OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
Aruba . it Racing – Ducati Serafino Foti
“ I became Team Manager , taking a much more deep dive into this role than before , but with many more people around to help .”
Leon Camier
The compact frame of Serafino Foti had big shoes to fill when he took over the position of Team Manager in the Aruba . it Ducati Racing team . The outgoing manager was one Davide Tardozzi , who oversaw World Championships from the likes of Fogarty , Bayliss , Hodgson and Toseland , before heading off to other projects . Serafino , himself a top racer in his past and former competitor in WorldSBK , was however , well prepared . “ He was my teacher ,” said Foti , who had been working with Tardozzi for some time . “ My racing career started really early in 1985 , in Sport Production 125 . I won two Italian championships in my first year .” More followed . After hanging up his professional racing leathers in 2003 , while riding for Team Pedercini , Foti ran his own Ducati team , SL Racing , first in WorldSSP with Giovanni Bussei in 2004 . After some time , the call came to join with Ducati to help with the Ducati Junior team in 2006 . His naturally independent frame of mind was conflicted . “ I was a little disappointed because I wanted to continue with my own small but established team , but Paolo Ciabatti said , ‘ Come , listen to me , come in our family ,’” said Serafino . “ I went in like the Junior Team STK1000 Team Manager , 2006 – 2009 and we won three titles in four years – and I was also the team co-ordinator for the overall Ducati team .” Stints at BMW followed , and more success for Serafino ’ s guys in Superstock and then in lots of Superbike races . At the end of 2013 , BMW stopped the project and Ducati came calling again . So Foti came back to work inside Ducati and with his consistent supporters , Feel Racing . Ducati ’ s factory team – and sometimes BMW ’ s also – has had Feel Racing as a partner , and now Aruba is so much more than a team title sponsor . Feel Racing is still doing the logistics , including hosting the factory team workshops , but Foti is the Team Manager of the factory squad , in the middle of the unique Italian triumvirate – Ducati – Aruba – Feel Racing . He makes the whole race effort work together , both on and away from the track . “ From 2015 Aruba started and Stefano Cecconi is our Team Principal . It is not just Ducati . Aruba is not only the sponsor – it is the Team Principal . They are the part of the project ,” explained Foti , who ’ s job is unique in this paddock because of that particular three-pronged approach . Ducati takes the technical development side , but Ducati , Aruba and Feel Racing make the sporting decisions in this is ‘ tripla ’ faceted project , whereas some others are two-sided – factory and logistical partner . Think , Kawasaki and Provec or BMW and SMR . The nature of Foti ’ s job can be summed up by the fact that he goes to all races and tests , has a regular office in Feel Racing – which is located close to but not inside the Ducati main HQ – but Serafino is a frequent fixture inside Ducati ’ s offices anyway . “ In this case , I represent Ducati , Aruba and the team in WorldSBK ,” said Foti of who he ‘ is ’ in his ultimate Team Manager role . He wouldn ’ t have it any other way . “ It is my life ,” said Foti , in summation . “ If you asked me which job I wanted in the future , I would say this job ! It is my passion . It is complicated , but I enjoy my job . I am lucky and honoured to be here .”
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