At the Nürburgring on Friday, thick fog caused delays in the free practice sessions for all classes of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), and the paddock remained unusually quiet. This unexpected break provided an opportunity to sit down with Fabio Sarasino, the young Swiss rider from Team Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing, and talk at length about a significant milestone in his life.
The 20-year-old successfully completed his training as a design engineer in June. He completed the four-year program while working at Ewellix, a global leader in linear motion solutions.
Sarasino made a conscious decision to pursue this career path a few years ago in order to remain connected to life on the racetrack in the future. “With this qualification, I could also work in the motorsports industry, among other things,” explained the KTM rider. As a design engineer, he is involved in brainstorming, research and development, and the design of products that are developed for MotoGP and Formula 1, among other applications.
“So if things don’t work out with MotoGP on the racing side, I could still make a career for myself in this field,” said the 20-year-old from Itingen, a small town near Basel. For now, however, he wants to stay with the company where he’s doing his apprenticeship and get his career as a design engineer off the ground there. That way, he can earn enough money to continue pursuing his passion for motorcycle racing for the time being.
So Sarasino has made provisions: if his career on two wheels doesn't work out, Plan B is already in the starting blocks.