Jerect – Cristian Gabarrini, chief technical engineer of Pecco Bagnaiahe won races and world titles with drivers like Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez. As well as with Bagnaianaturally.
So he is someone who is used to – or rather: should be used to – certain results. Neverthelessthis time, even Cristian is excited like few times in his extraordinary career.
“Yes, I saw him very happy. We are a very united team: if we are in difficulty, we are all in difficulty together. Winning like this gives a great boost.”
Is it fair to say that it is the best victory of your life?
“I couldn’t say which is the most beautiful: it’s definitely in the top three, one of those to remember. A success achieved after an incredible fight, especially on the first lap. But also the challenge with Marquez, the final laps: it was a well-sculpted victory, with Marquez you always have to throw your heart over the obstacle”
You saw Martin fall in front of you: what happened to him?
“It’s difficult to understand: I braked hard, maybe he braked a little too much and the front closed up”
When he crashed, did you think about settling for gaining 20 points on Jorge?
“Honestly no, not even for a moment: it’s not a phase of the championship in which you have to think about certain things”
How much did you need not only the victory, but also a victory like this: the double overtaking on the outside of the first lap, the challenge with Marquez, the track record on the third to last lap?
“It was useful to me and the team after two races in a row in difficulty. It hasn’t been an easy period: you start asking yourself a lot of questions, you have to find a solution and we succeeded: we’ve been very good in recent days at finding better confidence. And tomorrow in the tests we will finish the work started on Friday”
But what do you enjoy most between overtaking on the outside, the challenge with Marc and the fastest lap?
“They are three different things. The overtaking on the outside was certainly nice, but so was the battle with Marc, as was the strong fast lap at the end. It was all good, but I think 60% of the credit for the victory goes to the double overtaking on the outside. I also tried yesterday, but at six the asphalt was wet on the outside and that’s why it didn’t work.”
It was important to show Marquez that he is capable of playing hard, with wide elbows…
“You have to play like this: it’s the only way to stay ahead. If you always hold back, everything becomes more complicated. We did our best: it was a tough fight, but done the right way. Overall, I’m extremely happy with the result: it was a great show of strength.”
Were you afraid of falling with Marc?
“No, even though, usually, the insider in these situations always gets the worst of it. I believe that in today’s MotoGP it is almost “normal” to have contacts, because whoever gets in must be very aggressive to overtake the opponent. It can happen that we touch each other”
Even in Aragon you fought to the finish line with Marquez: are they comparable?
“In Aragon, Marc was able to try until the end, here I managed to take a small advantage”
You are now second in the world championship, 17 points behind Martin: also from this point of view it is a fundamental success.
“The championship is really long, right now there’s no need to look at the points too much. We just need to concentrate on the bike, work as we did this weekend, find the best possible solutions and then do the races as we are capable: when we feel good, in the end we always fight for the podium. And that’s the most important thing.”
In the parc fermé you hugged each other: there is rivalry between you, but also respect.
“Respect is fundamental, not only for the drivers, but also for the show and the fans”
