"Enzo Ferrari would have called me a garagiste" smiles Luca Boscoscuro thinking about his job. He’s not just a simple team owner, but a constructor who started his new life (after that of a rider) in 2010, when Moto2 came about. Like so many success stories, this too was born almost by chance, but Luca soon discovered that it was the way for him to go.
“We were going to race with Aprilia, which then withdrew at the end of 2009 and at that time there weren't any bikes that I liked, and I had made an agreement with FTR who made the SpeedUp to our specifications - says Boscoscuro - Then I discovered that the thing I like most is making a motorbike”.
You were practically alone, together with Cuzari's MV Agusta project, against the Kalex monopoly. How did you manage to hold out for so long?
"We get the results and, if we go to analyse the cards in our hand, there isn't one of our riders who went faster after changing bikes. Without results you can't go on, but from this point of view I can't complain."
Moto2 was born as a class for chassis builders, shouldn't there be more Boscoscuros?
“The problem is that when teams and riders see a bike win, they think it's all down to the bike, while it's the rider who does it. Every Sunday a Kalex is last, so what's the problem for those who finish outside the points? The team or the rider? From this point of view, one of the two should go home. When a rider thinks that it’s the bike that wins, it's the end for him, the real rider goes fast with any bike. When we gave our bikes to customer teams, they went well: the Qatari team also won a race, Canet with Aspar went faster with us. They are simple observations”.
Do you dream of seeing more Boscoscuros on the grid?
“I'm interested in having strong riders and teams, I'm not interested in finishing last. It would be like giving me a Ducati to race in MotoGP, where would I finish? Last. It wouldn't help me to give my bikes to non-competitive teams or riders, in the end it's not a business of selling bikes. It is for Kalex, who, as they have 26 bikes, can decide the prices”.
It has a monopoly…
“The teams created it, because Kalex initially didn't want to make more than 12 bikes. It would have been nice to have 3 or 4 different constructors. I'm sorry that KTM withdrew, fighting against them was very nice”.
The latest rumours say that KTM could use your chassis in the future…
"There was only contact with them, nothing more. The way Boscoscuro is structured, it wouldn't be a problem to build bikes for others, we've been doing it 100% internally since 2012".
Is there a way to open up Moto2 to other manufacturers? By now the trend, I'm thinking of KTM, GasGas, Yamaha and others, is to put a sticker on a Kalex.
“They are not entered in the championship as constructors, they are simply sponsors. KTM started it after the relative difficulties with their chassis. They make very strong riders grow, because for me in Moto2 the rider makes 80% of the difference, in fact many riders who then moved up to MotoGP fared well".
In fact, you don't just build bikes well, you also have a keen nose for riders. Among others, Quartararo, Iannone, Di Giannantonio, Pol Espargarò raced with you, all guys who are now in MotoGP.
“I'm lucky (laughs). I'm sorry about what happened last year with Fenati, but I couldn't see the light and we had to change. It doesn't matter whether it was my fault or the rider’s, the mix didn't work, we were wasting time and we weren't having fun either. So, I took Alonso Lopez, who I knew from CEV. In that championship we have won all but three races in the last two years, there I can find young riders. I don't have the money from KTM or other teams to sign riders, I must make investments and take risks with young or unknown riders. Let me be clear, all my riders get paid, but if you have a big budget, you can afford Acosta, to name a few, I can't fight against KTM in that field".
Now you have Aldeguer and Lopez who are very young and have already shown their talent, what 2023 do you expect?
“Fermin took 2 pole positions and he's a guy from 2005, Alonso skipped the tests and the first 6 races, he had never used the Moto2 Triumph and was very strong: it's also a matter of hunger. If you have the talent, you have to bring it out."
Do you dream of the title with a Boscoscuro?
“Every year I set out to try to win, but it's difficult to do so. There are 30 entered riders and they all have the same idea”.
How do you see the future of Moto2?
“For me they nailed it with this category, even if some people have turned up their nose at it. The MotoGP riders all came from Moto2, no one came from another category. The riders manage to go fast from the start when they arrive in the premier class, like Quartararo in his debut year, Bezzecchi this season, Brad Binder who is an underrated rider, or Zarco and Martin, who are often in front".
Have you surrendered to the Kalex monopoly?
“If my riders go fast, then everyone else will want my bike. The same happens in MotoGP, today everyone wants a Ducati. However, the teams must understand how to manage the situation, you can't think that it's always the bike that wins".