There is a good atmosphere within the Sky Racing Team VR46, the team put together from scratch by Valentino, which is entering Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini in Moto2, as well as Andrea Migno and Celestino Vietti in Moto3. This very effective support gives a royal opportunity to the young Italian drivers, and everyone has a good time in a nice atmosphere.
There are of course positives and negatives in all of this, and certainly the Qatar Grand Prix falls into the second category. On the Losail circuit, these young Italian hopefuls saw the podiums from afar, with Andrea Migno sixteenth in Moto3 and Celestino Vietti twenty-eighth, while in Moto2 Marco Bezzecchi finished twelfth, while Luca marini could not reach the finish.
Last Friday, Migno was invited by motogp.com to talk with his fans, and what was his surprise to suddenly discover Vale joining the discussion! “Valentino is my idol, and I'm not just saying that because he hears me and he just came on the live show” Andrea exclaimed, bursting out laughing.
Born on January 10, 1996, Migno has won just one Grand Prix so far. It was in 2017 at Mugello, which brought him great popularity in Italy. He has been on the podium six times, and recently achieved a pole position in Valencia in 2019 (on a Mugen Race KTM).
“I started when I was a child, explained Andrea, because I was lucky enough to live near a track where many riders grew up and that's where I got on a minimoto for the first time. Then it was love and I don't remember a day in my life when I didn't dream of riding a motorcycle or didn't have the desire to become a pilot. »
“I recognize, however, that it is a sport where you need a lot of luck in addition to talent: you need to have the right people who can help you. It is important to ask, ask and ask again. Insist as you insist when you want to buy your moped! »
“In 2013, the Academy project had just started. I was one of the first and the idea of dealing with Valentino Rossi was for me the culmination of a dream. Training with a legend who is also your idol…”
“I had met him shortly before, when he was at Ducati: entering his stand in Misano is a memory that still gives me goosebumps. » And, according to those in the know, Migno has always been Valentino's favorite. It must be because of this character who is always inclined to self-deprecation, often funny. “People always tell me I’m crazy. I don't know if crazy or crazy are fair definitions, I just know that I've always been like that. We often joke about it with the guys at the Academy, it's really a family, the best place to grow up in motorcycle sport. »
“Mugello is without a doubt my favorite circuit. The Mugello environment cannot be replicated on any circuit, but there are other layouts that I particularly like, such as Brno and Sepang. On the other hand, I can't stomach the Sachsenring. If they canceled this GP, it wouldn't be a bad thing (Laughs). »
“Luca Marini himself is one of my idols. I have a special relationship with those at the Academy and it's clear that if you ask me which riders I bonded with the most, I would say Vale and the others from the ranch. But in the paddock I know more or less everyone and I also have a lot of sympathy for Dovizioso and Petrucci, as well as Bulega and Baldassarri. »
" The toughest opponents I've encountered? Masiá is really, perhaps, the toughest. But even Arenas and Fernández are not joking at all. »
“These days I try to try my hand at cooking, to learn something. And then there is my collection of miniature helmets of famous pilots. My parents have a newsstand, so I can't miss a single outing when series are on. My favorites at the moment when it comes to four wheels are Hamilton, Senna, Lauda and Hunt. »
Source: motogp.com
Photos © Sky Racing Team VR46
