Pablo Nieto has been working a lot lately. In less than a year, the team manager of Team Sky Racing VR46 went from being in charge of a team aiming to develop the future great Italian star, Romano Fenati, to being in charge of two structures, Moto3 with Niccolo Bulega and Andrea Migno, and Moto2 with Pecco Bagnaia and Stefano Manzi. So without Roman Fenati.
“It was a pretty big mess, but in the end it's just more work. It's a whole new team to manage, and the principle is to create a structure from scratch, with the trucks, the box, that's what takes you the most time. It will be difficult, but wonderful”, said Pablo Nieto who begins his third season as team manager of Valentino Rossi after the ouster of Vittorio Guareschi.
Although “obviously the plan is to try to win the championship with an Italian driver” Angel Nieto's son reinforces the structure with Spanish technicians: “There are people who have been with me, lifelong mechanics, at Laglisse. This is my 19th season in the World Championship and, for me, it was important to bring my trusted people.
Focused on the present, the sometimes painful past is relegated to the background: “Fenati is a personal failure for me. You think you can do things that unfortunately don't happen. It was a personal challenge that couldn't be, but we gave 100%. He has a strong character and we cannot blame him or us; the association did not work and could not do so. Romano has great talent and is a title contender. The bright side is that what happened made him think about it before arriving at his new team.”
The present is also Thursday, the birthday of a boss very involved in team decisions: “He is 100% linked to the team, but we try to protect him from everything possible, because important things are at stake for him too, and he is getting stronger and stronger. But he’s the one who makes all the important decisions.”
Valentino Rossi is getting stronger and stronger thanks to the VR46 Academy, according to Pablo Nieto, who has known him for 20 years:
“What Valentino is doing at 38 is spectacular, but he is having a lot of fun with the young people at the VR46 Academy and it is also going very well on karts, mini-motos and everything else, as if he were 16 years.
I think the Academy helps the pilots as much as Vale, 50%. There would be no point in Vale training alone and, obviously, it is very convenient to train with the youngsters. And for them, it’s training with their idol, and they know they’re doing it with the best.”
But among the important things facing Valentino Rossi is his teammate, Maverick Vinales. Pablo Nieto, who knows the boy well having been his team manager when he was crowned Moto3 world champion in 2014, is positive: “It is obvious that there must be rivalry, to say otherwise would not be realistic. You always want to win over your teammate, it's healthy and it raises the level of the team, but both are very intelligent and want to help each other, then, on the track, the best one will win.”
Finally, regarding the future in the slightly longer term, namely a possible arrival in MotoGP within a few years, this does not scare the former Spanish rider: “It’s still too early to tell. When Sky, our partner, is happy, we will make the jump.”
And what's better than a world title to make SKY happy?
Source: Mundodeportivo
