Italiano
Español
English
Indonesian
Called in to replace a hot seat, that of the injured and newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez, after the Australian weekend Michele Pirro will once again be on track at Sepang. In his role as test rider - for which he doesn't spare a dig at those journalists who he says seem to highlight more the progress of the other manufacturers than the limits imposed on Ducati - he will also once again be called upon to observe and try to decipher the mystery surrounding Bagnaia's performance.
"The feeling of a rider can't be seen from the data, it can't be judged," Pirro gave his opinion on the matter, "in thirteen years in Ducati it's not yet been seen," he then continued jokingly. On the horizon there is also the possibility of seeing, having finished the SBK championship, Bulega on the track: "He mustn't be in a hurry," was Michele's advice, "what Bayliss did in 2006 nowadays is unrepeatable," concluded the test rider.
"I was catapulted straight to Phillip Island, I've had better experiences! - stated Michele Pirro jokingly - it's not easy because racing is something else, but it's true for all sports. I ride bikes a lot, and it's one thing to go out as an amateur and another to do races, the pace is something else. I have the test pace, and in Australia I found it. It's not that I do anything wrong, but I do everything slower than what they are used to. Then over the years I've also happened to race at the beginning of the season and that makes a difference as well. At the end of the season they are all broken in, they all have experience and they have the bikes in place, so it's more complicated. But it's part of the job, and having lapped very little because of the absence of concessions I tried to do my own thing by concluding last weekend two races with my consistency and trying some things. We'll try to do that here as well, also to see what can be done for Pecco and for next year's bike."
Were you able to see thigns clearly last weekend by being in the pit and following him on the track?
"Hard to judge because when you don't have feeling, like on Saturday when I was close to him, you don't do the right things, the right moves. I think feeling is that famous aspect that you don't see in the data. In these thirteen years since I've been in Ducati this famous feeling hasn't yet been seen - he joked - so it can't be judged. You can tell because you either push more or you push less, however, something positive in Sunday's race was seen. His pace has improved, so hopefully here, on a track more congenial to his style, he can find his feelings again."
How do you see Aprilia, how close has it come to Ducati?
"Many journalists have dwelt little on the fact that the other manufacturers still have concessions, while Ducati is limited on development, testing and tyres. This is normal, it was done to bring the manufacturers closer together. It's not that since last year the level has risen, but now there are more competitive bikes that can fight for the top positions, and what you were doing last year maybe isn't enough and you have to do more. That was the purpose of the regulation. As for Aprilia, we have seen in the last races the competitiveness of Bezzecchi and Fernandez, so I think they have done a great job."
If Bulega were to take your place at Portimao on the Ducati, what would you suggest to him?
"He shouldn't be in a hurry, MotoGP isn't easy and you have to give yourself time. Everyone who has gotten there has had it. What we saw Bayliss do in 2006 is part of history, right now I think it's a one-time thing."
