The stories of Nico: Emanuele Pirro, five-time winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans, ‘motorbike ‘sick’ and safety protagonist
The rider from Rome, born in 1962, is very passionate about motorbikes and has been involved in circuit safety for years. A subject close to our hearts. With Pirro we talk about passion, about emotions on the track, about Macao and road races, about how F1 and MotoGP today run safely on the same tracks
Three seasons in F1, then Tourism and above all endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which Pirro dominated five times with the Audi V8 and V12 Turbo. Among his many victories were two Macao Touring Car races and the Goodwood Historic TT Trophy. Closing his career in 2010, Emanuele has contested something like 500 races in cars. And one in motorbikes: Goodwood 2023 with the Yamaha 250, which he tells us about with the desire to replicate it.
Emanuele has always been passionate about motorbikes, has had many, right up to the Katana 1100, and still does some off-road riding on two wheels. Here he tells how the spark for motorbikes came about, his first experiences on four wheels with karts, then open and covered wheels.
We chat about the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Valentino Rossi, about the fascination of road racing and the need for safety:Pirro is a member of various Fia commissions, drivers and circuits, and has addressed the issue of F1 and motogp coexisting on the same tracks. Today we have a very high standard of safety, but there is so much asphalt off the track, with the problem of track limits and how to regulate them. Here is the view of someone who knows.
