Morbidelli interview: “My Goal? To finish in the top five”

Franco Morbidelli talks about his 2016 season so far and what his objectives are going ahead.

Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS

Italy has several young up and coming riders, Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) one of the brightest in the intermediate class. The competition in the Moto2™ World Championship is high and Morbidelli sits tenth in the standings after some tough races. 2016 is his fourth season in the class and sees him back to full fitness after breaking his tibia and fibula at the end of 2015. motogp.com spoke to the Italian midway through his year of redemption.

You’re the second Italian in the Moto2™ Championship, how has the start of the season gone?
“The start didn’t go badly we just had a bit of bad luck in the first races. We’re in a difficult moment because we are fast but can’t get the results. But in the standings we are only ten points off fifth.”

What were your expectations after the accident that ended last year early and changed the overall outcome of 2015?
“After last season I immediately started my recovery program. I worked very hard and I started 2016 quite well, strong from the start. It took a bit of time to recover but now I am quite well, maybe still not 100% but in good enough condition to race.”

We have had seven races, some you were at the front and others struggling. Why the mixed results?
“Perhaps it’s some mistakes in Qualifying sometimes, then other times we couldn’t right the right setting early on and therefore we were trying to catch up. But the good thing is that they are still good races even with the negatives. Sometimes it is unavoidable in a tough category like this to have some bad days. If a weekend is not perfect it is easy to fail to stay at the front, normally you’d use two or three positions but in Moto2 it’s five or six.”

Your goal for 2016?
“The goal is to reach the top five. We must reverse the trend of the last two races and begin to get higher and higher. Now there will be some very nice tracks that I like. I’ll try to do well.”

Where do you see yourself in the coming years?
“Getting in to MotoGP is the dream of everyone and of course mine also. Before thinking about the premier class I hope to do well and get results in Moto2.”