English
Italiano
It's a Sunday that sounds like history was made, the history of Assen for Andrea Locatelli. The rider from Bergamo scored his first win in the SBK at the TT, giving Yamaha that top step of the podium they've been waiting for.
Loka won, and all his family and friends celebrated with him, including Yuri Danesi, the manager who has been following him on and off the track for several years. We spoke with him about the rider from Bergamo, the star of the Dutch round.
This is the first part of the interview.
"The first thing I want to say is that the bell tower of Selvino is still in its place," he began, jokingly. "I think it was a great Sunday in Assen for Andrea. All the people who believed in him and, of course, Yamaha and the guys involved in the project."
From Selvino to win in Assen, what's in between?
"Andrea is a guy who grew up in the mountains, who never wanted to give up his land and is proud of it. He was never gifted anything. Everything he has gotten over the years is the result of humility, heart, dedication, and work. He's always put sweat into it, and that's the thing I appreciate the most, because he represents all of us natives of Bergamo."
I said one thing to Andrea after Race 2: the Italian Federation should use him as an example for young people who dream of motorcycling.
"I thank you! Only his father and his family know the kilometers that were traveled for him. I think of those three-hour trips to train with the cross or even five hours to ride on asphalt. Unfortunately, in Bergamo, we don't have facilities as close as in Romagna. Consequently, you wake up early in the morning and travel to go train."
Did you imagine him up there on the podium in Assen?
"When I met him, I thought he'd become a skier or an Enduro racer," he smiled. "What can I say? Yes. I was convinced that, sooner or later, he'd win. Andrea has always been hardworking, humble, level-headed. He grew up with real values, without many bells and whistles. And, today, he can finally celebrate his achievement. He's a top rider for me, and last year's difficulties made him more aware of his own means."
With his head, he was able to handle Toprak frist, then Johnny.
"That's right, he always tried to see his respective teammates as a motivation to do his best, raising the bar and perfecting himself. With Toprak, there's always been a very good relationship while, with Johnny, I'd like to emphasize that I'm very sorry for the injuries from these past two seasons."
Much has been said in recent years about Yamaha, which is considered the longest-running bike in the line-up.
"First of all, I wanted to congratulate all the guys at Yamaha, wonderful people, who gave one hundred and ten percent so that Andrea could get this victory. I think a great job was done, enough to reap the rewards between Portimão and Assen. The priority was to win, to put everyone else behind, and Andrea proved he can do that. Now we have to try to be competitive on every track because, only with consistency, can you dream of something big."
The next step, I guess, is to think about the World Championship?
"The world championship is the consequence of winning races. Andrea needed a first step, which is to get a victory, and that was done, thanks to Bulega's unfortunate withdrawal. Now he has to be there, up in front, consistently, in any situation, knowing that he has all the qualities of a top rider."
