MotoGP Exclusive interview with Jacky Hutteau (part 2) “Between Marquez and Lorenzo, at Honda it’s going to be war! »

After analyzing for us the end of the 2018 season, as well as the Valencia and Jerez tests in the first part of his interview, Jacky now tells us about Lorenzo at Honda, rookies in MotoGP, Can Öncü and Luigi Dall'Igna, as well as qualifying in Moto2 and Moto3.

Will Jorge Lorenzo be able to threaten Marc Marquez at Honda?

“It’s going to be war!” Alberto Puig is very strong and he's going to need it because it's going to be a loan for a return anyway. I have nothing against Honda, but I hope they don't monopolize the podiums, 1 and 2, then 2 and 1, all the time, that would be a shame. We have experienced this period in the past. They will obviously be very close to each other, even if I still believe that Marquez remains the strongest. »

The quality of the field for the first place of best rookie in 2019 is excellent with (in alphabetical order, so as not to influence you), Francesco Bagnaia on Ducati Pramac, Joan Mir on Suzuki, Miguel Oliveira on KTM Tech 3 and Fabio Quartararo on Yamaha Petronas. Who do you see best placed of the four at the end of the season?

“Bagnaia. »

In what order would you place these young hopes?

“Bagnaia, Mir, Quartararo and Oliveira. I hope that Oliveira, who wears our Elf colors – which I am delighted about – will progress. But OK, bagnaia undeniably. Mir on the Suzuki showed from the start that he was comfortable on the bike, which we know is now an excellent machine. Quarterly quickly got used to the Yamaha. We know that it's not the most difficult to drive for someone new to the category, even if we have to put everything into perspective. Oliveira is waiting for this bike to progress and adapt to the machine. »

Can Öncü won the first GP in which he participated in Valencia, becoming the youngest winner at 15 years and 119 days? Was it an incredibly lucky day for you, or does he seem like a promising talent?

“He is a talent for sure as he showed his potential by winning the Rookies Cup this year ahead of his twin brother Deniz. Now, we must not forget that the week after the Valencia GP, on the same Ricardo Tormo Circuit, he finished sixth in the first race in CEV Moto3, then third in the second. He did not race with the same brilliance that he had shown during the Grand Prix.

“The circumstances were then totally favorable to him, but he was extraordinarily strong in being able to stay on his wheels, and particularly fast also for having always been in front. And even in practice, he only missed pole position by 0.5, which landed him fourth on the grid. He had an exceptional weekend, and he will be there next year.

“But he’s not going to win every Grand Prix. I remember how we got excited when Fenati arrived. But a championship still requires a lot of determination and work. You have to be able to go the whole distance. But it is certain that Can Öncü has talent, that is undeniable. »

How is Luigi Dall'Igna (Ducati) superior to the other Competition Directors?

“Luigi Dall'Igna is a northern Italian, who did the same thing as Jean Todt when he arrived at Ferrari in F1, with great rigor. He came to Derbi in 125. He works a lot. He is an engineer with a “cold” character like a Northern Italian. They are close to Austria, and I know that because my grandmother and my mother were born there. And Luigi comes from a small village close to where I came from.

“Dall'Igna is a boss, a real boss, very conscientious, serious and orderly, capable of leading his troops. This is what he did when he arrived at Ducati, putting everyone in their place, with kindness I don't know, but in any case with determination.

“He's the boss, and the Ducati has progressed phenomenally. So I have a lot of respect and admiration for Dall'Igna, who unlike some others really knows how to lead his team. This is certainly its primary quality. »

Speaking of Austria, we have the impression that KTM in MotoGP is constantly bringing in new parts, without having yet had time to fully exploit those available to the team. Is there not a phenomenon of dispersion?

“No, the problem is that they lost Mika Kallio too early in the season and thus the possibility of doing many tests. Mika and the test team were doing a lot, and that destabilized them. The parts that they were unable to test were therefore tested by the Grand Prix team during the race weekends. It put them very late. They will try to recover some of the lost time by running Dani Pedrosa this month at Jerez. His extensive experience will be very useful. »

What do you think of the new format for Moto3 and Moto2 qualifying, with the first 14 directly into Q2, then joined by the first 4 from Q1?

“The phenomenon of waiting on track has been annoying the Race Director for years and a solution had to be found. I think it will force everyone to move around a little more and so it will be interesting. I think this is a good solution. We'll see how it works, but I'm totally for it. »

Video: Marc Marquez on the 213 Honda RCV2019V in Valencia:

The 2019 drivers:

Above: Can Öncü victorious in Valencia

Photos and videos © Marc Sériau, Ducati, Yamaha, Ajo Motorsport and motogp.com / Dorna