Born October 12, 1996 in Barcelona, gabriel rodrigo began to intrigue commentators with his displayed Argentine nationality. Today, he explains in more detail and without false modesty his surprising decision to stop his piloting career at the age of 26 to open a hamburger restaurant...
For a Spaniard, the boy started late, at the age of 13, in the 80 category of the Mediterranean Speed Championship, but he progressed quickly, joining the famous CEV in 2013 and concluding this first very high level season only ten places behind the title fabio quartararo.
The following year, while The Devil doubles its crown before reaching the Grands Prix, number 19 finishes 4th, letting rise Jorge Navarro et Hiroki Ono complete the podium, but at the same time making 6 wildcards and a replacement in GP. This meteoric progression is partly due to his talent, partly due to his RBA team, helped and co-financed by Aleix Espargaró and an Argentinian father with a romantic background: Fighter in Cuba, persecuted in Argentina then exiled to Spain where he successfully founded his own publishing house Rebuildables, today present in 50 countries and 12 languages.
From 2015 to 2018, using his dual Argentinian nationality for the occasion, gabriel rodrigo successively rubbed shoulders with Ana Carrasco, Juan Francisco Guevara et Kazuki Masaki remaining on his KTM within the RBA team (then RBA BOE Racing Team and RBA BOE Skull Rider) before joining the Kömmerling Gresini Moto3 on a Honda alongside the Italian Riccardo rossi.
The Hispano – Argentinian will spend three years riding the NSF250R of the Gresini team but in the end his best season will remain 2018, with a pole, a podium obtained in Barcelona, 116 points scored and 7th place in the general classification.
Moved to Moto2 by taking number 2 at Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team in 2022, gabriel rodrigo is marked by its numerous falls and the tragedies that have occurred in recent years. He even begins to experience fear. Still recovering from a shoulder injury, he surprised everyone by announcing his retirement on social networks in September with immediate effect: “ I decided to end my sporting career. In fact, I had this idea in mind for a long time and I would like to explain to you all the reasons why I made this decision. The truth is that everything started stronger last year, when shortly after signing my contract to move up to Moto2, I had a very bad training with an accident and I saw my life in danger. And that, coupled with all the tragedies we've experienced recently with our colleagues, made me think a lot about the situation, whether it was worth it for me to continue taking so many risks when I got on the bike. In the end, I have a lot of projects in mind, I have a lot of ambitions, I love my life, I love my family, the people I have by my side, and the truth is that I am not not ready to continue putting myself in danger and competing on a motorcycle. The truth is that it was the most important thing that pushed me to make this decision. »
« I feel very happy that I was able to make this decision. I talked about it a lot with my psychologist and she helped me a lot to reach this level of maturity. At the beginning of the year I talked to Elia (his girlfriend) about it and told her that I didn't want to continue running much longer. I wanted to try Moto2 and I wanted to continue to give 100%, but I wasn't going to stay there for long. Thanks to the fact that I stopped [at the end of May, following a fall in Mugello], I was able to take time for myself, listen to my body, my heart, and see what they asked of me. There was no point in continuing to run; if I did, it was in relation to the sorrow and melancholy due to what has been my identity for all these years. But what I really want is to stop and spend my time on other things. »
Ha llegado mi momento. 🤍 (1/2) pic.twitter.com/K6stII3gC1
— Gabriel Rodrigo #2 (@gabrirodrigo2) September 14, 2022
Today, in an interview with El Mundo, the ex-pilot specifies: “MOur mindset really started to change towards the end. Until that moment, since I was a child, I was on the handlebars: training, running, training, running, I was not interested in anything else, I did not think about the danger . But during the pandemic I saw that there were more things in life, I opened my eyes, I became aware. I didn't want to drag myself, to run without desire, but it weighed on me to explain it to those around me, to my coach, my manager, my team. I didn't know how they were going to take it. Luckily everyone was very supportive. Before, if something happened, I didn't want to know what corner it was, the details of the injury... that can't come to mind when you're on the bike. Now I will continue to watch the races without problem. I managed to maintain the love of motorcycles, without spoiling this passion that I had since I was a child. I will remember my time as a pilot with great fondness. »
And for the future, gabriel rodrigo is preparing to open a fast-food restaurant very soon in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona, with a single hamburger on the menu: “ We're clear on bread and meat, but we're still testing the rest. We want to refine a lot. »
We simply hope that it will be called “The 19” but, whatever the case, we can only respect such a decision which reminds us that all these champions are above all young men subject to rhythm and stress. intense. And, from this point of view, the 42 races planned for 2023 are not going to make things any easier...
