Last weekend, the Italian CIV Championship took place at the glorious Enzo e Dino Ferrari International Circuit in Imola, the venue for the third of the six races scheduled for the 2021 calendar. It offered a full program with spectacular races and also saw the presence of Lorenzo Savadori.
Outgoing Superbike champion with the Nuova M2 Racing Team and current Aprilia rider in MotoGP, he met his former friends again in the championship, where he raced for five years, and presented the trophies for the Aprilia RS 660 Cup.
“I’m happy to be back in the CIV paddock, to say hello to all the members of the team I won with in 2020 and to watch the one-make cup race – he said – I’ve tested the 660cc several times, the last time in Misano, and changing direction is not as difficult as you might think “.
In his permanent debut in the top class, the Cesena driver analyzed this first half of the season. Initially in difficulty due to a shoulder injury, he became more and more confident at the RS-GP over the course of the laps, so that he achieved three top 15 and a 14th place as the best result.
“The physical mishap I had in February unfortunately conditioned me in the tests before the season and the three or four opening races.” – he specified – now I’m fine and overall I’m happy because I’m gradually getting closer to the rest of the group. Of course you can always achieve something. I am convinced that we will take another step forward after the summer break ”.
From his past in the 125cc World Championship, World Superbike and MotoE World Cup, he monopolized the scene in the CIV SBK last year with six wins in eight races and then received the offer to make his debut in MotoGP instead of Bradley Smith (replacing Andrea Iannone). The transition from RSV4 to RS-GP turned out to be difficult.
“It is not easy for a rider like me to get from the Italian championship to MotoGP – he continued – At the moment I’m trying to adapt to certain situations, such as completely different motorcycles, riding styles, tires and categories. “
Used to SBK, MotoGP has required some enforced refinement and “Sava” knows it well.
“Today you have to be precise and sensitive the main goal is to perfect both of these aspects. In Superbike, the bike allows you to almost go beyond the limits, In MotoGP it is important to have a clean driving style in order to be competitive and not lose tenths on the lap.
In fact, every session results in a tight scoring, often with the vast majority of the starting grid less than a second behind the leader.
“The level is very high. We have been observing such a trend for a number of years, the gaps are very narrow and will become even larger in the future. As for me, I expected it and took it into account. It’s a big step, but we’re getting positive feedback ”.
The 28-year-old has come a long way from testing in a hot Malaysia in 2019, a similar story for the Veneto four-cylinder bike.
“The RS-GP has improved a lot compared to the previous versions. To date, it has been fast on all types of tracks and conditions which is a positive note. Looking back on the tests in Sepang two years ago, The technicians have made a significant aerodynamic update, the two bikes don’t even seem related.
Savadori has shown himself to be sovereign, especially on the slippery asphalt, such as his appearance at Le Mans, where (somewhat surprisingly) he even made it into Q1 thanks to the fastest time.
“Unlike in the dry, when it is wet, there are movements that are similar to the style of the series bikes – he pointed out – it’s not that the realities are close, but the movements of the bike are strongly reminiscent of typical superbike movements. “.
The MotoGP circus is currently on vacation, even though June was a really busy month in terms of announcements, with Gresini-Ducati in first place.
“To be honest, I am disappointed that the Gresini team is not continuing its collaboration with Aprilia, which we started in 2015. I definitely wish you the best of luck. I share Aleix’s thoughts that it would have accelerated and made development easier to bring four motorcycles onto the track. Still, nothing changes on a small scale, the season is long and I want to show my potential.
At the same time, rumors are growing that Maverick Vinales could switch to Aleix Espargaro in 2022. It’s hard to divert attention, but Savadori has a clear vision of it.
“I’m not interested in the market chatter of the last few days, It’s my job to compete, there are numerous Grands Prix ahead of us and I will do my best by the end of 2021. The most important thing is to stay in MotoGP and my relationship with Noale will continue anyway. My thoughts are already at the double Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, where I’ve only competed in MotoE so far, ”he concluded.