A World Championship Wizard, Campinoti Wins and Restarts in MotoGP: "What a Journey with Martin"

Paolo Campinoti, owner, number one of the Pramac Ducati team, Tuscany in his heart, world champion: shall we turn on the time machine for a moment?

"What do you mean? Anyway, yes, I'm in."

New Year's Eve 2024, so a year ago: was one of your toasts also about finding yourself here, 12 months later, as the winner of the World Cup?

"Are you joking? No. Absolutely not. We all have dreams, of course, and among mine was also that of seeing my team win the title. But I really didn't expect 2024 to end like this, in an incredible, wonderful, perfect way."

Let's pretend that the 'hangover' of the first hours after the party has faded: how do you describe the Pramac team's climb to the top of the MotoGP world?

"This is the right term: we climbed. We took many little steps at a time. Small, important, and we reached the top of the mountain. The beauty is that we had a wonderful journey, an incredible journey without almost knowing where we would arrive. What is certain, however, is that we found ourselves at the top aware of the many efforts and sacrifices put in over the years. We worked so hard, fought and today everything is incredibly beautiful".

Campinoti, now the time machine shows us the film of Martin's season. Was there a GP, a day, a moment in which you said to yourself: we'll win the World Championship?

"A precise moment, dry, no. But I started to believe in the title when we were good and able to get out of the difficulties. I'll give you an example: German GP, ​​at the Sachsenring. Martin is first and goes down three laps from the end. Well, when it's not your season with episodes like that you lose everything. Result, confidence, optimism, we instead got back up, we started again and at the next race, the shadows of that disappointment had already evaporated. In situations like these I thought that the title could come to Pramac".

Can you tell us about your Martin?

"He arrived at Pramac when he was practically a child. With us he grew up, matured and became an adult."

And world champion.

"Martin has an enormous talent. But he was good at taking the next step, that of combining his incredible speed, because he is a very fast driver, with a decisive maturity. He grew up, he became a calculator. And where just a year ago he dared too much and perhaps fell, throwing everything away, in 2024, he began to change, to understand that even a second place brought golden points. Never give up on something became his motto. And he won".

But Martin will no longer be his son, his pilot. He has chosen another house, that of Aprilia: have you already said goodbye?

"But no. Why say goodbye? Our relationship, like the one we've always had with our riders, remains. On a human level, what there was between Martin, me and Pramac will always remain. We'll see each other again on the track. And every time it will be a beautiful thing."

Speaking of goodbyes: Pramac will no longer be a Ducati team. Winning the World Championship and saying goodbye: why?

"Because certain changes are part of life. They are life. The important thing is to carry with you and within you the beauty that you have achieved together. And we and Ducati have achieved many beautiful things."

How did it feel to end this adventure with Borgo Panigale?

"The truth?"

Right.

"When I went to Ducati to say my last goodbyes, I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because, as I was saying, we did great things together. Sad because leaving people, affections, and relationships that are certainly very deep is not easy. For anyone."

And here we are in the future: Pramac will be a satellite team of Yamaha. More beautiful or more complicated challenge?

"First, I think that in Yamaha we have chosen to repeat a path that could be very similar to what happened with Ducati. Yamaha is not coming from an easy period, just like Borgo Panigale in the years when we began the collaboration. We, for sure, are a team that brings new life, a lot of organization and, compared to the beginning with Ducati, now also a lot of experience".

And if you had to talk about objectives right away, what is the Pramac-Yamaha team aiming for?

"We want to help bring back up there, at the top, a brand that for years has led the world of MotoGP. We have a lot of pride inside. We are satisfied with this choice and... why not, we can try again what we did with Ducati".

Your riders are Oliveira, ex Aprilia, and Jack Miller, ex KTM: a mix to fight immediately at a good level, don't you agree?

"They are two experienced riders who come from different backgrounds. Yes, I agree, it's a good mix. I don't know Oliveira that well, while Miller... well, for him it's a homecoming. I've always liked him. He's a really strong rider and it's right to give him a chance again, especially us who have been his family for a long time."

Campinoti, it's time to toast to the coming 2025... so, like a year ago, cheers without thinking about madness?

"Well... what do you say?"