Ernesto Marinelli is the Holy Ghost of Ducati Superbike racing. Here he chats with Bayliss on the podium at Donington. image: thanks, Ducati

In Xerox Ducati Corse's Holy Trinity, Davide Tardozzi is the father, Troy Bayliss is the son, and surely, Superbike Technical Manager Ernesto Marinelli is the Holy Ghost. Marinelli, who is also Bayliss's track engineer, is the "guy behind the guy"; the low profile master at the intersection between telemetry data and human input. Like no other man, Ernesto knows the inner secrets of the 1098F08, and can coax the bike from Bitch to Bella. It cannot be overstated how vital a component Ernesto Marinelli was in Troy Bayliss's championship successes - yet, like Bayliss, he conducts himself totally without ego, with an approachable, positive nature 100% focused on preparing the best bike possible for his rider. Soup spoke to Ernesto in Portimao, during his last weekend working with Bayliss, clearly an emotional time for the entire Xerox Ducati Corse team. Marinelli opened up about his love for Bayliss, his place in the Ducati legacy, MotoGP versus World Superbike, and his rider for 2009, Noriyuki Haga. Enjoy.

Q After working with Troy for so long, how do you feel?

A I want to enjoy the weekend, and then for sure, it's going to be a big hole. Because we start working together in 2000 back in the US, and then back together on 2006, and has been three great years. And so is not only the work relationship that we have. We're also very good friends, and so I'm going to miss him like hell, for sure.

Q Closest relationship you've ever had with a rider?

A Well, pretty close. The - although the time, I think, was with Ben, that we have a good relationship as well. But with Troy has been very, very special. All this three years has been, is just one of a kind, for sure.

Q What was the season like for you, knowing it was going to end?

A Well, it was a pretty stressful, important and big season. Because we have a brand new bike, and so it was important to win the championship, because every new Ducati has always win. So that was very important, and also knowing that it would be the last season for Troy, it was even more important, because we - I first, and everybody from the team and everything - just want to give him the best present that we can give him, to win the championship and retire as World Champion. So it was a lot of stress. The beginning of the season was quite good. And then we have a few problems on the middle, that with a brand new bike sometimes it happen, some stupid problem like the $1 piece or whatever. So we were quite stressed on the halfway through, because we lost almost all the advantages that we had. But I think the strength of the team is also that. Close together when things going wrong, and just back on the road again. Troy in first place, it's very good in that, to bring the team together and work as a group, always. He's given us so much that is impossible not to give 200% that you have, for him. You always motivate, because you do your job, and you have to do it good and whatever. But for sure, he's able to squeeze on person to get even more, just for him.

Q I saw you guys in deep conversation after lunch.

A Yeah, we always do. Like I said, it's not only rider and engineer, but we are also pretty good friend. And so actually, we had two session that was quite tough, yesterday afternoon and this morning. Everything that could go wrong, it did. But like I said, is - the important thing is always to just get the strength and to just solve the problems always, and never go, "Oh, f***, no." Head down and work on it.

A side panel on the Ducati Superbike hospitality unit tells the world what Ducati thinks of the former AMA tuner 'Erni'. image by dean adams

Q It seems like maybe Troy is mentally very strong, where some riders, if things are a little wrong, maybe like Melandri might be a good example, but when something with the bike is a little wrong, it's very hard for them to get -

A Well, I think every rider's got a weak point. Going fast on a motorcycle is all a matter of being confident. And everything can make you lose confidence. It happened with Troy many times. He was confident on the bike. Even this afternoon. We went out, we weren't as fast, which was because he doesn't have the confidence on the bike. So racing is like that. The important thing is to react and get the confidence back. That is not always easy. And some rider take a lot more time than him.

To give you an example, in Silverstone, was 2006, it was a qualifying session, the first one. And the day after it's supposed to rain. He went out, we used tire from the morning. He did an out lap and then a kind of okay lap for a used tire, but not enough to get the pole. And then he crashed. Then he came in. We bring the bike, put new set of tires - he went out, do the out lap and crash again. So we end up with no bike on the garage. And the bike just show up like it was like 25 minutes to the end, and the bike was complete destroyed. So we just... there, like work on the one that was looking the best, okay, to fix it. Fix it. Put a brand new set of tires with the qualifying on the back. It was like three minutes to go. He went out, set the pole.

Q That's Troy Bayliss in a nutshell.

A When you crash twice and go on the bike and set the pole, that tells you all.

Q Did this year feel long to you? Did it seem like it took a long time to get to the end? Or was it very fast?

A It wasn't an easy championship. Definitely wasn't an easy championship, because like I say, he start pretty good, and then halfway through the season, we have a few weak episode. So that was a big hit. And then we react, and finally everything went back to place.

Q Were you starting to think a little bit about 2002, going, "Uh-oh, we don't want to lose the championship at the end"?

A Well, you know, you - you will never win the championship until you did. So even if you have points and everything, until you put it on the box mathematically, it's not there. So for sure you have stress. It was a big relief in Magny- Cours, definitely, after Race 1. We all like, "Ahhhhhh. Finally."

Ernesto's career will forever be linked to Bayliss. The pair started working together at Daytona in 2000. Here Bayliss uses all nine fingers to make a point. image by dean adams

Q I noticed Troy was in here yesterday watching Supersport. It seems like he just enjoys watching racing. Or was he looking at it to learn the track?

A Well, this is his life since a while. So for sure, I think it's going to be very hard for him. It is. You can see that he's thinking on it. It's been since the season is started, that you can see that he's thinking about it. And I think it needs a lot of strength to retire when you are on top of the game. But is like I said, he's one of a kind. So even that is part of his strength.

Q Compare Carl Fogarty's retirement and his place in Ducati's history, with Troy's. Do you have any thoughts on those two people?

A Well, I definitely believe - actually I'm pretty sure of it - that Troy's definitely the rider that has been loved around Ducati more than anybody else. It's - he's great for a rider, but personally also, is impossible not to love him. Because it's ... /P>

Q Very sincere?

A It's really a brother. It's really, in the pit lane, on the racetrack, and outside the racetrack he's just a wonderful person. So it's like I say. It's impossible not to love him. Then of course, it's a rider, it's always tense and things, so for sure, he's reacting, sometimes good, sometimes badly or whatever, but this is part of the game. And actually, our job was of course to make the bike ride, but also to keep him mentally relaxed, and feel in family and at home. And I think on this three years that we spent together and now, we shall see.

Q What was your role in trying to keep him calm? Are you constantly talking to him and trying to convey that, "Okay, we can do that, we can fix this?"

A Well, I believe that we kind of understand each other quite well, so this is make it easy, for sure. And then basically you need to make him a condition to trust the bike, and to make the bike do what he wants. And most of the time, we were able to.

To the Ducati faithful, Bayliss' success has made their chests swell with pride. Ernesto's contribution to that success is immeasurable. image by dean adams

Q Davide sometimes can be very strong. If it were two parents, would Davide be the father and you would be more like the mother?

A [Laughing] Like a brother, yeah. One is hitting hard, then the other one, "Ah, is not so bad. We try to do this and that." Like I say, is a team work. Everything is working, because everybody is doing his job right. We have a great team, since everybody on the team, Ale, Moro, Robbicino and Bello, are just the best team that you can have. Like I said, even the bike. Twenty-five minutes to go, we have the bike destroyed. Just put it together and send it on the racetrack good. You need to have the best person to do that.

Q So what happens for you now? Haga?

A Well. We'll see. It's a new challenge.

Q Are you going to stay with the team? Are you going to go work at Ducati?

A I love Superbike. I'm working on this thing since 2003 as responsible for the Superbike area, and I won't survive just in the office. I would kill myself. So I need to be on the racetrack.

Q Will you be out here with Nori next year?

A Yeah.

Q A lot of people at Ducati moved to MotoGP, and you never did. Can you talk about why?

A Well, first they asked me to take care of the Superbike. When the structure doubled, they put me on charge of the technical aspect of the Superbike, and actually I'm very pleased to be there. I don't think that there is much difference between Superbike and MotoGP. Motorcycle are motorcycle. They have two wheels, and engine, and got black tires on it, and so you can have the same fun on both championship. And, but, I feel home here. I like the paddock. I know everybody on the paddock. Me and Davide build up the team since 2003, and now is like that. Since 2-3 years we have the same persons. So it is a family. So I don't really have any reason or need to go to move somewhere else.