The news was recently made official: Carlo Pernat will no longer be with Enea Bastianini this season. The manager fron Genoa wanted to talk about his decision (and much more) in an episode of Bar Sport that you can watch above.
"I have a health condition, pulmonary emphysema. I can't travel anymore, and I've been a manager that always went to all the races. I talked about it with Enea, and he made the right choice," our Carletto explained. "Everything we did together hasn' been forgotten. We started in the Moto3, he won a title in the Moto2, and we reached the dream of the official Ducati. He was really unlucky in red, having lost a year because of his to injury. The KTM thing is somewhat of a burden. For both of us, it was the most logical choice at the time, but then it did not turn out to be the best. The same thing happened to Pedrosa and Vinales."
There are those who claim that Enea fired you.
"That's not true. The real problem is my body.This step backwards had to be taken because of the professionalism of a manager towards his rider. Enea is a great talent, and I'll continue helping him behind the scenes. We already agreed. My goal for this year is to get better."
Has KTM's crisis influenced this choice?
"Partly, but it was a decision we made together. Eighty percent is for health reasons, the remaining twenty is KTM."
How does it feel to leave a rider you collaborated with since the Moto3?
"I obviously feel bad, and so does Enea, but the situation is what it is. Enea needs to be followed, and I can't do it right now. We had a good time together."
Who's the best rider you've managed?
"Because of a whole set of things, I'd say Loris Capirossi ... because of his desire to race, his passion, his humanity, for the person he is."
Do you leave having fulfilled all your dreams?
"The goal was to win one more world championship with Enea. If the injury hadn't happened, we would've had a chance to do it. Now it's more difficult. I regret not having won a title with Bastianini in the MotoGP, because he had every chance."
What's the most absurd situation you found yourself in during your career?
"When Mamola flipped over on the line-up lap, doing a wheelie, in Holland. I was really embarrassed. Luckily, the other riders helped us out by delaying the start five minutes, while the mechanics fixed Randy's bike. He ended up finishing fourteenth, even if he had seized up three times."
Was there a rider you would've liked to manage but who you were never able to collaborate with?
"As a manager, I never went after riders. Honestly, the riders came after me. I would've been happy if Fabio Quartararo had contacted me, because I would've definitely taken him. Th myat's my heart's desire."