Carlo Pernat doesn’t need a any introduction inside the MotoGP paddock but for those outside he was the Sports Director of Cagiva for the Dakar Rally and the 500cc road racing championship with Alex Barros and Randy Mamola, he then joined Aprilia with Ian Witteveen and they dominated, winning several titles with Alessandro Gramigni, Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi and Loris Capirossi.

For a period he worked for the Genoa football team before coming back as manager of Loris Capirossi, Marco Simoncelli and currently Andrea Iannone. He is well known as an opinion former and has a special eye for new talent and understanding the potential of the current riders. We chat with him to find out who he thinks is the next big thing, starting with the Moto3 class and which are the riders to follow current champion Brad Binder, and then the current crop of premier class men.
 
“There are several Italian Moto3 riders who are growing and are worth being followed. Thanks to the work done by the Italian Motorcycle Federation with the Italian Championship CIV, the VR46 Academy and the good work of historical teams such as the one of Fausto Gresini, the wave of the Italian riders is back. They start winning races, now it’s time to return clinching a world title,” begins Pernat.

Which are the riders to follow?
“The future belong to Enea Bastianini and Romano Fenati, if he succeeds to find his own balance and be more calm, Pecco Bagnaia, who has scored two wins this year and next year will debut in Moto2 in the SKY VR46 Racing Team. I like Pecco, he is too tall for the Moto3 and he has taken the chance to make the jump in a difficult championship, where he will need some time to adapt. If he stayed in Moto3 he could have tried to win the title. And then there is Nicolò Bulega, anther rider of the Valentino’s academy and rider of the SKY VR46 Racing Team. He is a very talented rider. I see him as the pre-destined. He will do well.”

But what about the other nationalities?
“I like Jorge Navarro a lot, while I have some doubts around Binder. I hope I’m wrong, but I have the feeling that he may be like Danny Kent. A boom and nothing follows. Last year the South African finished sixth but didn’t stand out.”    

What about the MotoGP? Will be Lorenzo already a title contender?
“Lorenzo is the most complete rider, but his head is like a puzzle. When he is in his momentum, he is unbeatable, but he has always  had some up and downs. In 2008, he wanted to stop racing. He is similar to Max Biaggi, he comes from a difficult family situation and he lacks some confidence. Jorge has ridden so far only a Yamaha machine which is an easy bike to ride. We know that Ducati is a different story. The Italian bike is also very physically demanding . On Tuesday in Valencia, we will understand more if Jorge will be able to adapt quickly to the new machine, although this is not the best track for Ducati.”

What about Andrea Iannone in Suzuki next year?
“Andrea had the possibility to continue in Ducati, but he decided to move to Suzuki where he will have the treatment of number one rider. The machine has improved a lot. It has the best chassis of the whole grid. Andrea can adapt well and I think that in two years he will be able to fight for the championship. Maybe already the first year.”

Let’s have a look to another rider who will change team and bike. Will Maverick Vinales adapt soon to the Yamaha?
“Vinales and Iannone are the two riders of the new generation. I think the Spaniard will adapt quickly because the Yamaha is quite similar to the Suzuki. I think that Maverick is ready to fight regularly for the podium already in 2017 so I see him as a title contender.”

Finally how do you see Valentino Rossi?
“He is still enjoying racing and this year he has been stronger than last year but has collected less points. With the duo of ossi-Vinales, Yamaha has the present and the future of MotoGP, but they have to work hard from a technical point of view. It’s ten races that they are not winning. It’s a negative record that I don’t rembember in their recent history.”

Have we entered the Marc Marquez era?
“Until last year the worst enemy of Marc Marquez was Marc Marquez himself. But he has been able to learn from his mistakes and this year has managed the season at the best. he has been consistent and learned when to settle down for the best result. Chapeau. Yes, we have entered Marc Marquez’s era.”