Marco Rigamonti’s poise and elegance make him measured when asked to compare Marc Marquez, who handed him his first MotoGP title as a crew chief last Sunday, with the other riders he has worked with.
Ducati entrusted Rigamonti with the greatest challenge of his career, and the Italian has responded brilliantly.
“The first thing I thought when they offered me the job was that I must have done something right,” Rigamonti says in conversation with Autosport inside Ducati’s hospitality unit at Motegi, where he also ended up in tears after his rider secured his seventh MotoGP crown and finally found peace with himself.
Q: What was the first thought that came to mind when Ducati told you that you would be working with Marquez?
MR: “The first feeling was satisfaction, because in some way it meant Ducati trusted me. I must have done something right. I already knew he was a special rider – his career proves that. But I did not expect this level of dominance. Nor did I expect his human side. As an athlete, the numbers he has achieved speak for themselves, and that already sets him apart. But what I didn’t imagine was meeting someone so approachable, who blends in with the team as if he were just another member.”
Q: What has surprised you the most about working with him?
MR: “Marc has given the whole working group a huge amount of confidence in what we do. Nobody expected a championship like this, and now we are fully aware of what this kid can do on a bike. That makes you approach every weekend with the feeling that things can go well. Just think about it – he’s been on the podium in every race he’s finished.”
Q: Considering what he did last year at Gresini, on a previous year’s bike, didn’t that give you a hint of the superiority we’re seeing now?
MR: “The doubts that remained after the fourth operation were cleared up last season, especially because it was his first with a bike he didn’t know. But that doesn’t even come close to what he has done this year. The step forward has been enormous.”
Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing, Marco Rigamonti
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Q: You’ve worked with many different riders. Is there something that particularly sets him apart?
MR: “I would describe Marc with two adjectives: complete and positive. Complete, because he is in every aspect – in the garage, on the track, when training on his own. He pays attention to everything. And positive because he faces any problem calmly. Racing is about problems, crashes, mechanical issues. If the rider keeps a cool head, that helps everyone around him.”
Q: Back in his Honda days, some suggested that his sheer speed could actually hinder development, because of his ability to be competitive no matter what bike he rides.
MR: “That’s not entirely false, but not in the way it’s sometimes portrayed. What makes Marc different is his ability to give 100% even when he doesn’t feel completely comfortable. You can give him a part that feels worse, and he’ll tell you it feels worse, that he’s less comfortable – but he also knows he’ll still be able to go just as fast as with the other part or set-up. That, of course, makes a difference, and you see it in the results.”
Q: But could that be a limitation in the bike’s development?
MR: “Not at all. In fact, that has been another discovery. Contrary to what some people say, Marc is very sensitive and precise when he describes what’s happening with the bike. He identifies it and defines it clearly, even if he’s still able to give 100% of what he has. If you only looked at the stopwatch, then yes, you could be misled. But if you combine that with his feedback, you know development is on the right track. Actually, many of his comments line up with Pecco’s, and we know he’s also very sensitive.”
Q: Watching him on the bike, his posture doesn’t look entirely natural after so many operations on his right arm. Does that limitation show up in the data?
MR: “You don’t see it in the data. What we do see is that he has a bit more difficulty in certain right-hand corners. But he says he’s always had those issues, so I think it’s more related to his riding style. Given all the surgeries that arm has been through, it’s hard for him to find a comfortable position, because he lacks some strength.”
Q: Without that limitation would he be even faster?
MR: “Maybe, but it could also be that the inferno he went through pushed him to take a mental step forward. This is not only about the physical side, and probably all those operations made him improve in other areas, like risk management. This year, for example, he has crashed much less than usual for him.”
Q: Does it surprise you that someone who has won so much has no problem openly admitting a mistake when he makes one?
MR: “Working with Marc is easy because he makes it easy. When there’s a drop in performance, he explains where it comes from. With a crash, it’s the same. When the responsibility is his, he takes it without hesitation. Sometimes he tells us that there are things he just can’t do, because he couldn’t do them back at Honda either, or even in Moto2. That gives you a lot of serenity.”
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