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MotoGP, Pirro: "Marc Marquez was Ducati's nightmare, now he gives us the charge"

VIDEO: "I still remember a Moto2 test with him, he had impressive control. Developing the new MotoGP for 2027 stimulates me. Next year a championship with the Panigale V2 dedicated to young riders."

MotoGP, Pirro: "Marc Marquez was Ducati's nightmare, now he gives us the charge"
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At the end of the presentation of the Ducati Lenovo 2025 team with the arrival of Marc Marquez alongside Bagnaia, as usual the next day was dedicated to the snowy slopes of Madonna di Campiglio. Riders, Ducati team members, journalists and friends thus found themselves together on the ski slopes, even challenging each other in a nice little ski race. Among those present, of course, was Michele Pirro, who in a few days will be involved in the shakedown tests in Malaysia to fine-tune the GP25s of what he called "the dream team."

This year you will have a big responsibility, soon the tests will start in Malaysia and you will have to fine-tune the GP25s for Bagnaia and Marquez.
"I must say that in recent years, when we have dominated, it has not always been easy to find the stimuli - says Michele Pirro - The arrival of Marc has given an important charge to the whole group, Pecco in primis. I see a new, different energy. As I said in the conference this is the dream team, and for me that I am no longer very young to be able to see this team is a dream. To see that same Marquez who had been "the enemy" for years, in the Dovi and Lorenzo years, or when he didn't want to come to Ducati in 2016 ... there were situations in the past where he made us suffer. He still remains a spectacular guy, then it is clear that fans are fans, but you have to recognize the talent of both Pecco and Marc regardless of one's tastes. Now we will see them both in the same team, on the red bike, as Marc says "the best bike," something we have earned out on track. The task will be to put them in the best conditions. We have the advantage of starting from a very good base, the one from last season. I don't believe in upheavals but there are still things we can work on, and for the rest we wait for the track. As I often say, our improvement depends on that of our opponents, we will have a clearer idea after the tests."

You are a test rider for Ducati, but perhaps one of your characteristics is that you know how to bond with all the Borgo Panigale riders. From Lorenzo to Bagnaia, Bastianini, Dovi. There are personal as well as professional relationships.
"I feel part of them, I live what I do, I live the rider, I understand well what they feel, what the difficulties are. I have lived it and that is a big advantage, besides having a great passion. Finding a relationship with all the riders helps create that harmony that I think helps at least in part to grow and improve. In these years I have tried to have a relationship with all of them, certainly among them there is one with whom I have bonded more but it depends on the character of each one."

How was your first contact with Marc?
"Today I managed to be faster than him on the ski slope, the only place where I can beat him! - he joked - We started as rivals, I started in Moto2 with him. I remember the tests with Gresini, when good old Fausto, whom I still thank, had given me the opportunity to return to the World Championship. Fausto for me will always remain very important in my career. I remember saying at the end of the test in Valencia that it had gone "all right except for Marquez." Not that he had gone faster, but when I saw him do turns 1 and 2 I knew he had impressive control. In the following years we had a career as adversaries, I remember his arrival in MotoGP, in the first sector he was always a red helmet. We had the nightmare with Dovi, he was our nightmare! - Pirro jokingly recalls - we were always there studying him. Now having him in house is incredible."

Has he amazed you as a person as well as a rider?
"I believe that, like Pecco, Marc is better than people can imagine. We are not talking about talent, but they are guys. It's in contexts like this on the ski slopes, where there is no pressure, it's really nice to be able to confront even normal life issues. It's clear that they are champions and everyone has their own peculiarities. Having him with us for these two years I think is a gift, before the change in the rules of the bike."

Are you ready to develop a new bike? The stimulus and motivation will be great.
"Consider that without wild cards I'm KO now! - he jokes again - so you have to think about how to stay competitive and find the right stimulus. This idea of the new MotoGP gives me a major boost, for us it will start a year earlier. To be able to say I've lived through this era of MotoGP for the last 16-17 years, Ducati not working with Valentino ... and to be able to see the new era, as the enthusiast that I am, really gives me a lot of satisfaction."

I heard you will also be organizing a championship this year.
"I am good at riding motorcycles, however, I found in Claudio and many guys in Ducati the same passion. Wanting to transfer this knowhow to production bikes made us come up with this amateur-only trophy in 2025. The first race will be held in World Superbike at Misano, the bikes will be the Panigale V4S, from model 22 to 25. The format is unique, with a rolling start and a lot of attention to safety. Thanks also to Dorna, there will be five rounds, the first of which will be in the SBK world championship, which for an amateur will be uniquely cool. Then three we will do in CIV, in which I will continue to participate, and one race in the Junior world championship, it will be a level championship. It will be important to be able to transmit a safety format to the amateurs, because the V4Ss are very performance oriented and have to be known how to use them. But it will only be the beginning of some nice projects, there will definitely be another one dedicated to young riders. We are ready to please even the youngest, with the Panigale V2, the same one that Marc tried and called spectacular. Let's say that in 2025 there will be a return of the Ducati one-make series, with the intention of raising young riders. We need to create a nursery, and I think it's also right after these last few years of sporting results."

 

Translated by Julian Thomas

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