We left for the distant “land of rice”, simply expecting to open a new chapter: a long and challenging World Championship. Instead, we returned home with an uncertain Qatar and the feeling that world is going to pieces.
I belong to a generation that has seen many things, fortunately some of them truly beautiful. However, many events that have happened in recent years remind us of the true meaning of the word “priority”.
If I had to give this press release a title, it would be: “Everything is upside down”, as things didn’t turn out the way we were expecting. We call it a “press release”, but it’s more like a “dear diary”, where for years I’ve been sharing facts, opinions nobody asked for and doubts, in my own way. Come on, at least allow me this little game!
At the Chang Circuit our new knights made their “debut in society”: Casey O’Gorman e Leo Rammerstorfer.
Casey approached the weekend with great maturity. He worked calmly, without trying to do anything spectacular and always staying focused. He started 10th and finished 11th: a solid race, without mistakes. If this continues, he can have his say in the race for the Rookies Of the Year title.
Leo impressed me with other qualities. He’s determined, brave and well prepared physically. His debut was not easy: he started from the back, but lap after lap he recovered positions working with patience. In the end he finished 16th, after several tussles with much more experienced riders and with a remarkable braking move. I know it well because I was right there trackside following him…certainly not because he appeared on TV.
In this regard, I have to admit this surprised me: we didn’t’ see anyone from Sky at our box or on the starting grid, while practically all the other broadcasters came to meet the boys and talk about the beginning of our season. It’s true that this year we have an Irish rider and an Austrian one, but this choice was dictated by the preferences of the new management, not by our own will. This makes me wonder: will Sky no longer stop by our box?
We are a team born from a familiar environment, with a powerful story behind us, we have existed and survived for 10 years. We are not just two bikes lining up for a race on Sunday: we are a mix of realities, strange coincidences and broken friendships. Later rebuilt. Handshakes and pats on the back, born in the days of the old guard, among the kerbs of the most legendary circuits…such as Phillip Island.
We are a true story. A spartan one, yes, but an authentic one, made of people carrying on something that goes beyond races and a timeless name.
Perhaps that’s exactly why, every now and then, it’s worth stopping to tell this story.
-PaoloSic58-