Morning people
There was an incredible special edition of an Italian program called Matrix last night, with Guido Meda (MotoGP commentator par excellance), a lady from Gazzetta dello Sport, Agostini, de Adamic (ex F1 racer) and a couple of other guys in attendance, as well as a live link to Coriano where Marco's family lives. I can't tell you all how incredibly moving the whole thing was...an at length interview with Paolo, his dad, and then his mum and girlfriend Kate.
I don't know how much of it will be reported in other press so thought I'd share a few moving moments with you.
A good chunk of the whole thing was his dad talking. He smiled, he cried, he opened his home and his heart. A lot of the interview was conducted straight from Marco's bedroom. I'd seen Marco being interviewed a couple of years back and 'showing off' his bedroom. A small tiny space, barely big enough for his single bed and a rack of shelves on which he kept some books and a collection of helmets. Also a donkey soft toy which he said some friends had given him to remind him not to be an .... Well, two years on and the room is unchanged, except that the bike he won the 250cc championship on was somehow squeezed into the non-existant space. Because despite being a world-known rider, Sic always went back home to mum and dad, to sleep in the same bed in his little room.
Some things his dad said which are worth mentioning...actually I wish I could type it all out for you...there was nothing pointless that man said, but here goes:
He said he wanted to make it a point, that the two people who most hurt his son's heart throughout his years of racing, Bautista and Pedrosa, were very close to him on Sunday. He said they cried, even more than he did, and they couldn't stop hugging him. There are no hard feelings. As for Colin and Vale (when prompted by interviewer) he said it was nothing to do with them. It could have been anyone. If anyone had any blame it was Marco, for not letting go, and there was a shaky moment when he said "I taught him to never let go. Maybe I did wrong." Many tears shed.
He talked about Sunday, how they followed the usual routine, how as always he said 'Be careful' before Marco took to the track. He said all riders are superstitious, and someone had put Marco's yellow towel with the red '58' on it the wrong way round on his head...and it bothered him and he wanted to go back onto the grid and fix it for him, but he didn't want to disturb his concentration.
He also was very down to earth about the botched rescue services. For those who didn't see/notice, Marco's dad was at the site of the accident straight away, and he helped the ambulance men load the stretcher. He said that one of his gloves had come off and he took his hand, but his hand was already nearly cold. He knew there and then that Marco was gone, and said "Ciao Marco" to him before the crew took him away.
While he was being interviewed, the 250cc championship winning bike was being lifted out, to be taken to be next to Marco today (when he will be visited by the public) and tomorrow in church with him.
Marco's mother Rossella also had a chat. Their house was full of people...the Gresini team, some friends, Kate, who was sitting at a computer looking and tributes on YouTube. Rossella said even given how it ended, if they had to go back, they would do it all exactly the same. She said they merely always supported their son in what he chose for himself. She also mentioned that it was normal for them to meet up with the whole team and a bunch of friends for a dinner, and that she hoped it would still happen. Sic and Kate had just bought a house a short distance away and were getting ready to move in, and had had a huge table made for there. She said she hoped to get all his friends together round that table some day soon.
Kate was probably the most moving of all. She said she'd been to their new house to say goodbye to him, and said she kind of hoped something would happen like out of the 'ghost' movie and Marco would come back. She said she'd gone to the house to say goodbye and tell him off, because he had promised they'd always been together and he was wrong. She also broke my heart saying that people keep telling her she's young, but that being young is worse, if she were older she'd catch up with him soon but as it is she has to wait 70 years before they're together again. Heartbreaking.
One last thing I thought to mention was a couple of Guido Meda's comments. The Italia 1 MotoGP team travel around the world with the paddock and have brilliant relationships with riders, especially the Italian ones, which is understandable. He says they spend 130 days per year together. He said that as a sports commentator for many years, he never suffered in his job as much as he did Sunday. Not only is Marco a very close friend, but he said that as a sports commentator his job is to relay the fun. In that situation, where, he said, it was obvious right from the start that it had all gone horribly wrong, he was acutely aware that Marco's mum and sister would probably be watching, listening and hoping.
One other very touching thing he mentioned was this. I will try to repeat in his words: A lot of people are saying online and in the streets that they feel they have lost someone they knew. There are some people that have two personas, the second you switch a camera on in their faces they change. Marco wasn't like that. He was identical on and off camera. So for all those who feel that they knew him, it's because they did.
Rossi and Dovi were at the family's home yesterday evening. The authorities say they are expecting about 50-60000 people to turn up. I think his family were totally unprepared for the extent of the reaction.
I have to rush, but will try to keep sharing the small bits.
