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A passion for motorcycles continues to flow in his blood, even if it's been some years now that he has ventured off into a new adventure. That's because E-Bikes are actually a sort of second life for Livio Suppo.
During the Ducati World Premiere, during which all the innovations of the Borgo Panigale company were presented, the former Honda team principal couldn't miss out on it. As we all know, he's involved with Thok in designing electric Enduro bikes, along with Stefano Migliorini.
"It is undoubtedly exciting to be here in Rimini for this event," Suppo began. We've expanded our range of e-bikes this year with the MIG-RR, without leaving out the MIG-S. And let's not forget the Scrambler. We're entering the urban mobility sector with it, which is very important abroad. For example, Germany comes to mind. A market with about one million electric bikes per year. The number is lower in Italy because there are fewer bike lanes, but bicycle mobility is increasing."
Marco Melandri recently used the term "out of this world" to define E-Bikes.
"We hope we can do something together with him. I know he's having fun with these new vehicles. Marco and I have an excellent relationship and, like I said, it would be interesting to be able to share new adventures with him in the future."
Livio, many say that the MotoGP doesn't have a person with your charisma and your skills. Will we see you again in the paddock one day?
"I can't thank you enough for your appreciation. As of now, I have no intention of going back, since this new adventure with Thok is taking up a lot of my time and, like I said, I don't miss the life I had before. Obviously, I continue to follow the races. I'm happy for Marquez, since we bet on him, and he's proving to be one of the best riders in history. I'm also excited to see a Ducati battling it our for the victory and, if it hand't been for Marc, it would have won several titles."
Marquez won the World Championship this year with four races to spare, and he's been dominating the scene since Misano. Can we consider him unbeatable?
It may seem like he is, but he's not. In 2006, no one would have ever thought that Rossi would have lost the World Championship but, in the end, Hayden won. He lost that title despite being the best of them all. This is to say that we start from scratch every year, and there's never anything certain in the races. The same holds true for the World Championship that Casey won with Ducati. Among other things, there will be an extra race next year, so anything can happen, even if this is Marc's moment. Quartararo will definitely be one of the contenders, as will Dovizioso."
Honda obviously can't waste time with his contract renewal, since it expires at the end of 2020.
"I think they're already doing it, since Marc's performances cannot be compared to those of the other Honda riders. Honda is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world and has the means to meet the rider's demands. However, I know Marquez well, and I'm convinced that he likes being on that team."
Seeing how many victories he's had, many believe that he should change bikes and maybe try with another.
"We're influenced by Valentino's change in 2004. Until then, Vale had always had the best bikes to race on. Like the Aprilia 125, the Aprilia 250, the Honda 500, the Honda V5. Rossi decided to change during those years because he wanted to prove that he could win even with a less important bike. But Marc is not in that situation, since the difference in performance between him and the other Honda riders is very clear. He's the one who's always winning, and this confirms that Honda is not the best bike on the grid. That's why he doesn't need to change."
What do you instead think of Lorenzo's problems?
"I don't like seeing him struggle like this, and I hope he can improve because we're all aware of what Jorge is worth. The 2020 market is practically complete and, as a result, he has to regain confidence in this bike, which is what he'st lacking most."
About Rossi. Do you think he's reached the end?
"Vale has spoiled his fans, since he's been around a long time. He's struggling in this second part of the season. I find it hard to say that he's suddenly aged, especially because of his performance at the beginning of the season, where he came close to winning and fought for the podium. "His desire to continually get in the game is incredible. Remember that he's 40 years old, so we have to have the utmost respect for him. Like I said, I don't think he's suddenly aged."
Let's suppose something. If Ducati were to ask you to plan 2021, how would you do it?
"The choices are much more complicated than they may seem. Unfortunately, the riders market is earlier every year, and so you look at the performance of the riders a year earlier. The Ducati has a very competitive bike, and when it made risky choices in the past, it always paid off, like with Stoner. When safer choices were made, like with Sete and Valentino, they turned out to be less effective. It'll be difficult to lose a rider like Dovi, since he's always finished second in the World Championship, proving to be competitive. Petrucci's performance is certainly strange, compared to the beginning of the year, so he and the team will have to understand what's missing, since Danilo is a rider who deserves the official team."
