OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
You will notice during practice sessions , in the past few years in particular , almost every member of technical staff in a factory team - except the actual mechanics - seems to sit in on post session debriefs . The Crew Chief and Electronics / Data Engineers are the main point of focus for the rider , alongside dedicated tyre , brake and suspension technicians , And , nowadays , even the rider coach or trackside ‘ spotter .’
Despite all that back-of-garage human input , it is not an exaggeration to say that the riders place their lives and wellbeing in the hands of their mechanics , even in these days of dedicated parts managers making sure no component goes beyond its safe working life . One loose bolt , one unchecked filler cap or one mistaken application of a new setting and the rider will pay the price . In points , pain or both .
Phil Marron , once a mechanic himself in so many racing disciplines and paddocks , has been 2021 World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu ’ s Crew Chief even before he joined
Yamaha in 2020 . Because of this he has a great insight into the relationship between ‘ his ’ rider and ‘ his ’ mechanics . In Razgatlioglu ’ s case those direct ‘ on-the-tools ’ mechanics are Russ Joyner , Andrea Bonassoli , Thomas Cappelletti and Ondrej Kocourek .
Although Marron stresses that the package everyone is working with has to be good enough to win , no matter how well the riders and mechanics get on , he also stated up front that the group has to be the right mix in the first place . “ It is very , very important to have that good rapport in the garage ,” said Phil . “ You can ’ t have one guy upset with another guy , and another guy upset with somebody else because of what happened a few weeks ago . No grudges , no animosity .”
The connection between rider and mechanics when the lap times start to count is described by Marron again . “ Speaking about what happens with our guys , if the session has gone really well , everybody is quick to congratulate Toprak . If the
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