up call at the hotel, the arrival at the circuit and slowly the paddock begins to roar, to come alive with that frantic hustle and bustle. Observing the frenzied unfolding of activities in ten square metres over one minute time, there would be a hundred stories to tell. Time passes between the morning and afternoon free practice, the assistance of various staff members including mechanics, technicians, and hospitality members. Tomorrow will be a day of qualifying and sprint races; we now get into the thick of the challenge.
Saturday: it’s Sprint Race day
Saturday is an important day. The starting grid is determined and the sprint race takes place. Everything must proceed smoothly and in the best possible way. We are called upon to provide care, support, and assistance for various conditions such as lower back pain, upper back pain, tendonitis, muscle pain, and other common discomforts experienced by people who work non-stop, frantically, and at the highest levels of concentration and physical exertion. From mechanics to engineers, from management to members of the press. We utilize rehabilitative techniques and equipment provided by the Lifenet group, including tecar therapy, ultrasound, and any necessary pharmacological support managed by Dr. Corti. During the day we are joined on the circuit by the Lifenet group’s administrator, Dr Nicola Bedin, and the medical director of the Visconti di Modrone Medical Centre, Dr. Andrea Caprotti, with whom it has been a pleasure to share professional opinions, enjoyable moments, and our common passion: motorbikes. Together with them, we anxiously follow the qualifying sessions and the sprint race, which concludes with an excellent fourth place for Aleix Espargaro and a fantastic performance by Lorenzo Savadori as a test rider.
Sunday: Aleix you’re on the podium!
The paddock is buzzing, tension is mounting. We perform the final treatments for the team members before the races, while the work in the pits continues relentlessly. The race approaches. The riders lower their visors, and they’re off.
The blare of the MotoGP bikes resonates inside you, embedding itself under your skin. Unfortunately, Maverick loses the front and falls, but fortunately, we can rejoice in Savadori’s splendid eleventh position and a well-deserved third place for Aleix. It’s pure joy. After collecting only a few points up to now, a good result was what we needed for the future.
Throughout this race weekend, I worked alongside my colleague Fabio Careddu. We took care of treatments for Lorenzo Savadori and the rider from the satellite team, RNF Miguel Oliveira. Savadori still had some forearm issues, albeit to a lesser extent, which worsened after Friday morning’s practice 1 session. Thanks to massage therapy, tecar therapy and forearm stretching treatments along with manual therapy of the cervical spine, the arm was not a hindrance to the rider’s excellent performance throughout the weekend. As per Oliveira, physiotherapy treatment focused on the area of the recent injury: the left shoulder. Mobilisation exercises, manual therapy and massage therapy ensured that his shoulder didn’t pose an obstacle to his riding.
Personally, I am happy and proud to have been able to help, in my own way, the extraordinary people who make up this wonderful mechanism that is the Aprilia Racing team, alongside competent professionals like my colleagues at Lifenet Group, and I look forward to the next chapter, confident that it can be even better.
