Everything comes crashing down again": Valerio Lata torn between frustration and a hunger for redemption in MX2

Valerio Lata comments with disappointment on the recent spell short on satisfaction in MX2 and aims for a swift comeback.

With the double Italian round in the Motocross World Championship now behind us, there’s no shortage of bitterness for the Italian riders. One example is Valerio Lata, our top MX2 rider, who still isn’t managing to perform as he would like. It’s worth remembering that the opening rounds were affected by the aftermath of a heavy crash in Argentina, but he had since recovered and arrived fully fired up for the Sardinia-Trentino doubleheader. However, the 20-year-old Honda HRC Petronas rider didn’t gather what he’d hoped for and then entrusted his disappointment to social media with a long post to explain the frustration of this period, but also his determination to turn things around as soon as possible. Now the knobby tires are on pause until the end of May, there’s time to recharge and restart with even greater motivation.

"Those who know me know how much I care about doing well in this sport, especially when you reach the world championship. The very best of the best," began the Roman rider. "You try to do well but you can’t, so you try again the next race… But it doesn’t come, you struggle, you can’t do what you’ve always done, which is to be up front, consistently." The step forward he was looking for seemed to arrive on Saturday at the Ciclamino, as he muscled his way in among the leading contenders for big results over the weekend. "You go out and immediately set the fastest time in practice, then you follow up with second in qualifying, and then fourth in the qualifying race. You think to yourself: I’m here, I’m back, I can do whatever I want with the bike, I’m ready to be back at the front."

Unfortunately, Sunday was different—and not for the better. "Two starts from the back, first moto without goggles, another race thrown away. By the end of the evening it all comes crashing down on me again for the third weekend in a row," Lata admitted bitterly. "You start to think, you start asking yourself a thousand questions… You go home with even more questions, especially if you’ve raced in Italy, in front of thousands of people cheering for you or writing your number or your name on a flag or a banner."

But a spark of positivity arrives at the end. "Thinking about it… all of this probably happens because when success does come, it’ll pay back all this twice over," added the fired-up 20-year-old multi-time Italian champion. "I thank everyone, the team, the mechanics, my family and all the people who were there at the track—at least on Saturday they got a bit hyped. I never write long posts, because in the end what counts is the result on Sunday night, but this time I had to."