MotoGP | Bagnaia: “With Crafar we can have a good dialogue”

MotoGP’s summer break has been very intense for Pecco Bagnaia. Even though it’s been just over three weeks since his fourth consecutive victory at the Sachsenring, the Ducati rider has found time to get married to his girlfriend Domizia, but he has also treated himself to the crowd bath of the World Ducati Week in Misano, where he won the Race of Champions. A very intense period, but one that seems to have recharged him, at least according to what he said in the press conference that opened the weekend of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone today.

“It was good to have a short break after Sachsenring, to rest a bit. I was on holiday with my wife, then I got married and after the wedding I started training again. The wedding day was fantastic, much nicer than I expected. Then there was WDW and of course it’s not easy for a Ducati rider to relax, because you want to go everywhere to meet all the fans, but I really enjoyed every moment and I hope that the Ducati fans had the opportunity to have fun with us and enjoy a great show,” said Bagnaia.

Returning to his wedding, he was then asked if he was more nervous that day or on a race weekend: “It’s hard to say honestly, but I’ve never cried as much as when I was walking down the aisle with my mother. It was a very emotional moment, but also when I had to say yes. So maybe I was a lot more nervous that day than on a normal race weekend.”

Now it’s time to start thinking about Silverstone, where he arrives after a poker of successes and as the world championship leader with a 10-point margin over Jorge Martin. A trend that seems set to continue: “I love this track, it’s one of the most beautiful. It’s a very long track, with very smooth asphalt, so it’s one of my favorites. This year we’ll discover a bit of new weather, because it’s never been so hot here, but I think we’ll be able to have fun because I love tracks like this.”

Another piece of news that has animated the summer break is the changing of the guard at the head of the stewards panel: at the end of the year the much-discussed Freddie Spencer will leave to make room for another former driver, now a television commentator, Simon Crafar. A positive choice according to the reigning world champion.

“Making that kind of choice is not easy, but I think that with Crafar we can have a good dialogue and that is positive. We talk a lot with him during the weekend, so I think he would be able to follow this line. If he did, I’m sure he would do a great job. But it’s certainly not an easy job.”

The Suzuka 8 Hours, a great endurance classic, was also held, which also saw the participation of Ducati, but with an all-Japanese team. Paolo Ciabiatti however explained that the aim of the Borgo Panigale company is to bring its official riders in the future. And in this Bagnaia seems to be clearly an ally.

“I’m pushing hard with Ducati to give me the opportunity to go and race at the Suzuka 8 Hours. I know exactly how stressful it can be, because that’s when we stop, but I love that type of race and I’ve always thought that for a World Championship rider it’s a goal and something to add to your career. I’d like to race there, but to do that I’d also like to know that the conditions are there to win, because I’d like to go there and win.”

This weekend, to celebrate the 75 years of history of the World Championship, all the teams will have historic liveries. Ducati has chosen that of Loris Capirossi’s GP3, the bike with which he made his debut on the MotoGP scene in 2003. This initiative, however, was very much appreciated by Pecco.

“I’m very happy with this idea that Dorna had, it’s fantastic to see all these liveries from the past and also some new ideas. I love the classic colours, because I think they are cleaner. In our case it’s difficult to see the livery clearly because of the sponsors, but in the case of Yamaha and Honda their colours are fantastic. My favourite is the Yamaha one, because it’s very clear and I liked it a lot. I would like there to be more space for this type of ideas and liveries in the future”.

Speaking about the history of the MotoGP, the Piedmontese also spoke about his first memories: “The first race that comes to mind is Valencia 2003, because I remember the hippie livery with the Repsol logo and Valentino written in a strange way. Then I remember exactly where I was, a house near Rome, while I was watching the Welkom 2004 race, Valentino’s first victory with Yamaha. These are my first memories”.

The summer break has also brought a change to the calendar: there will no longer be any trips to Kazakhstan and MotoGP will stop twice at Misano. A track that is truly home for Bagnaia, where he is usually able to make the difference.

“In my case, I’m happy. I’m 15 kilometers from home, then we’ll race in front of the Italian crowd. Last year, after the accident in Barcelona, ​​I wasn’t in top form when we raced in Misano, so I didn’t have the opportunity to fight with Martin. This year we’ll have two opportunities and we’ll try to make the most of them, but I don’t think it’ll be boring,” he concluded.