Qatar Special #2: Riders

Motopod, proudly supported by Road Skin, a UK label specializing in protective outerwear for motorcyclists. Modern biker clothing that you can wear all day long and engineered to save your skin. For the road, for life, visit roadskin.co.uk Well, Eka, it's great to meet you. I've been a very, very big fan of yours and you won't have listened to Motopod, I'm sure. Over all the years I've been saying, oh, this Eka Lekarono, he's great in MotoGP.

So it's a great pleasure to have you on Motopod. Thank you to you, Irene, for giving us some time. I've prepared some questions, so forgive me reading from my sheet here. Now, I was one of the many people who was, as I say, a little bit angry when I saw you were departing from KTM at the end of 2021. So from your perspective, how much of a challenge has it been this year, jumping between the CBR and the RCV as you've come along and done these guest rides, but fill-in rides, let's say?

Yeah, I mean, 2021 was quite a hard year for me, until mid-year that I know KTM has taken off for me, for myself. So it was quite hard to accept, but then I had the option to join the RC Superbike, that's like an official rider, first time in my life, an official rider. For me, the best factory in the world, honestly. Maybe it's not in the best moment right now, the situation, you know, the best one. But the history.

But the history for me is the best one. So I'm really happy to join and I can say that this year was very busy for me. Many, many races, single holidays until last Christmas. So it's a very long way. And it's a big challenge.

First, because the first time I jumped was in Jerez after two years or one and a half. With the MotoGP, the MotoGP bikes changed a lot, improving a lot everything, all the systems, all the electronics, the tyres changed. Also, big challenge to adapt periodically to Michelin, because with the periodic you take a lot of confidence with the front tyre. Because it's more soft, but the Michelin you lose it very easy. So in Jerez de Secón, the feature I remember I crashed and the team told me, you have on the crash with the Michelin tyre.

Like, OK, but I don't know why I crashed. Like, don't worry. That's normally like, OK, I don't like. I'm already straying away from my questions, but with the Pirelli front tyre in World Superbike, it's known to be quite a soft construction. So is this the major difference with the Michelin front here?

I mean, in Pirelli we have two options, only two options from the front tyre. Like, depending on the weather, depending on the track, we can use the hard or not. I like more the hard because I have more support with the front. The soft is too soft for my style, not for stopping everything. But we have more edge grip.

But this true is more soft compared to Michelin. With the Pirelli you can brake with banking and you use the brake a lot until the end of the corner. With the Michelin you need to brake straight, strong and then when you go in you need to release the brake to lose the front. So the way that you manage the tyre, this performance is completely different. So it's a big challenge to re-adapt my style after a long time with no Michelin to Michelin again, after test to the tyre.

Because in many races I have race and test and race and race and it's a mix during the year and it was a very big challenge for me. Is riding the Grand Prix bike a help with regards to the World Superbike? Yes. Really? Yes.

How is that? Good, honestly good and help me because I start to lose many things that I need to do in the MotoGP. Like playing a lot with the body, the way I manage myself to re-adapt to the bike. So when I jump again in the MotoGP I need to use again these methods. I remember that when I jump on the Superbike, I remember after the first race we had the test and I go very fast with the same bike more than normally.

Much more than my team mate just because I feel something different about myself. And it's just because I can adapt easier and quicker to the track weather, to the bike, to the problems. So help me a lot to jump on the MotoGP also because the level here was crazy. It's increased a lot during this last year and when I jump on the Superbike it increases a lot but it's an easier bike. And tricky question, Irene maybe tells me not to ask this question.

You rode the KTM for the Tech3 team, so it wasn't the fully up-to-date bike let's say, and certainly not at the level of the 2023 KTM. No. Is there any information from your time riding the KTM and as you've come across to do these performances for HRC and MotoGP, is there anything that you've been able to bring from your experience of that bike from two years ago? No, I mean not because when I finished Tech3 I got directly to the Superbike. So of course I compared many things about the MotoGP and the Superbike but it was impossible to take the profit.

Then when I jumped again on the MotoGP, it was one and a half years or two years after with a completely different bike. Even KTM was a completely different bike because when I'm in KTM we struggle a lot with the performance to drive. Right now with the Honda we struggle more than KTM. KTM we can see that Brad fights for the podium, wins or so it changes a lot. I have good friends since I took KTM or with the suspensions that I've bought and everyone tells me this machine, this bike, is not the same bike that you ride a few years ago.

So even when you listen to this it's like, okay, I cannot say nothing to the team to help to develop the bike. I can help with my data because I'm a fast rider and he has my data and on that check or compare my data with the other one. And because you're coming along and just doing occasional rides this year, is your role primarily just to ride the bike as hard as possible and to give your feedback or are you also tasked with trying some new parts and giving feedback on those as well across the weekend? Because testing is so difficult in this championship. No, honestly the first two races is with the standard bike with the old one.

Then I tried the Calais frame the first time and then this last race I tried this new aerodynamic that I only used from six races ago or seven races. So at the end he put me this new material but I think to compare also how I feel with this difference. But no, normally I have the base or the standard bike and then just ride. Yeah, and we kind of touched on this a moment ago but I mean I've said many times on the show, you have a very distinctive I think a very particular riding style, the way you lean off the bike. Kind of quite far forward as well.

Yes. So it's quite particular I think. So what fine details are again between the two bikes, the world superbike and the RCV and the different tyres, do you find yourself having to adapt your body position still between the two bikes? Well, it's through this in Japan for example I tried to change a little bit my style. First to try to spend less energy for the end of the race have more power.

But also to help the bike because in superbike helped me a lot this riding for me. I save a lot of crashes from front just for my body position on the bike or from my base because I need this style. So helped me to rotate faster the bike because we struggle a lot or helped me to have bit more grip because I play more with the body. In MotoGP right now with this bike I cannot find if it's good or not my style because we struggle a lot. Few tracks I go very fast like Barcelona or Assen, another track I struggle a lot like in Silverstone or in Malaysia.

So I cannot say if my style will be fine for this bike or not. For a superbike yes, even I changed a lot few details but I changed a lot. For this bike it's difficult to say with 7 races. I guess in reality with MotoGP as you say all of the machines out there are so good, all of the riders are so good, the level is so high. When you're just coming across for a few races in a year it's almost impossible to...

Yeah, it will be difficult. When I'm P10 in Assen for me was like a dream again. Because my pace was good, I overtake many riders during the race, I go very fast like wow I'm strong again here in MotoGP. That for me was impressive. Then I go back to the reality in Malaysia that I struggle a lot compared to the other one.

Like you say, everything increases a lot, the machines and the riders, the performance. Because my lap times in Malaysia was quite good. I mean with the Honda I go two times faster than Alex last year. The pace during the race is last year I can fight for the points, this year I'm very far. 57 in Malaysia is like wow.

And this is the funny thing I guess, just thinking out loud, people kind of look at the Honda as it is at the moment. We know it's a difficult moment for HRC with the bike, but it's still faster than it was last year. That's the thing, I spoke Monday morning with John with Mir and he told me with my lap time, with John's lap time, he said that he started P5 last year. Now he's P14 on the grid. That means that it's not that, okay, of course the bike, maybe the bike doesn't improve, but it's not that the level from the bike is a disaster.

It's a disaster because we have eight Ducatis on track that have an amazing performance. Four Aprilias that have a very good performance also. The Yamaha's maybe struggled more, but KTM also made the steps. So at the end it's like wow, it's not too bad. Very finally, thank you, Taka has arrived for a talk.

Not a bad track, is it a good one for you? What's your expectation? Normally yes, but I don't want to talk very high. At the end we have a new surface on track, so we need to check if the tiger life arrives to the end of the road, if we work with my base, so we need to change it. Also the track changed a lot from corner 1 to 7, honestly, like a visual with the angles, everything changed, so we will see what happens.

Well, wishing you the very best of luck this weekend for a good result, and once again thank you very much for your time. Thank you, thank you man. Nice to meet you man. Cheers. Next one!

Taka, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Great pleasure to meet you. You've been in MotoGP for quite some years, but I'm not sure if you've been on the MotoPod podcast before. We have done some interviews in Qatar some years ago, but let me start by asking you about this Moussail track.

Is this a place that you like and does it suit your riding style? I know you had a Moto2 podium here back in 2013, which is some time ago. Yes, I like this track, especially last sector 3 and sector 4, which is quite high speed corners. Normally I like this kind of, you know, I prefer big corners and high speed, so that's why I'm able to go fast on this kind of track. And as you said, in the past year with the Moto2 I got really good speed and I got a podium as well, so I like this track.

What about riding under the lights? Does it make any difference to you at all? Of course it's quite different between the daytime and especially in the MotoGP, you know, it's quite late. Now it's, you know, the last two years I think we started from 8 o'clock, but in the past like 10 or 11 p.m. You had the moisture coming in later on.

Yes, you know, it's also really, the condition is quite tricky because normally after 9 p.m. the track temperature is quite dropped. And especially left hander is really difficult to manage the tire temperature. So a couple of crashes, also in the past I had a couple of crashes in the Tantoo, which is, you know, the low temperature. Many people crash in Tantoo.

Typical MotoGP crash in the year in the left side. But anyway, well, it's quite different the feeling, you know, the visibility. I don't know how it is. Humidity? Humidity or what?

No, it's the visibility. Yes, you get like shadows and reflections, it's a bit strange. But normally it's not a big problem for the riding, but for sure the feeling is different. The speed and also because outside of the racing line is quite dark. So it's really a bit different.

And have you ridden here in the daytime before? In the sunshine, let's say? No. I can't remember now what year they started using the nighttime format. Because of course originally when they first came here it was like running in the verse.

I think more than 10 years ago it was daytime, all the crashes, all the three crashes. But I was in Moto2, it was already nighttime. Because again I was looking at a little bit of your history and your biography of racing, let's say. And you started racing back in the glory days of 125 two-stroke motorbikes. How did you look back on the days of the two-strokes in your very early period when you were racing?

Because as I say you're one of the few people still racing in this world that will remember the two-strokes for example. A good time? Yes, it was a good time. Definitely it's a completely different feeling on the bike and the riding style. Of course it's totally different.

But I was lucky to have the opportunity to ride an even two-stroke many years ago, a 125cc. I never rode a 250cc bike, the two-stroke, but yeah 125cc. That moment I never felt that special feeling, but now after it was great memories. For listeners that don't know this, obviously you started in GP with Honda. You won the Suzuka 8 hours, I guess you were riding a Honda.

You won the Japanese 600 stock championship on a Honda. And then of course you came to the MotoGP paddock. So I mean your whole career is completely 100% linked to Honda and HRC. What's it like being so integral, but also so deep into the HRC DNA, the fabric of the company and that family? And in the future for example, do you see yourself maybe doing something like Hiroshi Ayama in terms of some team management?

At the moment it's quite difficult to say that I don't have a clear object in my mind at the moment. But now of course I need to start to think about my future because now I'm not like 20 years old. So I'm already 31 and the next year I'll be 32. And it's many years MotoGP category. So yeah maybe this off-season start to think about after 5 years or after 10 years what I want to do.

And of course I'm lucky that almost all my racing career was on the bike and HRC last 10 years. So yeah of course I want to explain or to give a chance to the young riders what Hiroshi is doing now. Which is really great. Is that interest you? Yeah for me it's yes.

I don't know if it's for the team manager or like riding coach. I don't know. But something like I want to help and I want to explain what had this racing career from the 125, Moto2, MotoGP. How is it different? How is the MotoGP?

MotoGP. So not many people can ride the MotoGP like more than 5 years. But I'm lucky that I'm done already 6 years. So yeah to new generation young rider I want to explain my feeling. Of course we mustn't be too hasty because you're riding in the team again next year.

Next year I mean I know as I was just talking with Ikea it's a difficult moment still for HRC with the bike. And everybody understands that and it takes time to develop and move forward again. But how excited are you about next year with this new group of riders coming around in terms of obviously yourself as that consistent presence here. Joanne Duzarco is coming. I don't know I'm assuming Joanne Meir is going to be staying as well.

And possibly Marini coming we don't know so that's not a question for now. But you know a new super team of great talent how exciting is that to be looking forward to that next year? To be honest for me it's you know really exciting like new people coming and of course at the moment looks like 100% my teammate will be Zarko. And then you know the next box I don't know Marini will come I'm not sure. But anyways looks like the people is changing inside and also inside HRC people like the Japanese and the developing the people.

And you know looks like a couple of people is changing and for already I saw some new face in the developing side. The aero parts and I saw it's completely different. So I mean just at the moment I can say that this I'm really excited that you know the project how change not only Iremitsu team is just you know whole package and the Honda. And because everyone looking for like you know big step it's not like a half step. Like from outside is we need to see that you know to see that is the potential of the bike and also the important that this is be consistent every racetrack.

Because now like we are struggling because you know the bike is really unstable and it's really difficult to manage the right the bike you know every racetrack is because the performance is even we are struggling. But this if the tires not matching is we are bottom. So this we need to fix it and at least of course we cannot you know like a 20 or 21 racetrack be on top. This is impossible but at least you know even we are struggling inside top 10 must be like this and if we have a good chance and we need to fight for the victory. So yes it's easy to say but you know we have a clear target and you know all HRC also all my team also myself you know we need to feel that the big step for next season.

I mean it takes time it will be step by step won't it because MotoGP is such a challenge now with Aero, Electronics all these devices going up and down it's a nightmare. I guess everything has to work together but for me seeing what Honda is doing now with the new recruitments and as you say some new faces appearing gives me great confidence and I'm sure you too that although it's a long process you know they're very serious to get back. I mean I remember watching Mick Duhun running around on the NSR 500 at Donington Park in the late 1990s so you know Honda has to be in this championship and has to succeed in this championship and I'm sure that will come. Yeah we you know from rider side we are pushing a lot you know try to specific comment to you know this area we need to improve and we are not like comprain whole part it's like you know here maybe we can adjust from the riding. But here we cannot accept because we need to completely you know we lose the time and we cannot be consistent because of the bike is like this so yeah let's see because I'm curious that you know Zalco will ride the Honda bike after the you know Valencia GP and they're doing the Valencia test so I'm curious that what is the first comment what is you know the feeling of the bike.

Of course we believe that you know it's not everything positive comment but we need also HSC I think is really important to reasoning the comment from the you know the other rider especially Zalco he came from Ducati you know he ride I think four years Ducati so he you know very well and he's great talent and a lot of experience so yeah let's see I'm really curious. Yeah everybody is desperate to see how things will move forward but I'm sure that they will move forward because again this is HSC that we are talking about and they don't like that. HSC is a big company so they are pushing a lot so let's see. Well take a look it's been great to talk to you really appreciate your time wish you good luck and a good result this weekend and in Valencia hopefully the weather isn't too nasty for you in Valencia and maybe you know next season and coming seasons we'll have a chance to meet again and see how things go. Thank you.

Thank you. Jake Dixon, wow what an honor to have you on the show been trying to get you on the show for quite some time. Jake, 2023 feels to have been an absolute breakthrough year for you. You've had your first two wins, you're consistently in the top six terms of finishes, currently third in the championship. In the class since 2019 so this is your fifth season, sum it up for us if you can.

Yeah obviously came in 2019 but we came with being on the KTM we didn't necessarily have the most competitive bike. Well it was known the KTM wasn't competitive at the time and we weren't, well the team weren't willing to put the funds in to get the new stuff that they were bringing out. Because at the end of the day I think they bought something like 15 versions of different chassis so it obviously becomes expensive and I understand that and it is obviously for me being my rookie year they didn't want to put the money in because they didn't know what my level was so it was a difficult year. Then obviously went to Petronas and it looked better from the outside than it was on the inside. We'd done well the first year, I was fighting in the top five a lot, I was lead a few races and then after having a few top five, top six years then crashed and broke my wrist.

And then that was quite bad because it nearly finished my career so that was obviously not ideal. Then we came back in 2021 and as you see in the media the team imploded and yeah the budget was all cut and basically it wasn't very good from that point. But then I came back to Aspar in 2022, they gave me everything that I needed and obviously from that moment on it was really really good. So from that moment we were on the podium and able to show our full potential, it's taken a lot longer than I obviously wanted it to but yeah we're here now and this year obviously been able to win races as well. The second half of the season has not been ideal, it's been a roller coaster, it's been ups and downs.

So yeah I think hopefully this weekend being in Qatar we can finish in these last two races back on the podium and that's the aim this weekend because I'm not happy with fifth and that just shows where we're at at the minute. So I want to obviously be every race on the podium but it hasn't been that way. We've been unlocking a few circumstances with the weather in Philip Island and then dislocating my shoulder and then obviously me making the mistake in Thailand hitting the back of Vieti when we were potentially able to fight for the podium again. So I've made some errors, we've had some unfortunate areas being cleaned out in Silverstone and in India. So yeah it's just been one of them seasons really, it's been a bit up and down but also we've had good times as well.

It's a cutthroat class at the end of the day, it's a warzone out there. Definitely everyone's on the same machine obviously other than the two speed ups that are Aldegar's riding fantastic at the minute and it's showing in the last few races. So yeah it's one of them, this class is obviously difficult but I feel like I can cut it at the top, I feel like I'm as good as any one of them I think but it just takes everything a little bit more time. You see Pedro this year has been fantastic on the CalEx and he's a deserved champion at the end of the day because he's had the best results, he's been the most consistent and when he's needed to he's put everything together. So I'm not deserved of that because I've made too many mistakes and had a little bit of bad luck.

So yeah I think around the houses it's been an okay season, I'm obviously not happy with the second half like I've said and hopefully we can get the train back on track in these last two. Famously hard on yourself as always, at the end of the day you're running third in the championship in the Minister's Stelar Outcome really for the year isn't it? Yeah no, 100% I think it's good but obviously I've come in to fight for the championship and since Silverstone it's sort of gone a bit peak tongue so obviously I'm not going to be super happy with that but as well we need to now try to consolidate third in the championship and I think that's the main aim now is to try to do that. But like you say Aldegair's in rich form and I think we need to try to come out swinging in these next two races because if we don't then it's obviously going to be a big shit. Hello Simon, Simon Patterson just walking by there.

You've come a very unconventional route so in 2018 just to refresh people's memories you were second in BSB with Lee Hardy Racing famously. At the end of that season following you had a wild card I guess it would have been at Silverstone that year didn't you? So you were elected to move on to the GP calendar, obviously everyone wants to get to GP but can you tell us a little bit about how that came about and why it was you decided to jump off a very competitive position in the British Superbike Championship and come across to what was a brand new, a completely brand new adventure for you? It's obviously difficult isn't it because at the time I wasn't wanting to make the switch over to here because I never had the option and then I rode obviously with Lee, Lee gave me my opportunity to go to Superbike and then it was almost like a match made in heaven to be fair he was only a little team with not a lot of budget. I had a lot of interest obviously to stay in British Championship and at the time it looked like until the option for Moto2 came I was going to sign Paul Berg and go to Ducati which no one knows about but that was obviously the main thing we were working towards and then Frankie my manager works here and he rang me on I think when I was at Silverstone so I think I was the first one to go.

I think it was something like the third to last round so the showdown had just started and it was after the races on Sunday and he says I need a decision from you I've got an option for Moto2 but I need a decision now and I'm like well that's quite hard he said well ring me back in an hour but make a decision because it needs to be either yes or no. But I was going from earning good money in BSV to coming here and basically earning nothing to try to better myself so I thought would I be happy to sit in a few years time and say I took the money and I stayed in British Championship and maybe went well with Superbikes or would I be happy to say well I took the risk and it's paid off or it didn't pay off but would I be forever kicking myself if I didn't go so I thought no I'm going to go for it and luckily it's paid off for me. Yeah you ain't kicking yourself. No no so it's obviously a big move to come from British Championship I never rode Grand Prix bikes before I came here. Well I was going to ask you that I'm sort of on the clock here but when you had that wild card at Silverstone I mean just how much of a shock was it to be suddenly on a very stiff Moto2 prototype chassis.

Completely different, completely different and that's the most difficult thing that was super hard and that was difficult but again like I say I started completely different I started at 14 years old and I think I was speaking with Pedre he started at 4 years old so I'm 10 years already later than what he is so it was obviously difficult but yeah I'm almost like I'm a bit older in the championship but in terms of experience I'm actually quite young in terms of it and me and my team were speaking yesterday about it and I think I'm going to be able to do that. Yeah it's my fifth season but fifth season in Grand Prix a lot of people do five years in Moto3 and then they move up so I'm still young in the Grand Prix paddock I still believe that in the next few years I'll be in MotoGP and yeah I think I'll blossom as the years go on and I think I'll ride more into the late 30s than maybe some other people do so. Yeah because I suppose some people get to a point of burnout almost when they've been. Because they've started at four years old I started a lot later so I've got a lot more hunger and and and passion to go longer and I think originally if you'd have spoke to me earlier in my career I probably would have said no I want to be finished when I'm early 30s but no I think once I eventually make it into MotoGP I'd like to try to have 8 to 10 years in the class so yeah that's all being if you're on a competitive bike etc and I'm obviously being competitive I maybe go there and I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that but I think I'm going to be able to do that. I'm not competitive but and then it's completely different again but yeah I think I know what I want to do whatever it happens it's another thing so yeah exactly.

Jake it would be dreadfully remiss of me not to say congratulations on becoming a father this year. Thank you very much. That was great, good news to see. Perhaps with marriage and fatherhood in mind just everything seems to have clicked into place this year as we've said didn't it so obviously it is a top team but how do you sum up the progress that you've made and what remains to be your main focus for improvement on the Moto2 bike? I mean without treading on too many toes perhaps lap one getting off the line seems to be one hour perhaps where you've got room to progress?

Yeah definitely I'm a lot better than I was at the beginning of the year. Yeah it's all about where you start generally on the grid that makes a big difference. On lap one in Malaysia I ended up like tenth or something on that one because I got mixed up in the Gonzalez crash so yeah it's difficult but yeah I'm good at making recoveries. I make a recovery all the time in the second half of the race but I wasn't able to so much in Malaysia but yeah I think there's still areas to improve. We're also going to Pirelli next year so I think that could work in my advantage but we need to get on top of things earlier in the weekend because I feel like at the minute we're not hitting the nail on the head with the bike and the setup of the bike and I feel that's hindering us so I think this weekend if we can start the ball rolling from FP1 and try to keep improving throughout the whole weekend I think we'll be all good.

Well I think I'll probably use up my allotted time already so best of luck for the weekend and for Philencia as well as I keep saying to people hopefully it won't be too shitty weather there. No hopefully not. As a prior officer I'll be hoping that you can keep hold of third place in the championship this year and we'll look forward to speaking to you again maybe next year sometime if we get a chance and yeah as you say hopefully MotoGP back in season or two's time. No worries. Thanks for having me on the MotoGP.

Pleasure. All the best. Great pleasure. Cheers mate. Thank you.

Top man mate. Cheers. Okay I'm delighted to be joined as the motorbike goes past by Firmin Naldege. Firmin welcome to the show. I was a little bit afraid to shake your hand then because you're about as hot property as it's possible to get in the paddock at the moment.

How are you coping with the situation having won the last two races in the way that you did? Yeah I'm very very happy now with my moment in the Moto2 because we are fighting now only with me because we have a little bit more now respect my rivals. I'm yes race by race I feel better and this is very important for finish the decision on my best. Nothing I'm very looking focus on the top three of the championship and do my best in these two races. Obviously you won at my home track at Silverstone earlier this year so you've been on really amazing form in this second half of the season.

Is there something in particular that you can point out either with yourself or with the bike that's helped you to make this incredible run? Yeah no I finish very good also the first part in Aachen in Holland because we finished fourth fighting with the first podium but after we go to the summer break with a very positive mentality working very hard for arriving to Silverstone in my best. Yeah we did it in Silverstone my first podium my first win and this helped me too much for continuing with this level and I'm in my best moment of my life and I'm very very happy. I mean these last two races that you won you didn't just win them you demolished everybody else so which is not very usual in Moto2 to see that particularly one race after the other so I mean form is so important. What is your focus for these last two races is it just to try and win another two races or are you thinking about this third place also?

Yes this final part of the season my mentality is always to enjoy and improve all races and this helped me to stay always focused on the top and continue like this because yes on Thailand I do a very good qualifying time but I don't expect for nothing to do this race. Because we know Pedro had a very good pace but we do a little bit of difference but in Malaysia after qualifying with 0.5 of scrap we know that we had a little bit more and we did it. Yeah I don't know now I'm focused to continue like this with the target is finished on the top three also this race the championship but also in this two races and do my best. I have to say that anybody that's a little bit surprised about your sudden run of form shouldn't be so surprised because when I was looking at your history you won the 2020 CEV stock 600 championship and then you won the 2021 Moto2 CEV and when I say you won it I mean you absolutely demolished that championship so is there something about the middleweight bike or are you looking forward to getting onto a bigger bike? I mean how long do you want to stay in this championship?

Yeah my career is a little bit different respect the other riders because I don't do Moto3 class. Was there a particular reason why you missed Moto3? Were you too tall or too heavy? When I arrived Covid, coronavirus we don't have too much money for making Moto3 on the theme junior. It cost a lot of money and we don't have it.

We do another way, another line we do 600 we won we do Moto2 we won. I do the short press in Mugello circuit with my debut. I signed my contract with Bosco Scuro and now we are here and I'm very very happy with the team. When I was talking with Alonso then we were talking about the particular way that the Bosco Scuro chassis seems to like to go around corners quite wide lines so does this look like a track that should favour? I mean there's lots of radius corners here so I'm guessing it should be a good one for you.

Yeah this track is very nice, it's a little bit of the Bosco Scuro characteristics but at the end Thailand is not a very good track for our bike and I do a very good race. We have to work with this line, don't touch too much the bike, only working with the reference, with the lines, have a good positive mentality and yes of course if the car is for our bike it's better. Don't change too much on the bike I guess. So last thing is I mean Fermin it's going to be absolutely fascinating to see how these last two races go and see if you can continue the great form that you're on and I don't want to ask you about next year, I mean that's a distraction that's not for me to ask you about that now but I wish you good luck for the rest of this season and it will be very interesting to see what happens next year and beyond so thank you for coming on to MotoPod we really appreciate it and we'll hope to speak to you again. Okay thank you very much.

Cheers. Getting towards the end of the day here in the Nassau circuit paddock, delighted to be joined for the first time on the Charm Shore by Sam Lowes, our Mark VDS racing team. Sam, good to see you fellow Brit. Good to see you, how are you doing? Very very well thank you and how about you?

Very well, very well, happy to be here in the desert, a bit of rain today actually. Indeed. Well that's good for the weekend. So let's get straight into it, very long career in Moto2 before you head off to World Superbike, doing a quick check of your stats. So 10 wins, 26 podiums I think is there are there bets?

Yes something like that I think. The tally to date so can you pick a highlight from your time in the GP paddock? Well it's difficult I think obviously the first Grand Prix win in Austin in America obviously great track, great place, coming from super sport never really, you know a lot of guys coming through the rookies or Spanish in talent championships is sort of get a bit of a leg up in this paddock, more similar bikes so didn't know if the Grand Prix win was on the card so to get the first one was mega. Maybe even like here this year I've had the last couple of years been real struggle injuries, a lot of injuries behind the scenes or even probably a lot of them so to get that win this year was to come back and get it was nice obviously the season's not gone quite as I planned after that but that was a good feeling and there's still two to go we can add to the highlights so that's the goal for these two. So when you first came into Moto2 you started off from the right with Speed Up, then laterally in 2020 you moved to Mark VDS obviously where you are now and so you've been here for quite a few years now so what is it particular about this team that's really sort of gelled for you and obviously you're moving on with the team towards next year as well.

I was in 2021, I was joint second and fourth in the championship, two good years and just the experience of the people, the calmness I'll say of the way the garage works and not trying to reinvent the wheel too much, the longer I've got through my career the better people I've worked with, the more experienced people I've worked with. In some ways they actually do less when you're younger or you're working with people that are trying to prove themselves as well as the rider, you're sort of shooting for the stars a lot, looking for that secret setting or secret plan or something formula and the more I've got then that's what I tell my younger self is it's not out there. You're hard working just getting into the rhythm of stuff and it's the way to make it and that's what this team taught me, you're never going to find a second, especially when you're doing all the bikes the same, you find a second in the bikes but you can polish it and improve by not making any steps backward over the weekend by Sunday around the best chance possible. Do you have a sort of feeling as to why it is? Obviously Moto2 is a control formula, it's very heavily standardised, probably not the right word, chassis, tyres, engine etc.

And I appreciate that some teams have bigger budgets than others but Mark VDS has always been perceived to be one of the top teams in the paddock. What is it about the team? I think in the past there was also a bigger difference but now there's a lot of things that are so similar, a lot of things that are the same that are making less of a difference and it comes down to them small details, the way of working, just the details, the wind tunnel, the extra testing, not extra testing but training bike training, they're just trying everything you need, they try to do it. No stone, stone left unturned. No stone left unturned and I think it's getting harder to make a difference and that's the good and bad thing about Moto2.

The attitude of the people, the calmness, the way of working and just trying to look at all the things. Now I'm going to choose my words carefully because I don't want to call you an elder statesman but obviously you are one of the more experienced guys in the paddock. With you heading off two world superbike, it leaves one desperate here potentially, I don't know what's happening with Groy obviously that's a new story that's been breaking. Well actually where's the problem with getting British talent through to this paddock because obviously we dominate in world superbike or have been over the years but I mean can you see that there's something that could be done back at home just with a British hat on momentarily? I think there is such a strong national championship in England and a way to move forward with your career at a national level with sponsorship with the way the television is and the good job they do in British superbike and the support classes, not just the main classes, the support classes.

Without having the big funding behind you to come to Spain and ride, it's so hard to get here and have the level to perform. Whereas you can ride in the British super sport, the super stock classes and get good support. It's possible to see a career for a young rider to improve, win their stock classes, super sport classes and get to superbike and make some money and at least have some support. Whereas here to come now for a young rider in the mid teens, late teens to get to Grand Prix racing, 4 or 5 years of layout of big cash and it's getting nearly more before you get to this level. Not that it's about earning money but to get somewhere back to be able to do it.

You've got to live. You've got to live but also you've got to be able to pay to do it or someone's paying to do it. I think the level is so high in the Spanish and Italian championship, the European talent corps and national championships that it's very difficult. The way to ride these bikes is so different. I struggle now.

My career would have been a lot different if I'd have rode more on the prototype bikes growing up. It's hard in England to do it. I suppose the Brits are a bit of a victim of their own success really. BSB is a brilliant championship, brilliantly run, lots of classes, high profile. I think that's not the main reason why because it's mega and it's mega that people go and do well and we're proud of that.

But of course it is sad because I'm going to leave, Rory's not going to be here next year and has had a tough year because to come from a British superbike to here it's nearly impossible to do well. The level of these young kids coming out of rookies and all the guys that are here. It's hard also to be a Spanish or Italian rider because there's so many good ones. A lot of great riders get left behind but there's so many good ones, there's so much support that win these rookies or Spanish championships and get on the best bikes here. They're so high level.

You jump in as a 22 year old Brit coming from British superbikes, it's nearly impossible. All the more credit to you Sam to be honest having come through the British system and World SuperSport where you obviously won the championship. A few years back now, still there isn't it? It still hinders me now, the way of riding, the riding style of these bikes. We've talked about this with a couple of the guys in the team, I've been trying forever to change certain things but certain things you do so naturally that you learn from a young age that it's hard to do.

Let's take Tony, my teammate for example, he's just rode these bikes forever and they ride so much and I think that's the difference. It's hard to do that back home, you have to go and move out to Spain especially for the winter. Now with the schools and everything, it's not a big enough sport to get the support that you've got to nearly get out of that. It's a massive risk to not, you need to really back on yourself. What do you do if you don't make it?

Lottery winner territory isn't it? Exactly, so then I think it's difficult, I think they're doing well, they've started the last year and a half, two years to see that and they're looking to help the Brits and push more through. I hope that it will change that by having the Vision Track team or Michael Lavey's team and stuff like this. But in the Spanish Championship we need to have a British team doing well in the Spanish Championship to bring the riders through because honestly it's the only way in the next ten years, maybe it will change after that, for a British rider to do well in this class is to come through that ranking. I'm going off-piste a little bit here but I thought it would be a bit further down the track for you.

I mean is rider management and helping out with the grass roots, is that something you'd like to get involved in? Yeah I think me and Alex, my brother would like to do that. I love helping people, helping the young kids. You learn a lot in this game and if I could talk to myself ten years ago I'd write a different story but that's everybody, that's life, that's what happens. But yeah definitely I love to do that, I love racing and everything about my life that I've got in my life is because of racing and everything that I do is about racing.

So I'm sure I have other hobbies but I'll always be involved in the sport, it's what I love to do, also my family and my wife's getting involved as well so it will always be part of my life and if you can help it's better isn't it? Not sending off into retirement just yet so you're looking forward to World Superbike next year. Obviously the Ducati is going to be a very different animal to what you've been used to. Are you training on 1,660? Not yet, not really not yet, especially with the schedule we have.

The second half this year was strong but as soon as, well it's actually not long now, it's a couple of weeks time, that's right. After the last race I'll be going to Haarev. Two days with Ducati, our bikes for the team are coming at the start of next year but two days with Ducati and Haarev so I'm looking forward to that to get going. I've got a Pennegarli training bike that I'm going to be using so yeah, just can't wait to get going. It's come at a good time for me this year, they've changed all the schedule in METO 2 so there's a lot less riding actually on a race weekend so I didn't like that too much.

Yes I heard you say that. Yeah I didn't like that too much and then I had to go to another top team or my team and in the end I'm happy that it's turned out like this because it's going to be great for me but yeah I decided early on this year that it would be the last one in METO 2, never going back to METO GP so it's a no brainer for me to go to Superbike. Obviously after winning Zivisport a long time ago but I always had the eyes of going to Superbike and I believe I can do a good job. There's a lot of guys there that have come across from METO 2 in the recent years that are doing well so no reason why not. I'm 33 but he's just 38.

You go there, you feel like you can go there if you do well you can have a few more years. Here I'm an older guy in METO 2, I'm squeezing out the last couple of years. It's a different outlook. If I go there and start doing well I'm young in the paddock in some ways, I'm new to come back into it so you go there and start doing well you can get the rewards. Now with all of that being said you are I think famously competitive, especially where twin brother Alex is concerned.

How mental is 2024 going to be with the two of you sharing the track? Have you raced in the same series? We're going back a long way. A long way and I nearly don't count. Embarrassing YouTube video commentary.

Yeah YouTube videos and different bikes. The last time I raced together I had a lot better bike. I'd probably be the same next year actually but I had a lot better bike. So it helped me. Me and Emma apart from being so competitive we're so close so it will also help me a lot next year.

Already going into it I've got half as much more information than what a lot of people have going into it so it will definitely help me a lot. Obviously I want to beat him, he wants to beat me and I'm looking forward to it. We're looking forward to travelling together, riding against each other and as long as I beat him it will be sad. The World Superbike schedule is a bit more palatable I would imagine as well isn't it? If you imagine I had the chance at minus 33 after being 10 years here, the Moto2 bike honestly as much as you want to make it over technical is just ride it hard and that's what's hard about the class.

You literally just ride it hard, you don't change so much, there's no electronics, the engines control, it's quite basic, really basic. So for me to go there, the first test is going to be like wow, it's all new again, it's a big motivation to go there, learn all these new things at this point in my career is such a big motivation that I just can't wait to get there now. And certainly as I was saying before we started recording, having been around for a day at Donington with my fresh pass and talking to everybody, it's such a great atmosphere in that paddock as well. Not to say anything against this paddock because obviously I don't know anything about it. It's different, anyone that says they would rather be for their career this year in World Superbike to MotoGP is lying.

MotoGP is the top, it's the best class, it's obvious if you can be MotoGP World Champion, every rider, all them riders in World Superbike on the grid as well, is there a goal? Everybody would do that, so I'm not going to start saying that's not the case, but World Superbike's massively followed championship. It's fun to watch and honestly in comparison to MotoGP it's a top, top class, I can't wait to get in. And I think the chance to travel a little bit less and ride more is appealing, we get three races a week. I was going to say, how much of a shock do you think that's going to be?

That would be great, no, we sat around waiting a little bit, this year the schedule has been real poor. And you go there, you get taken out on the first lap of the race and you're going home. That's something that I said to the wife, I said it's difficult to keep the motivation in your face, do it again when it's not even your fault sometimes. Whereas next year you get three guys, three bikes at the cherry, try and understand. And really just that change up in schedule will be nice for me.

So yeah, it would be good, I'm trying to finish this one strong but I've already got an eye on that to get started. I can't wait for World 2.8, there's obviously a few riders that are moving around. The series is growing, a lot of good riders, the depth of field is high. Obviously BMW pushing, Honda pushing a lot, got a new bike, Kawasaki doing what they always do, Yamaha pushing a lot, like they are in all the championships trying to win everything everywhere every weekend. So I think it's a good time.

Before you go over today, you've got this weekend, was Lucille like viewers of track running under the lights? We did two races in 2021, so the last three races here I've been on the podium, two wins and a third. So track suits my style, the last few races, like Supang I finished seventh last week and that was my best result there, I've never gone well. So that's nice to grind that out, to come here, I've got an eye on the podium this weekend, if not a little bit more, it really suits my style, riding at night, a bit more grip, bit cooler track, will definitely be good. But just try and finish on a high.

Good to sign up for the podium. I deserve it, I'm knuckling down and I want to turn up on that to ride the Ducati in a good way, full of confidence, not in a downbeat way. So we've knuckled down this year, already we've sort of turned a bit of a corner and I am riding better, we've just probably not got the full results to show for it, but I'm not riding too far off where I need to be. So this weekend and obviously Valencia in the 20th summer of November, the end of the year, it's going to be a bit of a lottery, but save everybody. It'll be an emotional weekend for me, I've been 10 years here, it's my last Grand Prix, I'm looking forward to it, but it's obviously sad in one way, but this weekend will be nice.

Moving on to passers-by and new challenges, it's always a good thing to do. Yeah, like I said, because we've got these two back after last week, I can come here and just get a nice result to the end and keep going, try and get a start, a bit better qualifying, but qualifying has been my biggest asset in the last few years. I think I've got the record of poles in motor racing, but this year has been our Achilles heel, I've been messing it up a little bit. So if I get a good start, good position this weekend, we'll be up for a good race. Well, certainly I hope you do, I hope Valencia is bearable at that time of year.

And just really super excited to see you in World Supers next year and hopefully we'll get a chance to catch up perhaps at Donington. We'll have to do a double one, me and Alex will have a chat. That would be good. Well Sam, I'm flogging over to you to get you on the show, so thank you for your time, thanks for the help, getting it all organised. You're welcome.

We'll see you next time. Thank you. Cheers mate. OK, so I'm pleased to be sitting here with Alonso Lopez from the Speed Up team. Alonso, welcome onto the show, great to talk to you.

Looking back on your career, it may have slipped some people's memories, but you rode of course in Moto3 for Australia-Glystia and then for the Stereogardamax racing team. That was in between 2018 and 2020. You had a podium as I recall in Thailand in 2019, but overall before we start to talk about Moto2, how do you reflect on your time in Moto3? Because you had a little gap in between which we'll come to. So what was the Moto3 experience like for you back then?

Yeah, for me Moto3 was great because I was very tall and very, very heavy for this class. When I was younger in the Junior GP, I was very fast, very competitive, but in the middle of the Junior GP and my first season in Moto3, I was like 5 kilos heavier and also maybe around 10 centimetres bigger. So it was a lot and for me it was very difficult at the beginning, but also my last two seasons were very tough. I didn't eat so much, for me it was very difficult. My last year with Max was extremely difficult.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in 2021 you rode in the Moto2 CEV Championship, is that correct? Yes. And obviously in that championship with the bigger bike and I guess weight not such an issue and physical size not such an issue, you did incredibly well. So that then led to the opportunity halfway through last year for you to join the SpeedUp team. From which point onwards you've been doing a magnificent job, so tell us about that.

Yes, for me it was difficult at the beginning because after a very short season when Max said to me that I am not going to race anymore with the team and I signed the contract to make it another season. But for me it was like a step not forward or behind, it was like a step just to the side to make another line. For me it was perfect, I got some experience with the bigger bike, I was very competitive at the final part of the year. Luca gave me the opportunity after six races in the 2022 and for me it was incredible because I took the opportunity like the last chance. Like a thirsty man in the desert.

Yes, like this and for me it was very special and I am enjoying a lot now. I am race by race improving my riding, making a lot of stuff with them and so I am incredibly happy. I was looking at the results from last year and I think maybe you retired on the first race when you came back to the championship but then from Aston onwards I don't think you were outside of the top ten. Maybe one or two non-finishers but incredibly fast straight away. Is there something about the Bosco Skura chassis that just suits you do you think?

Yes, but also with Calix in 2021 I did an amazing job with the Pons team in Saxon Rina when I finished 12th. My first race with Calix I never tried one and for me it was Venus. I think that my mental health and also the training that I did was perfect for this type of motorbike and I think that the most important thing was my mental that it was perfect to fight always. Interesting and we often comment on the podcast when you are watching the racing on the television you can visibly see that the Bosco Skura bike you ride it in a slightly different way in terms of the lines, wider turning circles let's say. Because you are surrounded by the Calix machines is it important to be out front so that they don't get in the way so much because the line is quite different it looks like between the Calix and the Bosco Skura is that correct?

Yes, I try to make different lines because I also use different gears. So I play a lot with gear and in some corners it's better but in some ones I struggle a little bit more but for me it's ok maybe I go a little bit too long so now I am trying to check all these little details to go faster. For this weekend in Lusail I guess the last time you raced here was in Moto3 so what are your expectations for this weekend do you think it's a track that will suit the bike and your style? Yes for me this track I always did an amazing job I always feel very comfortable I am going to try my best for sure but I think that this bike fits amazing with this track and also we are on a very good level so I think that could be a very nice weekend for us. Well I wish you all the best I look forward to seeing you out do you know where you are are you with this team again next year?

Yes I think so. Well we are going to look forward to seeing you next year and hopefully we will get a chance to catch up again and see how it's going. Thank you very much. Cheers. Joe Roberts welcome onto MotoPod I have not been on the show before I am pretty confident to say I was actually chatting to Garrett Gierloff in the World Superbikes.

No way. Do you know Garrett? Of course I grew up racing Garrett. I thought that might be the case so I spoke to him at Donington Park this year so again nice to catch up with another American rider. Garrett is a character.

I want to start by asking you what it's like to be now I know Sean Dillon-Cully is back in the paddock again now but what it's like to be one of virtually no Americans in the GP paddock I mean is it an advantage or disadvantage does it give you more focus back at home or is it off the radar do you prefer a degree of racing? Relative anonymity like that. Yeah it's an interesting question because I feel like a lot of people don't really know what it's like to be an American living on the road. Yeah. I mean I always think about it the biggest thing is that you know racing against these Europeans to say they get to go home pretty much every weekend you know get back to their hometown whereas pretty much spend most of my time away which isn't bad.

I mean I'm in my 20s and you know it's cool to travel the world and see it but you do miss home at times the familiarity and you know family and girlfriend and all that stuff so I mean as far as like the paddock and stuff I mean I tend to do things a little bit more on my own you know I don't I mean like linked up with anybody you see some of these riders linking up with everyone I don't really have that but. Is that a conscious thing that you want to just try and keep yourself a little bit separated I mean obviously as people will know that listen to the show I mean this is dominated by Spanish and Italian riders by and large so is it a conscious reason to just sort of step aside from that a little bit? I mean yeah you never know with racers man everyone's racing doesn't stop off the track you know on the track it stops doesn't stop anywhere really but I don't know I think there's also just a like a common reality I don't really have you know with these other riders it's not a lot to talk about. Although you say that but when I was doing a little bit of research on you just to sort of do my prep for this and certainly some of the listeners I'm sure won't realize that you go back in the GP paddock as far as I think it was 2011 in terms of the Red Bull rookies which presumably you were racing pretty much exclusively in Europe at that time so at such a young age and so far from home that must have been quite an experience I mean obviously it's brought you to where you are now which is a great thing but what are your recollections of that time because you would have been very young. I mean it's freaking awesome I grew up racing in America with tracks that I mean we got some cool tracks but a lot of them are bumpy they designed for you know pretty close walls yeah yeah I mean there's some of them are fun but man it's nothing like tracks here it's nothing like the GP tracks it's a whole new world I remember thinking like man the track just never ends how much run-ups you have you know and using the curbs too.

Growing up in America you don't touch the curbs but it was just sick I mean I just got to see all of my heroes that I grew up wanting to be and hang out with some of them and the rookies cup is definitely a really it's really good for like introducing riders like me or into this world yeah it's just definitely like a little bit of an easy transition into it but and it also elevated my riding like crazy you know I grew up racing like three or four guys you know like Garrett Gerloff and some other guys and all this stuff and then all of a sudden you get into rookies cup and qualifying my first year sometimes I qualify back in the back or something even there you're racing 10 guys for a position yeah I came back to America once and everyone's like how are you so aggressive right now like what are you doing getting all racy with all these guys and like it's just another day in rookies cup so yeah. Yeah because again when I was looking back at your career a little bit like a lot of British riders you've done a fair amount of production type riding as well as the prototype stuff that you're doing here and I think after the three reasons that you had in the rookies you went back to the states for a number of years winning races breaking records I guess as we expected given the training you were getting back in Europe but you came back into Europe in 2017 and the CEV Moto2 I guess that was what kind of prompted that move back to Europe yeah I mean I left the rookies cup basically just with no real avenue to get to the world championship I didn't have the money to pay for a ride that wasn't something that we were in a position to do and that was the only thing really being offered so for me I had an opportunity to go back to America and actually get a salary not a whole lot of money but it was something for a 16 year old kid but I don't know when I was racing in America I could see where all the places were to get to and it was basically just like being the factory Yamaha team and that team was always just the same riders forever there was never going to be an option to get there you know it was just going to be racing around the opportunities for me just it just didn't seem like that's where I wanted to be and obviously MotoGP is where everyone wants to be and I had an option to come race in the Spanish championship which on a Moto2 bike which was just like yeah of course gonna do that you know yeah and then of course you got your first all-important win in that crazy race in Portima last year I mean just how good did it feel to talk that one onto the board yeah I mean it was a weird race for sure yeah I just kind of restarted. You got to get across the line first to win right? Yeah you got a crazy across the line I mean I stayed up in that corner that everyone was crashing and yeah I don't know that race for sure was just like when the restart happened I didn't think about the rain I didn't think about anything it was just go I mean Portimao is a track I love I've always just loved that place it's got such a cool flow to it and yeah crossing the line I mean it just it's winning your first Grand Prix it's just such a relief just the emotion just hits you it's just like I mean just being here it's just such a commitment man. It's a relief rather than elation was the original or the initial feeling that you got yeah it was just like oh you just get this kind of feeling like all right I've crossed the line I'm my name is now here yeah I've done it and it's just so much work there's so much mental energy being put into this all the time and to get those little gifts back like that just it means everything you live for that you know yeah I'm on a bit of a tight schedule today so I'd love to be able to talk to you much longer maybe we could catch up at length another time but final question you go back to American racing team next year I guess you're heartened by the results that you see in Marcus getting on the bike at the moment I'm curious to know in terms of the next step knowing that team from before and with all the experience that you've gained at it's all trans including obviously that one important win where you see your career going next year and beyond beyond I don't know next year it's the goals are clear I'm really excited to go back to the American team because we had an amazing season in 2020 yeah I suppose part of the question is with bikes being so kind of regulated in terms of same engines and chassis mostly same tires obviously it's Pirellis next year which would be a big change for everybody yeah I'm just kind of curious to know as you've developed as a rider with more experience going back to a team and an environment people that you know do you really kind of feel that that will help you to push on even further now yeah definitely I feel like a different rider than when I was there last you know I've had a lot of years to grow is it with my technique and all that stuff but more as a person you know a lot more settled and have more understanding on life I guess yeah yeah but I feel like all the the goals are just aligning perfectly everyone on that team is so they're working so hard you know I mean you can see with Marcos I mean the team's even grown a lot since I was there yeah like it's a different team than when I was there same a lot of the same people but yeah I don't know I feel really good about it man I feel excited to be there yeah working with John again too it'll be awesome new challenges obviously with Pirelli and all that but I don't know it's just a calmness to it I don't feel like stressed about it I don't feel worried really I just feel I guess that's kind of my question when you're going back to that environment that you know and that obviously you enjoyed before you've had a couple years elsewhere and gained that vital experience of another team and another way of working but so going back yeah just kind of feels like the right kind of move yeah it does just very quickly this weekend running under the lights in Qatar is this track a good one for you need to talk check back over your results but it is I mean I have the lap record here still and from 2020 so it's a great track and of course you're coming off the back of a series of very very good results around a podium in India and you've had a couple of top sixes I think since then as well yeah so form is everything looking forward to these last two races I appreciate Valencia might be a bit sketchy because going there at the end of November is never a great idea from a weather perspective but even at this time do you like the Valencia track because it's a little bit kind of I do I really do I mean it's a track that so many people know but I really love it just it's got kind of a cool little flow to it but coming back to this track I mean yeah I really love these tracks that have a lot of flow a lot of fast and flowing corners they've always just really spoke to me and I kind of feel like I have a good technique in those corners you know cool well Joe and as I said a little bit tight for time today but all the best for the remainder of the season and very much looking forward to seeing how you get on when you go home to American Racing team and who knows maybe I'll be invited back to the GP paddock to do some more talking and we can catch up again sometime next year alright cool man cheers thanks for having me nice talking to you.

Sergio Garcia great pleasure to have you on motopod for the first time Sergio you're a very accomplished very successful Moto3 rider you were championship runner-up in 2022 you made the switch to Moto2 this year and immediately you're very very fast having very good results which is not always the case when Moto3 riders jump onto the bigger bike you obviously had a very good feeling with the bike immediately so tell us a little bit about from your side how the transition from the Moto3 to the Moto2 bike has been. Yeah it's a really big change in the two Moto3 and Moto2 and yeah I think to go faster with a Moto2 bike immediately you have to been training a lot with the R6 or something on any bike like this and yeah do a really good job before to ride this bike and yeah. Was that part of your preparation last winter were you riding a 600 supersport bike a lot in Spain over the winter time? Yeah and also training also with this bike but in the small circuits because that bike is not the same as a Moto2 bike and you have to train in a small circuit to do it faster and more difficult to use it. And what about in terms of you're still quite small which was obviously perfect for the Moto3 bike where you have to be as small and lightweight as possible did you do some different physical preparation over the winter in order to perhaps build some more muscle because obviously the Moto2 bike I guess is a much more big physical challenge to ride it fast.

Yeah I had to do a really big change in my trainings I never go before to a gym and now three times per week I have to train there and yeah I increase a lot my my weight from last year I was in a weight like 54-55 kilograms and now I'm in 61-62 and it's really important to not put any extra weight in the bike because the change is really really big from Moto3 to Moto2 and it's worst if you put also extra weight in the bike for the moment I think of weight I'm not putting extra weight on the bike and that is perfect to ride and also in the straight the bike is really fast and I think is one of the good points. And was keeping the weight down was that a problem that was getting more and more towards the end of your time in Moto3? No in Moto3 not. It was perfect and bad change of category you have to increase a little bit. Yeah now bearing in mind what an incredible I think an incredible season you've had as I say because quite often if you look back some people come from Moto3 to Moto2 and okay they're quick quite quickly and other people they never make the change yeah even some champions in the past have really struggled with that so with the legend down at the end of the table there is Sito Pons is obviously departing away from the team and it becomes I think MT Helmets MSI team next year.

Is that the name of the team? You have Ayagira coming in as your teammate. How excited are you about 2024 to build on what you've achieved this year? Yeah I think next year gonna be a good year also with the team. I'm keeping the same technical team as I have this year and I think that is gonna be really important because I know everybody that gonna work with me.

It's true that Sito is not coming to the races like this year but yeah I think the most important thing is I keep all my people and yeah I know him and yeah let's see what happened in the next year because also with the change of the tires that's gonna be really difficult to understand in the first races but yeah let's see. Is it frustrating for you at this stage to have the new tires coming next year because you've obviously have this year of experience and I guess from the bike setting point of view as well as the bike feeling that's going to be quite different next year but same for everybody. How do you view next year in that regard? I think gonna be better because the tires of this year in some races it's really difficult to understand because the tire is really hard and it's also really difficult to understand when you are in the bike and I think it's a change that everybody have to do and if the change is for better I think gonna be alright. As far as I know and obviously I have no experience riding the bike but the Pirellis certainly if you talk to people in World Superbike and British Superbike Championships the Pirellis are quite a soft construction so I guess maybe you're gonna have more grip than you're used to at the moment which presumably that's gonna be a good thing.

Yeah and also I think the brands of the motorbikes they will change the chassis because now the for example the Kalex chassis it's synced for use really hard tires and yeah it's let's see how they change the bike. Do you have any input with Kalex as the chassis manufacturer in terms of that aspect of the development or you'll just run what they give you next year and then see how things go? Yeah no we are going to try it in the first test of next year in Valencia I think we will try the new tires but with the same bike as this year. Yeah we'll do a comparison. Yeah.

Okay and just to finish up because I only have a short time with you unfortunately but you'll be riding under the lights here in the sale this weekend obviously first time on a Moto2 bike for you here what are you expecting based on the year so far? Do you like the track? Do you like running under the lights in the darkness? Yeah I like a lot the ride in the in the night here you think that it's really dark but with the lights that the this circuit have it's like you are riding in in a sunny day. Do you get funny shadows or reflections?

No no no no no the light of the of the circuit of the old circuit is perfect and normally I use the black mirror in the in the helmet because there are a lot of lights even here. Yeah it's a normal race it's a fantastic track I like a lot last year I did second in the Moto3 almost win the race and I think this year we can do good step on a good weekend for sure. Yeah well I certainly hope so and I wish you all the best for the weekend appreciate you talking to us on MotoPod and yeah look forward to see how things go for you next year again you and the team I think have done an incredible job this year so thank you much congratulations to you for that and thank you for talking to us thank you thanks Sajid. So Colin welcome onto MotoPod for the first time now you made your debut in Grand Prix racing this year having raced in both Rebel Rookies Cup and the Junior GP previously first of all congratulations on a stellar rookie season and your first win last time out in Sepang can you believe the year that you're having? Well yeah if we start about the first part of the year I wouldn't think we could win this year but yeah I think at the moment we have a great season especially the first year like this is quite amazing to experience all and yeah at the moment I'm quite happy with everything that's happening and yeah.

I mean obviously you guys don't lack confidence typically that's not part of the game right but I mean obviously you were about your self to do well in this championship even though it is your first season but it must be surpassing even your expectations a bit. Well yeah at pre season testing we were about P15, P14 so we thought we would take points but yeah not too crazy and yeah I think after summer break we made a big step already in Silverstone we were fighting for podium and also in Austria was the same and yeah I think in the summer break I trained very hard and yeah be mentally prepared again for another part of the season and I think after that we made a very big step. And is that what you put the step down to is it more just familiarization with the team and the bike a bit more or what was the physical preparation that you did that was different perhaps to what you've done before? I don't know I think the problem was in the start of the year I had some injuries we didn't do the first test testing so yeah it was very difficult the first part also because of the injuries and in summer break the injuries were not there so I could prepare for for two three weeks I could prepare myself very well and I think this was the main thing that we improved. So I must admit I don't mean it's in an insulting way but I wasn't terribly aware of you prior to this season obviously but this being your rookie year so how did you actually achieve this contract with the team for this year in terms of what were you doing in the last two to three years?

Oh this I don't know you have to ask Peter for this. He obviously saw something in you. For sure he saw something. No for sure Peter saw something in me. Where were you competing last year?

Rookies Cup and Junior GP and I think that was the main thing he saw me I think. Yeah the last two years I watched him of course it's not a decision about one race or you watch a season and we already a little bit watching him two years ago but then coming closer we know after the last season he will come in World Championship or he's ready during the season we saw he's ready now and then you look more for even more for details and watch him and follow him in the races and special rookies Cup as all races and to get the feeling for him what he can do. Interesting and Colin you're unusual in two ways it seems to me first of all you're a very fast non-spanish or Italian rider which is a little bit unusual in this championship so it's nice to see other nationalities coming forward and also you're very tall for a Moto3 rider I would say so is this affected the way you approach the setup of the bike or do you have a slightly different style to the other riders that you see out on track with you to compensate for this? No I don't think it's a very big problem if you're tall it's especially the weight that makes a big difference here yeah so yeah if you can suck in very good on the bike I think there's no big problem for being tall on a Moto3 the only problem is the weight I think for some people but at the moment I'm very skinny so I'm very lucky with this and yeah really I can eat everything I more or less want because I can keep my weight very stable at the moment so yeah I'm for my age and my length I'm very... You're typical Dutch right?

Yeah I'm very skinny at the moment so I think this is working very well for Moto3 also. Now I believe you're staying with the team next year you have Tatsuki Suzuki joining you in the camp next year no doubt you're keeping your feet on the ground I mean with the results you've had in the second half of the season you must be itching to get into 2024 I guess. Well yeah the results aren't bad but I think this is where you work for finally this is your job to do here and I think if you start like thinking about next year about a world championship or like about taking the world title it's a complete different thing you have to approach the season a bit different you have to take good results again from the start of the season so yeah I think okay maybe we have a chance next year but we have to see in the preseason testing where we are again and I think from that you can make a prediction about the season also because of the new bikes at the moment so yeah I think we have a good chance but yeah anything can happen next year. Have you spent a lot of time in the UK because you have quite an English sounding accent? I was talking about this on the motopod with my colleague Jim the other day.

No I have a lot of English and Australian friends so I think my accent is more Australian and very Australian but no. It's a little bit of everything isn't it? Yeah yeah no I think you can hear I have an accent compared to Dutch people but yeah I can also do Spanish English actually I can do anything I want. What's going on in the Benelux region because obviously we've got you we've got Zonta, Barry Balthus and Bo Benchenaider of course so is there quite a big grassroots support in the Benelux region? Benelux being Netherlands, Holland, Belgium maybe not Luxembourg I'm not sure if there's any riders from there but it's kind of unusual to see so many people from your part of the world suddenly doing really really really well.

I don't know I don't know why is this I'm just here as a Dutch rider also I don't know really why all the other ones are also same as us I'm not sure. And have you raced all over the world or mostly throughout Europe in your earlier years? In my early years I started in Italy and went to Spain for Junior GP and ETC so yeah also Rookies Cup we did so you know it was mostly Europe and especially Italy and Spain. Okay and the final question which you've already answered in a way obviously as we say you're in the championship next year again looking at your physical size and the fact that you'll start to bulk up a little bit I mean Moto2 is obviously somewhere you want to get to next there's Moto2 over in this setup as well is that something you're obviously looking forward to? Have you ridden the middleweight bike?

Yeah I've rode 600 and stuff but not a Moto2 or 1000 or something so yeah you're always looking forward to get to Moto2 this for sure but the focus is first on Moto3 and yeah I think if you have a very good season in Moto3 and you think you're ready for Moto2 you can make the step and this is the same thing from Moto2 to MotoGP. I think if you're ready for MotoGP you can make the step but if you're not ready it's better to stay a bit longer in one class to be ready and prepared for the next one then make the jump and struggle a lot in the first season so yeah I think if the time is ready we look forward to go to Moto2 but now the focus is on Moto3. Okay and final question actually but this is genuinely the final question have you ridden in the night time before under artificial lighting is this your first time? This is the first time here yeah. Okay what are you expecting from this?

It's just a race again and nothing strange it's just a race for me and yeah nothing special actually. Well I wish you the best of luck this weekend I mean based on your previous results I'm sure you're gonna have a good one so yeah all the best for this and for Valencia hopefully it won't be too cold and wet in Valencia but all the best and yeah we'll look forward to catching up with you again sometime. Thank you. Thanks Colin cheers. Okay so I'm delighted to say joined this time by Ayumu Sasaki also from LiquiMoly, Uskovana and TacGP team.

Ayumu again like Colin I'm guessing first time you ever appeared on MotoPod despite the pod going to 2007 but this is our first time back in the paddock for quite some time. So you've been in the Moto3 category for quite a long time Ayumu. I think your full-time debut was in 2017 or 18? 18 I think. Okay.

17 I did one race in Malaysia. Slowly throughout all these years you've been building your experience and building your results until in the last year or two you've been quite high up in the championship and this year we find you in second place. Tell us about your journey from the 2015 Asia Talent Cup right up until now I mean that's nine years I guess they've passed by very quick but what's what's your recollection of this period? Well if we go back to 2015 when I win the Asia Talent Cup and then won the also Rookies Cup in 2016 reflecting on that it went quick I was really young it went quick. First year I came to Europe with the Rookies Cup everything was new to me I had my parents with me during that period so it was quite easy I mean of course it's a hard racing but it was quite easy to manage as my family was there as well.

But then when I came to the World Championship of course many things have changed as I started to live in Europe on my own and I was 16 at that time so the things changed as you're from Asian countries it's quite a few things that are negative compared to European people. But I find my way to learn how to live life and I think by realising how I need to manage myself I think I start to improve my performance. I believe that my level of skill was there from when I started on 16 but of course it's World Championship it's a difficult Championship but then realising my personal life and you know making good life on my own was very hard and maybe starting two years ago I felt quite comfortable living in Europe so at that point I believe that the progress on a motorcycle was very good. So I think that's what your results show. So this year with two races to go I think 13 points separating yourself and Jaume, Marcia.

You're a very experienced competitor as we've just said so what's your approach to managing the pressure now with two races to go? You just hang out with your friends in the paddock, you're very close friends with Jake, with Fabio. Do you have some special techniques or some other help to help you manage the pressure or is it just your character to cope very well? I would say I'm good at managing my pressure. When I'm racing I don't really have pressure.

Of course you do if you ask if you don't have any of course I do but I think I'm good at coping pressure and just enjoying to be honest this is what I like to do and I'm lucky enough to fight for a Championship so just enjoying the last two races. I don't want to talk about this year too much because as I say you're in an important stage of the season now so just looking ahead a little bit in terms of 2024 after many many years on the Moto3 bike you're going to be going up to Moto2 with the VR46 MasterCamp squad? I'm sure you're sorry to be leaving the LiquiMoly in TagGP team of course but how excited are you for the new challenge ahead next year? Well it's going to be a very big challenge. Of course changing categories is always one of the hard things but in the same time I also have confidence of doing well in the Moto2 class.

Of course there's many things that I have to learn again but I'm excited for that challenge. I think I've learned almost everything that I have to learn in Moto3 so yeah I'm really looking forward to learning including myself and going towards the goal which is to be in MotoGP in the future. In terms of preparation for Moto2 next year I'm always fascinated to try and understand from a riders perspective what it is you're maybe doing already maybe you will wait until the winter time but in terms of preparation have you been out riding on a 600cc supersport bike for example and physically it's more of a challenge. Obviously in Moto3 there's a pressure for you to stay light you can't stay small but you can stay light so obviously you have an opportunity now to bulk up a little bit with some more muscle for the bigger bike so what plans do you have in the winter time for this? Yeah we have already a plan for winter I think it's gonna be the most busiest winter I would have in my career to be honest but it's really important to prepare well when you're changing class and like you said I'm riding a bigger bike and try to understand how you have to ride a bigger bike and the changes that I need to make on my riding style and of course on the physical side.

I don't know but because I haven't started yet but I'm really looking forward for the winter to come. I'm sure it's gonna be a big challenge. Finally as we just said you're known to be very good friends with Jake Dixon and Fabio Quattraro you have a kind of a maybe a good reputation around the paddock I think. Just in terms of an easy kind of lightweight question what does chill out time across a GP weekend look like? I am quite chill I don't like to think about riding when I'm off the bike so I spend the days quite relaxing like you said meeting with Fabio or Jake but not talking about racing maybe many people think that we are talking about racing but we are not talking about that we are talking about a lot of I would say shite.

Yeah just life that we are talking about and I mean that's helping me to disconnect from my pressure like you said or yeah pressure so I have a good people around me and of course that is helping me a lot. I guess maybe you're doing some free of charge babysitting for junk and Sarah from time to time as well. Yeah yeah everybody say I have to get ready for it but I'm a bit too young for that so yeah but it's a good time. Well listen Sasaki-san thank you very much for talking with us it's a great pleasure to meet you. I wish you the very best of luck good fortune and good results this weekend and finally in Valencia where hopefully the weather won't be too unkind to everybody and yeah it would be great to see you lifting the championship before you head off into Moto2 so all the best.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay everybody Rich Motorbod continuing the adventures in La Salle circuit in Doha. Really delighted to be joined now by Red Bull KTM I0 Moto3 rider Denis Onchou. Denis welcome on to the show first time like for everybody that I'm talking to today so a season with a lot of bad luck I would say but also in many ways I think for you a breakthrough season you have three wins so far this year and you've earned the call to the I0 Moto2 team for 2024.

So can you sum up a little bit for me 2023 in terms of from your point of view what's been good what's been bad? Yeah for me this season is very important for my career I can say because there I have been a lot of good moments that I will always remember but at the same time a lot of mistakes that I could learn to not happen again in my future of the career. The same time very unlucky moments this is for sure less as you told but you know if I need to look all the season I can say a bit unlucky but I have enjoyed most of the time till now. Enjoyment is important to be fast as well. Yeah of course in the end if you are not enjoying you cannot do good for me because when I enjoy everything I can do better than I can do you know.

When you are not enjoying like it's too hard to do let's say when you do the job that you like it's always better than the job that you do which you don't like you know it's like this. And do you think I mean one of the things I have commented on over the last few years since I have been talking about Moto3 races and about you on the MotoPod show it seems to me obvious that as each year goes by you get one year older you have more experience but I also find that your approach to the racing particularly if you have some bad luck or a setback or a penalty you seem much more mature in this last one or two seasons do you agree with that? Mature? More grown up easier to take bad things happening to you. Well now I can say I'm quite used to the penalties because not just me as everybody see when something is happening about my area I always get penalized.

I don't need to after a while I start to stop thinking about if I'm gonna get the penalty. Now I'm just thinking which penalty do they will give to me you know. No no no seriously because every time something is happening I'm receiving the penalties and if you see you know there is no one rider that gets two race bans plus so many long lap penalties plus so many pit lane starts plus five seconds you know every time penalties and now I'm used to it you know it's not a surprise for me. For me one thing is not nice is like in this part of you are not getting treated same as everybody you know I mean for the race direction. Let's say you have a rule book you have to do the job that has to be doing as a book you cannot treat one rider like this and another rider better it's not working.

Certainly I have felt in the past that you've received a penalty where other people would not have got that penalty. Maybe just to give you a message. Yeah yeah yeah. Because you're an aggressive rider but you have to be aggressive in Moto3. Yeah exactly but the same thing let's say.

Happening how is possible I get always a penalty and the other one no or I just want to answer from the race direction which they never give a very easy question for them. Why in Mandalica when Moreira touched green in the last lap as a rule book you have to drop one position. How is possible that you say this is okay and if I do or anybody do they drop the position you know. Just give me this easy answer. Same for everybody.

Exactly. Now in your early career you were starting off with the I.O. Motorsport in CEV Moto3 I think. I forget which year that was. Yeah 18 and 19.

Right okay and then your first full Moto3 GP season you then moved across for two or three years to Tech3. Yeah. Before then returning to I.O. this year. So can you kind of help me to understand Aki Ayo and what it is that makes him such a good rider coach and manager team boss.

Everybody that comes to this team when they have a bit of maturity and experience seems to do very well as you have done this year. For me there is a big impact mentality of the team because if you are like not ready or weak or you know let's say not prepared you're going to fail. Because here is two ways to handle this situation. One you can start going like inside this philosophy and grow start doing races or a championship but you're going to grow you know. But the other way is that already from the first day starting the season you will start to fight with the team and you will not be happy you know.

All the season is going to get exactly the same. So you will pray to finish the season and when the season is over you're going to kick down from the team. But this is also what you want to do. And for me in 2018 and 19 maybe I was a bit too young to for this mentality. And OK I don't say we have bad memories but I just didn't settle up my mentality for them.

I was not ready but when I came back to here in 2023 which is now I think I was you know more grown and more ready for this hard mentality. Yeah and the seasons that you spent with Herve in Tech 3 I mean he's a great guy very successful again been in the championship for so many many years. That was again a building part of your career before you came back to IO so no regrets of going to Tech 3 I'm sure. I can say Herve Poncharal is my father in the PADAC. He's really my father.

I really like him a lot. In a good day in a bad day he was always with me. Still now we are having a relationship you know. I will never be mind about going back to Tech 3 you know. This is like my family.

I will never forget how they treat to me how they take care about me. I don't know so like when I finished with this team in 2019 they wanted to take me and they take care you know what they did was unbelievable for me. No good to hear. Is a kind of slightly jokey question but is it a good or bad thing that you aren't racing against your brother in the Moto3 PADAC? Obviously for people that don't know Can is racing in World Super Sport or has been this year I don't know what he will do next year but do you miss not having your brother here or what's the feeling?

I miss. Very competitive with each other I guess. No no I really miss. I hope in 2025 yes in 2025 I would like to be racing with him in Moto2 and also especially in the same team because at the moment I have my contract next year and also he has his contract in Super Sport. But if he have a good season I believe that he can come back to here in Moto2 and I would like to be racing against him again because in the end okay he's my competitor but at the same time he's my brother you know.

Yeah. We are always more stronger when we are together. It's like my other part of my body you know and then we are one but two person. Yeah and MotoGP is kind of a strange championship for having brothers taking part together isn't it? Yeah if you see Alex Marquez, Mark Marquez or the Espargaro brothers.

Not more I think no? Is there some term in there? Let's say there's two three family brothers not that much and that's why I also want to keep my brother with me you know. Yeah and once or twice we had both of the Lowe's guys here as well because Alex did some wild cards if you remember a few years ago. And tell me just how crazy and cutthroat does the training get back at home on the ranch in Turkey with Can and Toprak and Kenan?

Is it completely 100% mad? I would say the best training place the best ride for me is the K&N 54 Ranch because there we always train with the you know with the high level guys. If you check Kenan, 5 times champion, Toprak, 1 time champion and also you know me my brother we are world class riders and also we have a hot team. You know all the riders the level is quite high and we normally train with a very similar bike and sometimes even the same bikes you know so there is no advantage. So and also in a small circuit it's just the fighting or every small things that you improve it makes a big advantage.

So you can also see a lot of good things from the other riders or you can teach them good things and always training with the fast riders improves your level also. For this we are very thankful to especially Kenan Sofolo. Yeah of course and of course we see this every single race with Toprak in World Superbike and also with you in your approach. And when I say aggressive I mean that in a compliment way because you have to be strong. Our advantage is in the fights for sure because also for our training we learn really how to fight.

When you have like 5 bastards fighting each other in Turkey then you come back to here. Let's say now for me to fight in Moto3 this is like a how you say kindergarten you know nobody is really strong and if I get really strong I'm regularly seeing penalties. So in there I'm just trying to keep myself more calm not aggressive. Let's say 28 riders everybody race against them but me I race 28 riders against plus the restriction you know so I need to be calm. Final question because obviously I don't have lots and lots of time to talk with you unfortunately but one of the things again that we've commented a lot on the MotoPod show is that you seem to be at a disadvantage in Moto3 because of your getting physically bigger.

So this is obviously going to become let's say more like an advantage when you go to Moto2 next year. So what will you do over the winter time now will you start to try to put on a bit more muscle because obviously it's a bigger heavier bikes and more power. I know you're used to riding bigger bikes back at the ranch in Turkey so what's the approach going to be for next year. Honestly I'm not thinking really to change my training plan and also about the winter. I will have a Moto2 test after the race in Malaysia but then I need to go back to Turkey because I will have a surgery and then I will have like three weeks one month recovery period.

So the only thing that I can do will be drinking soup from the pipe you know. But after this for sure I will start to get into a train and I don't think any change because it's quite good at high level training what I'm doing like training with these guys in the ranch plus some cardio training like running. I'm quite okay and also my weight is quite good at the moment you know I have the same weight as the Moto2 riders you know and then I cannot take more than now I am. It's just that I'm too much for Moto3 as we see in the straights or accelerations you know from 0 to 200 let's say. Yes I lose too much but for sure in Moto2 it's going to be better because the bike is bigger and I can fit better to the bike.

And I mean obviously we don't know until the season starts next year. I just have a feeling that you're going to be one of the riders that makes the adaptation to Moto2 very quickly whereas we see some riders go to Moto2 and take quite a long time or maybe some that never really succeed in changing from the small bike to the middle bike. But I'm pretty convinced with you with your style and your passion and your approach that it's going to be quick. Yeah there is a lot of Moto2 world champions that they just scored a podium in third year but I don't care about this. For me it will be very important the start of the year few tests and races.

I don't want to put to myself the pressure that I need to win directly start of the year but I just want to enjoy and really I want to learn the first let's say half of the season really how to ride a bike. As soon as possible I feel I'm ready I will start to push more but already next year I will start to be fighting for the victories because I have this mentality to be strong and you know I just want to do it. I'm hungry. I'm looking forward later on today to speak with Sergio Garcia who I don't know if he's a friend of yours after your Moto3 battles but he's a good example I think of somebody that's made that first half of the season very careful and now is looking very very strong so hopefully that will be the same for you. Yeah I hope.

He's a good rider also. His approach was quite good for me because he did more or less the same like me you know. Yeah and finally this track for Kata I didn't check your results immediately before I came to talk with you but is it a good track for you I mean what's it like running at night time under the lights? Well it's still good I like a lot but it's a lot of acceleration and straight. Front straight is not good for you.

And only last year I finished fourth was not that bad but I lost the race let's say for the straight and the past was not so good like I said but this year with my experience I think I can put a good strategy to win or a podium for me like I said. I will enjoy if needed I will put up my elbow to fight but you know I will be there if I win. Dennis it's been a great pleasure to talk to you thank you for coming onto MotoPod and we wish you good luck in this race and then Valencia at the end of the year where again maybe you can repeat your brother put in the weather because maybe it's going to be wet there. Oh it will be a couple of weeks time. It will be strange let's see.

Yeah and so good rest of the season and we look forward to seeing how you do in Moto2 next year. Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay so I'm delighted to be sat with Josh Watley from Vision Track. Josh we've been trying to do this for a little while before we jump into the talk you've just come off practice one here at Qatar and seventh place.

I mean that's got to be by some distance your best position. Yeah I was ninth in FP2 in Australia but yeah it was good. Track conditions aren't anywhere near the pace but it's definitely a positive start of the weekend. So were you fast in that session you think because the grip was quite low presumably it's quite dusty and dirty out there at the moment. Yeah well it's the same conditions for everyone so I've trained in quite a lot of conditions similar to that so I think it was a little bit easier for me compared to the rest of the grid just to get used to it and yeah it was a lot easier just to get down to the pace and not crash.

Yeah so you started with a new Vision Track team at the start of last year beginning of 2022 so obviously you're coming to the tail end of your second season now so how do you sum up Moto3 World Championship so far? Yeah we've improved quite a lot. When I first came in it was a bit of a shock to be honest the level. We've been struggling with our bike in general to be honest. We haven't been developing as much but I think we're starting to get the hang of it now but it's understandable from a new team.

I think everyone's improved quite a lot over the last two years and we're slowly getting there and the improvements I think everyone can see so I think we'll give it a bit of time and we'll be up there. How old is the bike? Obviously it's not a bang up to date bike so is it a couple of two or three years? It's 2019. 2019.

2019 bike. Okay so with that in mind the team's doing a pretty good job really. Yeah. So you scored your first World Championship point in Argentina this year so congratulations on that and then you've added a couple of 14th places since then including at the last round in Sepang. What is it do you think that started to click?

I mean you just sort of hinted at the fact that the team perhaps is starting to find their feet a little bit more but is there something that you're doing differently or just to the natural adaption as you know the further into your career here you go? I think it's quite a few factors. I think the main factors are coming from myself really. I'm the one who opens the throttle so as much as the team do it's me who rides the bike so yeah. I'm a lot more calm.

I'm a lot more relaxed on a race weekend which I think is just making everything a lot easier so last year I was probably a bit too tense and everything like that. Too much stuff going on. Trying to do too much too soon you think? Yeah yeah exactly. So let's go back a little bit in your career then because I was looking at your bio on your website earlier on and it says that you were I think the phrase is more or less born into the British superbike paddock is the term that's used so what's the family connection with racing?

My dad sponsored a few riders in BSB Charlie Nesbitt, James Ellison and then one day one of them I can't remember exactly who but one of them said get Josh on a bike see how he goes and then that's just how it took off really. And what age was that? Presumably? Six. Yeah okay so.

Sevens right. Because I also saw on your thing this is a little bit of a local thing for you and me rather than the listeners but you'd spent a bit of time up at the M4 karting facility because that's three miles from where I live. Oh yeah. Yeah yeah. It was there for a while.

So you've obviously had an eye on the GP paddock but has it been a conscious choice to come to the World Championship as opposed to staying on the British scene because up until a couple of years ago or three years ago I think you were running in the British Talent Cup for example or the Honda Talent Cup I think it was called then. So what's been the direction of travel for you is it just as offers have opened up with teams that took you into the European scene more and eventually led to you coming here? No the goal is always to be in MotoGP as bad as it sounds I've never really had myself viewed as I'd be in British Superbike or anything like that. Because obviously it's an unconventional route for a lot of British riders to take most of the British riders go through the British system and then maybe end up on the World Superbike kind of stage so it's nice to see that there was at least some progression for British riders getting into the GP. I went over to Spain when I was eight so I never really raced in the UK.

The only times I did race in the UK was with the British Talent Cup but that was alongside MotoGP most of the time. And then I came back for one year in Motorstar but that was just to get used to a Moto3 extra track time so yeah it was always the goal to come to the World Champion. And you just kind of hinted at it a minute ago in terms of your recent upturn in performances or perhaps your greater comfort in terms of being here now. So how do you go about maintaining a strong mental outlook because obviously you guys are very young you're travelling the world you're under a lot of pressure. So do you have some people that help you with that?

I know that sports psychologists are becoming a thing in the paddock nowadays as well so what support network do you have around you? Mainly my dad really and myself. I used to have some psychologists like a few years ago. It wasn't really for me it was just making me think too much over thinking. I don't know I've just switched quite a lot this year I don't know if it's because I got older but when you race motorbikes you grow up quite quickly.

Especially when you get thrown into the deep end of a gear. Actually things change quite a lot so I don't know I've just a lot calmer and cooler now. I suspect the answer to this question is going to be something like hammering around a motocross track but I was going to ask you what you do in terms of down time. How do you relax when you get away from this particular area? What is the chill out zone for you?

I don't know if I can say the real things. You can say what you want. I can always say that. The last few times when we've had a week off or something I've gone to Bali with Zonta van den Goebbog and also Phuket when we had the weeks off instead of going home. Just for the jet lag and that just to stay out.

Just going to the beach. You just try and turn off and switch off completely really. And just treat it like you're actually on a holiday type of thing. Not waiting for the next race. But as soon as Sunday after the flag and Thursday in between them I'm completely switched off.

I don't think about riding. If anyone brings it up I try not to talk about it. And is that something you've developed a little bit more in this second season in terms of needing to do that? It's not necessarily a need. I just prefer not to.

If you're thinking about it all week then you're just going to start over thinking. I'd prefer just to do. I'd treat it not like a job but like sort of like a job with the dates. Thursday that's when work starts. Sunday that's when work finishes.

Obviously if there's big problems we'll talk about it in the week. But just try to keep everything separate. In terms of the team. Obviously it's a newish team only the second year as we've said. Probably one of the smaller teams in the pit lane to be fair at the moment.

In terms of your input with the team. Do you get involved in discussions with the management of the team? In terms of what you're doing with the bike. How much input do you have on that sort of thing? Or your job is just to come here and ride and do the best you can?

What do you mean by the management? Well in terms of the plans for the team going forward into next year. I think me and Scott are quite vocal. Especially when things aren't going the right way. But I think we need to be otherwise things won't change and we won't improve.

We can be quite vocal about management. Sometimes you might bring something up that we don't like. But the team do listen to us. And I think there's going to be quite a few changes for next year that we have been talking about this year that we need to change to be higher up in the order. So I wouldn't say that we're like a figure of they just do what we want.

But we definitely have an input and they do listen to us about stuff. So you've maybe hinted at it there. Do you know what you're doing next year? Is that settled at the minute or is that still something that's under discussion? Nothing's signed.

I'm hoping you've got an offer on the table. So obviously you don't have to tell us that. Well that was kind of my final question Josh. I wanted to keep it to five to ten minutes. So it's been great to get together with you after all this time.

We wish you the best of luck this weekend and in Valencia. I suppose you've hammered around Valencia a fair bit over the years haven't you? Are you used to the cold and the wet there for this time of year? I don't think you can be. I think it's worse when you're coming back from Asia because it's boiling and then you go back and it's like England.

It's like Silverstone again. Why isn't it Silverstone? It's always bloody freezing every year. Anyway we wish you the best of luck and thanks for your time and we hope to catch up with you again next year. Thank you.

Cheers mate. Alright last one of the day. I'm sat with Scott Ogden who's smiling today because we were originally going to talk yesterday weren't we Scott? And you can tell us what happened on Friday but you're looking a lot happier today. So tell us about the weekend so far.

Yeah it's been two days completely different so far. Yesterday was quite a difficult day. We had really a lot of trouble with the setup and then when we put the new tyre I crashed on my first lap. So yeah I wasn't able really to do a good lap and we were four seconds off the pace which was yeah it wasn't good. I was last place.

So yeah we sort of made a drastic change for today to go back to a setting that I know I like and I've used it and done well with it in the past. So yeah in the end I felt a lot more comfy straight away. It took me a while to get up to grips but yeah by the end of the FP3 session I was able to go straight through to Q2 and then in qualifying I felt good on my first run. I was 12th or 13th and then unfortunately when we put the new tyre at the end I crashed again but yeah we were pushing to the limit to try and get in the top 10 and that happens but to start 15th after yesterday is a big improvement for us. I mean you looked pretty upset yesterday because I mean it must just be really really frustrating when you kind of feel like you've lost a whole day like that.

Yeah for sure it's frustrating for me not to be able to show what I can really do and I sort of feel like then everyone sort of looks and not stares but sort of wonders what's happening and yeah it's hard to take being so far off the pace but yeah it was nice to bounce back today and we're sort of in the mix to get to top 10 tomorrow. Yeah because you had a fifth in Argentina didn't you this year which was obviously a stunning result and you're best in Moto3 so far and then obviously you had that great performance on the Saturday at Silverstone this year. It's been a bit more sort of up and down in the second half of the season. I mean how did you sort of sum up the year? Yeah it started really well.

We sort of had the same package as the other Hondas at the start of the year and then towards the end of the year everyone else seemed to be making strides with their bike and we sort of didn't make any at the time and it was difficult because I felt like I was getting better but sort of we were slowly getting better. We were slowly getting worse results but it seems now we've come to a couple of tracks where we sort of we can make a difference in the corners and it's showing so yeah it's been not the best year for me. It's one of those years where I feel a little bit frustrated because I led the first test and then I was good also in Portimão so I expected a lot more but things happen. Each year is a learning year and I've learned a lot more being where I am this year than winning races so yeah just got to take that into next year. I shouldn't really ask this but do you know what's going to be likely to happen next year?

Yeah so I'll be with the same team next year. I don't know the logistics and stuff. I know there's a lot of stuff going behind the scenes whether the team will change as such in some ways so we've just got to see. It could be a really exciting time for the team with what I've been hearing and reading on different news articles it seems like the team could make a big step so we've just got to keep believing and they've given me another chance at another year. It's got to be a year where I fight at the front otherwise three years in World Championship it sort of comes to an end if you're not in the front.

Although as always you guys are so hard on yourselves but you've shown that you've got the speed on several occasions haven't you? So it's just putting it all together I suppose isn't it? Yeah I feel like I'm there. I'm with maybe not the best guys right now, not the top five but maybe the top ten. I feel like I've got that in me quite comfortably and I put a lot of work in to be there so it's frustrating when it's not happening but I'm sure when I get a nice feeling and I'm feeling a bit more happier with myself I'll be able to be there.

Yeah and let's not forget that Moto3 is a cutthroat class and it's separated by such such tiny margins so I mean sometimes if you're 15th or 16th you're thinking you've had a bad day but you're like half a second off aren't you so it is tough tough class isn't it? Yeah for sure and now Moto3 the difference in bikes is getting more than other classes like Moto2 they're all on the same bikes more or less and MotoGP they're different bikes and you see now Quattraro and Marquez struggling and I feel like we're sort of in that moment where we've got a good package as such but not the best package and it's quite difficult to make some top results so once everything comes together over the winter and we see what the team ends up being like and the structure it has next year and we'll see what happens next year. Just one last thing when I was chatting to your teammate Josh Watley yesterday and I was kind of asking how much input you guys have in terms of pushing the teams in certain areas and he was sort of saying that the team do listen and you can be quite hard on them to sort of put your foot down and say this is what we need so is that your experience as well? Yeah I struggle a little bit sometimes to get what I want across I feel like with Michael it's good to talk to and he understands a lot with the team itself it's very difficult to be so like I don't know you can't just go in there and say everything's bad and then expect them to still have your back all the time so I struggle a little bit in that aspect but then when I can speak with Michael and I can speak about where I feel like we can make steps and where I feel like even I can make steps and I can have a good time. I feel like next year will be a good year and a big progression for the team.

I guess that's obviously one of the benefits of being with the team for the third year again isn't it because you just keep on moving step by step and that's what it takes isn't it? Yeah for sure, for sure. At the end of the day I want to be fighting for world championships and whether that happens in this team I'm not sure. I know this year's showing a little bit difficult but I'm sure that eventually we'll all be able to make big steps and we'll all be able to become championship contenders one day. Hope you have a good race tomorrow, you've got your wrist strapped up a little bit though I hope that's not too much of an impediment to you, is that from today?

No I've had my wrist quite bad since Indonesia so in between every session so I have two times physio every day and after physio it's better and then immediately after I've finished there's a lot of pain again so now it's just a little bit of support and just to help overnight. Give me the best chance tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the off season I should imagine. Yeah for sure, I think everyone now has niggles so it's just part of it. Well look, best of luck for tomorrow, be keeping an eye out and talking about the race next week so all the best and we'll look forward to seeing you next year.

Thank you, I appreciate it. Cheers Scott. Thank you.