The true meaning of priority": Simoncelli's bitter diary amid current affairs, uncertainties, and Moto3 rookies

Paolo Simoncelli comments on the first Moto3 2026 GP, but he also weighs in on the very latest off-track events, which are more concerning...

The weekend that kicked off the 2026 Moto3 season brought first answers and new beginnings, but not only that. Before there was even time to think about the opening race, the world entered a “complicated” phase: that’s what Paolo Simoncelli focuses on in his commentary at the end of the season-opening round. In the restart of his “dear diary,” as he prefers to call it, the head of SIC58 Squadra Corse highlights the current uncertainties... But there’s also a comment on his rookies, Casey O’Gorman and Leo Rammerstorfer, the latter making his absolute debut.

“We set off for the distant ‘homeland of rice,’ thinking we’d simply inaugurate a new chapter: a long and arduous world championship. Instead, we return with a Qatar in limbo and the feeling that the world is falling apart.” Thus begins Paolo Simoncelli’s usual Grand Prix blog post, in which he bitterly comments on the current off-track situation. “I’m part of a generation that has seen many things, some very beautiful, fortunately. But in recent years events have occurred that inevitably re-educate us on the true meaning of the word ‘priority.’” We can assume he’s also referring to the very serious accident that occurred last year at Sepang.

Let’s recall that Noah Dettwiler, one of the two riders involved, was in fact on SIC58’s radar for 2026, as Paolo Simoncelli himself had made official before the young Swiss rider’s no. Then the current wartime situation certainly carries great weight in his bitter commentary on the state of things... “If I had to give this statement a title, it would be: ‘Everything’s going the wrong way,’ because things didn’t go as we had imagined. We call it a statement, but it’s a sort of ‘dear diary,’ where for years I’ve been spewing facts, unsolicited opinions, doubts, in my own way. Come on, at least grant me this little game.”

First real outing for the new SIC58 lineup. “On the Chang circuit our new knights, Casey O’Gorman and Leo Rammerstorfer, made their ‘society debut,’” Paolo Simoncelli wrote. How did it go? “Casey approached the weekend with great maturity. He worked calmly, without chasing special effects, but staying focused throughout. He started 10th and finished 11th: a solid, mistake-free race. If he continues like this, he can have his say in the race for Rookie of the Year.”

After the Irish newcomer, here’s the Austrian debutant. “Leo impressed me with other qualities. He’s determined, courageous, and in outstanding physical shape,” Simoncelli emphasized. “His debut wasn’t simple: he started a long way back, but lap after lap he made up ground by working patiently. In the end he finished 16th, after several duels with much more experienced riders and pulling off a remarkable braking move. I know this well because I was right trackside following him… certainly not because they were showing him on television.”