A new era has begun for Gresini Racing. The patron Fausto has been gone for almost a year now, but his wife Nadia and son Luca have taken over the reins of the team and carried on the project that the two-time 125cc world champion had begun to design. A project that was officially presented today in live streaming from the Faenza office.
“We are here to carry on Fausto’s dream and project, which was to return to MotoGP as an independent team. It was not easy to get here, because 2021 was a very difficult year, in which there are many. it really happened of all colors. We are the first team to show up for 2022 and I think Fausto would be very happy with that. Let’s say we have the first ‘pole position’ of 2022 “, said Nadia Padovani, who was the first to take the floor.
On being the first woman to be a team principal in MotoGP, she added: “Being here to manage my husband’s team is a great honor and a great responsibility, but I hope to be an example for all those women who aspire to achieve important roles, but also for all those who did not give up after a loss as important as mine “.
Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing with Nadia Padovani
Photo by: Gresini Racing
After seven years together, paths have separated with Aprilia, which this year will be a fully-fledged Factory Team, and the Faenza team has returned to the status of an independent team with which it made its debut on the grid. premier class in 1997 with a Honda 500cc entrusted to Alex Barros.
In the early years of the MotoGP era, always with the ties to the Japanese manufacturer, Gresini Racing was vice-world champion twice, in 2003 and 2004 with Sete Gibernau and then in 2005 with Marco Melandri. With the arrival of Marco Simoncelli he seemed to be back on the road to do great things, but the Sepang 2011 tragedy changed all scenarios.
From there began a more complicated phase, which led to the birth of the bond with Aprilia in 2015, which in 2021 experienced its best season, with the podium of Aleix Espargaro at Silverstone and with the arrival of a top in the team. riders like Maverick Vinales.
But with the separation from the House of Noale it does not mean that the ambitions have failed, quite the contrary. For this new chapter, the best bike in circulation was in fact chosen, with an agreement with Ducati that will make two Desmosedici GPs available to the team from Faenza in the 2021 version.
A bike that last year achieved the beauty of 7 victories with three different riders. And one of these came precisely for the colors of a satellite team, Pramac Racing, with Jorge Martin. But overall the podium placements of the Borgo Panigale brand were 24 and with 7 different riders, a sign that it is now a truly versatile bike.
Enea Bastianini, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gresini Racing
Among those who got on the podium there is also the top man of Gresini Racing for this season, namely Enea Bastianini. With the two third places at Misano, obtained on the saddle of an updated 2019 bike, the rider from Romagna was one of the revelations of the 2021 season, touching the title of Rookie of the Year.
Unfortunately he will not have a GP22 at his disposal, but his GP21 will be updated during construction by the men of the Red team if his results are up to par. And right from the Jerez tests he immediately found himself particularly at ease with his new bike, resulting immediately very fast.
Among other things, for Enea it is a homecoming, given that his career in the World Championship began with Gresini, who in 2014 had focused on him for Moto3. Enea’s first victory, at Misano in 2015, also came for these colors, before the roads parted in 2017. But only to rejoin today, in the most important championship.
“It is a pleasure to be back here with my first family in the World Championship. Unfortunately, Fausto is no longer there, but I have found the same spirit, so I am very happy to be part of the team. I will try to do my best and I want to try to aim for the top 5 in all races, “said Bastianini.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gresini Racing
For the 2022 line-up we could almost say that Gresini Racing has staked everything on its “cantera”, given that the second Desmosedici GP will be entrusted to rookie Fabio Di Giannantonio. And the Roman rider raced almost his entire career for the Faenza team, with the exception of the two years spent in Speed Up in Moto2 (2019 and 2020) before returning to Faenza.
For the 2018 vice-champion of the Moto3 it is in fact an internal promotion, from the team in the middle class to the one in the premier class. “Diggia” has just returned from a season that ended in seventh place, in which he reached the podium four times, one of which on the occasion of the victory at Jerez de la Frontera and dedicated to patron Fausto.
“I’ve always used the number 21, but this year I couldn’t because Morbidelli has it. I chose the 49 because it has never been used in MotoGP, so in a sense I wanted to make history. It’s a new challenge and a new chapter for me. I can’t wait to start testing and then to be on the grid in Qatar. I’m a bit nervous, because it’s a dream come true, but it’s nice to do it with this team that has always believed in me “, added Fabio Di Giannantonio.
The most awaited moment was obviously the one in which the two Desmosedici GP # 23 and # 49 were unveiled, presenting themselves with a decidedly captivating livery, created by Aldo Drudi, based on the concept of “The next”, intended as a new chapter. The dominant color is a light blue, which merges with the red, which forms a V on the fairing, but is also present on the wings and on the tank.
Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gresini Racing
In addition to the colors of the motorcycles, those of the uniforms of the umbrellas were also shown, because they were designed by the stylist Elisabetta Franchi, who explained that she wanted to give a touch of femininity even to a purely male world like that of MotoGP.
Gigi Dall’Igna, general manager of Ducati Corse, also took the stage: “It is a pleasure to be here, because Gresini Racing is now part of the Ducati family, so we will certainly help them both from a technical and a technical point of view. human and we will provide him with everything he needs to obtain important results “.
Regarding Ducati’s goals for the duo of young Italian riders, he added: “Enea must continue his growth in MotoGP, because he did very well in his rookie season, also winning two podiums. I expect him to continue building something. important on his talent, becoming one of the protagonists. For Diggia it is the first season in MotoGP, but I expect him to be able to do something similar to what Enea did in 2021 “.
Targets that seem to be in line with those of Padovani: “With Bastianini our goal is to be protagonists in all races, while with Di Giannantonio we aim for the title of rookie of the year”. The talent is there, the means too, now it will be necessary to demonstrate it on the track …
Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Gresini Racing
Photo by: Gresini Racing
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