'Young MotoGP riders are pussies' - that was the controversial claim made recently by seven time champion Valentino 🤡Rossi.

Rossi made the comment in response to criticism by the likes of Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo about the on-track conduct of Rossi ♒and ha🙈rd-riding fellow Italian Marco Simoncelli, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the comment arouse during the pre-event press conference at Le Mans on Thursday, beginning🔴 with class-veteran Colin Edwards being asked if the claim was true:

"[Yes] they arওe just a bunch of pussies!" replied Edwards. "No, I retract that statement...

"There's obviously been some statements in the press about this and that, but I'm still working on my pace to be up there with those𒁏 guys to talk sh*t about them!"

24-year-old reigning world champion and 2🧸011 points leader Lorenzo, one of the main targets of Rossi's words, was later asked for his response.

After being told t▨hat the phrase, in polite terms, meant some young MotoGP riders were behaving like 'kids', Lorenzo - in a presumed di𒅌g at Rossi - replied:

"I don't know. I guess it must 💃be a little shame to be beaten by 'kids'. Every rac🍎e..."

At that point 37-year-old Edwards couldn't resist jumping in: "Yes🎀, it's a shame! And I didn't ꦫeven call them pussies!"

Meanwhile, 💦Rossi brushed off his latest clash with Stoner, who is said to have obstructed the Ducati rider during the post-race ꦑEstoril test:

"In reality it was nothing special... nothing happened... No problem," said the 32-year-ol✤d, whose feud with Stoner was reignited when he brought the Australian down in a race-accident during round two at Jere🙈z.