Last week was busy for Tom Lüthi, second in the Moto2 world championship in 2016: presentation of the CarXpert team in Verbier, on the terrace of the “Le Dahu” restaurant, work in the Hepia wind tunnel in Geneva, and press conference at Hepia on the work carried out in the wind tunnel.
Despite this workload, we were able to ask him a few questions.
Tom, congratulations on finishing second in the championship. What is your approach going into the coming season?
“I think it's really important for us, and especially for me, not to go crazy during this winter. Just do the same thing, just keep working and working and not trying to think I have to change this or that. Just staying focused on my job and doing my job. Because we worked very well during the second half of the last season and I think that the most important thing now is really to continue this dynamic and maintain this energy during this new season. So, since what we did was already good, why change for something new? I'm kind of in that state of mind right now.
Of course, you always have to improve. You can't stand still and not move forward, but not to the point of doing crazy things, like throwing away everything I've done in the past. I think that would be a mistake. You just have to work on the details to find a little more here, a little more there, like we did today (editor's note: in the wind tunnel). This whole day was very important and very interesting. It's a small part of the puzzle; you need a lot of pieces and put them together. It's always like that. »
In 2017, who will be your main competitors for the title?
" Next year ? Well, this year (laughs)… It’s hard to say. I think there will be many drivers capable of winning a race. It's Moto2; everyone is close to each other and it's difficult for me to name names. But for sure Morbidelli is the name I must have in mind, just like Nakagami and many good riders will be there. We don't yet know what we can expect from Moto3 world champion Brad Binder, which he will do in his first year in Moto2. There are still other names like Kent or Oliveira, who now have experience in Moto2. It will definitely be interesting! But I think the most important thing will be to stay focused on myself and do my job. »
What do you think is your strong point compared to all these drivers?
“It's difficult to say but of course I have a lot of experience. but sometimes it's hard to tell if you can turn that experience into results. But it's something we're going to try to do. I think it’s important to stay calm and cool…”
But there, you sound like Johann Zarco, right?
“(Laughs) maybe yes. He really did a good job during these two years. He was aggressive on the bike but he tried to stay focused on himself, and that's something he did well. I think it's very important. »
