Laverty: Melandri is a dirty rider...
Eugene Laverty has branded Marco Melandri as a 'dirty rider' following their controversial clash during the final round of the 2013 World Superbike Championship at Jerez.
The pair, who competed as team-mates at Yamaha in 2011, were contesting victory in the first race of the day in Spain when Melandri's late dive for the lead on the penultimate lap at the turn six hairpin resulted in both riders running out wide.
Incensed by Melandri's aggressive overtake, Laverty duly fought back on the final revolution with an unorthodox - but successful and clean - outside pass around the last corner to snatch the win metres from the finish line.
Though Laverty made a minor reference to the incident in a post-race press conference, he would go on to give a more candid opinion of the Italian in an interview for the Speed City podcast.
"It's quite clear Marco is a dirty rider and he does it intentionally," he said. "The riders don't appreciate it because it's not smart or clever. In the last laps it's not so bad but Marco does this on lap two and three, which is stupid because it loses you time and it loses himself time, so we don't like racing with him.
"When I came around the fast rights just before the last corner, I was so angry that he pushed me off on the penultimate lap that I knew I had to go for it, whether it was inside, outside or over-the-top of Marco. Either way, I had to get in front of Marco because I don't like it when someone tries to do something unfair."
"When I arrived back in pit lane, all the Supersport riders were out to applaud me. They don't like seeing some dirty riding, so when I was able to come at the last corner and do that special move, they really appreciated it.
Ironically, Melandri has been lined up to replace Laverty at Aprilia Racing in 2014, with the Irishman linked to a move into the MotoGP paddock. However, the recent departure of Gigi Dall'Igna as Aprilia Racing team manager may well have amended those plans, with rumours suggesting new boss Romano Albesiano could try and retain him in a three-man team.
