Confidential Box: There is one thing that escapes me on a Ducati without a rider

I’m running away from something.

Just a few weeks ago, we were breaking down the daisy where MotoGP riders will be riding next season. Many candidates and motorcycles are missing. But within a few days the situation was reversed, and by now there were surprisingly few riders to complete the MotoGP starting grid. After confirming the continuation of the category of Moto2 riders who will compete in MotoGP – Tony Arbolino, Jake Dixon, Ai Ogura… – suddenly there is a bike without a rider for next year. And it’s not just any motorcycle, but a Ducati, the motorcycle that everyone on the grid wants to ride. The first is Team Gresini where Alex Márquez plays; the second in Jorge Martín’s Team PRAMAC. In the last case, we are also talking about a Ducati factory, of the latest generation. In one of the two will sit more likely Franco Morbidelli, in the other, sorry, I have no idea. Also, no matter how much I guess, I can’t figure out where the missing pilot will come from.

Obviously, Aleix doesn’t like corners.

What an exhibition of Aleix Espargaró this afternoon in Montmeló. It’s true that it’s only the first day, but the level that the man from Granollers showed today overwhelmed his competitors. A new absolute track record -the previous one was also his-, and a difference of more than 3 tenths with respect to the second fastest driver of the day, his teammate Maverick Viñales, remains as a warning to the sailors. One/two that confirms what Aleix has been repeating since the beginning of the season: circuits with strong braking and acceleration from a distance are not for Aprilia, preferring what are called in slang tracks with flow on the na the sections are linked to each other. Even on asphalt described by riders as having the lowest grip in the World Championship, Noale-branded bikes are capable of traction like no other. And as usual with him, Aleix doesn’t hide. “I will go for the race on Sunday”, the same that escaped him last year due to an oversight. Montmeló has a pending account with Espargaró.

The pilots: it’s time to get organized.

On the eve of the start of the GP, that is, last Thursday, a ‘special’ meeting was held at the Circuit where the drivers,

With no one present but one of them, they agreed to lay the first stone to create an association, union, committee or whatever you want to call it, that defends the collective interest. And not only for MotoGP riders, but for riders of all categories. Rarely, and that does not serve as a precedent, there was unity among them to begin developing an idea aimed at defending the interests of the most vulnerable against the actions they consider abusive by some teams in the lower categories . Practices like, for example, randomly demoting a motorcycle rider mid-season because someone knocked on the door with a ‘generous’ sponsor. This association wants to give a voice and coverage to those who until now have no defense against this type of abuse. Another issue brought to the table is the pitiful compensation that some pilots receive in the lower categories, when they are not forced to pay for the race. What happened on Thursday was the first step, and now it’s time to shape this idea. The strategy, by the way, is not new in the motor world. Without going any further, F1 has long had a Drivers Association.