Mufaddal A. Choonia is a strong guy who serves as Chief Executive Officer within Mahindra Racing. A stature and status that dissolved in tears of joy at the arrival of a historic Dutch Grand Prix for the Indian brand and motorcycle who celebrated their first ever Grand Prix victory at Assen. This is thanks to Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia who is the only one who knows how to operate the MGP3O.
A real gift if we compare his journey to that of other riders equipped with the same motorcycle. There are ten MGP3Os entered this year in Moto3. Half the squad scored points. Suzuki et Darryn binder has four units, Jorge Martin et John mcphee, the latter on the Peugeot-branded machine, claim ten and the whole is classified beyond twentieth place in the championship.
A situation which allows bagnaia for an extra-terrestrial. The Italian is fourth overall with 79 points including a victory and podiums in Qatar, Jerez and Mugello. By what miracle? The Indian official explains GP One : " Pecco showed once again how talented he is with our bike. He is a fantastic driver to work with. He is always very positive and charming and we are very happy to share this first victory with him. I am sure that this premiere will not go unnoticed for him and for Mahindra. ».
Certainly, but what motorcycle does he have? This is the unpleasant surprise for his colleagues operating under the same banner: “ I can tell you categorically that it has exactly the same hardware as the other drivers of the brand. But it seems like there's a combination of things that makes it work with him. He is also with a very experienced Aspar team who get the best out of the bike and the rider. The MGP3O fits Pecco's style well. It brakes late and has great cornering speed, which is the strong point of our chassis. This is what allowed him to snatch victory at Assen ».
Mahindra arrived in Grand Prix in 2011 at the end of the 125cc, continued in Moto3 the following year to be structured around the Suter entity in 2013, when the MGP3O was installed. In 2014, Mahindra claimed three podiums, including a second place at the Sachsenring which will be the venue for the next event. Bagnaia will therefore be one to watch in Germany. 2015 was the first season with Aspar with a podium at Le Mans: “ before Pecco, we saw victory up close with Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder in the past » specifies Choonia.
Certainly, but the Mahindra suffers from a major gearbox problem. Recurring worries that miraculously save bagnaia. A new gearbox is arriving and it is hoped for the Sachsenring after having been successfully tested by Albert Arenas in the Spanish championship of the specialty. An outing sanctioned by a podium. “ We are now on four podiums and we have proven that we can compete on all types of track. New parts are arriving and the team is back on track like never before. The Sachsenring is very similar to Assen. Who can predict what will happen there? » Hindus are ready to play tough.
