Interview Lucio Cecchinello: ” the CRTs are not the future of MotoGP ”

In an interview with Site, the team manager of the LCR-Honda team in MotoGP looks back on the 2011 season, reveals his 2012 objectives with Stefan Bradl and considers the future of the premier motorcycle category. Meeting with Lucio Cecchinello.

Lucio Cecchinello: the eye of the tiger !

Falling into the pot of motorbike sport from an early age, Lucio Cecchinello accumulated odd jobs before being able to satisfy his passion: to become a racing driver. Due to lack of budget, he took his first steps in the paddock as a mechanic and had to wait until he was 18 to start in the Italian sports-production championship..

Fast and diligent, the young Italian quickly climbed the ranks of motorcycle competition: vice-champion of sport-production in 1990, he became European champion 125 in 1995 and started in the world championship with his own structure from the year next.

Lucio Cecchinello won his first Grand Prix in 1998, then finished 4th in the 125 cc championship in 2001 and 2002 and ended his career in 2003 after winning his national race at Mugello (see box opposite).

Lucio Cecchinello’s career

First racing motorcycle: Honda 125 NSR in 1989 First championship: Italian Sport Production in 1989 First victory: Monza in 125 Sport Production in 1989 First seasons on the final podium: 1990 (2nd in the Italian Sport Production 125 Championship) and 1992 (2nd in the 125 European Championship) First Grand Prix: Australian GP 125 in 1993 First pole in Grand Prix: 1999 (Japanese GP 125) First GP victory: 1998 (Spanish GP 125 in Madrid) Number of GP victories: 7 (all in 125) Number of GP podiums: 19 (all in 125) Number of poles in GP: 4 (all in 125) Best result in GP: 4th overall in GP125 in 2001 and 2002

The following season, Lucio Cecchinello decided to devote himself solely to the management of his eponymous team, Lucio Cecchinello Racing (LCR). Thanks to his determination and his talent for bringing together energies – and sponsors – around his foals, he quickly became one of the most respected team managers in the paddock..

After several successful years (3rd in the 125 and 250cc championships with Locatelli and de Puniet in 2004 in particular), LCR decided in 2006 to accompany one of its most promising riders in MotoGP, a young Australian named … Casey Stoner. The Cecchinello team then made a remarkable entry into the pinnacle of motorcycle sport: the future double world champion in the category signed a pole, a podium … and an incalculable number of crashes !

But whatever: the LCR machine is launched in MotoGP and has established itself as a leading player in the world championship. Carlos Checa, Randy de Puniet then Toni Elias will follow one another with more (Randy’s podium at Donington in 2009) or less (15th in the 2011 championship with Elias) of success.

This year, Lucio Cecchinello lines up the Moto2 world champion Stefan Bradl at the start of the 2012 Moto GP world championship on the handlebars of a 1000 cc Honda RC213V.

Invited to by his sponsor Elf, the team manager gave us a long interview just before leaving for Malaysia for the first MotoGP tests (read in particular).

Moto GP enthusiasts, do you wonder about Toni Elias’ bitter underperformance in 2011? Do you want to know why LCR preferred Stefan Bradl to Randy de Puniet? Do you want the opinion of another expert (read also) on his famous MotoGP Claiming Rule Team (CRT) with a prototype chassis and a production engine? All the answers on the next page !

Interview by Alexandre BARDIN

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