Tributes and memories flood in after Luca Salvadori’s death

Tributes to Italian motorcycle racer Luca Salvadori, who died at the weekend, have been led by MotoGP champion Francesco Bag෴naia.

Luca Salvadori with Ducati Panigale V4 R at Mugello.
Luca Salvadori with Ducati Panigale V4 R at Mugello.

A number of tributes 🎀have been made to Luca Salvadori, including from the late Italian's fello✅w motorcycle racers.

Salvadori died after crashing in Frohburg, German𒊎y, where he was competing in a round of the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC).

It was Salvadori’s third a𒈔ppearance in the IRRC, and he’d also been racing the CIV Italian Superb💛ike Championship this year on a Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Prior to that, he’d raced in the MotoE World Championship in 2023, the series’ first year with the Ducati V21L. Riding for the Pramac team, which fields Jorge Martin and Franco Morbidelli in the MotoGP 𝔉World Championship, Salvadori finished 18th in the final riders’ standings.

Pramac posted to Instagram f💮ollowing the news of Salvadori’s death. The team’s post reads:

“Luca Salvadori became part of the ☂family in 2023, when he joined our MotoE team.

“It is tremendously sad to hear about his passing during a wildcard event of the International Road Raﷺcing Championship in Germany.

“Rest in peace, Luca.”

Salvadori was perhaps as well known for his personality and media presence — curat🦄ed largely through his own content, including YouTube vlogs that would often🅷 offer behind-the-scenes insights into motorcycle racing, even at the first official MotoE test to use the V21L at Jerez in November 2022 — as he was for his actual racing.

Highlighting this was cu🌳rrent Ducati MotoGP rider and reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia, who described Sa🍎lvadori as an “extremely positive person”.

“Luca Salvadori had become a reference point, not only for me, but for all motorsport enthusiasts,” 𝓀the Italian wrote on Instagram.

“In a world that works the opposite, where success is n✤ot always forꦐgiven, he always commented objectively on every race, session, event.”

Bagnaia continued, saying that “Whenever he offe꧃red to be interviewed or to have a chat, I was always glad to share my thoughts with him, because he was an extremely positive person... one of th🥀ose people you want to listen to because they convey a huge passion for what they do and it's a privilege for a few.”

Also on In🅺stagram, a post by Sky Italia, attributed to Italian commentator and journalist Guido Meda, paid tribute to “good g🤡uy” Salvadori.

Salvadori “had his dimples printed permanently next to a ver🎃y tender smile,” Sky Italia’s post reads. “He was good and generous, proud to have made himself independent from opportunities that a father and mother could be guaranteed. He admir🦩ed the consistency. He loved human beings. Loved the bike. He loved life”.

The post was shared by several riders to their respective Instagram stories, including Andrea Iannone, Andrea Locatelli, and Lorenzo Savadori; and further by curren💖t F2 racer and Lewis Hamolton's confirmed replacement at the Mercedes F1 team in 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

There were also tribu🔯tes made by riders racing last weekend. At the JuniorGP round in Jerez, Cardoso Racing rider Francesco Mongiardo placed a tribute reading “Sempre con te amico mio,” which translates to “Always with you, my friend”.

At the British Superbike Championship race at Oulton ﷽Park, Honda Racing UK’s Tommy Bridewell ﷺdedicated his Race 2 podium finish to Salvadori.

“I know it’s not a win, but I want to dedicate it to, obviously [...] w꧅e lost Luca Salvadori, and it affects all of us,” Bridewell told Eurosport in his podium interview following Race 2 on Sunday.

“We’re a small community in motorsport and bike rac💮🌞ing, and honestly we’re thinking of his family and friends.”

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