It was in the lounge of Kuala Lumpur airport that Simon Patterson of MCN met the LCR pilot with whom he spoke impromptu. Thank you both.
How were these three days in Sepang?
" I had a lot of fun. It didn't go bad. I'm tired and happy to go home to my family. In the end it was good tests, positive in the end. We had a lot of things to try. We managed to finish on Wednesday, me, Marc and Dani. Jack (Miller) did a good job too. He managed to complete a busy schedule. It has been positive, but there is still a way to go. Marc and Dani agree with me, it doesn't seem so bad now.
What were your feelings on the bike?
“The sensations on the bike were a little different. The engine configuration we tried is our current priority. I hope we can sort this out fairly quickly because the Qatar tests, and the race as well, are not that far away.
Your goal for this year?
“I don't set a goal, but doing better than last year seems difficult. It will be difficult for many people to do better than last year. I want to score more points, and if I do that it shouldn't be bad at the end of the season. If I had three good results at the start of the year, that would make things easier for me. But it's racing. I am happy with my end of the 2016 season. I hope to start 2017 better than last year.
KTM?
“Just look at how Bradley and Pol have been riding over the last few years. The bike they had is superb. This is the easiest bike on the grid to ride, by far. I don't know the real potential of the KTM but it's good to see different bikes. I wish everyone would try the Honda at least once. It would be fun.
Who would be your ideal teammate?
" It's hard to say. I had a very good relationship with Andrea (Dovizioso) and it still is. Jack (Miller) is my friend. I would love to be Valentino Rossi's teammate once. I rode for Yamaha when he was there too.
Where will the Honda win this year.
“It is impossible to say right now where we will be strong or not. But I will give 100% to every race.
Will you be at the TT?
“I think we have a race at the same time. We can always ask Carmelo to move it. I normally go to TT every year for one or two days. I'll see if I can find transport from Barcelona to try to get there.
Who will be the man to beat this year?
“We will have a good idea of the situation at the Qatar GP, because Lorenzo is a real rocket there. But you should never bet against Marc, nor against Vale, and now we have Maverick who is competitive. I hope to be in this group of drivers. We will already see what happens during the tests.
How is your stomach?
“The team isn’t listening? On the second day of testing, I woke up at five o'clock and looked out the window. I saw rain there. So I went back to bed, planning to get up at 7:30. But I forgot to set my alarm and woke up five minutes before the slope opened! Fortunately for me, no one rode because the circuit was wet. So I explained that I had had a stomach problem at five in the morning. Which was true, of course, I always tell the truth. »
Photos © Michelin
