By Next to take part in Road Racing News, revamped Manx GP Top 6 series is top six Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix finisher, hill climbing doyen Maurizio Bottalico.
2024 Junior MGP Race runner-up, last June a top twenty Senior TT finisher, his answers to the Mountain Course themed set of questions, are as follows:
Q1: When you first competed at the Manx, what was your first initial thought of the Mountain Course?
“I had prepared a-lot over the winter, spending hours playing PlayStation and watching onboard footage. But I realised on my very first lap that pretty much all that training had been useless because actually, putting your wheels on that road is a completely different feeling from watching it on an onboard or playing it on PlayStation.”
Q2: Most memorable Manx GP bike?
“Apart from my first bike which will always have a special place in my heart, it’s definitely, the Paton. Because it’s the bike that gave me my first podium in my second year competing in 2023.”
Q3: Most treasured memory from the Manx?
“Definitely at the end of the Super Twin race (2023), when I took the road back to the paddock, I was approaching the parc fermé when a marshal waved at me from a distance, signalling me to come in because I had finished on the podium. That was an unforgettable moment.”
Q4: Is there one specific Manx GP competitor that you look up to?
“Honestly, no, because my goal has always been to make it to the TT, so I never really looked up to any Manx Grand Prix rider, as a reference.”
Q5: Describe the Manx GP in one word?
“Experience”
Q6: Finally, if you could race one machine from any series, championship around the Mountain Course, what would it be?
“Well, definitely-a Suter 500 Grand Prix two-stroke. So, Suter, if you are reading this article, get in touch and let’s make a TT race happen!”
Photo credit: Mark Corlett
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
