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In all these years of Superbike, I don't know how many moments I have spent in the company of Gianni Ramello: hundreds? thousands? The fact is that at the end of each day of the race weekend, the evening coffee at Go Eleven is something of a must stop in the paddock.
Once you enter the hospitality area, Gianni can be found sitting at the back in the right corner, at what we nickname the "presidential table." Usually next to him is Denis, his father (Mr. Sacchetti), and Daniele who greets you with the classic phrase, "Say hello to the press."
It is an opportunity to get together, talk about the day at the track and beyond, because between a cigarette, a beer and an amaro we then move on to topics such as news, current events and politics. We often find ourselves on opposing sides with Gianni, who is proud of his Cuneo roots as well as a great lover of the history of our country and beyond.
Should he decide to close down the team tomorrow to devote himself to teaching history in schools, we wouldn't be entirely surprised. We are convinced, however, that he will not do so, because he would never give up his job, which has been a practicing accountant for more than 40 years, heading a firm with more than 10 employees in his home town of Cherasco.
His racing history began in 2008, then reaching a high point in 2020 with Rinaldi's victory at Aragon and the subsequent independent title won at Estoril. In the process, moments of joy have been mixed with those of sorrow, as in 2013, when Antonelli tragically lost his life in Russia. In the book "World Superbike, Stories of a Life," written by Gianni Ramello during the 2020 Covid period, there is a chapter dedicated to Andrea's memory. Ramello speaks of man's helplessness in the face of the death of a young guy, but above all of the indelible mark left by Andrea on the team, whose testimonial today finds itself ironically in the hands of another Andrea, whose last name is Iannone.
On the occasion of the Barcelona weekend, we conducted this long interview with Go Eleven's number one, namely the man who helped relaunch The Maniac after a four-year absence, Gianni Ramello.
Gianni, you decide where to start...
"What can I say... Go Eleven is first and foremost a team, that is, a group of people, whom I consider extraordinary, where everyone is essential to carry on the work and allow it to be successful," he began, " the history of the team started with me, but the passion was handed down from my father, who when I was young used to take me and the whole family around on the sidecar. Let's say it all took off from there, then the adventure continued on two wheels with my wife Luciana. Together we faced I don't know how many trips between Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and many others. As I told you, I started out with a passion for the motorcycle, that is, the mechanical means itself, but to carry it into racing is something else entirely."
Many consider Go Eleven as a kind of second home in the paddock.
"The thing I like is for people to come and discover and learn about this world in its essence, because maybe many people think that all they need is a motorcycle, a rider and a couple of mechanics to go to the track. Instead, they don't. I am one of those who does not want filters let alone an elitist team. That's something I don't like, because it doesn't represent us and doesn't match our identity. Maybe, looking at us from the outside, people have formed an opinion of us, but Go Eleven has taken a much more professional path than people think, taking one step at a time because the economic risk is important. I'm just thinking about the transition from Stock to Superbike where everything changes."
This small operation in Cherasco remains to date the last one to win a race.
"I know very well that we can't become an official team, but if you fight with them and manage to be up there in front in amongst the battle I think it's a source of pride, because it means that on the track you're fighting it out on a level playing field. In addition to the challenge with the bikes, there is also the hospitality issue. Over the course of the weekend there are hundreds of people at our place for lunch and dinner, in fact it's always full. That means we are appreciated."
Gianni, as long as I have known you, I have never seen you pissed off.
"I better not get pissed off, because the moment I schematize then I never go back. I prefer to get pissed off at home (he jokes). Luciana, on the other hand, is someone who gets pissed off, but then she gets over it. That said, we are modest and our personality we want to bring it to racing as well by helping others. On the track there is the challenge, but the rivalry should push you to do your best without having to clash."
Go Eleven is a family-sized team. Do you also talk about motorcycles at home or have you put rules where it is forbidden to do so?
"Whether you want to or not we almost always have to talk about motorcycles, because often what happens on the track over the weekend you then take home. There is discussion and it is normal, because the world is made up of people with different ideas. Quite often you argue, but sometimes you do it for each other's sake. But in other cases you take steps back because maybe you realize that one choice is better than another despite the fact that the starting idea was different."
Who is Gianni Ramello? Extravagant and unpolitical are terms that fit?
"Extravagant I would say yes and I would add unpolitical, because I say no and then I do it anyway. I would also add unpolitically correct, because I am not afraid to express my opinion. I am then a passionate midwayer. My adventure in this world was born out of passion, but a filter is needed so that passion does not create problems. I say that because if you get caught up in passion the risk is that you spend a lot of money and then you suck and find yourself on the ground. In this world it takes very little to pull out a million euros without realizing it."
Let's talk about Iannone. Where did the idea to bet on him come from and how did it develop?
"It came from my son Elia. He was bugging me for a month, telling me that we had to get Andrea. I was not very convinced, not because I thought he would not go on, but because it is not easy to manage a rider of a certain importance and fame in a private team. You can find yourself in trouble. Then there was the TGPOne with Denis, in which you said we would like Iannone, and from there we tried to initiate contacts. After that Andrea came to Misano and we met for the first time. He wanted to come back, Denis was wavering, and I at one point started pressuring him to hear from Iannone, and so we met in Imola. He already had pretty clear ideas, because he had talked to Ducati and Dall'Igna. We met each other in a restaurant on Friday night and we finalized everything in Imola."
How are you getting along with Andrea?
"Bringing him to our team was quite easy because I am not one who is too much of a thinker: if I put something in my head I have to do it, period. As for taking a rider like him, on the one hand we evaluated the matter related to the media he could bring us, since I think he is the most recognized character in this paddock. And on the other hand it was a kind of bet, and we like bets: if it goes well, you have shown great courage and the skills to succeed and take a high-level rider. That means that if I were to possibly take Marquez or Bagnaia tomorrow, I would be able to do it, since we had very good tests with Andrea and got a podium already at the first race in Australia. Regarding character, I am sincere, I say what I think and I think it is an aspect that rewards. As for him, I didn't go to the first tests, but in Australia his way of working left me quite surprised. He is very impulsive, he asks everyone questions, and I thought it would be tough. In the race, on the other hand, I really liked him because he is very precise. He doesn't have a flashy style like Toprak can have, but then you see his time. I think he can do very well with us on the Ducati."
Besides being the owner of the Go Eleven team, you are also an accountant. Which of the two gives you the most headaches?
"It is more difficult to do our job than to have a team. This is a game of comparison, because at the end of the day I don't build the bike, it's about optimizing things and there is a pattern of work to follow. Being an accountant is much more complicated, first of all because there is more unpredictability and then, in some ways, it is also more dangerous because if you make a mistake you lose clients."
*interview compiled in collaboration with Daniela Piazza
