Imola…. The report of a magnificent Sunday….

One of the fortunes that have happened to me recently is the invitation from Bimota and Team Alstare to attend the first Italian stage of the SBK world championship live. So, like a child in the land of toys, I found myself at the Dino and Enzo Ferrari racetrack in Imola among a thousand "goodies".

My guide was Silvano Martinotti, the new Italian sales manager of the Rimini company. I had the opportunity to admire in person the men and the motorbikes who, thanks to their technique, class and courage, make the hearts of millions of enthusiasts from all over the world beat faster. Shining brightly both in the paddock and on the track are the stars of the Bimota galaxy.

The lights of the BB3, DB8, Tesi 3D-E, DB9 Brivido displayed in the hospitality area illuminated the eyes of thousands of motorcyclists. And right between the curbs of the Santerno circuit, Ayrton Badovini and Christian Iddon were the steeds who unleashed the horses of the BB3 managed by the expert hands of the technicians led by Francis Batta.

The most exciting sporting moment was when Ayrton, at the end of the second heat, returned to the garage and long applause welcomed his triumphal march; the hug with Batta and the joy of both of them moved everyone. Behind every race there are the commitment, intuitions, sacrifices, efforts and determination of many men and when the results arrive, you are even more proud to be part of that group.

Motorcycling for me is only apparently an individual sport; the pilot is the last fundamental link in a chain that arises from the vision of a technician, where minds and pulse condense into a compelling whole. In the Imola garage you could breathe for a while the same confidence that reigned at Donington in 1988, when Davide Tardozzi on a Bimota won the first heat of the world championship dedicated to production derivatives.

It's nice to see Bimota again today committed to bringing the tricolor high around the world. At the stand I had the opportunity to meet and have a chat with Marco Chiancianesi, who, together with Daniele Longoni, heads the Rimini atelier. I was struck by the idea of ​​focusing on the Bimota-technology equation. For him, the next Bimotas must be an expression of the best technology applicable to a two-wheeler, to best respond to the need to enhance the pleasure of riding a motorbike.

ALFREDO DI COSTANZO