Paolo Campinoti has made his choice, one month earlier than the deadline: he will move to Yamaha after twenty years at Ducati. Luca Salvadori explains very well why, while it remains to be understood whether the missing piece of this crazy rider market is Toprak Razgatlioglu
CThere are three particularly interesting things in Luca Salvadori’s latest video. The first: if Yamaha convinced Fabio Quartararo first and Paolo Campinoti then it wasn’t just for the money, it was also – or perhaps above all – because the Japanese have set up an important, revolutionary project. It’s coming, in short, the long-awaited V4 engine, which according to Salvadori should debut on the M1 in Valencia, for the last official tests of the year. This would, in fact, be the first great sign of a revolution that also includes a lot of Italy, from the engineer Luca Marmorini who developed the engine and continuing with Marco Nicotra and Max Bartolini, both stolen from Ducati in the last period. And Fabio Quartararo, just returned from a private test session in Valencia, seemed happier than one could imagine.
Lthe second lies in the reason why Yamaha would have decided to give in to this different engine configuration it would be in the smaller transverse dimensions of the V-engine compared to the in-line four-cylinder. Less clutter it means more space to develop aerodynamics, cooling and possibly other systems, because the real match of this MotoGP (they explained it to us in Aprilia, during a visit to Noale) is largely in the search for useful spaces on the bike.
Third point. THEThe rider market of this MotoGP could see the last, huge twist with the arrival of Toprak Razgatlioglu in the world championship, which – despite everything – could happen with Yamaha. This, according to Salvadori – but we had several confirmations in the paddock at Mugello – because the Discovery platform would be interested in purchasing the Superbike rights. If this were to materialize it would facilitate the acquisition of MotoGP by Liberty Media, which currently owns Formula 1.
THEn other words: Liberty Media wants MotoGP but already has Formula 1 and risks not being able to complete the deal because otherwise it would come dangerously close to a monopoly. Leave Superbike to the competition It is, without a doubt, a way to facilitate operations, even whether to take Toprak Razgatlioglu away before that happens can help reduce losses and give yet another boost to a world championship in full growth. Now that Marc Marquez is fast again, the man to beat by the name of Pecco Bagnaia and the champion on the way, Pedro Acosta, adding an outsider like the Turkish genius could give yet another boost to an increasingly heated MotoGP, as well as bringing the championship back to Türkiye.
