On the occasion of the first part of his interview, David spoke to us about his move from GMT94 and Yamaha to Gilles Stafler's SRC Kawasaki team. Here is the rest of this interview, where Checa continues to discover his new team, but also his two teammates Jérémy Guarnoni and Erwan Nigon, and envisages the rest of the World Endurance Championship season.
How are things going with your two teammates? Have you already found a balance, a complicity, between the three of you?
“You know, that’s complicated to answer because it’s something you can only see in the race. When everything is going well, you never know the person. You only really know her when there's trouble. I've known better Jeremy during the last Bol d'Or because we were in the lead when we had problems. He is doing everything he can, he is young, he works well and he can still progress.
“It’s like me at 38, I have to change certain things too. Endurance is not speed, you have to adapt to all that. Jérémy will do it and it will be fine.
“Erwan I have known him since he rode with us in 2009 at GMT94. He raced at Honda, at BM, he drove everywhere and he is someone who has a lot of experience. After this test, he is like me, he has to adapt to the bike and the team. He has already ridden in the past with Gilles, but the bike then had nothing to do with the current one. We need to test and race together, and from there it will be fine. They are two good drivers, they have shown everywhere that they go fast. »
The Provec team, which manages the KRT (Kawasaki Racing Team) the official team with Johnny Rea in Superbike, is near you. Have you gone to see his bosses, the Guim brothers and Biel Roda, to ask them for advice about the bike?
“I especially know Pere Riba (Editor’s note: team leader of Johnny Rea), Oriol Pallarès (mechanic) and Arturo Perez (responsible for tires). They're my friends, we're going to eat together and everything. Guim and Biel, I know them, but they are not close friends. »
Did you talk to Pere Riba about the bike?
“I talked about it especially with Oriol, who was one of Folch’s mechanics when I drove for them*. »
*The team of Josep Maria Folch (Yamalube Folch Endurance) won the “24 Hores Motociclistes de Catalunya” in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2004, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
“I asked him for some advice about the bike, how it worked. In fact, Johnny had the same opinion as us: that the bike was much better, especially the engine. I'm happy because we had the same sensations. What Johnny did with the old bike is incredible. It is really difficult to do better.
“The new ZX10-RR accelerates more and corners better. But that doesn't mean that everything will be better. The World Superbike team doesn't have the same electronics as us, and they have more money. This is why the development work is not the same. We have to work with what we have. Endurance has nothing to do with speed. »
Which of the remaining 4 races will be the most favorable for you with the Kawasaki?
“You know the drivers: when we race, it’s always to win! In our mind, we start favorites in all the races. If we don't tell ourselves that we are favorites everywhere, we are not professional.
“I went to Kawasaki to be World Champion. The goal is to try to win all the races. I signed up for this. I am an ambitious person and I always want to do better. »
Photos © SRC Kawasaki
