On the second day of EICMA 2024, we made a stop at the Tucano stand and there we met a veteran of two wheels like Marco Melandri, who was happy to give us his opinion on MotoGP, its protagonists and especially on the battle for the crown between Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia that will see its conclusion at Montmelo.
First of all, how are you doing after your recent bike injury?
"In recovery, I had two in three months. The bicycle in the end is dangerous, I'm hurting myself more than on the bike. In the last two years it happened to me several times. Now I have to calm down a bit, I have to realize I'm not 20 years old anymore, although I think I've still got it."
We are now in the final stages of MotoGP, how do you see the Martin - Bagnaia head-to-head, do you think Pecco can do it despite starting with a major disadvantage in the standings?
"The World Championship has been good, very special. Let' s say that Pecco has given some nice gifts to Martin by falling seven times in the race ( to which we add the Aragon crash with Alex Marquez, ed.), which is a bit too many.
The two of them have really raised the bar. In my opinion Marc Marquez is the only one at their level considering that his bike is quite far from the GP24. Jorge also showed in Malaysia that he has the attributes because he could have done his little job, put himself behind Bagnaia and wait for the end of the race, instead in the first laps he attacked to make him understand that he really wants the title.
I have always been of the idea that the official bike should win, this year I will probably be proven wrong and as a rider I am happy. Those who race do it to get to the front and it's nice that even those who don't have a factory bike can have a chance.
Much of the credit goes to Gigi dall'Igna as he is the one who runs everything and apparently has pushed hard on sportsmanship. It is also true that the championship is won when it is won, so although it seems to be close for Martin, there is still a Sprint and a GP to go."
The year 2025 will see Bagnaia sharing the factory Ducati box with Marquez. What's your idea about that?
"Marquez will be the man to beat. He's a bad dog. When he has to be there, he's there. He doesn't make mistakes and even when rides go badly he straightens them out. He crashes more than the others, but he does it when he can afford to, which is in practice.
In the race it happened to him a lot because the GP23 is really far from the GP24, but no one else got ahead of him with last year's bike and in my opinion that is an important yardstick. We will have to see how this championship ends.
Should Martin get the better of him, for Pecco it could be a boost, a stimulus for the response, likewise it could give him the knowledge that he is beatable. However, I think Marc will reap his rewards."
If Jorge doesn't do it, do you think he can try again immediately with Aprilia?
"Next year, no. Let's say it's difficult now to evaluate the RS-GP because the riders will undoubtedly be unmotivated, as well as the big changes at the technical level will have slowed down the work at least a little bit. I honestly don't think they can close such a significant gap on Ducati, or at any rate do it within a season, as for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer when things go wrong, they arrive second.
The last time Aprilia won was in Barcelona, but the Desmosedici was close, in contrast they when they are struggling they struggle to get into the ten. Of course Jorge is not Espargaro and neither is Vinales, however I don't expect to see him fight for success.
He himself before Sepang admitted that these will be the most important weeks of his career because he is aware that an opportunity like this will not come again right away."
Among the youngsters Pedro Acosta immediately came to the fore, but then he got a little lost.
"At first he would finish 5th or 6th and it was fine because he brought home the result, then he tried to improve. He dropped because he crashes because of a bike that is not up to par. If you notice all the KTMs do well for two laps and then they disappear, but he is still there after five or six.
He often ends up on the ground, but because he has so much character, he doesn't want to settle and wants to grow. Next year with Bastianini and Vinales in the team we will see his level, but if he had a Ducati he would already be fighting at the front."
Do you see him as a potential champion?
"If the bike improves, yes. At the moment KTM is not having a golden moment in general, so it will not be easy, but in my opinion he is the future."
Lastly, the chapter on aerodynamics, which has also become very important in motorcycle racing now. You are from the old school, how do you evaluate it? Should it be reduced?
"It is normal for those who have raced to say that in their time it was better. Even years ago it was conceivable that something like this would have come in, however, a limit should be given because as much as it helps riders go faster, the show suffers since the faster you go the harder it becomes to overtake.
Aerodynamics also takes away what used to be an advantage. It used to be that if you were following somebody it brought you benefits, it gave you a benchmark, having less air allowed you to turn the bike more, now if you have more air and you're in the slipstream you lack the load you need to turn the bike, so it's all different.
By now the point of no return has passed. Back there will be no going back. With the bikes going from 1000 to 850 cc, absolutely nothing is going to change, and the only thing they did right was to take the lowering devices off. It was good to see Fernandez racing without wings in Australia however, that's a pretty unique track."
