MotoGP: Remembering Fausto Gresini – A career like no other

Fausto Gresini has sadly passed away this morning after almost two months of battling against Covid-19.

The legendary Italian made history as a two-time 125cc champion and created a legacy as a team founder.

A much loved key figure in the paddock, he will be deeply missed.

“I didn’t have the financial possibilities, so in the evening, together with my boss at the time, we started working on the bike with which I was competing in the first races.

I dreamed one day of being on the track, maybe of finishing last but I wanted to be on the track.”

Fausto Gresini on the beginnings of his riding career

Gresini started competing in the 125cc world championship in 1983; he took his debut win the following season and one year later, he clinched the crown for the first time with the Garelli Team.

Narrowly beaten to the title by Luca Cadalora in 1986, Gresini fought back the season after. He won 10 out of 11 races, a DNF in Portugal his only letdown that season, for an emphatic championship success and to secure his place in Grand Prix history.

Gresini became one of the most successful riders of his era in the 125cc class, accumulating a total of 21 wins. After his final season as a rider in 1994, he sought a new venture and began a career on the other side of the pit wall.

“I had nothing but passion and a good project on paper.”

Fausto Gresini on the early days of his racing team

The Gresini Team entered the stage in 1997 and competed in the 500cc class for two years before stepping down to 250cc. Together with rider Daijiro Kato, they dominated the series in 2001 and took their first championship in spectacular fashion.

Gresini were back in the big time, but it was to end in tragedy for their star rider:

“Kato immediately achieved good results. But in the first Grand Prix of his second year, he lost his life. That was a difficult time. You wonder to what extent you really like that job, if you could do something different, you ask yourself about every action you have done to understand if you have made some mistake.”

Fausto Gresini

His own experience as a rider helped Gresini find strength in such adversity. Riders are aware of the risk that comes with the sport and convinced Kato would have asked the team to keep running, Gresini continued the project.

In the very next race Sete Gibernau secured the outfit’s first premier class race victory.

“You never think it’s the last race, you always chase a dream and you always think of winning. You must always have the motivation to be a winner.

The determination in wanting the result also served me well when I became a team manager.”

Fausto Gresini on his motivation and passion in motorcycle racing

In 2010 Marco Simoncelli arrived in his garage. Simoncelli quickly made headlines with his aggressive and spectacular riding style and began to reap the first results with podiums in his second seasons.

“But even there came a cursed Sunday which took him away from us. I lost two riders. My career as a team manager was not easy either. It is never easy to get out of these situations.”

Fausto Gresini

Yet, Gresini continued to persuade his passion in motorcycle racing and the team added three more titles to their collection: Toni Elias in 2010 in Moto2, Jorge Martin in 2018 in Moto3 and Gresini Racing also secured the inaugural MotoE World Cup with Matteo Ferrari.

Gresini’s relationship with the sport he loved hasn’t always been the easiest, but he has made an incredible contribution to bike racing:

”In these 20 years as team manager we have written many pages of motorcycling, we represent something important and we are proud of it. I filled my days with motorcycling. This sport today is completely different from how it was when I started, I have experienced the evolution as a rider and as a team manager. A lot has been done for safety and to make better bikes.

Everyone who does my job has contributed to making motorcycling better and I am proud of it because I am part of it. This is the most important thing.”

Fausto Gresini

Gresini Racing compete in all three grand prix racing classes in 2021 and will race on in their founder’s honour.

Fausto Gresini will be remembered for both his achievements on track and his legacy as a team founder and manager. In the paddock, he was a colleague to many, a friend to all and will be sorely missed.

Everyone at Motorsport.Radio extend their deepest condolences to Gresini’s family, friends, colleagues, teams and more at this most difficult time.

Ciao Fausto.