«Valentino Rossi sent me»- Corriere.it

He loves dogs, cars and life in the open air. He listens to Bob Marley, repairs mopeds as a hobby, grew up in the workshop where his father put him to gain experience. He has a sincere smile, unruly curls. But Marco Bezzecchi fears nothing on the track. As he demonstrated last Sunday in Argentina by winning his first MotoGP race in the wet. And now he rules the World Cup.

How is it at the top of the leaderboard?
“It’s a strange feeling, but it’s nice. Few can say that they have been leading the MotoGP, even if only for one race».

So everyone is happy?
«Happy and also a little surprised. We are friends with Bagnaia, she looked for me after the race, she was happy for me. He’s already put the fall aside, he’s loaded.’

Friends on Saturday and opponents on Sunday, how do you do it?
«Thanks to Valentino Rossi who created a group, the VR46, fantastic, unique in the World Championship. It is our strength, despite the rivalry we are all united. Then in the race everyone looks after himself. If I have to have a chat with one of them, in the end we laugh about it».

How did you get into Rossi’s Academy?
«My girlfriend’s cousin knew Carlo Casablanca, their athletic trainer. She exhausted him until he convinced Uccio and Vale to come and see me on the track. It was 2015, the year of my title in the Italian championship. Then I started going to the Ranch (where the Academy pilots train, edand our relationship was born.

Did he already have passion in his blood?
“My family passed it on to me. Mechanic grandfather and father, every Sunday in front of the TV watching the MotoGP. When I was six I asked my dad to let me race with mini bikes. Up until 125 it was just the two of us at the races. He always let me do it, but he was always there with me ».

Not all parents are like this.
“When I finished school I thought I could do whatever I wanted, wake up late and train. He told me “it’s not good, come and work in the workshop”. It went like this for three years. Then when I moved to Moto2 the commitment increased and I was no longer able to do both. Even less today, but I’d like to lend a hand».

About her: genuine, without filters, sincere. Do you recognize yourself in this portrait?
«Without filters for sure, but also genuine, thanks to my family who kept me firmly on the ground. Sincere? If I have to say something to someone, I’ll tell them.”

Loris Capirossi said that she reminds him of his instinctive and aggressive way of racing.
«I’m actually quite aggressive with the bike, because our sport is partly like that. And that’s my favorite part. I like the tussle, the overtaking and I try to do it in the best possible way. If I have to be aggressive, I try not to be afraid.”

Rossi agrees?
“Sometimes he told me to be calm, other times to be more decisive. He has always been very close to me and supported me in difficult times. In Argentina he told me in no uncertain terms to bring out the attributes. Coming from him it has weight».

At 24, does he find time to have fun?
«MotoGp requires an absolute commitment, but in the championship breaks I enjoy working on the engines with friends. Last winter we redid the mopeds we had when we were fourteen. The first one we refurbished a Piaggio Ape».

Don’t you go to the disco?
«Unfortunately not much, but when there’s a free weekend we all go dancing together, with the guys from VR46. But it has become more complicated since they recognize us in the clubs ».

What music do you listen to?
«A bit of everything, but my favorite singer is Bob Marley».

Did you give your bike a name?
«My first technical chief said that the bike shouldn’t be considered just as an object. That’s why mine has always had a name, but in MotoGP I have two. It’s like having two girlfriends. With my girlfriend, Chiara, who lives with me in Viserba, we have found this solution. Maria and Anna, then Marianna».

Before the World Cup, he had set himself a goal of victory. And now?
“Win another one, maybe. But I don’t want to set unattainable goals, it would put too much pressure on me. I know I’m fast, I want to prove it to myself. And to all those who believed in me.”