Bravo, Pecco Bagnaia, the most Italian champion

Bagnaia, MotoGP champion being an Italian with an Italian motorcycle like Agostini 50 years ago and the first for his country after his mentor Rossi

If you put the word 'Bravo' in Google translate or in any dictionary, you will get several definitions: 'Good', 'brave' or even 'Good boy'. And all are valid for Pecco Bagnaia. "When he came for the first time with the Academy, he was very polite, correct, without swear words... not like us from Emilia Romagna," Andrea Migno says, evoking the character of the Turinese.

So it was and so it is. But he also makes mistakes. Quite a few on the track, as he is the first winner with five zeros in a course, and outside, like in the summer when he had an accident and tested positive for alcohol. What happens is that others insist on repeating them and he sees them as lessons. "I try to improve every day. Without mistakes you can't learn, it's part of life," he says.

Of course, he has made up for it with the biggest comeback in the history of the queen class. In Germany, after beating Quartararo and he crashed, he was at 91 points... and the crown is his. That was precisely the turning point. "I only lost faith in not winning the World Championship for two hours, at the Sachsenring. Then, I believed again. We had an incredible second part of the season. We analyzed where we made the mistakes. We deserved it, really," he released. It helped that his factory beat the rest in evolution.

Of course, the '63' was more than aware of Ducati's desire for victory, which they had not achieved since 2007, with Casey Stoner, in his only wound. "Being second was not allowed," he came to proclaim. He suffered in the race and was only ninth, but that doesn't matter. The fact is that an Italian won with an Italian motorcycle, something that had not happened since 1972 with Giacomo Agostini and MV Agusta. Neither Loris Capirossi, nor Andrea Dovizioso nor Valentino Rossi managed it.

Degree for the academy

Precisely, the nine-time world champion, present in Cheste, was able to celebrate the first title of the queen class of the Academy. "I felt that pressure on my shoulders to win again. Vale told me: 'You have to be proud to have this possibility, not everyone does. You have to be happy and enjoy it.' And I tried, but it wasn't like that," he revealed. Pecco.

However, before entering the Tavullia Academy, Bagnaia trained in Spain, under the umbrella of Emilio Alzamora, who put him on the same team as Álex Márquez and Álex Rins. And then he grew up with Aspar. In fact, thanks to a bet with the four-time champion and Gino Borsoi, he got on the MotoGP Ducati in 2016. Bagnaia said he would be able to climb to the top of the drawer with a Mahindra and he did. It was his first World Cup victory and a key point.

That's why even Aspar or Borsoi joined the party in the middle of the track, a prelude to ecstasy in the pits. Domizia, his girlfriend, wept inconsolably. She is the one who suffers the most, because she doesn't even look at the screen during the race and her gesture is always disjointed. Carola, her sister, also shed all the tears that her integrity contained. By the way, his name is Pecco because of her, because as a child she had a hard time pronouncing Francesco.

Megaphone and wigs

Ducati tiene una fama, bien ganada, de que son los más bulliciosos al triunfar. Como buenos latinos, cumplieron con creces. Un megáfono, de forma constante, hacía sonar el 'Oé, oé, oé'. El griterío era ensordecedor con pelucas rojas hasta en la cabeza de Dall'Igna. 'La, la, la, Gigi is on fire', le gritaban. Sólo Claudio Domenicali, el CEO, que se fue rápido con su camisa roja conmemorativa, o el antiguo diplomático, Paolo Ciabatti -director deportivo- resultaban reconocibles.

It seemed that all of Borgo Panigale had come to be in that box. The youngest took photos with his face and pointing to the '1' on the fairing of the Desmosedici. Instagram was waiting for you. The mechanical veterans let loose and threw water or prosecco even interrupting the direct television broadcasts. "I put this in the suitcase and for home," one of them joked with the poster of the playpen with the slogan 'World Champion 2022'.

It was necessary to resort to the classics, such as The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army', converted in 2006 into the anthem of Italy's victory in the World Cup. Or 'We Are The Champions', by Queen. All before sneaking into the official press conference and showering Bagnaia in cava between screams. He, correct, endured stoically.

'Go free' -go free- as it says on his overalls, he only kept his word. "I feel like the job is done and I'm free now," he said. Later, with more intimacy, he let go more. It was not for less with hugs everywhere and more songs. Bravo, Pecco, deserved champion. Bravo, Italy and Bravo, Ducati.    

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