In the 2024 MotoGP season Manuel Poggiali will not only support the Gresini riders as a riding coach – He is also expected to help Enea Bastinini in the factory team
For several years, former World Champion Manuel Poggiali has been supporting the Gresini team. Before the 2019 season he was introduced as riding coach. He took care of the Gresini riders in the Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE classes. When the racing team returned to MotoGP as an independent team in 2022, he also supported the riders in the premier class.
With success, as Enea Bastianini won four races the previous year. Poggiali was a piece of the puzzle for this. He was also extremely impressed with how Bastianini managed the races. There was hardly anything of that in the factory team so far this season.
With the change to the current GP23, “La Bestia” lost his feeling. In addition, there were many missed races due to injuries. “I need to improve my riding style,” he says himself about his situation. “I also hardly use the rear brake with my thumb.”
Especially in the braking phase and at the entrance to the corner, Bastianini lacks feeling. Last year, that was still his strength with the GP21. Despite the difficult season, Ducati stands by the Italian. They are doing everything they can to help Bastianini get back on track.
And this is where Poggiali comes into play. According to a report from our Italian colleagues at GPOne.com, the 40-year-old will also be available to the Ducati factory team as a riding coach next year.
First and foremost, he is to support Bastianini. But Poggiali will also continue to look after the Gresini team, which will then compete with Alex and Marc Marquez. “Nothing will change for us,” Alex Marquez holds.
“Manuel will no longer help the Gresini Moto2 riders. He is a great support in our team. If he can share more information from the factory team with us, it will be good for everyone. I think this is a smart decision for them, but also for Gresini. “
Poggiali, who hails from San Marino, will therefore focus mainly on MotoGP. Next year Gresini will compete in the Moto2 class with two new riders. These are Albert Arenas and Manuel Gonzalez.
20 years ago, Poggiali was one of the rising talents of the motorcycle world championship. In 2001 he became world champion in the 125cc class. The following year, he failed to defend his title. He was defeated by Arnaud Vincent.
In 2003, Poggiali switched to the 250cc class and became world champion at the first attempt. His career then went downhill. In 2004, he won only one race. After two unsuccessful years, he retired due to burnout syndromes.
In 2008, Poggiali ventured a comeback with Gilera in the quarter-liter class, but after only five finishes in the first ten races (including only one top-10 result), Poggiali ended his career as a motorcycle racer in the middle of the season at the age of 25.