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"This is my 24th season since I've been racing, my 10th in the CIV Superbike. Let's say we've covered some ground," he said smiling. With these words, Michele Pirro leads us towards the CIV, which will be starting this weekend at the Misano track.
His desire to restart is great, and he aims to target that tenth title that fell threw last year in the grand finale at Imola against Zanetti. We spoke abou this, and much more, with the Barni team rider, who's also busy being a test rider for Ducati for both the MotoGP and the Superbike.
"This is it. We're finally off. In fact, let's say that, between tests and various things, it's already a while that I've been off," he began jokingly. "This is my 24th year of racing, but I live it a bit as if it were my first. In the end, you never get used to it, because there's the anticipation, the expectation, and then the first race is always the first race."
What kind of Michele Pirro is the one we'll find at the start?
"The Michele of always. I did the winter tests between the MotoGP and the Superbike, but the CIV always has a special value for me. Of course, I wear the colors of the Fiamme Oro on the track, and this is a source of great pride for me. Participating in the Italian Championship allows me to keep myself trained and, at the same time, I think I'm an incentive for the many young people who race and want to beat me to be able to raise the bar."
Your last race in the CIV ended in the worst way possible. Do you still think about Imola?
"Imola remains in the past, but I still carry the marks on my body today and in the future. I'm talking, of course, about my ankle, which will never be the way it was, and I still have screws in it. Beyond the result, the physical aspect is what hurts me most, because they've certainly not been easy months. I also have neck problems, especially when I'm riding the bike at a cycling level. I didn't think about my neck. Instead, I still have pain."
Did you think about quitting after Imola and just being a test rider?
"No, because it was just an episode, and I hope it remains the only one. I only regret Zanetti's behavior. All he had to say was 'Sorry Michele, I made a mistake', and it would've been resolved there. Instead, I see that he keeps going around saying things that aren't true, saying that if I had done another trajectory, etc., etc. Pysically, I feel good. I know I'm in good shape, despite having a foreign body like screws in my body. Personally, I think that the physical component is an indicator of when to quit, and I divide good and bad training, where the latter involves the use of medication to recover from the pain. Physically, I feel good, and I want to continue, trying to be a stimulus also for the many young people who want to become riders."
In Romagna, you've now become a reference.
"I think I've given a lot to others, so much so that, in Misano, we opened a training school after launching Garage51 a few years ago. In the end, it's a bit like a father, when he passes on something to his children, and I wanted to do that, which is to help young people by giving them the tools to learn, know, and grow."
Let's conclude with the CIV. Will Bernardi and Delbianco be the real threats?
"Both. I expect them to be very strong and fast. I think that Luca was faster than Zanetti last year, but maybe he didn't get as much as he deserved. So I'm of the opinion that, this year, he can be one of the protagonists for the title fight as well as Delbianco who will have one more year of experience with Yamaha."
Automatic Translation by DeepL
