In front of his home supporters at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley, VNE Snipers’ Tony Arbolino recorded his first Grand Prix victory and became the 11th different Moto3™ winner in the last 11 races. It was a dream day for the Italian and speaking to motogp.com, Arbolino dedicated his victory to a certain five-time World Champion.
1) Tony, great race! How did you feel once you crossed the finish line and then climbed to the top step of the podium?
“The first victory, an incredible sensation. I've been looking for it for a long time, since the beginning of the season, and I knew I could do it, but getting on the top step of the podium in Italy, in front of all the fans that support you, it’s unforgettable!”
2) Who do you dedicate this victory to?
“I dedicate it to all those who have been close to me, even in the worst moments, to my trainer, to Jorge (Lorenzo), to my family and to my team, it was a beautiful moment.”
3) Where and how has Tony Arbolino changed compared to the past?
“It’s been a very important growth from last year to this year. The change took place in the winter preparation and I have changed since the end of last season, since I realised that the training I was doing was not enough and I decided to change method and I started working, thanks to Jorge who left me his physical trainer Ivan. I started working with him and he really changed my mind, I started thinking much more and not just stopping to make a good result, but to raise my personal level.”
????Very strong emotion ????
— Tony Arbolino (@TonyArbolino) 3 giugno 2019
A special thanks to those who support me ✨ ???? pic.twitter.com/zvnaBFicDI
4) You picked up your first podium in Argentina this year too…
“Argentina, first career podium after a very difficult weekend in Qatar. At Termas, I was very busy at the start and I had the mentality of being on the podium because I didn't want to waste another race. There I took another mental step and managed to race at the front. Argentina taught me a lot.”
5) The bike looks competitive. Do you think Honda is stronger this season, or do you expect your KTM rivals to improve?
“This year Honda have made another very big engine step. The KTM compared to the first race is taking other steps while we are a little bit still, but our bike this year is very competitive.”
6) Do you have any technical updates from HRC?
“No, for now, no updates, usually they arrive around the middle of the year. But maybe, we’ll see, surely something will have to be tested for next year.”
7) Is your aim the Moto3™ World Championship this year?
“We are not bad in the championship, we are sixth, 32 points from first and it is something I look at because my goal is to finish ahead of the rest end of the season. We are not far, I expected to be in a bit higher if I had finished in Le Mans and Jerez but we do not give up and we concentrate race by race and when we return home we think of the next stage. We do not think about the end of the Championship because it is still early, but we must be able to take as many points as possible, win races, get podiums and everything we need.”
8) Your teammate Romano Fenati isn’t experiencing an easy start to the season. Do you talk to him? What’s he working on to try and get back to the top?
“The beginning of the season is not easy for him, he is always there at the front in the tests and then he fails to repeat that in the race. Every so often we talk, Moto3 is very difficult this year, because in the race you have to be aggressive, we are all strong, we all want to stay in front.”
9) Will we see him back at the front soon?
“Yes, I think he’ll come to play in the races very soon and the podiums will come because he is strong and it would be nice to be able to fight for a victory with him.”
10) Back to you, how is life in Switzerland and your preparation with Lorenzo’s coach?
“I moved to Lugano almost without a doubt and it wasn't easy at first, being away from friends and family but then I decided that, for my growth, that was the right choice and I started working with Ivan and with him the working method is very hard but effective.”
11) How do you see yourself in MotoGP ™: are you more a Lorenzo, a Vale, a Marquez or do you think you’d ride like a Ducati of Dovizioso or Petrucci?
“I think I see myself as a really aggressive rider in MotoGP™.”
12) Maybe you see a mix of all five, tell me a quality of those riders that you would like to have?
“I wish I had all their qualities to be a perfect rider. I would like to have the aggressiveness of Marquez, the precision of Jorge, the experience of Vale.”
13) What do you expect for the next race in Barcelona?
“In Barcelona, we had two very positive test days, where we found a good set up on the bike and that will allow us to work more towards the race.”
Keep working, every day more ???????? pic.twitter.com/Ses9O6blzI
— Tony Arbolino (@TonyArbolino) 5 giugno 2019
14) And for the season?
“For the season I expect a little more consistency, even if all the races are there to fight for the victory and I think this is important because it means we can. So my goal is to always be there at the front.”
15) Tony Arbolino off the bike: what does he like doing besides training?
“Tony Arbolino away from the bikes is very quiet. I prefer not to have complications but when I am calmer I like to go back to Garbagnate and go out with friends.”