Let’s get to know Pecco Bagnaia’s technical chief better: how he started in motorcycles, how he got to the world championship. As usual in this column, we retrace his history through the riders he worked with in the past, up to the present.
September 5, 2024
Misano Adriatico – Engineer Cristian Gabarrini, born in 1972, how did you start with motorcycles?
“I graduated in mechanical engineering in Ancona. I was crazy about motocross… I sent my CV around and I was called for the last race of 2002, the Campetella team, to lend a hand. I met Massimo Branchini (guest of the previous episode of #capotecnico) and he told me there was a possibility. I was called by Lucio Cecchinello and in the first two years I worked in 125, as a data analyst and in many other aspects, such as warehouse management. The riders were Lucio Cecchinello and Casey Stoner. Then I was the telemetry engineer for Mattia Pasini and at the end of 2004 I joined Ducati, in the satellite team (D’Antin). In 2007 they asked me to be Casey Stoner’s technical chief and we won the world championship. I followed him to HRC, then in 2013 I was a support engineer in Marc Marquez’s team, and then returned to Ducati in 2017 to manage Jorge Lorenzo. I have been alongside Pecco Bagnaia since 2019”
Should the two years with Lorenzo be considered a failure?
“In a certain sense, yes, because the goal was to win the title. However, his contribution to Ducati was very important, he was very sensitive to development”
Stoner, Marquez, Lorenzo, Bagnaia: let’s compare them?
“Casey is a special case, he is the greatest talent I have ever seen, I understood what a genius is in his field. Marc seemed more similar to Casey in terms of approach and riding style. I put Jorge and Pecco in another position: they are very similar in how they are on the bike and what they need to go fast. These four riders have arrived at the same result following 2-3 different paths”
Let’s talk a little about Bagnaia.
“He has been very unique in his journey: he has surprised me a lot in his ability to improve in areas where he was lacking. Basically: used tire management and braking. Now they have become his strong points: incredible. He is very stubborn, for better or for worse. He has the characteristics that only champions have”
What do you expect from Marc Marquez’s arrival in the garage?
“It will be a great stimulus: every strong driver, champion or champion, will help Pecco improve further”.
