“With Parkinson’s I felt lost, my hand vibrates too much to ride a motorbike”

You say Pierfrancesco Chili and inevitably the mind immediately goes back to ‘old-fashioned’ motorcycling, when passion, instinct and vehemence reigned supreme on the track. A motorcycling of which “Frankie” Chili, between MotoGP (switching between 250cc and 500cc) and, above all, Superbikes has become an icon despite not managing to win a world title. His tough and legendary duels with Carl Fogarty, his always frank and direct nature and his never sparing himself either on or off the track made him one of the drivers most loved by fans as well as letting him in in the Hall of Fame of the world championship of production derivatives.

For years, however, Pierfrancesco Chili left the world of motorcycling and dedicated himself to his family activities in Misano where Todayat almost 60 years of age (he will turn 60 on June 20th) manages the bathing establishments “Bagni Romina” in which he is also a lifeguard And some apartments he owns which he rents during the summer season. However, since 2018 he has had to deal with Parkinson’s disease: a disease which, as he told us in the long exclusive interview given to Fanpage.itwhich initially knocked him down but which he now lives with and to overtake when braking as has often happened with his opponents on the track.

Pierfrancesco Chili, but for many fans you are Frankie, what do you prefer to be called?
“When I moved from MotoGP to Superbike, the English fans always called me Frankie. I had written Chili on the suit, but then I decided to put Frankie as a tribute to these fans who were very important to me.”

Looking back are you satisfied with your career or do you think you could have won more?
“I honestly think I could have won more. But history doesn’t make history with ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. Let’s say that I was stronger than what I managed to demonstrate: sometimes for one reason, sometimes for another, but I’ve never been indulged and therefore I’ve always made do and I’ve still had a wonderful career: I led Suzuki to victory and I often won with private bikes. So I have nothing to complain about even if I’m sure I could have achieved more “.

You have lived a world made exclusively of passion, instinct and vehemence. Today, however, it seems very different. Has motorcycling changed much in recent years?
“It’s changed! The MotoGP World Championship has slowly come out of the tunnel, becoming more interesting for riders and enthusiasts, at the same time, however, the same organizer has scuppered the Superbike. They are two slightly different categories: in one there is the maximum technology , in the other you play on extracting the most from a road one.”

What do you think of the impact Valentino Rossi has had on the sport?
“Valentino was certainly an icon for all of us. I’m only sorry for some of the attitudes that emerged during his career. The war that took place with Marc Marquez, for example, wasn’t nice, especially off the track. That said However, I believe that Vale had the merit of introducing motorcycling to many people who previously didn’t even know what motorcycling was.”

If you have to choose one, what was the best moment of your career?
“Misano ’89 was a very difficult victory because the others had decided not to race but I had already warned everyone that if it rained in Misano it would be very dangerous. Let’s say it was a race in which I thought more about not falling than to win. But I had many other good moments: I achieved victories at the last meter that I remember very fondly.”

And the worst?
“The worst moment was at the beginning of 1994 when I had a two-year contract with Yamaha and in February they warned me that the team could no longer race and so I was left without a bike. At that point I went to propose myself to various manufacturers but February now the games are over. There I thought a lot and I realized that what I had done up to that moment counted for nothing. So I rolled up my sleeves, asked Franco Farnè to let me try a Ducati 916, which I remained with. amazed, and from there I began my adventure in Superbike. That year they asked me to return to racing in the 250cc World Championship but I refused because in Superbike I had found my dimension.”

Your sporting history is closely linked to Ducati but it hasn’t always been love, has it?
“No! (laughs, ed.) I’m very spontaneous and very direct, when I have something to say I put it out in a frank way. And this is something that many people appreciated, but not Ducati. Because it didn’t suit them to have someone like me who talks like that.”

Are you referring to what happened in 1998?
“No, I was speaking in general. But in 1998 I lost the World Championship by winning 5 races while Fogarty won the title by winning only 3 races. In Assen, however, I was a bit of a ‘pigeon’ because I had already planned that I would have to stay at the center of the on the last braking section, however, I let myself get nervous by the fact that he had tried to throw me out twice on that last lap, even looking at my face and I went to brake on the line. At that point, when he came alongside me on the inside, I had to re-stamp the front and I ended up on the ground.”

And what did you do after your career ended in 2006?
“Initially I did a bit of racing commentary on TV and together with my cousin we set up a team in which we had several riders race who then ended up in the MotoGP like Stefano Manzi, Luca Marini, Fabio Di Giannantonio but also my son Kevin, Samuele Cavalieri. But then I realized that I could no longer have the same emotions I had when I was racing and so I left to dedicate myself to something else.”

At what?
“In Misano I had two beach clubs and some apartments and so, after leaving the world of motorcycling, I concentrated on that.”

And what was it like transitioning to leading a quieter life?
“In reality it was very simple because I do something when I have the urge to do it otherwise I don’t do it. At a certain point I felt like a fish out of water in the environment I had frequented for 30 years and therefore it meant that I no longer had anything to take and give to that world and therefore I preferred to concentrate totally on obtaining results in another sector”.

Did you still go on a motorbike?
“No. In reality very little. Only in historical re-enactments because I haven’t had any road bikes since I sold everything at 18, that is, when my mother gave me permission to race. Since then I have only used the bike on the track, then five years ago I discovered I had Parkinson’s and now I have a lot of difficulty driving because my hand on the accelerator vibrates too much.”

How did you find out you had Parkinson’s disease?
“I had this vibration in my hand and initially I thought it was a matter of nervousness, then I went to two neurologists and they both diagnosed me with Parkinson’s. The shaking continued and so I convinced myself to go to the Bellaria hospital in Bologna, there I underwent to a nuclear medicine brain scan which revealed that some cells in my brain no longer produced dopamine and this caused Parkinson’s disease.”

And how are you today?
“Today I’m taking pills for a therapy that they tell me is gentle but I still have to deal with the symptoms of Parkinson’s and every year I have to go to the ‘Carlo Besta’ Neurological Institute in Milan for a check-up. I feel like I’m good even if obviously I have a lot more difficulty doing everything I did before. But I’m not complaining because I know that there are many people who are worse off than me.”

What was the most difficult moment in assimilating a new life condition?
“As soon as I found out I didn’t have a good reaction. I felt lost and I let myself go. But then after a couple of years I reacted, I said to myself: ‘There’s no point in staying like this waiting to die’. At that point I went back to doing everything I was doing before.”

Meaning what? What is Frankie Chili doing today?
“Today, in addition to managing the bathing establishments and working on the beach, I am now also a lifeguard, and I take care of everything relating to the apartments that we rent in the summer period. These days I am already starting to arrange the establishments so in May We’re already ready to start the season. So now I’m very busy, when I get to October I’m very tired.”

In your career there have been many rivalries but also many beautiful friendships, which riders are you still in contact with?
“Actually with no one because I don’t want to bother anyone, but there are many that I like to see when we meet at events or historical re-enactments. To make you understand, in the summer I live in Misano, a stone’s throw from Tavullia , but I never allowed myself to go and disturb Valentino Rossi. That’s how I am.”

However, some time ago you were in Australia and saw Troy Bayliss again…
“Yes, but even in that case I was there for a historical re-enactment in which Troy Bayliss was also participating. We found ourselves there and we also had a lot of fun. Troy is a person who is very similar to me: we speak the same language and see the world differently same way. When I was a commentator on TV he made some confidences to me but I never revealed them and I don’t intend to do so now either (laughs, ed.)”.

But do you still follow racing today?
“Yes, I follow MotoGP more than Superbike because with a group of friends I do the Fantasy MotoGP which, among other things, I have already won three times.”

What do you think of the current MotoGP: Marquez in Ducati and the arrival of Pedro Acosta seem to have given a small shock…
“Marquez is still riding with a tight rein and as soon as he feels comfortable and rides the Ducati free we’ll see some good things. Pedro Acosta on the other hand has already gone beyond my expectations, I expected a year of settling into the category and instead he immediately demonstrated knowing how to ride even beyond the limits of his bike – which is progressing well anyway – and being able to stay up there with the best. Then KTM is focusing a lot on MotoGP and they are probably taking advantage of the fact that they have taken many technicians from Ducati and that there. they no longer had any incentive.”

And what about Superbike instead? There is a lot of Italy this year not only for the motorbikes but also in terms of riders…
“Honestly, what amazed me the most is Andrea Iannone. After such a long stop, I didn’t think he would go so well. I hope this magical moment lasts for a long time because he deserves it. In my opinion, if he wants, three good years still there can do”.

For Iannone there is even talk of a possible return to MotoGP. In this regard, I ask you what are the main difficulties you might encounter?
“In my opinion there is much more electronics in MotoGP. Look at Marquez: he switched from Honda to Ducati and is making mistakes due to the different functioning of the instruments he has to activate while he is riding. Once upon a time we raced using only gas, brake and away, however, now there are a lot of tools to operate and if, for example, you miss the moment to activate the lowering device you find yourself on the ground”.