Also on hand at the presentation of the 2024 edition of EICMA was Giacomo Agostini, fifteen world titles behind him, seven in the 350 class, eight in the 500, and plenty of grit to spare.A champion of a bare-bones motorcycle racing era, far removed from the electronics and aerodynamics that now populate racing and increasingly road bikes, the champion from Bergamo tried to explain to us at GPOne why young people are moving away from two wheels, when once all they did as teenagers was dream about scooters.
"It is not entirely true that young people have become disaffected, the problem is traffic and the fact that people drive without paying attention, perhaps looking at their cell phones or the many instruments that are now on cars. In the face of this, the parents, who are aware of the dangers, are hard pressed to agree to put their children on a motorcycle and try to curb the purchase," said the 82-year-old.
Is there a motorcycle among those you have seen at the show over the years that has remained in your heart?
"No, I couldn't point to one, maybe the MV Agusta Superveloce Ago of 2021. Effectively that is a great bike."
Moving from the road to the track, we are now arriving at teh end as far as the MotoGP season is concerned, but the fight for the World Championship between points leader Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia is more alive than ever. How will it play out?
"It's hard to say because they are both very good and fast. It depends on who in the last races will be able to make the most of their experience. By now the tension is very high and a mistake can prove fatal as there is no more time to recover as there is at the beginning of the championship when you have so many races in front of you. Getting one wrong or getting another wrong can mean no longer being able to regain lost ground. Calm and concentration will play a pivotal role. One will probably have to wait until the last GP to get an answer."
These days Dorna has announced a freeze on engines until 2026.
"It's a technical choice probably related to the budget. The intention is to save money and not have a lot of expenses, but it is clear that those who are unlucky and happen to break down often are penalized. In any case, this is the direction that has been taken for some time now in cars as well, just look at F1."
