“Just before the world collapsed on us, Fausto had a premonition. If something were to happen to me one day, sell everything: you would risk going crazy, in my place”. This is how Nadia Padovani, Gresini’s partner, recounted her drama. Then, a few months later, she didn’t pay attention to him.
“How could I have – she confided to her colleague Massimo Calandri – the company was her life: a dream that must continue”. No sooner said than done. Nadia took over the Gresini Racing Team, which yesterday returned to the top of the world. Fausto, a motorsports legend from Imola, two-time world champion and highly successful team manager, killed by Covid in 2021, would be proud.
And not only because in a race far from the ordinary, Marc Marquez, riding his Ducati Gresini, took home a historic San Marino Grand Prix (in 41’52″083), ahead of the ‘reds’ of Francesco Bagnaia (+3″102) and Enea Bastianini (+5″428).
In the victory there is all of Nadia’s stubbornness, all of her tenacity in carrying forward a project “that could drive her crazy” and her intuition as a great team manager in hiring Marc Marquez, who at the time everyone thought was finished.
It was moving, to the point of tears, to see the bike of the eight-time world champion, along with his brother Alex, lining up with the celebratory livery of Fausto Gresini’s bikes. And the same goes for Marc’s words, who, in the parc fermé, before the awards ceremony, made an emotional dedication to the former rider Fausto: “Maybe it was someone in heaven who made these drops of rain fall. I dedicate the victory to the Gresini family”.
The light rain that fell in the early stages certainly played a crucial role in the outcome of the race, throwing the riders’ strategies into disarray. Taking advantage of the general uncertainty, the ‘rain wizard’ reduced the gap to the leading group, overtaking Bagnaia in extremely difficult conditions. Then off to history and rebirth with that all-white bike in the name of Fausto.
“Rebirth” because Marquez hadn’t won in MotoGP for three years and now he’s won two in a row (plus a sprint). And now in the world championship Martin has only a 7-point advantage over Bagnaia: 312 to 305. Behind the two quarrelsome riders, here comes Marc Marquez with 259 points. Anything can happen. In the name of Fausto and thanks to the pure class of Nadia Padovani, a brave, brilliant and rare manager. Applause.
#Nadia #Padovani #applause #FormulaPassion.it
