Sito Pons He always comes out ahead and, after a year in which the results in Moto2 have not been what he expected with Manzi and Garzó, has recovered the illusion with a view to 2022 thanks to the signings of Canet and Navarro. He speaks hopefully of them and, being who he is, it is interesting to know his general analysis of the World Cup. Be careful what he says about Marc Márquez …
-How good is your team’s poster for next season.
-The truth is that if. I am happy. We needed to be fighting to win the World Championship and I think that with these two riders it can be done. They have the capacity for it. We have not been a very good year and we are used to having two drivers fighting for the top positions. That is what motivates us and what excites our sponsors about this project for so many years. We are here to try to win.
-What makes you bet on a Navarro who is not in his best year?
-In 2019 he was fighting for the World Cup and was on the podium eight times. It is evident that this year he has not encountered the bike and the tires. Both he and Arón have a different circumstance compared to the rest of the riders because they race with a different motorcycle (the Darkwood, formerly Speed up) and this can give you instability and insecurity. That can give you an advantage at times, but it can raise doubts and not allow you to show your speed and consistency. This is what both Jorge and Arón lack and with a motorcycle like the others they can consider fighting for the title.
-What do you like the most about Canet?
-He is younger than Jorge and is only in his second season in the category, but he has already reached the podium. He has fought to be Moto3 champion and last year he was the rookie of the year. This year he was also on the podium and he is very fast. He does it easily, he is eager and aggressive. He is a pilot who does not give his arm to twist.
-Is there a number one in the team?
-Nerd. They will start with the same options. Our history within our team has brought us many situations like the one we want to see with them now. It has already happened with Capirossi and Barros, with Biaggi and Ukawa, with Pol and Rabat, with Maverick and Salom, with Salom and Rins. That competition between them makes the team go better. We want both of them to have options to be in front and then the track does justice.
-Is there something that has caught your attention in this World Cup?
-What we are experiencing these last two years. How different is the World Cup we are running now compared to 2019 backwards. We have adapted to a different situation and we all hope that the World Cup will be as it was again, with the circuits full of public and with guests in the paddock, with people who love this sport and enjoy them. With journalists and sponsors, which is what gives life to this championship. It is increasingly open, but we continue to long for a more normalized situation than to see if it can happen at the end of the season.
-And at a sports level?
-This season the form that Márquez had is missing. That has opened a window for other riders and has turned MotoGP around. There is no longer a clear leader and now there are new young pilots arriving, pilots who had not fought with Márquez and who do not have the respect for him that others had, because they had never fought with him. All are seen with the ability to fight and be champions, and to overtake. There is no longer an unwritten law that Márquez is the best but that now they win among all of them.
– Doesn’t Quartararo seem like enough of a reference?
-He is establishing himself as the benchmark in the category due to the void left by Márquez, but also Mir, Martín and other pilots who are emerging and who are not intimidated by the respect that Márquez exercised. It is a new championship and that is interesting and beautiful to see, but it is also how Márquez is going to gradually recover his place, to regain the situation of control he had, of absolute confidence. That is costing him, because he is falling down, because he wants to do what he did before and he is not yet fit, but he is still aggressive and has no patience. And then there are weird situations like Maverick’s and explosions like Martin’s, all of which adds to the consistency of Quartararo, who is going to be this year’s champion. The hierarchy has changed.
-Of the three best rookies in each category, which one do you think has the most merit?
-The three have a lot of merit, but Raúl Fernández’s season for me is being impressive, because he is in a difficult category that he has just arrived in and from the first race he has been there. And he is a very safe pilot. It is very good. Acosta is also it, because a year ago he was racing in the Rookies and he already has a contract for MotoGP. It is incredible what is happening with him and what he is doing is amazing. He has even won starting from the pit lane in his second race. That is a special milestone. It’s clear that this kid has a bright future ahead of him.
-Which of these two plus Martín would you most like to have on your team?
-All three. (Serie). Raúl and Acosta would form an impressive, unbeatable couple, but you have to bear in mind that things are not always linear. They have quality, but let’s see if they continue like this. They are different and make a difference with others, with their desire to win.