With Jorge Martin, Pramac and Ducati knew they had a thoroughbred horse, which however needed to be perfected and above all surrounded by the most suitable working environment in order to fully exploit its potential.
The person chosen for this mission is the former Italian rider Gino Borsoi, who after over a decade as Aspar team manager, this year has shown that he is more than ready to become the one of the strongest satellite team in MotoGP.
It may be a coincidence or perhaps it has nothing to do with it (some would say), but what is certain is that since his arrival Martin has transformed himself into a clear contender for the title and now, according to Borsoi, he is “the strongest driver on the grid MotoGP”.
“When I started the Pramac project I knew that there were two great riders in the team and, above all, Jorge, who for some reason had not yet managed to show his full potential. This year there were the right circumstances to do it at technical level: in this respect the team is at the highest level and absolutely nothing is missing”, he explains.
“So, personally, I’m not surprised by the way Martin is driving this year, although, to be honest, at the start of the season I didn’t think we would be in the running for the title with three races to go.”
For Martin, who in nine months went from a great failure to the possibility of winning a title, there is a lot of work behind it, but also the determination of the driver.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Podium: champion Jorge Martín, Pramac Racing, Gino Borsoi, third Johann Zarco, Pramac Racing
“Jorge has evolved a lot, both as a driver and as a person,” he says. “It’s clear that there is an important factor which is the bike, from the first moment he got on it, in the Valencia tests, he said that he liked it much more than the 2022”.
However, that wasn’t the only factor that led to such a terrific year.
“Looking at previous seasons, we came to the conclusion that Jorge had to prepare more for the long races on Sunday than for the Sprints or qualifying on Saturday. He has always been a very explosive driver, this has been proven, but then he was missing something in race: he was very fast but he didn’t bring home the result, he lacked a bit of consistency and we talked about it a lot at the beginning of the year”, explained the Italian.
“The idea was not to focus so much on qualifying, but to prepare better for the race. And so it was, little by little he improved and was much more consistent in the race. Once this was achieved, we went back to work to be strong on Saturday.” And the result could not be more evident: Martin has won four pole positions and won five Sprints in the last six Grands Prix (it was not held in Australia).
“The intention was to find a balance between what he was already able to do on Saturday and also do it on Sunday. But then this must be carried forward and Jorge has the speed and ability to do it, as he is demonstrating” .
“We are doing something that, you can say, was unthinkable at the beginning of the year. Whatever happens at the end, it will have been a great season, so personally I think the pressure is on Pecco Bagnaia. World champion, factory team, he must continue to prove that he is the best. I think we are putting more pressure on him and Ducati than they are putting on us,” he said.
The Italian manufacturer maintains a position of freedom towards its satellite teams, despite the fact that, as could happen this year, they could end up beating it.
“We talked about it and I don’t see why it will change, I’m sure everything will continue as it has been, so I’m not worried,” said Borsoi, who rejects Borgo Panigale’s team orders. “I don’t see why there should be team orders, they are two Ducati teams, Jorge is an official Ducati rider, I don’t see the point of team orders.”
And he concludes with a definitive argument.
“Moreover, now he is a Jorge 3.0 improved in every aspect, even in the wet, which was one of his weak points, he has speed. If we look at the last races I would dare to say that at the moment Martin is the strongest rider on the MotoGP grid “, he concluded, convinced that this is the best way to neutralize any team order.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Gino Borsoi, director of the Pramac team, Davide Tardozzi, director of the Ducati team
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