Michael Ruben Rinaldi's 2025 season began this week in Jerez. After a long wait, the rider from Romagna was able to get on the Yamaha R9 entered by the GMT94 team for the first time, the bike with which he will compete in World Supersport. It's a fresh start for Rinaldi, whom we reached by phone to let him tell us about the sensations he had during the four days on the Andalusian track and the spirit with which he is looking forward to the new challenge that awaits him.
Michael, how did this first test with the R9 go? Are you satisfied with it?
"Yes, it was good. First of all because I got on very well with the team: they made me feel very comfortable and I immediately got on very well with my new crew chief Andrew Pitt as well. We tried to work calmly these four days. Also because, coming from the Superbike, I had to adapt to this bike and the power that is definitely less than the Superbike. I liked the bike, though. I think it has a very good base, but it is young. The team and I have to figure out which direction to go in, and it was interesting to do several tests. Although we were a bit unlucky with the weather the last two days: on Friday we rode very little because the track was not completely dry, however, on Thursday I also did some laps in the wet."
So you got a complete overview, testing it in all conditions.
"Yes, exactly. That was important for me and also for the guys, to understand how the bike behaved even in wet conditions. So, I think it was a very positive test. We started off on the right foot and the R9 was a nice surprise, because I knew the Supersport doesn't have the horsepower of a Superbike, but it's still a lot of fun to ride."
How big is the jump actually between the Ducati V4 and the Yamaha R9?
"The biggest jump is the straight-line speed, because the references are totally different when you get on the brakes. In fact, in the first few laps I was braking where I was braking with the Superbike and I was really slow coming into the corners. So, I had to correct and reset a little bit what were my automatisms to try to adapt to what this category requires. Also because it had been 9 years since I had last ridden a smaller displacement bike to a Superbike. I had to change my riding style a little bit, and I will have to continue the adaptation because, having less horsepower on the exit as well, I will have to be smoother in the middle of the corners."
Have you never had a chance to try the Panigale V2 over the years in Ducati?
"No, I always tried the V4. Even when I was training with the road bike, I always used that. So, it was a bit novel for me."
Do you think the Ducati will still be the bike to beat this year, or can the Yamaha give it a run for its money?
"It's still really early to say. Also because in this test we were alone, there was no comparison, and we thought about working on ourselves, improving the base and figuring out which way to go. And then I also have to adapt to this category and this bike. We have to be humble, because the World Champion bike for two years now is the Ducati. But we know that Yamaha has invested in this project to try to get back there in front. We are just at the beginning and I think we will have to wait for Portimao to really understand what the cards are on the table. What will be our strengths and what we need to improve, because Australia is atypical and maybe it will still be too early there to understand."
Have you already started to get an idea of the championship and who the favorites might be?
"Honestly, I think you will have to look at the World Champion bike that will go to Oettl: even if it is now no longer Aruba but Feel Racing, that remains the benchmark team and I think they will do well with Philipp. Then we should not forget that other strong riders have come to other Ducati teams, like Masia, who won the Moto3 World Championship two years ago and is an unknown factor. Then there is Yamaha with Stefano Manzi, who was runner-up for two years and the only non-Ducati who could be up there in front. I think he's going to be a tough nut to crack, but we'll have to see how he does. The goal is to always try to be competitive and not wrap our heads around who will be up there in front."
Did it really penalize you to have to wait until January to test your new bike for the first time?
"I didn't have any other option, but I didn't get my head around it when I realized that I wouldn't be able to test it last year along with all the other riders and continued to train at home. Maybe I had a little handicap on the first day here in Spain, because I had fewer kilometers: my teammate, Lucas Mahias, was rightly much more comfortable than me, because he has been coming from two years in Supersport and had already tested the bike in Cremona. Fortunately, however, we were on the track four days and that allowed me to adapt slowly to the bike and in the end it wasn't that much of a handicap."
How does it feel to wear blue after so many years in the Ducati orbit?
"It's interesting, because when I saw myself with the suit on it was a little strange, but nice! It's a new chapter in my career that is really exciting me, because, as I said before, the team and Yamaha immediately showed me a lot of positive energy. So, I face this new challenge with a smile."
And I think also with a lot of desire to redeem yourself.
"That will be a consequence, so I'm not starting with the anxiety of having to prove something. But with the calmness of wanting to get the most out of what we have. After a difficult year, I just want to try to have fun on the bike and together with the team. I don't want to get stressed and then I think the results are a consequence of working seriously and calmly together with the team."
Will putting yourself on the line in another category be an extra help to arrive with a different spirit on the grid?
"Definitely yes: it's just like a blank page. It's not like in the past, when even though I changed teams I stayed in the same category and especially on the same bike, so I knew well or badly what the expectations and results could be. This is something absolutely new and the effect it will have will definitely be different."
Are you left with any regrets thinking about Superbike?
"No, I would say no. Also because the opportunity in the official team I had and I always gave everything, so I can't blame myself. I definitely didn't get the results I wanted, but I'm not old yet, so this could maybe be an opportunity to relaunch my career. If the results come and opportunities arise to return to Superbike, I would like to. But right now I want to think about the present, this new challenge and having fun in this new adventure."
I was very struck by the quote from the book of Proverbs that you included in a post about your mother's recovery, because it continues with the phrase, "In everything you do remember the Lord and he will show you the right way." Do you think this might be a sign that everything is finally starting to go in the right direction?
"What happened to my mother, and which unfortunately many people and many families are affected by, is something that is totally separate from what my career is. I have faith and I am very believing, and that helped me a lot with my mother's illness and dealing with it thinking that even though many things we cannot understand, you have to have faith that everything can go in the direction that the Lord chooses for us. Instead, regarding motorcycles, I don't see the outcome as something that depends on the Lord, but on us and how we react to certain situations. And the important thing, even when things go wrong, is not to lose faith."
Photocredit: Studio La Makina