Pasini is already a Grand Prix veteran, with 202 starts to his name, but his career has never been easy. However, thanks to his perseverance and his talent, he came into the spotlight with three consecutive pole positions in Brno, Austria and Silverstone. His racing results are just as good with a superb victory at the Italian Grand Prix and a recent second place in England.
Mattia currently occupies sixth position in the Moto2 World Championship with 104 points, tied with Takaaki Nakagami, 7 points behind fifth Francis Bagnaia. Since his debut in 125 in 2004, Pasini has won 11 victories, including 8 in 125, 2 in 250 and 1 in Moto2. He has been on the podium 29 times.
His first seasons in 125 went well, with two fourth and fifth places in the Championship. The 250 also went well (fifth), but Pasini subsequently did not find a place in a good Moto2 team. He could not obtain a better ranking than fifteenth place in 2013 on Speed Up. His arrival at Italtrans in 2016 allowed him to improve with eleventh final position.
« From 2010 to 2014 you can see the results », notes Mattia who was then racing for Ioda Racing and Forward Racing. “ It wasn't the right choice for me. Maybe I was unlucky. But today I say: okay, the past is the past. Now I have to think about the future. Not in the past. »
How was it possible to maintain confidence? “ I really do not know. In those moments, no one believed in me. Then one day we [Mattia and the Italtrans team owner] met for dinner and talked all evening just like friends. I told him my point of view. From that moment on, he believed in me and I in him. This season is the result. It's not easy, you have to firmly believe in a person. He fully believes in me. »
In difficult times, sometimes without a permanent pilot position, wasn't training complicated? “ I always trained. I drove my R6 very often. I also participated in the regional motocross championship. I trained every day – as if I were a full-time racing driver. I never thought about stopping. Now I know it was my path. I never gave up. »
Switching to Moto2 was not easy for Pasini, with his disabled right arm. He thus controls his clutch and brake levers with his left hand. Did the arrival in Moto2 go well? “It's a good question because I didn't find the right way to work with this bike at the start of the Moto2 era. To be honest, I haven't found the right people for this job either. It's never just one thing. Maybe it was me, maybe both, maybe someone else. Of course, the beginning was a bit difficult. I didn't adapt to the bike, nor to the new people who worked with me. I was in a tunnel. Then they started saying, “This bike is too heavy for you. Your arm…” Every time this excuse. If you have the right people around you, it makes you stronger and the bike better. If the people around you don't believe in you, they will destroy you. I feel it strongly. For me it is very important. I need a team, a real team, like in football. This is so important to me. »
Photos © Italtrans Racing Team and motogp.com
Partial sources: crash.net and speedweek
