Marco Bezzecchi interview: “I went home and said, ‘Yes, that’s possible'” – Exclusive

Marco Bezzecchi soared up the MotoGP standings throughout Aprilia’s finest premier class season, from a disappointing twelfth place in his last VR46 marketing campaign to 3rd place behind the Ducatis of Marc and Alex Marquez.
And he did it with a brand new bike and crew.

The Italian arrived in Aprilia together with his eyes on teammate and present world champion Jorge Martin.

However when Martin was injured in pre-season testing after which sidelined with an additional fracture, the Aprilia venture fell on Bezzecchi’s shoulders.

The 27-year-old had by no means ridden a manufacturer-spec bike, a lot much less led the event of an official crew.

However he rose to the problem and helped Aprilia’s new technical director, Fabiano Sterracchini, iron out the peaks and valleys of the RS-GP whereas adjusting his driving fashion.

Bezzecchi’s first headline second got here at Silverstone, storming from tenth place to victory, however the true turning level got here earlier, throughout a take a look at at Jerez, when he mentioned: “I went house and thought, ‘Sure, that is doable.’

Since Assen, Bezzecchi resolved his lingering qualifying weaknesses and ended up spending 144 laps within the Grand Prix lead behind Marc Marquez.

After Silverstone, Bezzecchi completed the season with wins at Portimao and Valencia, in addition to three Dash wins, serving to to propel Aprilia to a record-high second place within the constructors’ standings…

Crashnet:
This yr was an vital yr for Marco as he turned a manufacturing facility rider and led Aprilia to its finest MotoGP season. How do you look again on this yr?

Marco Bezzecchi:
Effectively, it was a really cool season. A mixture of completely different experiences. After all, turning into a manufacturing facility rider for the primary time was most likely my greatest problem up to now. But it surely was additionally very fascinating and I used to be very excited to tackle this new journey.

I discovered a very nice group of individuals to work with. Plus, this bike was plenty of enjoyable from the get-go. After all, I fell in love with the bike instantly, even when I needed to put in fairly a bit of labor, however that is regular.

The bike’s traits had been instantly shocking. So I am very comfortable to be right here now with plenty of good races and plenty of podiums and preventing for the highest three within the championship.

Crashnet:
This yr began in a very completely different method, with Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez injured and Ai Ogura a rookie. How did you’re feeling while you had been out of the blue tasked with creating RS-GP?

Marco Bezzecchi:
Effectively, it was in fact very robust for the entire manufacturing facility as a result of the expectations had been very excessive, particularly for Jorge. So we discovered ourselves in a troublesome state of affairs. It was disappointing, in fact, particularly for Jorge, but additionally for all of us who had been within the race.

However we by no means gave up. Our objectives had been clear and we got here again to work laborious and have an incredible race.

Being alone was not simple, so it was a mixture of positives and negatives for me. After all Ai and Raul had been there, however the improvement was extra on my aspect.

However having so many engineers devoted to me was additionally a optimistic. They labored very laborious and listened deeply to me to grasp how I used to be feeling. And I did my finest to be correct. It wasn’t simple, but it surely was additionally an incredible expertise for me to develop.

Crashnet:
When did you first suppose you would do one thing particular with this bike?For instance, it was very quick within the Buriram take a look at dash simulation…

Marco Bezzecchi:
Sure, the pre-season checks had been good, however for me the turning level was quite the Jerez take a look at. The Jerez take a look at was superb. I used to be already beginning to see enhancements in my information, my emotions, and my outcomes.

However within the Jerez take a look at, we discovered two or three issues that had been actually useful. And after I acquired house after the take a look at, I mentioned, “Sure, it is doable.”

Crashnet:
What did you discover?

Marco Bezzecchi:
That was the final feeling. After all, there have been some issues to enhance, particularly the soundness of the bike, however then we began engaged on enhancing all the pieces collectively. One step at a time, in small steps, we attempt to deal with each element in each side of the bike. The identical goes for driving. As a result of your driving wants to enhance alongside along with your bike.

Crashnet:
If the bike adjustments, do you must change with it?

Marco Bezzecchi:
It got here from one other bike so I already needed to change it. So I already needed to adapt, however I needed to adapt much more day by day. However fortunately all the pieces was fantastic.

Crashnet:
What races are notably memorable to you this season?

Marco Bezzecchi:
It is true that for those who run quick and get good outcomes, you will keep in mind the race higher. Silverstone was good and naturally it was very particular to get my first win with the crew and I have been by means of some robust instances myself. So it was very, superb to win like that.

And Misano with Marc had an excellent race, even when he did not win. It was nice to get pole place at house, win the dash, and be with him till the top of the Grand Prix. I am actually comfortable that I used to be in a position to pull off so many seconds from third place and have an incredible race.

Crashnet:
Marc has missed the final 4 races after his accident at Mandalica, how huge do you suppose the hole between Aprilia and Ducati is now?

Marco Bezzecchi:
It is a troublesome query as a result of it is very troublesome to check all bikes, not simply Aprilia and Ducati. As an instance I am probably not fascinated with this, I am simply attempting to enhance with my crew, work on the imaginative and prescient, and make it the perfect it may be. Additionally, I hope to have extra matches subsequent yr. Then we’ll see.

Crashnet:
How shortly did you get used to the brand new Aprilia workers? How do you have a good time victories with them?

Marco Bezzecchi:
I’ve to say that I used to be very scared as I used to be leaving VR46, a crew that I do know very properly since final yr. I used to be nervous that perhaps I would not be capable to discover somebody who felt the identical method.

However to be sincere, after the primary day I knew I had discovered a really, superb group of individuals. After all, it took a while to construct a robust relationship, that is regular. Nevertheless, I have to say that they had been very sort to me and made me really feel comfy instantly.

For the sake of celebration, allow us to simply free ourselves! It relies on the second!

Crashnet:
How is your relationship with Jorge, who has had a really troublesome season?
Marco Bezzecchi:
Effectively, we all know one another properly now. After all, it is the primary time they’ve shared a field and, as you mentioned, it has been a troublesome season for him. However our relationship is sweet. I’m very comfortable that he’s again in Valencia. He deserves to get pleasure from driving once more.

Crashnet:
Seeking to the longer term, how shortly do you hope to conclude a contract for 2027?

Marco Bezzecchi:
Truthfully, I hadn’t considered this but. It is nonetheless 2025. I’ve already signed a contract for subsequent season and for the time being I’m targeted on getting essentially the most out of racing. So this is not on my thoughts but.