Vale Fausto Gresini
F
austo Gresini passed away
following a long battle with
Covid-19. He was 60 years old.
The Italian, former double
125cc World Champion in 1985
and 1987 and highly success-
ful MotoGP team manager, was
initially placed in an induced
coma with assisted breathing but
began to show signs of improve-
ment in January, however, his
condition deteriorated in recent
weeks when he was placed back
into a coma as he battled respi-
ratory illness and pneumonia
caused by Covid-19.
Along with his two 125cc
World Championship titles as
a rider, Gresini's eponymous
team Gresini Racing was hugely
successful in its own right. His
journey as team manager began
in 1997, and the Gresini team
took a world championship for
the first time in 2001 with Japa-
nese rider Daijiro Kato, as the
two dominated the 250cc class
together.
Further championships came in
2010 in Moto2 with Toni Elias and
2018 in Moto3 with Jorge Mar-
tin, as well as 2019 as the team
won the inaugural Enel MotoE
World Cup with Matteo Ferrari.
The teams that bear his name will
compete across all three classes
of the MotoGP World Champion-
ship in 2021, from MotoGP to
Moto3, as well as MotoE, and will
race on in his honor.
In recent times, Gresini has
teamed with Aprilia to run the
factory outfit with riders Aleix Es-
pargaro, Bradley Smith, Lorenzo
Savadori and Andrea Iannone.
"I'm deeply saddened by the
loss of Fausto," said Carmelo
Ezpeleta, MotoGP commercial
rights holder Dorna Sports CEO.
"He was a very good friend and
I liked him a lot. I have been fol-
lowing the news on his condition
closely and I was lucky enough
to be able to speak to him even
as he was in hospital. I am so
very sorry to suffer a loss like
this in the paddock and I want to
send my deepest condolences
to his family, friends and the
members of his team."
Tributes have poured in from
every corner of the motorcycle
racing world for the Italian
legend, and Cycle News joins
them in sending our condolenc-
es to Gresini's family, friends,
team, and many fans across the
world.
CN
IN
THE
WIND
P38
Fausto Gresini has passed away
after a long battle with Covid-19.
He was 60 years old.
