And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, we come to one of my favourite weekends of the entire year, the long winter has finished at last, as Moto GP returns! And this story is a tribute from me to a remarkable woman, Nadia Padovani, the widow of former Grand Prix winner and World Champion Fausto Gresini, who set up the team she now runs. With some success, in 2022 her rider Enea Bastianini won 4 Grand Prix, before leaving to join the factory Ducati team in 2023. And last years didn't go trophyless, a couple of Sprint Race victories for her new rider Alex Marquez, including one in front of me at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. With the very real prospect of more success this year as his brother, 8 times World Champion, Marc will join her team.
But i will understand if you don't like this story too much, it's more Moto GP rather than rope work, but hey, i never even won a club race in my own motorcycle racing career, so at least here i can win a Grand Prix!
One thing i need to point out, this is all a product of my imagination and has NEVER happened in real life. I'm not suggesting that Nadia Padovani has EVER acted as described below. And therefore i have slightly changed the names.
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AN EXTRA WINNER'S TROPHY!
I wasn't one of the real Championship contenders at all, more one of the also-rans. Nobody penned MY name first when asked just who they predicted to win a Moto Grand Prix race, I wasn't in the same league as the likes of Marc Marquez, Fabio Quartararo or Pecco Bagnaia for example. Although it also needs to be said that my Trophy Cabinet wasn't entirely empty, there were several Grand Prix Victory trophies from the lower classes, Moto 2 & 3, present within. I wasn't an idiot then, I could ride, but I wasn't one of the real talents of the sport.
And I sensed that Nadine Pattonia, widow of the former Champion and Race Winner Frasco Gallio who'd set the team up in the first place, had chosen to sign myself because there were few other options available to her. Nevertheless, I fully agreed to ride for her team, although last year's model, she could provide me with reasonable competitive machinery, a Ducati. For the produce of the Bologna factory had proven to be THE bike to be on within Moto Grand Prix for the last few seasons. Maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to showcase my talents and produce some reasonable results riding for her. Who knows, just for one day the Gods might smile in my direction and I'd be able to achieve my main aim in life now, I'd claim a winner's trophy in the big class, I'd win a Moto GP class Grand Prix.
Now Nadine was clearly several years older than me, and to be totally honest I never once regarded her in that way, if you all know just what I mean. She was my boss, she owned and ran the Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle outfit I now rode for, as far as I was concerned that was our relationship in full, whether I found her attractive or not didn't even enter into the equation at all. I was in her team to deliver results on the racetrack, not in the bedroom. Or so I thought!
For Nadine was human after all, and to be honest, I was a good-looking male back in those days. I mean, I was a professional sportsman, therefore I was fully fit with my body in a great physical condition, I'd looked after myself. And during that 'closed season,' over the Winter, I found myself alone in her company during the Team's Christmas party. With myself basically sober, one of the requirements of looking after my body I guess; however, Nadine had consumed a few glasses of wine, and by now was a little drunk.
"Darling," she started, "do you think you can win a Moto Grand Prix for me?" Planting a kiss upon my cheek.
"I certainly hope so, Signora Pattonia. I will try my very best to achieve that, I promise you!"
"Nadine, please. No need for formalities here. And I just know that you will, you'll give everything you have to achieve the best results that you can. It's why I was so willing to sign you up and give you a chance."
"Thank you again Nadine. I appreciate your faith in me."
"You're welcome. However, how about you make me another promise Darling?"
"What have you in mind, Nadine?"
"How about you promise me, that IF you do win a Moto Grand Prix, that you allow me to take you to my bed? And then allow me to ravish you in any way I see fit! Including tying you to my furniture!"
Cards on the table then! I looked into her gorgeous eyes, and simply said, "yes Nadine. IF I win a Grand Prix, then I'll gladly give you what you ask for." Taking her hand as I did so. With that Nadine simply winked at me, and left my company, to mingle I guess.
To be completely honest, once the time had come for riding bikes again, I'd totally forgotten about this promise to Nadine that I'd made. As the team got down to business, in the form of testing in preparation for the forthcoming season began, it appeared that Nadine had also dismissed it, she had far more pressing and important things to consider now. Whilst not challenging for the 'top time' during any of the test sessions, I acquitted myself well, learning how to cope with the extra size and power of a proper Moto GP bike compared to the Moto 2 one I'd ridden during the previous year.
Decent, if not outstanding, form that continued as testing became actual racing. I started the season well, four top ten finishes in the first four Grand Prix, for instance. Good but not great. It did mean some 'points' on the board, however. But things took a little turn for the worst in the fifth round, a mistake, entirely of my own making, resulted in my first crash during a Moto GP class race, no Championship points then and a quite severely damaged bike!
Nadine graciously forgave me though. "After all, I know you're trying!" Although, for a couple more rounds that crash did seem to play upon my mind. Meaning, as the first part of the season came to an end, the summer break beginning after the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen, I was quite a way down in the Championship. With that promise to Nadine appearing to look completely academic, there seemed no chance of me winning a Moto Grand Prix on my current form.
But then, in the first race back after said break, things, in particular the weather, took a turn for the worse, or rather the better from my point of view; I'd always ridden well in the wet, several of those smaller class victories occurring when the track was covered in water. Not only that, but this was also MY home round, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Friday however, had been totally dry, meaning I was out of the top ten after that day's practice sessions. But having to go out in Q1 proved to be to my advantage, I was comfortably fastest, and with a real feel for the prevailing track conditions, something the ten automatic qualifiers didn't have for the Q2 session. And therefore, I qualified, for the first time in my Moto GP career on the front row, only just missing out on my very first Pole Position.
Race day itself dawned to cloudless skies. But as the start time for the race approached, dark clouds could be seen, rather threatening clouds. Was rain on its way? I sure hoped so, a wet track was my best chance of a good result, maybe even a podium finish!
As the race started the track was still bone dry however, meaning that at the end of the first lap, I'd actually dropped down to third position. When the race settled down, that third position became somewhat safe, some shenanigans behind me had resulted in a rather nice little gap between me and the rider in fourth, behind. But the top two had also pulled away a little, do I attempt to catch them, or settle for the position that I'm currently in?
Now the rain started to fall, and that rather made up my mind for me. You see, it never fell strongly or for long enough to require a change of tyres, or to be more accurate, a change of bike with rain tyres fitted, to become necessary. No, this was purely 'mental rain' that we were dealing with here. The gentle sort that never really reduces the grip level of the track, but appears streaming on a rider's visor, giving the impression of trouble ahead.
As I began to close the gap rapidly to the two ahead of me, it occurred that these two riders were in real contention for the Championship lead, they could not afford a non-score. But me? I wasn't going to win the title anyway; I had nothing to lose! I could, go for it!