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Claudio Domenicali can be happy. Thanks to Marc Marquez, more than to Pecco Bagnaia's victory in the 'Race of Champions,' the performance of the new V4S 2025 will still be talked about for a long time.
Indeed, the racing soul of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer ignited the hearts of the protagonist champions who were divided into two categories: those who took it as a quick parade, a celebration, perhaps knowing within themselves that they could not be protagonists, and a small group, instead, who put their heart and soul into it.
The names? Bagnaia, Iannone, Bulega, Marquez, Bezzecchi, Di Giannantonio. And we'll stop here because, perhaps with the exception of Rinaldi who was sidelined and somehow cared about getting a good result, neither Martin nor Bastianini I think were fully committed. They, too, are the past.
Obviously they all pushed hard, no joking about it - I had a lot of fun reading the comments on social media, obviously 99 percent focussed on the Bulega-Marquez contact (was there? It would seem so, but why did Nicolò lift up a moment before and still crashed?). Which obviously set off the fans. Was it a competition or an exhibition? Yeah, because that alone makes the difference.
Because if it was just a performance, the winning, the confrontation, the taunting, about who won and who lost, simply makes no sense.
But it wasn't a performance, it was a competition. Real. The riders lined up and gave 100%. Some even 101%. And it wasn't Marquez.
Marquez did...a Marquez, as Bagnaia did a Bagnaia, always in the lead, calculating, precise. With Iannone in his wake who - give him time to get used to it again - would still make his mark in MotoGP.
I have seen thousands of races, MotoGP, F1, and of course show races, and on no occasion have I seen real riders settle for a result, because if you are a real sportsman you always race to win. Or give the best demonstration of yourself on that occasion. Because that is how champions behave.
Because if the third and fourth placed guys did not give their best, what value would the first and second have?
Yesterday the Olympic Games got underway, the flame was lit. And that's what the flame is all about: lighting up in competition. Giving it your all. My respect goes to those who don't spare themselves, those who don't give up, those in our sport who look first at the bike after a crash to see if they can restart. Maybe to come in last, but in any case finishing the race. Because you always have to finish what you started.
So the right approach to yesterday's Race of Champions is rightly to pay tribute to the two challenges of the day: the one between Pecco and Andrea and the next one, between Nicolò and Marc.
I really liked that Nicolò did not give up on the last lap, despite being in obvious difficulty and in a tyre crisis. He had already risked a few corners earlier, but for him - as is obvious to those who love the sport - it was a RACE, and behind him was Marquez, eight-time world champion. Why give up?
On the contrary, he made it hard for him, but all it took was to go a bit wide at 'Misano,' leave the door open, and the Spaniard slipped through. His words in the press conference said it all.
"I will go to Nicolò and give him the helmet I used in the race," Marc explained, "I want to ask him whether or not there was contact, since I didn't feel it. I only heard the noise of the bike on the ground. I don't know if he braked more aggressively than usual to close the line, but in any case races are races, and we also had a confirmation at the start, where there was no lack of contact (between Bez and Diggia, ed.). Nicolo was having a good race and I hope he is okay."
Marquez repeated the word 'race' several times, and to give more value to his declaration he added, "I have no problem recognizing that now Pecco is the benchmark of MotoGP and Ducati. He is a great rider from whom I will try to learn, to get as close to his performance as possible. Would I have tried the same overtake on Bagnaia? Of course, it was a natural maneuver, nothing crazy. It's a day of celebration and I'm sorry that Nicolò crashed: when you put riders on the track the adrenaline is high, it's a real race."
So, fans of both barricades, you should have realized yesterday why Ducati signed Marc Marquez. Not a rider at the end of his career, but a star rider who risked ruining his career, and in part did so, to get back in the saddle just days after a serious crash, with a broken arm held together by a plate and a few screws.
Insanity? Sure, in retrospect, utter madness. But so was Katayama crazy when he raced at Opatija with a fractured collarbone, and Kevin Schwantz, and no doubt so was Biaggi on Rossi at Suzuka and Rossi on Stoner at Jerez.
Would we like motorcycling and motor racing if riders twisted their wrists or lifted their feet? I don't think so.
A few years ago there was a controversy about whether or not motorcycle racing was a contact sport, like boxing, wrestling, judo. No, it certainly is not but contacts happen even on athletic tracks, and you have to deal with them. And when they happen they are a concatenation of events. That's the reality, for anyone with some experience.
And for those who wonder why, I invite you to the readings of The Frog and the Scorpion and Aesop. A little culture (for those who can understand and appreciate it) never hurts.
A scorpion needed to cross a river, but not knowing how to swim, he asked a frog standing nearby for help. So in a sweet and persuasive voice he said to her, "Please let me get on your back and take me to the other side." The frog replied, "You are crazy! So as soon as we are in the water you will sting me and kill me!"
"And for what reason should I do that?" urged the scorpion "If I stung you, you would die and I, not knowing how to swim, would drown!" The frog stood for a moment thinking, and convinced of the sensibility of the scorpion's objection, she loaded him on her back and together they entered the water. Halfway down the frog felt an intense pain coming from his back, and realized that he had been stung by the scorpion.
As they were both about to die, the frog asked the insane guest the reason for the foolish act. "Because I am a scorpion," he replied, "It is my nature!"
