At the end of a fabulous Italian Grand Prix that started badly for Jules Danilo, but during which the French driver finished 11th, 1,8 seconds behind the winner even though he had started 25th, we debriefed with him.
And like his colleague Fabio Quartararo had just taken a quick trip to Valentino Rossi's Ranch, we took the opportunity to ask pilot Ongetta Rivacold how things were going, in this holy of holies where only a select few, hand-picked, are invited.
But first back to Mugello…
How are you Jules, first of all physically after your big crash at Le Mans?
“It’s going flawless. I was a little sore after Le Mans, but at Mugello I was good. »
Not very comfortable on your bike, you had a pretty bad qualifying, but in the race, we can say that you saved the essentials, and especially the confidence...
" Yes. Honestly, this weekend was really not easy. From the start, I didn't have a good feeling on the bike, and on this particular circuit, I couldn't ride alone to find a good feeling because the times were necessarily slower. So it was a set of things and, after qualifying, we really looked at the data carefully and found elements to modify. Basically, we didn't want to change our settings too much, knowing that they were working well on all the tracks so far, but we changed them a lot for the warm up and I had a good session. And in the race, the feeling was better too.
Afterwards, it was quite a special race because it involved a lot of accordion. At the beginning, it was going fast then, gradually, a little slower, and it was more about aggressiveness that it came down to. »
An incredible race, since between the first and the 19th, there are less than 3 seconds…
“Yes, it was a very, very close race and on the last lap Pawi fell in front of me. I had the impression that his bike was coming back onto the track because there was a rider between the two and I had to cut the throttle a little and I got overtaken by Migno and, I think, Guevara. So I could have even made a Top 10 even though I started 25th…”
Yes, but in such a race, a second and a half from the winner, anything was possible; you could even have won!
“Winning, I don’t know, because I had another problem. My engine was breaking down badly. Each lap, I did 300 meters at the breaker in the straight. »
Demultiplication error?
“Yes, we were quite focused on the chassis setting, so it’s true that we didn’t work too much on that. »
The race has given you a boost of confidence and we arrive in Barcelona…
“Yes, I'm going to train well for Barcelona, and we did some tests there which weren't bad. Now everything can change, and especially after F1, I wonder if the track isn't going to be a little dirtier, with more rubber and maybe more bumps on the brakes. »
You're talking about training. What are yours?
“It's a set of things, on the one hand physically by being in good condition, but also mentally, by reassuring myself by riding a motorbike where I have references on quite a few tracks, and therefore where I know when I'm good and when I'm not well. »
What motorcycles do you use for this?
“I have a Supermot and a 125 Yam. »
Are you driving alone?
“At the start of the season, there were quite a few drivers, fewer now, but I mainly race against the Lap Timer, on karting tracks around Barcelona. »
Speaking of training, we saw yesterday that Fabio Quartararo went to Valentino Rossi's Ranch. As someone who has already been there twice, can you tell us how it goes? Who are you invited by? What do you feel when you show up there?
“The first time, I received an email from VR46. So I was quite surprised, and it was very nice. »
Did you have a little hot flash? (Laughter)
“Yes, especially since I had never done Dirt Track in my life! And there I show up with all the best. The general public takes it for fun, because everyone is friends and everyone is having fun there, but it goes very, very quickly! For me, there is as much level as in the Dirt Track world championship. They are all very, very fast, and as they run twice a week, there are high levels, and so at the start I was really far away. In the end, I improved quite a bit.
I think it's very useful for racing motorcycles, because of course you learn to slide, but you also learn to scare yourself. We scare each other several times per round, and in the end, it becomes natural. What scared me at the beginning, in the end I found it normal...
And what is “the boss” like, for example with you, who hadn’t particularly had any dealings with him?
“No, I've never really had any dealings with him, but once there, he's really, really nice and he gives advice. »
Did he give you any special advice?
“Yes, because at the beginning I had no experience and I was really “in the cellar”. He talked to me about my position on the bike, how to manage throttle, sliding, how to brake, etc. No, it was really both very nice and very interesting. »
Did you understand why he invited you, what his motivation was?
“It’s out of kindness and it’s the spirit of the ranch; even if there are days reserved for training the VR46, it is the spirit of the place to invite “foreign” pilots and allow them to take advantage of the activities. You should know that there are a lot of different activities, it's not just “we drive like this all day”. They organize small races, change circuits, between the very long and very winding track and the oval, etc. »
And at lunchtime?
“There’s nothing ostentatious. It's really very family-friendly, with friends, with the friendly spirit of the old house, barely restored. »
It's a bit of a dream, isn't it?
Yes of course! (laughs) There will perhaps be another opportunity after Misano…
Thank you Jules, and m…. for Barcelona!
