– Sito Pons (Photos above) is a Continental Circus world champion, two 250 titles in 1988 and 1989, he is now a team manager in Moto2 (Pons racing). It was with him that Pol Espargaro became world champion in 2013, in 2022 he rolled Canet and Navarro. We learn that he was accused of Spanish tax fraud, the prosecutor asked (I’m hallucinating!) 24 years in prison and a 12 million fine ! Good among the pilots of that time (Rossi also had problems) it’s quite classic, but the guy who sued him is seriously ill (he may not know that Franco is dead…). Well, Pons, who lives in England, has enough to afford heavy lawyers and has been pleaded that when he was racing he spent more than 200 days a year outside Spain, that’s the thing that kill customs and therefore their ministries of finance, the same in France, more than 183 days abroad you have the right to pay your taxes there. And guess where he lived in Sito Pons? Monaco of course, the French no longer have the right since De Gaulle (unless the Prince decides) but the Spaniards yes ! The lawyers were able to show that in fact he had lived outside Spain for thirty years, between Monaco and England where he resides today. So it must have cost him a drooling blind but he is acquitted. I know him a little, he’s a charming guy, indeed not a joke on the dough but this decision of acquittal makes me laugh. Firstly because the penalty requested was stupid, then because in Europe, there is no tax unit and that is even more stupid. A country like Ireland, for example, allows enormous revenues to pass through (zero tax) and Google took advantage of this by passing $75 billion in profits to Bermuda by transiting through Ireland. Filthy, to puke. So Pons, bravo… And MEPs that’s when you want general tax reform!
– Aprilia is looking for a title sponsor ! Again, it’s hard to believe. We are in this industrial Italy which is so powerful, especially in the north, where generations of pilots and prestigious brands have found great financial support, with colossal results, I mentioned it at the beginning of the paper, we will come back to it for the subject. of the day. Piaggio, owner of Aprilia, made the best financial results in its history over the first nine months of 2022. Net profit up 37%, 490,000 vehicles sold over the same period, a growth of 14%! (Source Votoh). And yes there is something to dream about… And when Rivola recruited in MotoGP and even in F1 from which he comes, Piaggio paid without flinching. The arrival of these highly qualified personnel, though not necessarily born in Veneto, caused a bit of a stir. We’ll say that Venetians have very strong cultural habits that they hold dear… When you go to the festival, a unique place in the world , no interest in talking bullshit about the Veneziani...
With these new engineers and their crazy creations, we talked about it yesterday, Aprilia had an insane 2022 season, with technical faults at the end of the year which somewhat buried the immense successes which brought Aleix Espargaro not far behind the world leaders. But we are starting again in 2023 with the addition of a satellite team. So obviously you can count on that you’ve stuffed yourself financially, an accountant remains an accountant and that of Piaggio must have pointed out that a title sponsor on the beautiful black and red motorcycles decorated with Italian colors would be good seen and welcome. Suddenly Rivola must from time to time let go of his technical finds in 2023 to call people who want to make themselves known… By putting money on the team. You have to know how to do everything in this job…
– The five aces of Rossi... Rossi has succeeded, he is the only one, to have taken motorcycle GPs out of their little world of insiders. He wanted a tenth title to find himself alone with Agostini and Nieto on the honor roll, we know that this title was stolen from him on the green carpet, of which act, we will remain at nine. Well not really. a bit more, his athletic children also win… Rossi, one day, gave a hand to a future giant, Simoncelli, who became 250 world champion (but killed himself in Sepang in 2011, he was 24 years old). VSIt was from this joint driving with SIC that the idea of the VR46 Academy was born. Which makes number 46 still on track, suggested or real. And efficient! We obviously start with Bagnaia, an eminent member of the Rossi sporting family. 13 years after Rossi’s last title, his pupil brings home the MotoGP title. It’s funny by the way, the press jumped on two figures, 15 years since Stoner, 50 years since Agostini and the last Italian title on an Italian motorcycle. And these thirteen years of absence of an Italian driver at the top, we have almost ignored them! Since Rossi in 2009 there have been three titles for Lorenzo (Spain), six for Marc Marquez (Spain) one for Joan Mir (Spain and one for Quartararo (France). Bagnaia is therefore a kind of comeback, it was about time, Italy has its favorite bread nibbled, the vittoria ! When Bagnaia was seventeen, he nearly dropped out of the game, zero points in his Moto3 year. Caught up by Rossi and his friend Salucci (Uccio) and back in the saddle… with a Moto2 title in 2018 and one in MotoGP in 2022. Rossi is therefore still there, even under another race number!
In the five aces of Rossi there is his half-brother Marini, who set the fastest time in the Valencia tests at the end of this season, also had to struggle a bit before joining the team. Vice-world champion in Moto2 in 2020, he is going to MotoGP, he will race this year with the VR46 team on Ducati, he is a close contact with podiums who wants and must climb the steps! Still in the Rossi family, we find Marco Bezzecchi, best rookie of 2022, he also drives in the VR46 team and therefore a Ducati, he has to his credit from his first year in MotoGP a pole and a podium, a beautiful podium, a second place. Of course it is in high demand, VR46 is an Academy, not a monopoly. Success is beautiful Rossi and his lynx eyes spotted a hell of a runner ! And ” Beze considered as a real rising value. Also from the Academy, Franco Morbidelli, who arrived hurricane style, MotoGP world vice-champion in 2020. Then it’s the descent into hell, impossible to know if he has already eaten all his white bread, in a single year, it would be a shame but he too will have taken his part in the world game. Decisive season in 2023, we come out from above… or from below… So remains the fifth man of the band, Vietti, who is in Moto2which started the 2022 season still in hurricane mode, perhaps this is the hallmark of the Academy, like the Actor’s studio for American comedians or the very prestigious Royal College of Music in London. 21 years old, three victories at the start of the season then a colossal number of falls over the rest of the year. The Academy is trying to get him back on track this winter, he will be in Moto2 in 2023 with the Fantic team… A famous Italian off-road brand, which bought Minarelli engines from Yamaha. It will, alas, like all Moto2s, have a Triumph engine on a Kalex or Boscoscuro frame, but the Italian brand image is nice, KTM set the example and pulled off a nice brand image. Forza Vietti!