Behind Pecco Bagnaia’s success there is also the hand of Valentino Rossi. The Ducati champion underlines the importance of his teacher.
Pecco Bagnaia is ready to repeat the feat of the world championship after the success of 2022. He is the first Italian MotoGP champion since Valentino Rossi in 2009. Ironically, the World Championship was reconquered by one of the Doctor’s students, demonstrating the great work done with the VR46 Academy. There was constant contact between the two during the race weekends, certainly a great moral and psychological help for the young Ducati rider from Piedmont.
In an interview with GQ the recent champion graduate of premier class underlines how important Rossi’s presence was in her life. “Valentino’s constant presence was very important to me. And he still is. In fact, I think I can say that he made the difference with my opponents. Vale is a master who over time has become a friend, but above all he has been an example to follow“. With his experience as a driver, he was able to give him important advice before the races and “in all aspects of our work“.
Pecco Bagnaia and the example of Valentino Rossi
The collaboration between the two champions will continue for a long time to come. TO I’m sorry Bagnaia the merit of having brought the first MotoGP title to the Academy, hoping it will be only the first of a long series, considering that his friends Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi also militate in the Top Class. “Even today, if I need to, I can turn to him, and he replies by drawing something from his infinite experience. I always try to make the most of this opportunity“.
The next goal is to reconfirm himself and perhaps open a winning cycle following the example of his mentor, even if the MotoGP today is very different from ten years ago. Now ten or more riders are gathered in a second, it’s the detail that makes the difference. “It is a sport made up of great cycles: after the very strong Italians who prevailed in the late 90s and early 2000s, the Spaniards arrived“, added Pecco Bagnaia. “Now we Italians are coming back, there are many of us again going fast: I, Bastianini, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio di Giannantonio, we all grew up together and we are really strong“.
It matters little if the rider from Chivasso will never be a charismatic character like Valentino Rossi. This too, in his opinion, is a sign of changing times. “Some conversations seem timeless to me: I, for example, am made in a certain way, I can seem closed if you look at me from a certain point of view, and maybe I really am“. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to conquer the fans with victories…
