By Luigi Ciamburro / Corsedimoto.com
There is no need for an introduction to Kevin Schwantz. An authentic rider from another era, we just need to remember the different nicknames that have been given to him over the years in 500cc, riding his Suzuki, to try to describe an incomparable champion: “on/off rider”, “example not to follow”, “hot driver”, “unmanageable driver” Witness and “godfather” of the Hamamatsu house, he is always involved in the events of his beloved team and in a sport that he continues to carry in his heart and in his soul. 1993 world champion in the premier category, with 25 victories in his career, he announced his retirement at the 1995 Mugello GP. Recently returned to Italy, to Cremona, for Suzuki Day, a big fan of Valentino Rossi, he still maintains a privileged link with Italy.
Has your opinion of Andrea Iannone changed after her two podiums?
No, she hasn't changed. I never thought Iannone wasn't fast (he is fast), but he has to be fast consistently.
Do you think Suzuki will continue to focus on Rins and Iannone until 2020?
I'm pretty sure they'll stay focused on Rins for a few more years. Who will be the team's second driver? I don't know the exact answer, it could be Iannone. But I don't know that.
Who will be Marquez's rival in this championship?
I don't know, but right now his biggest rival is himself. Dovi hasn't shown any real consistency this year. He won the first race and struggled to get a top 5 finish in Austin. It was the same in Argentina. Vale and the Yamaha still seem to struggle when it's hot and they can't get any feeling on certain circuits. Crutchlow maybe? He needs to find some consistency and stop dropping so many points like he did in Austin and Jerez. Iannone had some good laps on the Suzuki. It would be interesting to see if one day he could actually challenge Márquez, but we need to see a lot more of him before we can say he will challenge anyone. Suzuki has a good bike, we know that. Rins showed it in the last two races, but we will continue to watch the development of the Suzuki.
Why can't Jorge Lorenzo have a feeling with the Ducati? Will he be able to solve his problems?
We saw in Jerez that Jorge seemed to have solved his problem. He fought for second place, the work is simply in progress. The Ducati is totally different from the Yamaha he used to ride. Valentino never understood her. Maybe we should give Jorge some time and see some other races.
Valentino can win a few races but not the World Championship. Do you agree with this statement?
When you win races I think you have the possibility of winning a World Championship. I agree: he wins races but maybe not the Championship, however when you win races and you are consistent, you can put yourself in contention for the Championship. Márquez crushes everyone, he takes points even though he was penalized. Dovi and Ducati are not consistent… Márquez is the rider to beat, but Rossi could be there and recover points if the others make mistakes.
Is age the only obstacle for Valentino Rossi? If Marc Márquez had been born ten years earlier, who would have won?
It depends. When the Valentino team started getting closer with electronics, I think Márquez would have struggled with his style. Then what if they were the same age and they were both 25 or 30 and not 40? I believe the battle between Rossi and Márquez would be much more epic. It was epic until a few years ago. Rossi was fast, he also had problems with the Yamaha, and he doesn't quite feel comfortable with it yet. So who can know? Maybe he would have returned to Honda? Maybe he would have been in Márquez's team?
Are you in favor or rather against aerodynamics in MotoGP?
I think that everything can be tried to try to make the bikes run better, to make them go faster, to have a better lap time, to make them more homogeneous. It's good. There could be fins in front or behind or anything else, it's interesting. I think people like it. It's a bit like seeing a classic motorcycle race, it's pretty special.
When will you return to Italy? What do you like most about this country?
I love everything about Italy. I love the food, I love the people, and it's home to some of the biggest motorcycle sports enthusiasts in the world. And it seems that there are still a few champions active, that's what pleases me the most.
Read the original article on Corsedimoto.com
Auteur: Luigi Ciamburro
