WorldSBK, Delbianco: “Moriwaki called me, I thought it was a call centre”

A smile a mile wide. This is how pleased Alessandro Delbianco is, called in last minute by MIE Moriwaki to stand in for rider Leandro Mercado. The Argentinian will miss Most and so the Italian takes his place, following on from a very positive Misano CIV round.

The unexpected phone call took Delbianco by surprise: "The phone kept ringing and I didn’t recognise the number on the screen. I thought it might be a call centre or something. I got on with other stuff and then saw that they’d tried to call me again in the meantime".

And so #52 made a decision: "I thought it was something urgent and important so I called back. When the guys from team Moriwaki asked me if I wanted to race in the Czech Republic, I accepted immediately and got ready to go".

Because taking part in a WorldSBK round is not just about twisting the throttle: "Right, there are papers and licences to fill out and sort. Luckily, I already had what I needed for the event, so I left right away for Most. It was pretty tight with the flight and drive".

From Honda DMR to Fireblade Moriwaki

The CBR RR-R used by Alessandro is a beautiful Superbike, competitive and well-prepared by the DMR staff. So Delbianco understands the character of the Japanese four-cylinders but knows that the world championship configuration is one he needs to get to grips with, session by session: "What a fork, what a swingarm, who knows what the engine and electronics are like?”

The Italian previously competed in the championship with team Althea, again on a Honda.  But Most wasn’t on the 2019 calendar: “Another thing for me to learn, the track, although at least it’s new for everyone. It looks great, we’ll see. Some points are fast and technical, I can make the difference there".

What is his goal for the weekend? Primarily, to enjoy the weekend: "Sure, I want to have fun and do the best I can. Look at this bike, the garage, the team. I want to thank MIE for the opportunity, I couldn’t say no, I left as soon as I’d put the phone down. I’m glad it wasn’t a call centre".

Translated by Heather Watson

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