Thanks to his world title obtained in Moto2, the Italian-Brazilian Franco Morbidelli offered Brazil its first World Championship in Grand Prix. Previously, for South America, only two Venezuelan riders had been World Champions: Carlos Lavado (twice in 2 cc, in 250 and 3) and Johnny Cecotto (1983 in 1986 cc in 1).
If Franco was the 78th Italian champion, all engines combined, it was on the other hand the very first on the side of Rio where it was announced with relish “ The Italian-Brazilian pilot Franco Morbidelli is in the World Motorcycle Championship in the Moto2 category 2017. »
Franco Morbidelli was born in Rome to an Italian father and a Brazilian mother, a “Paulista” as the inhabitants of Sao Paulo are called, then went to live with his parents in Tavullia.
In Sao Paulo, on July 11, 2017, Franco took part in an event organized by Estrella Galicia 0,0 with the Brazilian press. He declared on this occasion: “ Everyone knows my strong ties with this country because I feel a little Brazilian. It's very special for me to be back in Brazil, my mother's native country, and to feel the support of the Brazilian fans. I hope to come back soon, who knows if it might be for a MotoGP race. »
The most famous Brazilian driver of all time is Alex Barros. With a total of 17 seasons in the premier category, he is one of the most experienced drivers, with Valentino Rossi which has 16, to compare for example with the 12 seasons of Dani Pedrosa and the 10 of Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP.
After starting out in scooter racing in Sao Paulo, he won the Brazilian Championships, in 125 cc and 3 cc. In 250 he moved to Spain and debuted in the 3cc World Championship at the age of 1986. After the 80 cc, he was hired by Cagiva to race in the 3.
He won his first victory in 1993, riding a Suzuki. After four seasons at Honda Pons, Barros moved to Yamaha in 2003, then to Honda in 2004 with the official Repsol Honda team. Barros ended his career in 2007 on a Ducati Pramac. He won 4 victories in 500 and 3 in MotoGP with 32 podiums.
Brazil, but also the entire continent, awaits a worthy successor. Morbidelli could be the one.
In 2017, the South American riders who competed in at least one Grand Prix in the World Championship were in Moto2 Eric Granado (Brazil) and Yonny Hernandez (Colombia). In Moto3, Gabriel Rodrigo (Argentina) finished 16th in the World Championship, with two consecutive pole positions, in Brno and Austria. Gabriel Martinez-Abrego (Mexico, technically not South American, but culturally so) was competing in Texas, Brno and Austria.
Photos © Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
Video of Cristina, Franco's mother © Skeet GP
