Rest in Peace, Fausto

FAUSTO GRESINI (23 JANUARY 1961–23 February 2021), Italian motorcycle racing legend and two-time Grand Prix World Champion, passed away in February this year. The 60-year-old team manager for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini MotoGP succumbed to the illness brought on by COVID-19.

Gresini won the 1985 and 1987 125-cc class championship as well as three second-place finishes in ’86, ’91, and ’92. Throughout his racing career, the Italian accumulated 21 victories in Grand Prix racing as well are garnering a couple of records while at it.

Gresini is tied with Angel Nieto for the record of 11 consecutive victories in the 125-cc class during the ’86-’87 season. In addition to that, Gresini also has to his credit the highest number of victories in the 125-cc class with 10 finishes on the top step of the podium.

In his management role, Fausto Gresini saw success mingled with sadness. The team won two world championships with Daijiro Kato winning the 250-cc world championship in 2001 and Toni Elias taking the 2010 Moto2 championship. Unfortunately, Daijiro Kato succumbed to the injuries sustained in his 2003 crash. The sadness would return in 2011, when Gresini’s team lost another rider, the much-loved Marco Simoncelli, in Malaysia.

The current global pandemic has wrought havoc for a lot of folk worldwide and Fausto Gresini is another name to be added to that sombre list. The motorcycling world, including all of us at Bike India, have our thoughts and prayers with Gresini’s family and friends. We shall continue to celebrate the life of a true motorcycle racing soul. Rest in peace, Fausto Gresini.