Jessica Pincella is the Team Coordinator for EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros. Factory team. Since 2016, she has been no stranger to the MotoGP and WorldSBK paddock. But her real career in the motorcycling world only started a little bit over three years ago. We had the chance to talk to Jessica after the Balaton Park round. Here’s her story.
© All photos provided by Jessica Pincella
Growing up in Italy, Jessica’’’s love for motorcycling first took root at the age of 16, when she visited Mugello for her first MotoGP race. That weekend would change her life forever. “In 2016, I saw one of my first MotoGP races. I fell in love straight away. So we started to go see more races in a camping car. That’s also the year when I met Fabio Evangelista, the Team Principal of Evan Bros. Racing. My dad has a painting company. He started being the team’s sponsor at the end of 2016.”
During the race weekend, there was always someone singing or making other noises with their engines at the campsite, I slept OK, but it was a complete disaster for my parents. We have a phrase in Italian that says, ‘In Mugello, you can’t sleep.’
At first, Jessica simply enjoyed being around the team, without giving much thought to her own professional future. In 2020, amid the uncertainty of COVID-19, she joined her father’s company, Grand Prix Carrozzeria. “Since meeting Fabio, I started going to their races with them. I was still in school at the time, so I was skipping a lot of classes on Fridays. I even went to some of the fly-away races. In 2020, when COVID hit us, it wasn’t very easy for me to decide what to do. I had the idea of working in the paddock from travelling with the team, but I know with COVID, you couldn’t really do anything, because everything is closed. So I started to work in the company with my dad.”
Then in 2023, the daughter of a sponsor became part of the team, taking on the role of coordinator, overseeing logistics, hospitality, and media for the team. “At the end of 2022, Fabio called me all of a sudden. He told me their team coordinator is leaving, and he asked me whether I’d like to join them. I was like, let me think about it. I waited two days before saying yes, but honestly, my answer was already ‘yes’ from the beginning.”
I matured a lot during my years at my dad’s company. I learned a lot about being in a workplace. When I called Fabio back and said I’ll start to work for you. I think I have the right maturity to take everything into my hands and try to start to organize everything for the team.
The job Jessica took on was new for her. But the team wasn’t. Evan Bros. Racing is a family business, and the family has stayed pretty much the same throughout recent years. “The guys working in Evan Bros. were more or less the same since I met them in 2016. It was pretty easy for me to get the confidence with the rest of the team, to be myself within the team. I didn’t know the job, though. But I had help from the former team coordinator, which I truly appreciated. She gave me tips on how to do the job and how to organize better. It’s just not that easy to work with 13 men. I’m the only woman on the team now.”
In her second year with the team, Jessica worked with more than just the 13 men on the team; she also worked with World Champion Ana Carrasco, who would go on to win the inaugural WorldWCR World Championship with the team, making history again. “It was one of the best years of my life. I had so much fun. I was enjoying the season, but I was also under stress for the first time. At Misano, our home round, I started to cry and laugh at the same time for the first time. I looked around and thought it would be a disaster; people would think that I’m crazy.”
Last year, Jessica’s third season with the team ended on a bittersweet note. The team won the team’s championship, while Can Öncü missed out on the rider’s title. “At the end of the season, Can and the team all just wanted to win the rider’s championship. But in the end, Can came in second. It’s not the same joy as we saw with Ana in 2024. We were happy, but it’s not the same. We were still very proud of ourselves because it was a new project, the new R9 bike, and new riders.”
This year, the team embraced even bigger changes, welcoming a new partner. ZXMOTO, the two-year-old Chinese manufacturer, entered WorldSSP for the first time, and Evan Bros. Racing is now the ZXMOTO factory team. “It’s always difficult to find the best logistics for the team, especially when you are working with a new brand and a new bike. Our mechanics and our truck usually arrive at the circuit on Tuesday, and set-up starts on Wednesday. Sometimes I need to change the travel plan many times to make sure our crew, our bike, and the parts all arrive on time.”
Since the partnership between ZXMOTO and Evan Bros. Racing began, skeptics have called it a gamble, pairing an experienced team with a newcomer to the world championship. But a double win in Portimão silenced all the doubters, and then in Race 1 at Balaton Park, this perfect combination claimed yet another victory. “Since ZXMOTO is a new brand, I don’t think anyone thought that the best result would arrive so soon. What I know is that our mechanics have worked so hard on the bike since it arrived in our office. They didn’t take a break during Christmas and the New Year. They spent so much time learning the bike. So I was sure sooner or later the result would come.”
In Australia, it was the first race with this bike, you know everyone is watching you, and you can feel the pressure on everyone around you. I think we had a good first round to see and understand the problems, and to fix them before the first European round.
Of course, in racing, not every race weekend ends with two wins. Difficult times are inevitable. But that’s where the beauty of a family team like Evan Bros. truly shines. “At the end of a difficult weekend, what is good is that we are always focused. We don’t get angry even if the result doesn’t come. At the end, we’re still family. This is what keeps us closer at every race. It’s very important that we all get along, otherwise how do you spend 12 weekends a year around the world racing together.”
Last but not least, Jessica shared her advice for those who want to find their path to the paddock: “Never give up, don’t listen to anybody, just listen to your own opinion. Get as much work experience as possible. Believe in yourself!”
We wish Jessica and the team all the best of luck this weekend at Most, and for the rest of the season ahead!
Paddock Sorority 
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