Exclusive, Cecchini: “Pleased with our work with Arbolino. We’ll fight to win with Migno”

Snipers team principal Mirko Cecchini will remember 2020 as the first season to be conditioned by the coronavirus, but also one in which the team missed out on the Moto3 title by just four points.

This was the gap between winner Albert Arenas and Cecchini's pupil Tony Arbolino, a rider he took under his wing three years ago and has helped to grow, the Italian becoming one of the stars of the cadet class. During this winter break, Cecchini tells us about this strange and intense year and also talks about 2021, when he’ll attempt to win the title with riders Filip Salac and Andrea Migno.

What type of championship has it been?

“It’s been a very complicated season. We did the first race and were then on stand-by for four months, unsure as to whether we’d continue. In the end we had a championship, so all thanks to Dorna for their hard work, they definitely did well and were productive. Staying at home would have been the end of the sport for everyone. Running two races at the same track distorted the championship a little, that had never happened before, but we completed fifteen races and it was a good championship”.

And how would you sum it up personally speaking?

“We fluctuated a little too much, both in terms of our emotions and our results. We went from scoring great results to tracks where we struggled more. Tony missing the Aragon race didn’t help and then we returned for the two Valencia races. We finished second, so if we look at the complete picture we can’t complain”.

How disappointing is it to lose to Arenas by just four points?

“Very, not for how it went, but because we had the potential, Tony proved this and we were ready as a team. At the first race in Qatar there was contact on the final lap and we scored just one point. Those four months we then spent at home were very difficult and we were upset about a race that finished badly through no fault of our own. We got to Jerez perhaps with that fear you have when you know you need to catch up. But in the end Tony showed his stuff and we’re pleased to have achieved this kind of result. Second and just four points behind, having missed one race, will always leave a bitter taste”.

Do you think he lost the title on Saturday, making that error in qualifying?

“That definitely didn’t help. If he’d started further forward it would have been an easier race. I think your rivals also evaluate the situation based on what you can do, Arenas spent the race managing his lead. If Tony had started further ahead, the result would probably have been the same”.

Arbolino will move to Moto2 next year, how has he developed with your team?

“He’s really grown. When we hired him, he still hadn’t done anything and his first year was like an apprenticeship. In his second year, he did some great things, but then the end of the year fell short. This year he confirmed his talents. We’ve scored five podiums, one win, no small feat during such an unpredictable and complicated Moto3 championship. We’re pleased to have helped him with his learning curve and we’re sure he’ll do very well in the future”.

On the other side of the garage is Filip Salac, who will continue with you next year.

“We started well in Qatar but the four-month break slowed him up a little. Living in the Czech Republic, he had less chance to train and we were in a little difficulty at Jerez, with less potential than we had in March. He struggled a little mid-season, and then found the way again, finishing in the points and being productive, but then he got injured at Valencia and had to miss the last two races. We expect a good step up next year, we just need to consolidate the results. This year’s top five will have moved on, so we need to be frontrunners”.

And his new team-mate is another Italian, Andrea Migno. What do you expect from him?

“We’ve always kept in touch with Andrea. We’ll help him to prove himself and be more level-headed in the races with the Honda, using all our experience, both ours and his. I’m sure we’ll do well considering his ability. We’ll fight to win right from race one. We just need to understand how to help him, how to exploit his full potential, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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