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The bikes are slowly returning to the track. Looking through social media and on the web, you can see the first videos and the first images of riders on circuits all over the world. Today will be an important day for Ducati as the Barni team will be at Misano for a first day of testing. Last night live on our Facebook and YouTube channels the guest was Marco Barnabò, patron of the team that races in the WSBK and CIV championships.
“Our sport has to start again, it is fundamental. Maybe many people at home think it's superficial but you have to understand that racing is a job for many people. Motorcycling is a huge supply chain that cannot be stopped, I am convinced that with the correct precautions and with the safety rules we can and must start again. If a cashier works and sees 400 people a day, we can work in 10 in an outdoor environment. "
What do you expect from the day?
"This is not a fundamental test for the world championship because Camier is not here. We are doing it mainly for CIV and to prepare for social distancing regulations. Tomorrow we will do a good job and I also expect a lot from Randy Krummenacher who will get on our bike for the first time. The fact that he doesn’t know the V4 will allow the team to have a different point of view on the bike".
The big news these days is the official move of Jack Miller from the Pramac team to the official Ducati team in MotoGP. This, as confirmed exclusively to us at GPOne by Alberto Vergani, virtually brings an end to any possibility of Danilo Petrucci staying in the team. The rider from Terni seems to be close to SBK, do you think he can do well in the category?
“I would be willing to take Danilo right away. In 2011, we had a great year with him, winning the Superstock world championship. Danilo and I remained friends and I can say that he is a great rider but unfortunately there is too much politics in MotoGP. Should he come to SBK I think he has everything he needs to win the world title. "
Always in view of the rider market, what do you expect from 2020, do you think you can make any moves?
“The thing that interests me the most is doing well with Camier. I signed this rider because I think he can get some podiums and if things go well, we could continue together in 2021, we’ll see what will happen. As for the others, I don’t think it will be a different rider market than usual, anyone who has to change will change. "
How do you feel about the resumption of the championship?
"There is still nothing official. but I think it will start from Jerez in August and it doesn't seem like a great idea to me. It will be 65° C on the asphalt and there will be problems, in addition to this Spain is in a perhaps worse situation, at the moment, than our country. Things are evolving very quickly, I know there are many organizational problems, but the best thing would have been to go to Germany or Holland, countries that are a bit colder, and then move to Spain in November or December. To all this must also be added the economic aspect, MotoGP can survive only with television rights while we need the public to move forward. "
Going back to the difficult months of the lockdown, your workshop was one of the first to show solidarity with the medical staff, you decided to help and facilitate their movements.
"Ours has been and still is one of the areas most affected by the virus, we have to think about those people who are suffering and who have suffered in recent months. Anyway we have to start again, here in Bergamo and in Brescia we are used to working, they drilled it into our minds when we were children. I don't think I did anything vitally important, I wanted to help and when I could I did it willingly. What annoys me is that everyone has thanked the doctors, nurses and all the health personnel for the huge sacrifices they made, but nobody has given them one euro. With thanks, you can’t go and do the shopping ... "
Why in CIV is the Barni team so dominant while in the world championship the V4 struggles to obtain consistent results?
“The production bike is easier to set up and put on the track. Ducati's bikes are super sport bikes and a private individual who buys from a dealer can go on the circuit without any problems by making just a few small changes. The bikes in the world championship are much more complex and more difficult to ride. "
Still talking about the Italian Championship, what are your predictions for 2020?
“Having Michele Pirro in the team is a great advantage for us but championships are also won by the teams and the bikes. This season it is difficult to make predictions, we will have many penalties due to the single control unit, the kg of ballast and the limited number of revs. As well as this, Aprilia will be racing with the 1100cc, it is an important change ”.
