Ramon Forcada was Maverick Vinales’ technician in the factory Yamaha team in 2017 and 2018 (six poles and four wins), before a divorce which then led to a lot of comings and goings in the Spanish rider’s garage. Vinales eventually gave up on the contract year he had signed with Yamaha and which expired at the end of 2022, abruptly terminating relations last August.
Forcada has never talked too much about his former driver, but during an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com he did not escape the question he was asked and asking if he understood what Maverick is doing with his career: “What does it mean if I understand what is he doing? ”, is the technician’s reply.
Seen from the outside, the summary is that for 2022 Vinales has given up a year of a millionaire contract, the second highest salary on the grid after that of Marc Marquez, and to a Yamaha, which was able to win the world championship thanks to Fabio Quartararo.
“From my point of view, I like all people, not just Vinales, who are able to give up something because they don’t like it. An example is Casey Stoner and what he did in his time “, says Forcada, who in the past has also worked with the Australian, exactly in 2006, the year of his MotoGP debut with the LCR Honda team, winning a pole and a second place. “In the end, you have a choice between giving up or continuing to be bitter. There are people who for many circumstances, money or whatever, continue with bitterness. Others don’t “.
Casey Stoner
Photo by: LCR Honda MotoGP Team
Stoner announced his retirement prematurely in 2012, when he was only 26, for personal reasons: “Casey had a 12 million euro contract on the table, but he left the world championship. This is cool. In the end, people who decide whether or not they can make a mistake are always better for me than people who let others say what they should or shouldn’t do ”.
Vinales and Yamaha separated this summer after four and a half seasons together, with a record of eight wins, thirteen pole positions and a total of 24 podiums. However, he did not manage to move beyond the third position in the overall standings at the end of the season (in 2017 and 2019). In mid-2021 he began his new stage in Aprilia, the manufacturer who on paper is the weakest on the grid. “We’ll see how it goes now, but at least the decision was his, they didn’t force him. For me this has a certain value, ”says Forcada.
#Forcada #prefer #riders #Stoner #Vinales #decide