For Italian riders, racing at Mugello always has a different flavor from all the other MotoGP races. If you then get there as a world champion, as the current leader of the championship standings and moreover riding an Italian motorbike, all of this can even be amplified.
A concept that Pecco Bagnaia expressed quite clearly in the press conference that opened the weekend of the Italian Grand Prix: “It’s always a pleasure to start this weekend, one of my favorites, on one of my favorite tracks. As an Italian, it’s always very important and very special.”
For the Ducatista, however, it will also be a special weekend, as he comes to grips with an injury, which he hopes won’t be too big a nuisance. In fact, in the accident with Maverick Vinales at Le Mans, he suffered a fracture to his talus, which in the tests he carried out right here astride the Panigale V4, however, didn’t give him too many problems.
“Honestly, I’m not 100%, but I find it more difficult to walk than to ride the bike. Just four days after the accident, without knowing that my ankle was broken, I had already ridden here for training with the Panigale: I heard pain, but nothing that it would be impossible not to think about while concentrating on driving. I don’t think it will affect my weekend, but let’s see how it goes,” explained Bagnaia, who actually still uses a crutch to walk.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Yesterday the Piedmontese was also among the protagonists of the event that the MotoGP organized in Milan, bringing the riders to the streets, and the sensations were good: “It was nice to be in a city where MotoGP doesn’t usually arrive. There were so many people supporting us and it was great. We had fun, so it’s something that should be done again.”
Last weekend, however, he went to see Superbike at Misano and was therefore asked to comment on Ducati’s dominance (14 victories in 15 races, all with Alvaro Bautista), even if Pecco didn’t give all the credit to the Panigale. On the contrary: “It was fun, I enjoyed the races from the side of the track. The Ducati is there, because the other riders are also competitive, but Bautista is the one who makes the difference”.
Also among the crowd at Misano was Andrea Iannone, whose four-year ban for doping will end in November. The rider from Vasto did not hide that his goal would be to return to racing: “It certainly wouldn’t be easy after four years, but it would be a beautiful fairy tale”, was Bagnaia’s comment.
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