Diogo Moreira: "Senna is my hero. I'd like to follow in his footsteps."

This is only Diogo Moreira's second MotoGP race, but all eyes are already on him. It couldn't be any other way, because in Goiânia, he's the local hero. The MotoGP World Championship is back in Brazil and can celebrate with one of its own riders in the premier class. This is something that hasn't happened since the days of Alex Barros. For such a special occasion, Diogo wanted to pay tribute to the quintessential Brazilian rider, Ayrton Senna. He drew inspiration from him to design the graphics for the helmet he'll be wearing this weekend.

"For me and for all of Brazil, Senna is a hero. And for my home GP, I wanted to create a special helmet. I used his classic design, adding Ayrton's face. For me, it's an honor to wear it," Diogo explained. "Senna, like me, went to Europe to start his career. I'd like to follow that path. He won a lot in the F1. I'm now in the MotoGP, and we'll see if I can do the same. What would I ask him if he were still alive? For advice, both professionally and in life."

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Diogo Moreira often uses the word "dream", because that's exactly what he's experiencing. As he talks about his MotoGP debut and the race in Brazil, his eyes light up... as is only natural.

"It's a dream for me to race here in the MotoGP. Rhis track looks beautiful. I was here when I was a kid. I raced here several years ago, so I know the layout," he said. "Then, last year, I came for the GP presentation event with Marini and Morbidelli. They've worked hard. The track has changed a lot. It looks like a new one now. We'll see what the track surface is like. This is a very fast circuit, and we'll be doing thirty.one laps in the race. It's going to be very tough."

The expectations of his fans are high.

"It's hard to set a goal. I'd like to win, but that's not a realistic result," he cautioned. "I need to keep my feet on the ground, keep working, and get to know the bike. I have the whole year to improve. This weekend, I'll have to enjoy myself, even though it's going to be hard, because I'll have a bit more pressure than usual."

Nonetheless, this feeling doesn't bother him that much.

"I like seeing my face on billboards around town and at the airport, so it's not really pressure for me,"  he said, smiling. "I'll try to stay calm, focused, and forget about everything else."