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The first World Championship race at the Budd International Circuit was a warm and sweet experience for the Sic58SquadraCorse team, which achieved its best performance of the season, taking the podium with Kaito Toba. It was also a brilliant weekend for Riccardo Rossi, like Paolo Simoncelli pointed out, as he took stock of the weekend before focusing on the trip to Japan.
This is what he said:
“You never forget your first time in India. Let me tell you … I like it! A controversial country, in some respects. Chaotic, very busy, probably the only city in the world where they honk their horns more than they do in Naples. Strange but true. I’ve never witnessed accidents, even if there are cows on the street or scooters going in the wrong direction. This makes them experienced drivers. If I had to describe it with four adjectives, I’d say very warm, exciting, full, alive. And what helped was the fact that it was a fruitful trip for us.
Let’s talk about us. During Saturday’s tests, it’s always a bit complicated, given the temperament of our riders, who aren’t able to express themselves as much as they should in qualifying. To the extent that Toba was almost excluded from the Q2. He was racing for first place till the very end on Sunday. He ended up finishing second but with a great race, the kind I like, where he fought from start to finish. Every corner, every overtake, under a Saharan-like heat. Arriving exhausted, drained of energy and of water. Nice!
I was a little surprised or, rather, bitter. I didn’t expect it, from an empty complaint presented to us by the Husqvarna team, insinuating that we were using a longer handle. What can I say ... At this point, I’d also like to know why Sasaki’s bike caught fire during a practice round.
Anyway ... Rossi also did an aggressive race. He pushed. On the day he announced the name of his new team, he gave us a super performance, almost to the best of his ability, taking us to seventh place. With some foresight and a little courage, we could have moved up two positions, but picking up and taking it home was the righ thing to do, and I’m proud and satisfied.
Well, we’re already in Japan. We had a good time in India, but we won’t miss that torrid heat. For Toba, it’s his home Grand Prix. He almost won and, with all the friends and relatives who’ll come to see him, he’ll have to prove that he’s solid. It’ll be a good challenge for him, since he’s going to feel a little pressure. We welcomed his invitation to stay in Tokyo for a few days, where he’ll show us the city through the eyes of a local.”
