by Topher Smith
Tributes came pouring in for motorcycle rider Luca Salvadori following the Italian’s fatal accident during a round of the International Road Racing Championship in Frohburg, Germany over the weekend.
These tributes were led by reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia, who described Salvadori as “a reference point for all motorsport enthusiasts”.
However, the actions of one team in particular stands out above all the tributes and makes this writer believe it could be the biggest gesture ever seen in motorsport.
Salvadori had been in the lead of Italy’s National Trophy 1000 at the time of his death with two rounds left to run. His closest rival was Filippo Rovelli, fielded by the Pistard team. Following the news regarding their competitor, both rider and team took the joint decision to withdraw from the final two rounds of the season and allow Salavdori to be crowned champion posthumously.
A statement from Gianluca Galesi Milella, founder of the Pistard team, read: “Something very bad happened, which I can hardly believe.
“Our direct rival as a team for four years, with [Roberto] Tamburini, [Gabriele] Giannini, and this year with Filippo Rovelli, has died.
“Luca was a great guy, good, sweet, nice, sunny. Those like me who had the pleasure and good fortune to meet him in person know who Luca was.
“The last time I saw him we also talked about this race he was supposed to run in Germany, he was undecided whether to go to save the bike. Instead he went and never came back.
“With Filippo Rovelli we talked about whether or not to go to Imola.
“We will not be present in either Imola or Cervesina to hold the races. We will only be present there to pay our respects to Luca.
“With this gesture we want to make sure that Luca, even though he is gone, from up there can celebrate the National Trophy 1000 title, which he had been chasing for so many years and came close to.
“This year that he could have won it because he had four wins out of six, unfortunately he will not be able to celebrate it.
“The only way for us to say goodbye to him is to not participate in the last two races so that he can win the title.”
An incredible gesture.
Motorsport is inherently a selfish business. Every team and every driver has to think about what is best for them in the pursuit of success and can often lead to drama, controversy, fallouts, and sometimes worse.
It is accepted that a selfish attitude is required to be a top-line racer, whether it be in cars or on bikes, but once in a while, we see a competitor or team do something that goes beyond rivalries and competition. Every so often we see an act that reminds us that these fierce rivals still maintain some degree of humanity and respect toward one another.
The Pistard team withdrawing to allow Salvadori’s name to be etched into the history books is one such act. Whenever a competitor perishes in the pursuit of their dream, it brings out the humanity in others as a stark reminder of how fragile life can be. It’s happened on bikes with the likes of Marco Simoncelli and more recently the 19-year-old Jason Dupasquier, and in cars with the likes of Ayrton Senna and Jules Bianchi.
Many factors have to be considered when it comes to motorsport. It’s not just the pursuit of a racer’s dream, it also provides jobs for countless team personnel, mechanics, engineers, hospitality workers, and so on. Winning titles pays the bills, which lends itself to the aforementioned selfish attitude as every team wants to be able to pay their staff as well as add to their respective trophy collections.
Sponsors also have to be appeased. Each sponsor that puts its name on a car or bike expects results to be achieved so their brand gets the TV time and the subsequent revenue.
So for a team to completely disregard all those factors in order to allow a fallen friend to retain their place in the history books as a champion is undoubtedly the grandest of gestures and one that deserves the respect of every racing paddock in the world.
To everyone in the Pistard team: you have our eternal respect.
To Luca Salvadori: rest in peace, champ.
📸Image credits: Prima Pramac Racing, Eurosport.
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