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Interview: Italian Stallion: MV Agusta's Luca Scassa
by evan williams
Italian racer Luca Scassa comes to the US to race for MV Agusta this season. The 23 year-old has been a hot shoe on the European Superstock scene and now will race in AMA Superbike in 2007. The son of a policeman and an insurance agent is the favored racer of the Italian brand as they continue to work toward a World Superbike program.
"Eraldo (Ferracci) came to Italy in May to see me and how we work, and how I can ride, especially. He said to my parents that probably -- I didn't know it yet -- that he will ask me to come here (to the US)," said Scassa in Daytona on Thursday.
"Then the factory asked me if I was ready to come here, and I said, yeah, okay. Because (I could race) another year in Superstock -- I'm under 24 -- but it would be the fourth year. I almost win this year, so I think I (am ready to) go over to the US. It's stupid to stay just to win. If you don't win, you're a loser. I think I'm here, my image is pretty good, because what I did at my age," said Scassa.
"I won the Italian Superstock Championship," said Scassa, explaining the Euro regs are more "stock" than AMA's. "The Superstock championship in Europe is totally different from here. We have no 6.5" wheels, we have stock engine. We have stock brake system. We just can change the exhaust, the shock and the inside of the fork. So that's really basic. The bike comes from that. So the base is good, but we have to improve everything. We have no traction control now, no anti-wheelieing. The power is okay, but - for Superstock would be too much. For Superbike, it is a not enough by a little bit. But I'm sure we will be better as the season goes on."
Luca will live in Willow Grove, PA, near the Ferracci shop this year. His English is pretty good, and he seems genuinely excited to be racing in America.
Had Scassa even seen an AMA race before he learned he would be racing in the States? "Oh, yeah. In Italy, we have satellite TV that talks about only racing, so I saw all the races last year. I knew all the guys. The brothers Hayden, Zemke, everybody. In Italy they are famous. People who like bikes, and Superbikes especially, they know everybody." Has he talked with any of them yet? "Just with Spies and with Mat, and a little bit with Roger Lee," he said.
A testing crash at Daytona in December made for an inauspicious start. The team also tested at Jennings, but things really are getting underway here at Daytona as the Superbike spec equipment rolls in to replace the Superstock gear the team started testing with. "The bike's completely new. It just did one hour of testing on a small track in Italy just to see if it can go forward," he said. There were some teething problems on Wednesday, "but the engineers are working good, and they fix it immediately. They understand why, and they did a good job today. No problem, as you can see. We are growing up. The first time I came here, :44, :43. Yesterday, :43, :42, :41, :40. The bike is good in the infield."
With a new bike, a resurrected team, and steep competition at the front, Scassa has adjusted his priorities. "My goal is that the bike will be ready for World Superbike. I don't need to win the championship. I just need to learn Superbike, because it's another world, and you can do a lot of things (you can't in Superstock)."
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