It was with the Australian Casey Stoner that the Italian technical manager experienced great moments, such as their first world title obtained together in MotoGP with Ducati in 2007, then the second with Honda in 2011. Gabarrini then returned to Ducati to manage Jorge Lorenzo's bike this year.
After the title which rewarded Casey and Honda, Gabbarini held various positions within the staff of the world's leading manufacturer, such as responsible for the development of the MotoGP "Open" then the technical direction of the motorcycle of Jack Miller in 2015 at LCR. When Lorenzo left Yamaha, his technical team led by Ramón Forcada decided to stay with the Japanese manufacturer to work with Maverick Vinales rather than try the Bolognese adventure.
Gabarrini then became Jorge's team leader, which now allows him to make an interesting comparison between these two very high level drivers, with very different characters.
“Casey relied more on his instincts, believes Gabarrini. He only needed a few laps to figure something out, and not as much distance as Jorge. »
On the other hand, Lorenzo is more analytical, working precisely and meticulously, but also reacts sensitively to the reactions of the bike. “ Jorge uses his instincts less and his way of doing things is more methodical ". This is in no way a criticism, and Gabarrini does not want his words to be misunderstood, as he does not recognize any difference in the level of talent of the two former World Champions. For him, both are obvious natural talents: “ They were both born to ride motorcycles “he believes.
On a human level, he has nothing to reproach Lorenzo, even if he feels under pressure to repeat the title obtained by Stoner ten years ago. “Everyone told me it would be difficult to work with Jorge, but that’s not true,” commented Gabarrini, adding: “ Our job is also to put pressure on our driver.”
Source: motorsport-total.com
