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MotoGP, Reggiani: The title? A Marquez-Dovi duel until Valencia

Loris celebrates 30 yeas since his first Aprilia win: "My best ever season. It is the parents who ruin young riders"

MotoGP: Reggiani: The title? A Marquez-Dovi duel until Valencia

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We're used to seeing Aprilia dominare in the minor, two-stroke classes but even they had to start somewhere before gradually emerging. The first rider to triumph with Aprilia in the world championship, in 250 particularly, was Loris Reggiani. “Reggio”'s can be said to have paved the way and is still celebrated today; the 30th anniversary of this event was celebrated today in Forlì (the race took place on 30 August 1987), with special guests Loris and his #32 Aprilia.

What comes to mind when you look at your bike from back then?

“It reminds me of what was probably the best season of my career. It was a very emotional year, as the team - Aprilia and I - had never come so close to the title before; the bike was in its third year of competition and had become very competitive, only suffering at times in terms of reliability. We just missed out on the win on several occasions that year, arriving a bit late at Misano, but doing it at our home track made it all even better”.

What your clearest memory of that day?

“I'd say the yell I let out when I took my helmet off. I yelled in a way that I'd never done before or since”.

To look back now, the bike world was very different back then to how it is now

“In any environment that involves technical aspects, there will always be significant change. The passion remains the same but there was less interest and a lot less "sharks" cycling; instead there was a great deal of genuine passions, and those taking part did so for love, as we didn't earn big sums at that time”.

Misano is coming up in a few days. What do you expect to see?

“I expect a red bike to be fast, even winning, as it's their home race. It's a great shame Valentino won't be at Misano, but we can pin our hopes on Dovizioso, fighting fit right now”.

Valentino's return could have a bearing on the title fight

"Definitely, seeing as he's been fighting for the wins until now, and will probably continue to do so after he returns. Pedrosa may have a similar role, and maybe even Lorenzo considering his progress in recent races”.

Who do you see as championship favourite?

"From the start of the season until a few days ago, I would have said Marquez 100%. Now though, considering the big jump that Dovizioso has made, I'd say they each have a 50% chance of winning , and will battle it out until the final race”.

Could it really be Dovizioso's year?

“Absolutely. He's gained a confidence and an aggression that he never had before, as well as the right confidence in his bike. This step forward will help him in the remaining rounds, where he's not been particularly fast in the past”.

Still with Ducati, how do you view Lorenzo's path so far?

“I think he's running behind compared to what we expected, I thought he'd already be fast some races ago. I was among those who were confused when Ducati hired Lorenzo, he didn't seem to be the kind of rider who could adapt quickly to the bike. I would have gone for Marquez, no question. In Lorenzo's favour, we can say that he's always shown to be stubborn, and will definitely reach the top, even if it takes longer than expected. In general, I think Ducati has been lucky to have Dovizioso for so many seasons".

At the start of the season, there were high hopes of a seeing an Italian Moto3 champion, but this now appears a distant dream. Why is that do you think?

“Many of the Italian riders have shown their talent, starting with Fenati, but they are unable to fully exploit it. The strange thing is that they display it up front and then gradually lose it race by race; my personal opinion is that Italian parents are the ruin of many young riders. Several of them are, I think, excessively “pumped up” by their parents ever since they're little, and this means that when they experience defeat for the first time they don't know how to react, going into crisis and not managing to showcase their talent”.

So parents should be kept out of the garage.

“It depends on the age, as at 16-17 years old a youngster's character is already formed and so it's too late. The parent needs to understand that, in order to grow up right, a youngster needs to face reality, without having everything sugarcoated. You often need to question, and draw out his/her character”.

Italy's hopes for the future?

“In Moto3 I'd say everyone and no-one. I really like Morbidelli and Bagnaia in Moto2, because they have their feet on the ground, despite obtaining great results”.   

Translated by Heather Watson
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