Matteo Flamigni – Matteo Flamigni is the Valentino Rossi’s Data engineer from 2004. Since Rossi arrived in Yamaha. Matteo and Vale have won four titles (2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009), then they switched to Ducati. Finally, they came back to Yamaha.
InSella.it interviewed Matteo Flamigni just before the 2016 Catalunya GP. The 2016 season is an important season for the Italian rider. “I can’t make predictions. It’s hard. Vale is always very competitive. Last year, we were always in the lead up to the end, but we lost the Championship. This year, we start a little behind, but we can change that. The Championship is long. We saw that each race can be a surprise.” said Flamigni. Compared to 2015, Rossi seems to ride better also during the qualifications. “The face slightly different. The Michelin tyres are perfect for the Rossi’s driving style. The Bridgestone lasted one lap. The Michelin allows you to do two or three laps. Much better for Vale. He never liked doing only one lap in his career. He prefers two or three turns. He wants to go faster and faster. This year there was the super soft. Vale has a better chance to show his value. This year, it’s all true.”
Matteo Flamigni: “My work is important”
Matteo Flamigni and Valentino Rossi have known for years. The Italian champion wants always to win and to learn. Flamigni is not surprised. “He has a great humility. He has a great want to learn. It’s amazing. He’s always looking for improvement. This year, he’s very strong. I see him motivated. He wants to win the 2016 World Championship. Especially after what happened last year.” said the Data engineer. The work of Flamigni with Rossi is important and he knows it. “I know that I have a very important task. Win a World Championship in Moto GP is something of great value. My luck is that working with Vale. He makes all very easy.”
A question about the arrival of Michelin is required. “We had to revise our database. From the winter tests in this year we made a big development work and so now we’re looking for the right numbers for these tires. The work is very similar, change the numbers to be included in the mapping. Data about the behavior of the bike, then the traction control and whatnot, obviously have changed. We did a thorough job analysis.“
