Austria, with its rather chilly weather and a rainy day, immediately forced us to ditch our swimming trunks\u2026 Accustomed to Italy\u2019s 38 degrees, as soon as we crossed the border, we were reminded that winter still exists somewhere and that another summer (finally, I’d say) has come to an end.<\/p>\n
So, the free practice sessions were held on a wet track. Some riders didn\u2019t even go out on track, hoping for better weather the following day.<\/p>\n
Leo, on the other hand, came out as proud as a fireman and threw himself onto the wet track as if it were dry. <\/strong>It was the sort of thing that makes you smile. But the track proved him right: he was in the spotlight practically the whole session. It was his home Grand Prix, in front of his fans and his sponsors, and we all enjoyed it. <\/strong>In the end, he took home twentieth place, which perhaps doesn\u2019t mean much on paper, but let\u2019s also bear in mind the long lap penalty he\u2019d \u2018brought with him\u2019 \u2013 that is, the one he earned in the last race due to a collision. What can I say\u2026 I\u2019m sorry, but that\u2019s just how it is. On some tracks, like this one, the difference between the two engines is clear and the KTM has the edge. But there are others where the Honda performs better. It\u2019s always been that way. I\u2019ve noticed that this happens very often: parents, thinking they\u2019re doing what\u2019s best for their children, end up giving in to them straight away.<\/strong> But this is where parents should have the courage to act like parents, rather than friends, even if it means getting a couple more \u2018f*** off\u2019s\u2019. These guys need to be encouraged and supported to challenge themselves.<\/strong> That said, I\u2019m still happy for Leo and I wish him all the best.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s turn to O\u2019Gorman,<\/strong> who started from the fifth row. We were expecting a good race, but it turned out to be SURPRISING. <\/strong>It was a fiercely contested race, full of overtakes that made you go \u2018wow\u2019, and in the end\u2026 he finished sixth, having started sixteenth. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to take any risks for fourth place,\u201d he confessed to me when he arrived in the pits.<\/strong> Pini, perhaps in his final Moto3 race, was putting in a mad final lap, going all out\u2026 So, Casey did the right thing. Sometimes you also need to know how to bring home a result. We\u2019re off to faraway Japan, followed by Indonesia and so on; there are still plenty of races ahead of us, plenty of tracks, plenty of split times, plenty of gates\u2026 for us, these are just opportunities to grow. The time will come when we\u2019ll set off with the podium in mind; in fact, maybe I\u2019ll be the one to ask him for it. For now, we just need to have fun, learn and put our foot down.<\/strong><\/p>\n -PaoloSic58-<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Austria, with its rather chilly weather and a rainy day, immediately forced us to ditch our swimming trunks\u2026 Accustomed to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":19264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAnd it was right here that he announced to the world that he\u2019s leaving\u2026 He wants to try riding a KTM, which he believes offers better performance.<\/p>\n
\nIn my opinion, it was a rather hasty decision. Fellon, one of our former riders,<\/strong> for example, made a similar choice. That time, he too found himself in similar circumstances to Leo\u2019s. Sometime later, he came to me and said, with his heart on his sleeve: \u201cAh, if only I\u2019d listened to you\u2026\u201d I must admit I really appreciated that.<\/p>\n
\nBecause today it\u2019s the bike, tomorrow it\u2019s the team, the day after tomorrow it\u2019s the chief engineer\u2026 there\u2019ll always be something else. <\/strong>And guys, today telemetry speaks Italian! In the past, perhaps you could have said, \u201cThe bike isn\u2019t working!\u201d and you didn\u2019t have all the tools to fully understand what was going on. Today, telemetry is like an X-ray. You can see everything. You can see where the rider is losing out, where he\u2019s making mistakes, where the bike isn\u2019t performing. In bold, down to the last detail \u2013 even with better punctuation than this article. And when you\u2019ve got all this data in front of you, you can no longer hide behind an excuse. You must face reality head-on and work on that.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIn short, when he starts from the back of the grid, he\u2019s more relaxed. With the eyes of a tiger, he brings out that extra spark. When he starts at the front, however, he puts himself under too much pressure. <\/strong>He has very high expectations. It\u2019s fine to aim for the podium, but this still causes him a few problems. But all in good time.<\/p>\n