Solidarity between pilots exists. At least between those who have retired and those who are still active. And who need the wise advice of one of their own to help them move forward more quickly. We have known Wilco Zeelengerg and Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi welcomes the good company of Luca Cadalora and more recently, Tito Rabat has taken Julian Simon to his side. Then there are less obvious duets.
There are also cubicle cohabitations that we would have liked to see, like one Lorenzo et Stoner constant accomplices of a Grand Prix at Ducati. But that won't happen. At Honda, on the other hand, we will try to console ourselves for this missed opportunity with a pair bringing together Dani Pedrosa et Sete Gibernau.
The teammate of Marc Márquez, always in search of his pygmalion, has therefore endorsed this coaching which, to be honest, raises more questions than enthusiasm. Certainly, the Spaniard has completed 178 races, achieved 13 pole positions and won nine victories while enjoying the joys of 30 podiums. He was also a serious rival of Valentino Rossi in 2003. But that was Gibernau before 2006.
Because afterward, it’s a bit of a descent into hell. Ducati rider, he clashes violently with his teammate Capirossi in Barcelona, an incident which left its mark on the reds, and not only on the physique of the drivers. At the end of this 2006 season, retirement was announced, almost anonymously, with morale at half mast. It will take the setbacks of a Melandri struggling to adapt to the Desmosedici to see the Spaniard again in 2008 who will take the handlebars of a Ducati during the short-lived adventure of the Onda 2000 team in 2009. Then it's the exit through the back door again.
Sete Gibernau was a talented driver before his brittle morale took over his undeniable skills on the track. In this light, we may be surprised by the choice of Dani Pedrosa to take it in a function where it is necessary to play the added value at the mental level. We will see the effects of the involvement of the one who is also the grandson of Francesc Xavier Bultó, founder of the Montesa and Bultaco brands, during this 2017 season.
