Presentation of all teams MotoGP at One Bangkok yesterday was a first, and a rather successful first, in which everyone played the game with pleasure, among the Thai fans.
Of course, it was a first and we can improve the formula over the years, for example by letting more fans into the event or by removing all those castrating electronic aids on the production bikes that make the best riders in the world look like beginners. But overall, the party was a success and the spectacle was on par with the world championship.
Everyone was able to speak, some briefly, others at greater length, and here are their comments in full. Let's respect the chronological order of appearances on stage and start with all the team leaders, whether they are Team Managers, Team Principals, or even General Managers or CEOs...
As usual, we report their words here in their entirety, without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Alberto puig, Team Manager Honda HRC Castrol: “Hello everyone. I am very happy to be here today. We are very happy for this presentation and to be here with the fans from Bangkok and Thailand. Yes, we have high expectations, we are happy that Honda HRC Castrol is starting the year with high hopes and we are also very happy to have a new local rider from Thailand, Somkiat Chantra, in the Honda team, so yes, we are really excited. We are grateful to the organizer for preparing this event for us today and we hope that all the fans here today can have a great night and enjoy the party. Thank you very much.”
The Sepang test produced encouraging results. How does this boost your confidence for the season ahead?
“It’s the beginning. But of course, at the beginning we need to try many things and this is the process we follow, like all the other guys. But yes, we are happy, we work, we never stop trying new solutions, and of course the championship is not easy for all of us. It’s the cream of the crop racing together, but I mean that at Honda we have a clear objective and we fight as we always have.”
Lucio Cecchinello, Team Principal LCR Honda: “We are very excited and very proud to welcome the first ever Thai rider to MotoGP with Honda. I think it is important that he trains and inspires many young riders, many young generations, and we will do our best to support him.”
Paolo Pavesio, Principal Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP: “Our goal is very simple. We want to close the gap that clearly existed last year. I think the tests are very positive, but we know that the road is long. We have worked tirelessly throughout the winter. We will continue to do so. We also have the opportunity to do additional testing thanks to the rules, and we are determined to bring Yamaha back to where it belongs, which is at the top. But we know that there are no shortcuts, so the path we know is one of hard work, more global cooperation, more European and Japanese engineers working together, and finally we want to bring all Yamaha fans special moments, memories and fun on the track.”
Gino Borsoi, Team Manager Prima Pramac Yamaha:
“Good evening everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here with you all. It’s a really nice place, Thailand. I love Thailand, I love Thai culture, that’s why it’s important for us to have this kind of launch all together for all the teams. This is the first time we’ve organized this kind of event, an incredible event.
As you can imagine, the winter has not been easy, but I would say that everything has gone well with Yamaha because they have helped us a lot since the beginning and we have arrived here with a lot of things to test. I am happy to be part of this incredible Yamaha project, we have a great future for all of us. We are really part of the family and this is important to us, and I hope we can be part of Yamaha's success in the future."
How does it feel to lead the first independent team to the world championship title in decades?
“It’s definitely a great moment. The feeling was so nice and incredible. We achieved an incredible goal, but we achieved it because we are a family, a big team, but we all work together as one. I think that’s the key that allowed us tobeing in the lead at the end of the season because we like working together and it's our culture, our way of working. So I hope we can do the same with Yamaha this season."
Aki Ajo, Team Manager Red Bull KTM Factory Team: “First of all, it’s very nice to come to Thailand and see you all here. Of course, I’ve already spent almost 25 years in this championship, so it’s not totally new for me. We’ve worked with many MotoGP riders and everything else. But of course, every challenge is different. Let’s say it keeps us young, when we can take on new challenges, as Gino just explained, by moving to Yamaha. For me it’s a bit of a different job and role than before, but it’s always very exciting to have new challenges and it keeps us young.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager of Red Bull KTM Tech3: “Hello everyone. First of all I would like to thank everyone for coming. It is the first time we do this kind of event, a stop between the two winter tests of the season, and yes, it is a great way to start the season. Yes, it is true. We have a great lineup, thanks to KTM, thanks to the results, and now we have a great team. First of all the goal will be for our two riders to understand, to learn the bike. Both come from a different brand and we know that changing brands is a kind of challenge. They have great talent, they have won a lot of races, they will need to adapt to the bike, and then the goal will be, with KTM, to get the best possible results and to have with these 4 factory riders the best results ever for KTM.”
What would be a good result for your team this season?
“Wow, clearly a win! That’s the goal of any team, but I think with these two great talents in the team, winning a race is a clear goal.”
Massimo rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO: "Hello everyone. Of course, (Jorge Martin) had surgery yesterday and today he feels a little better, but you know, now we have to face the challenge of recovering as quickly as possible."
It's not the best start, but you hope to keep the number one for next season?
"I think it's too early to say, I also think it's too ambitious to say, but for sure we will fight for it."
Davide Brivio, Team Principal Trackhouse MotoGP: “Hello everyone and thanks for coming. Raul is doing well, in the sense that he had surgery on his hand, and I can tell you something new, he is trying to come here, he will come to Thailand tomorrow and he will try to do some tests during these two days. We know it is a little bit difficult, but I think it is important that we can do some laps before the start of the season.”
Excellent, Raul is in good shape! Ai Ogura is of course very confident for the MotoGP championship after last year. What are your goals for this year?
“Yes, it’s not a goal, but we spent six days in Sepang with Ai Ogura, last year’s Moto2 world champion, and you know, it’s very exciting and very interesting to work with a young rider, a rookie who is trying to learn and grow. He’s trying to learn, to understand, he’s like a sponge, he’s trying to understand and learn as much as possible everything there is to learn. And yes, let’s say, you know, the competition is very tough, it’s more and more difficult, and we’ll see. We’re trying to prepare him as best we can and then we’ll see where we are.”
Michelle Masini, MotoGP Gresini Racing Sporting Director: “Hello everyone. So far the start of the season has been really brilliant. Of course it is still too early. The important thing now is to finish the tests in the best possible shape, find a good base and try to extract the maximum from our bike, which I think is still the best bike on the grid so far.”
Paul Grandson, team manager Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing: “First of all, hello to everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s amazing to see all these people here, in this event. So we are very happy. We are very confident with our riders. I think with Ducati we are in a very good period. We have the best bikes we have had here in MotoGP, so we have to try to be very good, because we have this pressure. So we wanted to have this kind of pressure and our riders feel very, very good with the bikes. Franco had a very good test in Malaysia. Diggia crashed, he broke his collarbone, but he will be ready for the first race. This is the most important thing, and then we have to enjoy this fantastic championship.”
Now, we all know how important it was for you to keep Fabio and bring in Frankie, someone who is close to the heart of the VR46 project. How far will the team go?
“Yes, it is important that both riders have had this challenge. You know, it is very important that both riders grow together, it is going to be very difficult. I hope that the riders can work together, that is our main goal. MotoGP is very, very, very close, in all areas. We have to try to work together, also with Ducati, it is very important. And try to do our best. You know, the most important thing is to try to have a very good championship.”
Gigi Dall'Igna, CEO of Ducati Corse: “Hello everyone. Yeah, it’s amazing. Thank you so much for your warmth and your efforts to be here today. You know, it’s a real pleasure for me to be in Thailand. Thailand is one of the best places in the world, of course. And so, you know, I’m really, really happy to be here.”
This year you have one of the best squads in the history of MotoGP. Will it be easy? Will it be difficult to manage two strong riders who have a very strong winning mentality?
“No, honestly, it’s not really difficult. You know, they’re two of the fastest riders in MotoGP, but they’re also intelligent, which helps us to manage them. They know very well that the most important thing at this stage is to work together to prepare the best possible bike to fight for the races and the championship. And so, you know, it’s quite easy, honestly speaking.”
Gigi, what are you and the team's excitements for the upcoming season?
“You know, I’m always excited. The first race is incredible! You know, I remember the first race of my life very well, and I’m sure this year I’ll have exactly the same emotion in the first race, so it’ll be wonderful and I don’t see the time go by since I’ve been here.”
This question comes from the fans. Are you going to get number one back?
“Hey, you know, in the end number one, it’s just a number, like I said many times. You know, the most important thing is to win the championship and that’s of course our goal, to win races first of all and the championship if we can manage the season very well. So that’s of course our goal.”
To be continued with the pilots…
