The Rossi phenomenon: the secret is in the eyes; he sees more than his rivals

Talent, genius, but that’s not all. The source of Valentino Rossi’s secret is purely physical: it’s his eyes. The nine-times world champion has a wealth of visual intelligence and his brain processes images very rapidly.

It was all explained by Dr. Roncagli, the optometrist who collaborates with a mobile clinic and is president of the Sport Vision European Academy, the center for research into the implications of sight activity in competitions. Interviewed by 'Tuttosport', the specialist gave a detailed description of the extraordinary ability of Rossi’s eyes, which were tested before Qatar.

"Have you ever noticed how particularly intelligent people have an expression that is, let’s say, lively? Valentino is having a conversation with someone, but at the same time his eyes are able to see somebody passing by in a remote corner of his spectrum of vision. It is called visual intelligence and he has a wealth of it, like Tomba: they process images 25-40% faster than a normal person".
 
The information sent by the eyes to his brain is processed faster and better than by other people. And he sees an opportunity where others would see nothing. This is why a world championship is won by overtaking a rival at a point where no-one else would even think of passing. He is in Barcelona, Lorenzo is in front. There is a space between Jorge and the edge of the track, but only his eyes can see it". 

(Source: Sport.virgilio.it)