12Unfortunately, Rins had a crash in the Valencia test which took him out for Jerez, but he is recovering positively and we have good hopes to see him perfectly fit at the end of January in Sepang; indeed I know he has already started to train again. Andrea instead did very positive tests; his priority of course, was to take the first steps with the GSX-RR and his feedback was positive. From my perspective, I mean for the communication part of their job, the 2017 season is looking to be very exciting: On one side, Alex Rins will need a lot of support, as the activities for a MotoGP rider is more-and-more demanding than when you are in minor class. Already in Valencia, I met a very enthusiast young man, eager to learn and to accept all our support, which is the perfect attitude for my job. On the other side, Andrea is already a well-experienced and known rider; and in Italy he is also a public personality away from the track: This means we have already collected much attention and this will continue over the season which will require a full commitment.” “Unfortunately for me, the work of the marketing and communication department never stops; but this is also what makes this work in a Factory Team in MotoGP so exciting! I will spend the winter creating some off-season content to deliver to global media and fans, such as the SV650A road-trip mini video series, but mainly to plan the improvements for next year. This will include a trip to Japan to present and discuss our ideas with the management. It will be my very first trip to the headquarters and I am already super-excited for this. In 2017 also a new Marketing and Communication Manager is joining us and we are already working on the new plans. Of course, media will require some attention, as they need news to feed their readers during the boring winter, and this will be my daily job in December and January. And finally, we are also already organising the official team launch event for the end of January, which is expected to be a huge event.”What is your best moment – or most emotional - this year at Team SUZUKI ECSTAR? “More than the funniest thing, I will always remember one of the most emotional things we did as a team. When the riders came in to the pit after the last race in Valencia, they found the whole team waiting for them outside the garage, in the pit lane. It wasn’t planned, the idea came right in that moment to our Team Co-ordinator Roberto Brivio and simply we all felt we wanted to get outside and welcome them like a big hug. We went out and created a corridor into two wings of people where they arrived with the machines and we all shared the sadness of the goodbye, but also the satisfaction with the successes achieved in the season. This is what makes us a real family; the best moments come without any planning, we just felt we were acting as if were one.”What’s your saddest moment or memory of 2016 – and why?“Needless to say, the saddest moment was when we knew about Maverick’s decision to leave Team SUZUKI ECSTAR in 2017. Not only because we had big expectations of him with Suzuki, but also because that meant finishing an era and that we had to rebuild a team, changing both riders. Of course, we are all happy for the new riders, Iannone and Rins, but it took me some time to set myself and reorganise the program and the planning.”Now Team SUZUKI ECSTAR has had two tests at Valencia and Jerez, what do you think of the new riders and how were they in your opinion? “Although Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins are obviously different riders compared to Espargaró and Viñales, their arrival is a sort of ‘continuity’ with the Team’s philosophy of having an experienced rider that can immediately aim for podiums; and a young talent to be grown. In this sense, we are going to restart the same project we established in 2015 but with two more years of experience in this. What are your plans over the winter months? Do you stop for a break, or are you working on other things with the team?
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