Marco Bezzecchi was one of the stars of the second edition of Dainese Project Apex, an event that brought Dainese R&D riders and teams to the Misano Adriatico circuit to work together on the evolution of apparel and protective gear for the near future. Away from the pressure of the race weekend, the Marco Simoncelli World Circuit became an open-air laboratory for a day, where experience, technology, and the sensations experienced by the riders come together to develop the future.
For those who compete at the highest levels, protection cannot be separated from performance. It must accompany every movement, provide safety without restricting freedom on the motorcycle and, ideally, become almost invisible when everything is working as it should.
Marco Bezzecchi told us about the origins of his passion, the mindset of a rider, and, last but not least, the importance of all protective gear and the Dainese D-air® airbag, in a constant quest for the perfect balance between protection and freedom of movement, which is essential for achieving peak performance. Here’s what he told us.
Marco, what was your dream as a child?
"To become a MotoGP™ rider."
What is the first memory you have of motorbikes?
"My parents always watched the races on TV on Sundays, so I remember watching them even when I was little. The first real memory I still have today, however, is connected to Valentino Rossi. I think it was the last year of the 500 series, so 2001. I was three or four years old, and I remember sitting in an armchair at home watching one of Vale’s races on TV. About a year later, I started riding a motorcycle, too."
Who was the person who contributed the most to making you the driver you are today?
"My dad was instrumental in the beginning because he got me started, so it definitely would have been impossible without him. Then, of course, Vale—first as an inspiration, until I met him, and later also as a source of motivation, an advisor, and a role model. I don’t want to call him a teacher, but he's definitely someone I've learned from and who has given me so much. So I say my dad, Vito, and Valentino Rossi."
Is this job as wonderful as you imagined it would be when you were a kid?
"It’s definitely amazing. Of course, there are also some downsides that you might not think about, imagine, or even know about when you’re a kid. But yeah, it’s definitely a wonderful job."
If you had to choose a race that best reflects your personality, which one would you choose and why?
"Silverstone 2026. Because I showed that I may take some hard falls, but I never give up."
Which is harder: winning or defending a title?
"Winning is certainly difficult, and maintaining that success is never easy. But when you’ve already won once, deep down you know you can do it. At the same time, when you win, you immediately become the target—the mark—for everyone.
Both are difficult goals. Maybe repeating a victory is a little harder, but winning for the first time is complicated, too. Let’s just say they’re difficult in different ways."
How does a rider’s mindset change when they goes from trying to make it to the MotoGP to competing for top results in that category?
"In my opinion, it’s similar. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve always tried to approach all the classes the same way: by working hard at home and trying to give it everything every day, to achieve the best result. I knew that hard work would take me where I wanted to go, as long as I never gave up.
It’s clear that as long as you’re in Moto3, you dream of doing well in Moto3, but you also have your eye on Moto2. In Moto2, you’re thinking about MotoGP. In MotoGP, on the other hand, you focus on giving it your all there, because you know you’re at the highest level of motorsports. The workload changes, but I think the attitude stays the same, at least in my case."
Is there anything you’ve learned or realized in recent years that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
"I’ve come to understand a lot of things, but for me, the challenge lies more in putting them into practice in my own life than in understanding them.
With a clear head, when I talk about or reflect on what’s happening to me, I might realize something and say: “This could be a turning point.” But then it’s very difficult to put it into practice in the heat of the moment. So, rather than just understanding and learning a lot of things, maybe I’d prefer to be able to put them into practice."
What’s it like to have your training partners as opponents, too? Is it possible to battle it out on the track and still be real friends off the track?
"There are definitely differences between competing against someone you know very well and someone you know less well—including technical differences—because over time you get to know your opponents, and they get to know you. But when we put on our helmets, we all treat each other the same way. Clearly, off the track, the relationship can be different, but not on the track.
And then, yeah, I think you can compete on the track and still be real friends, but it only works if it’s someone you have a solid relationship with. Otherwise, if it’s someone you’ve just met and maybe you like them, but then you end up battling it out on the track for a year, I don't know if that feeling will last."
Is there anything else you’d like to learn as a rider?
"Yes, many things. It’s hard to even explain. It takes a great deal of experience to deal with a race weekend—and even more to effectively tackle an entire year of the World Championship. And anyway, you never stop learning.
There’s also a lot to learn in terms of technique and riding, and you need to keep refining your skills, but it’s almost harder to learn how to handle what happens off the bike than what happens once you put on your helmet."
How can you feel safe riding at 300 kilometers per hour or more? Are you ever afraid?
"Fear is there, and it has to be. It shouldn’t be taken to extremes, of course, but it’s useful because it makes you more aware of the limits. You shouldn’t be completely reckless.
From the outside, it might seem that way, because we do certain things that might seem absurd to people who don’t ride motorcycles—or who, in any case, don’t do it for a living—but in reality we’re always aware of what we’re doing.
Clearly, fear can hit you: maybe when you fall, while you’re rolling, or when you take a particular risk. But it turns into adrenaline almost immediately.
In the end, it’s like everything else: if you start doing it as a child, it’s different than if you start later. I always feel pretty safe. And then, of course, there’s the suit and the helmet, which play their part."
So let’ talk about clothing—you’ve been wearing Dainese and AGV since the very beginning. What piece of kit do you consider most important or like best?
"It’s all essential, of course, but the helmet is my favorite. It’s a beautiful piece of kit, especially from a stylistic standpoint; it's definitely my favorite. It’s not that the suit isn't, but the helmet has something extra. It’s almost as if it had a face of its own, so what you put on it represents who you are.
Then, of course, there’s the suit, which is just as important. Once you get used to the D-air® airbag, you can’t be without it. Unfortunately, you realize this the first few times you fall. It’s something you can’t do without—it really comes in handy on so many occasions. Sometimes you fall so hard that you’re inevitably going to feel the impact. But then you watch the video again and realize just how much the airbag protected you, and that if you hadn’t had it, it would have been much worse. So yes, it’s one of those things that, once you try it, there’s no going back. And you shouldn’t go without, it’s essential to use it all the time."
If you could make further improvements in terms of protective gear, what would you change?
"The truth is that, in order to ride fast, we need to be free to move around a lot on the bike and, at the same time, be very well protected. It’s always a complex balance to improve, but I think we’re constantly making significant strides in every area.
If I could change one thing, I would definitely aim to protect my neck better, which is a sensitive area. As I said, it’s hard to protect because we need to be able to move it around a lot; however, as we consider the next steps, we’ll no doubt find a way to protect this area even better without restricting movement."
What is your next goal?
"Get back to winning."
