DIGGIA AND MARTIN TO SPEARHEAD THE GRESINI ATTACK ON MOTO3 TITLE
It’s that time of the year again. The Losail International Circuit in Qatar hosts this weekend the first chapter of the Moto3 World Championship title chase for Team Del Conca Gresini’s Fabio Di Giannantonio – who was confirmed by the team after a positive first full season – and the new signing Jorge Martin, who has already impressed many ahead of his racing debut on the Honda NSF250RW machine. Let’s get to know them a little better…
DI GIANNANTONIO: “The collarbone? Not an issue. The title will be an all Italian battle”
The collarbone… won’t be an issue. I have fully recovered from the injury and it gives me no trouble when I’m on the bike. The real question mark will be my fitness condition on the full race distance, as due to the injury I was unable to train as hard as I wanted during the off-season. We’ll see what happens.
Title and rivals… We have the right package to aim at some strong results. The real important thing is to recover as quick as possible in order to be able to push to the limit. The level of competition in Moto3 is extremely high and they’re all very strong riders, nothing more I can say. But if I’d really have to make some kind of prediction I would say the title will be contested between Italian riders, we’re fast and ready… I really hope we can fight for it until the end.
Fabrizio Cecchini’s presence in the pit-box… is vital. He’s a key piece of the puzzle, his wealth of experience is extremely important for me. He helped me a lot last year on the bad days, especially when I didn’t have the best feeling with the bike, but he also gave me his support away from the track. He has a calming effect on me and we get on really well – a real genuine relationship.
MARTIN: “I feel like I’m part of a family now. If I win I will dye my hair grey!”
Team Gresini and Honda… Their approach to racing is very meticulous and attentive to every detail. I’m extremely happy to be working with them and to be part of such a big family. The Honda NSF250RW is a very competitive bike and one that suits my style very well. It has better acceleration and it’s easy to handle, so I feel we’ll be a good combination.”
“Rivals… are many, starting from my team mate Fabio. But there are many others capable of winning, like for example Enea Bastianini, Aroon Canet, Romano Fenati, Niccolò Antonelli, Bulega, Mir and Bendsneyder…”
“Qatar and title… Race pace is the key to win at Losail, along with a good slipstream on the main straight on the last lap. Winning the title will be really difficult, given the level of the field for this year, but I have an ongoing bet with my friends: if I win, I must dye my hair grey!”
