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Blue eyes and a viscous but sincere look, a trained physique, he has the quick step in the paddock of someone who has known it all his life. As tall as a rider, he who manages many riders, "for basketball I don't have the height," he jokes with us before recording. With seriousness and confidence, indispensable characteristics of those who work at these levels, he combines a kindness and availability that are not taken for granted, given his many commitments as well. Just forty years old, we are of course talking about Albert Valera, the Spanish manager who can already boast a decade of experience in MotoGP gained since his debut years alongside Jorge Lorenzo. Called to assist the former world champion from Palma de Mallorca in 2012, he took over precisely in the year of the Spaniard's second title in the premier class, finally arriving in 2024 to manage as many as three riders in the premier class. From the retirement of Aleix Espargarò to the signing of Martin with Aprilia even before he later won the world championship against Bagnaia, to the debut of Pedro Acosta with an explosive career, he also recently took on board the promising Tony Arbolino.
Albert Valera is recognized by all as one of the leading figures in the MotoGP paddock, even referred to by some as the "King Midas" of managers, having seen his riders grow through the categories taking them up to the highest results, strong not only in his managerial skills but also in a value system that seems to go beyond the simple manager-rider relationship. In Qatar, we had the pleasure of interviewing him right around the time of Jorge Martin's return (before the very recent and unfortunate new injury), a chat in which the Spanish manager told his heart-to-heart, including anecdotes from the past and future hopes and goals.
Your debut in MotoGP started in the best way, alongside Lorenzo.
"Jorge Lorenzo is a great friend of mine," Valera began, "in 2012 he asked me if I wanted to be part of a younger management team around him, for me it was a challenge and the trust between us was great, so it all started. He offered me this job, it was all new to me because I came from a different environment, pharmaceuticals, I was working at Johnson&Johnson. The world of sports is different but there are some common traits, although it is clear that to start working right away with a champion like Lorenzo, and to do it in 2012 the year he won the world championship was a great opportunity. Thanks to him I am here today."
Valera: Jorge Lorenzo had faith in me.
How did you approach this world?
"I've always liked sports, my family has two gyms in Barcelona. Jorge Lorenzo had faith in me, a guy who until then had no experience in this world, but he saw that we could do a good job together. So we did, we won together in 2012 and then in 2015, we were together nine years. Of Lorenzo I remember that he can be very demanding, but at the same time he is a lot of fun, in those years we had a lot of fun with him and with the whole team."
Is there any particular anecdote that has stuck with you?
"There are so many, but mostly I remember that in celebrating his races he was the best I think. Every victory of his was like winning a world championship, I remember a big party at his house, or in the motorhome outside Barcelona, it was really a big family. I also remember very well the Mugello win in 2018, his first win after moving to Ducati, Phillip Morris lent us the motorhome and we destroyed it! (Laughs), I think it took a day to put that hospitality back together because it was a really great party. That feeling of winning at Mugello with Ducati was spectacular."
Valera: MotoGP is always changing, today's riders are rivals on the track and friends off it
A few years have passed, how much has today's MotoGP changed?
"It's always changing, because new guys come in, others leave. There is a generational change. Probably today there is a desire in having a good relationship between riders, whereas in the past the rivalry was both on and off the track. Today that rivalry is seen on the track, but off it is not. There are people who like it better that way, who like that respect, and those who are nostalgic for those rivalries, like the one between Valentino and Lorenzo, or between Lorenzo and Pedrosa. That one I think was something good for entertainment, but I think respect has its merits as well. I think we should not force relationships and respect the nature of each generation of riders."
Today's managers are a little bit psychologist, a little bit politician, a little bit strategist, moving behind the scenes. What does it take to be a good manager?
"First of all you need opportunity, as in the case of Lorenzo, then Aleix, Martin and Acosta also came along. First of all it has to be the rider who wants to work with you, then of course you need other skills. I think the first one is to have the humility to treat others as you would like to be treated. I think that is an important theme in order to be a good example for the rider as well. The rider senses that and responds accordingly as well. It is also important to be able to be able to do critical thinking, to be able to see opportunities and to be able to deal. Then as you said, one is also a little bit political and a little bit psychological (laughs), but everything always comes after respect for others."
You mentioned values like humility and family, is that something you look for in your riders beyond performance on the track?
"For me it is important to have not only the feeling with the rider but also with his family. In the end the rider is the result of the values he grew up with, so it is important to do a job with the family as well. Before starting work that is always the first step."
Valera: 2024 with three riders, an intense but beautiful season
After Lorenzo came the new generation of riders, from Aleix to Martin to Acosta. Last year you managed as many as three riders in MotoGP, what was the season like for you?
"My wife and daughter complained because I was always on the phone, I never had a quiet moment," the manager jokes, " it's true it was an intense but also beautiful year. To see Aleix end his career in Barcelona on that level was spectacular. To see Jorge win the world championship, which is also a great achievement for us as a team - we've seen him grow since the rookies cup and he went on to win a world championship - was a special moment. The same goes for Acosta, who made his MotoGP debut last year. For every rider MotoGP is a point of arrival, the start of the season was incredible, in Jerez he was second in the world championship right behind Jorge. It was a very big mix of emotions. Now we also have Tony Arbolino, who came to live in Andorra after Pernat decided to stop. We were happy to have him with us, last year was more difficult but it was nice to start this new path with him."
You are young, and you have a very close relationship with your riders, almost family-like. At the Aprilia presentation Martin thanked you, pointing to you as a brother.
"Yes but it's not all about me, with the staff we always try to protect this family union. To work with a client I first want to feel them part of the family. On an emotional level sometimes it can be hard because it becomes a roller coaster, but it also makes it more beautiful."
Valera: a difficult start to 2025 for Martin, he had a lot of desire to race
The start of 2025 was difficult. On the one hand the unexpected complications with KTM. On the other, Martin's injury. How difficult is it to manage the rider in these situations?
"Pedro last year started at a great level, making podiums, he was happy with the bike. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. However, this winter KTM was in a difficult financial situation, I don't know if that's why the championship this year started in a difficult way, we can't know, but we know they are working to bring him the best possible bike in Austria. KTM wants to win, they are the first ones to want it and we hope it will happen. Now we will go to Europe and there another championship will be waiting for us, there we are positive that things will be better. As for Jorge, it was really difficult, when it comes to an injury it's never easy but especially the second injury came just the day before he took the plane to Thailand. He had a lot of desire to race after missing the tests, this second blow was very hard for him not only on a physical level. Also on an emotional level to see others racing was not easy, so it was tough but we have a great family and that helps the rider a lot to deal with this situation."
Do you ever find yourself having to say no to a rider, or do you always let them have the last word?
"We try but obviously we are not the riders. In those cases you need some of that psychology to assess the risks as well, but we have to respect their decisions, they have the final say. This is a sport made of risks and we have to accept that, for the rider going on a motorcycle is also a way to isolate himself from everything."
Valera: confidence in Aprilia, with Ogura I saw the potential
Martin had his first approach with Aprilia, four races into the championship what impressions do you have of the Veneto manufacturer? We've also seen some surprises.
"On a human level they have a spectacular team, in Noale they have the development capacity to be able to win a world championship, I really think so. We are optimistic, the bike clearly we have not tested it, there has been no way to understand Jorge's potential yet. We've seen a nice surprise with Ogura, so the potential is there, but it's still early to understand what the limit is, how much the potential margin is. We chose Aprilia because we have confidence that we can do a good job with them."
KTM has assured that there will be no problems in the racing department, and Acosta said he is confident. You have a contract with KTM, but in this environment changes also happen suddenly.
"Anything is possible, my job is to look for the best bike for Pedro. Let's see where we will find it, hopefully it will be KTM otherwise we will look for other alternatives, although right now it's still early to talk about that. A rider like Acosta, the best rider of his generation, has to have the best bike, in Motorsport it is like that."
Valera: Pedro is grateful to KTM, he is 20 years old and hard-headed
You know Pedro better than anyone else, do you think all the expectations KTM has placed on him throughout his career have affected him?
"I know he is grateful to KTM for what they have done for him. He knows the difficulties the Austrian manufacturer is going through but he has confidence that they will bring something new in Europe. He also has confidence that things will be better in Europe, so he doesn't feel pressure from that point of view. If he made mistakes it's because he was pushing to the limit, he's a winner and he's trying to win even if the bike at that moment is not the best. He's 20 years old and he has that hard head that tells him it can be done, so sometimes he crosses the line."
If you had to define your riders in a few words?
"Arbolino is all heart. Jorge Lorenzo reminds me a lot of Pedro Acosta, the adjectives I could use are many but I would say an annihilator, a winner, a warrior. Both are super competitive and they want to win in everything. Martin also is a winner, but he has a more rational side, he is more realistic. In this he has some traits in common with Bagnaia."
Valera: the battle between Martin and Bagnaia under the banner of respect, those two are similar
Were you surprised by the ending of the battle between Martin and Bagnaia? In the rivalry, respect prevailed.
"Yes, as I said before you have to respect the nature of the rider, this is what makes the championship great, if all riders were the same it would be boring. It's nice to see that riders with different personalities are able to win championships. Acosta is different from Martin, both are winners, Lorenzo was also different as Pecco is. Last year we saw a battle between two riders with some similar characters and a great respect for each other."
If your two riders were to find themselves fighting against each other?
"I've been asked this many times (smiles). For me it would be a great situation. It's like having two sons , if one was a Nasa engineer and the other was a cardiologist or a doctor, it would be nice. It would be a great accomplishment after the work of both them and all the people working to help them. As I always say, we don't prepare the bike, we are not engineers, the result on the track depends on the riders and the teams working with them. We can only wish them the best, so it would be nice to see them both in front, not struggling like now."
