As the recovery looms on the horizon, although still quite distant, the British driver of the LCR Honda team gives us here his point of view on the planned start of the activity in Jerez, with two races consecutive contested in appetizers on the Andalusian circuit.
The current hypothesis put forward by Carmelo Ezpeleta is to race in Jerez at the end of July. What does the man who was Supersport World Champion in 2009 think?
“You have to try to adapt as quickly as possible, that’s the only thing you can do. Everything will be different, it will completely change our habits. I love Jerez, I had a great race there in 2012, I took pole in 2014 and last year I wasn't competitive. It's a strange circuit, where the conditions change a lot, you have to adapt the bike well. It will certainly be hot, one more variable” explained the Coventry man during a MotoGPrountable interview with oxley, Turkish, Pecino and Bobbiese.
How will two consecutive GPs take place on the same circuit?
“A few years ago, I proposed to the Safety Commission to do a Superpole, like in SBK, but it was not accepted… Let's say that I feel like a rider closer to SBK than to MotoGP. I think today, from a technical point of view, it would be impossible to do two races in the same weekend. »
“Two GPs on the same circuit with a week apart would be strange, but we drivers adapt. We want to run, in any way we can. We want to race as much as possible: if it is necessary to do more GPs on the same circuit, we will do it. A circuit can change a lot in a week, you can also get confused trying to improve the bike so close to the previous race. »
If you do the race, you will do it with fewer mechanics and technicians than usual: do you think this could be an opportunity for the satellite teams, or do you think the official teams will have an additional advantage?
" It's very difficult to say. I think the drivers make a big difference, the young people are very aggressive, like animals… I think the races could be very spectacular, the championship could be much more balanced. »
“But there are many factors that can be important: I'm not one of those who like tests, but I think it will be necessary to do one before the race (as will be the case, Editor’s note). There are drivers who could take advantage of this situation, but I think the official teams will always have something more, but they will not have more advantages than usual. »
Have you decided what you will do in 2021?
“At the end of 2019, I still had the motivation to run in 2021: it’s always the same thing. If the opportunity presents itself, there is no reason to stop in 2021: it will depend on what I have on the table. »
" It is true that Casa Particular in Viñales, Quarterly, Rins, Mir have already signed their contract. Márquez signed for four years: for me it's not strange, just something different. For Honda and Marc, this is the ideal situation. »
“Every driver and every team knows each other's values, they know exactly what a rider can give or what a team can offer. As for me, I showed that I can get on the podium, I don’t see why I wouldn’t continue in 2021.”
What can you say about the 2020 Honda?
“On the last day in Qatar, I felt ready to race. In Malaysia we did well, without too many problems, but in Qatar we suffered a bit in the faster corners. Then we fitted a different aerodynamic setup and everything went better, the feeling was similar to 2019.”
“Now, after this long shutdown, it is difficult to know what the situation is because all the engineers are working constantly. On the GPs, they analyze the data until 3 a.m. We can't know if we are competitive enough, but on the last day my feelings were positive, I was convinced that I could succeed in Qatar. »
Why is the Honda so difficult to ride?
“Riders who have already ridden on another bike have had difficulties with the Honda: you have to change your mentality, have the will to improve, because it is a special bike. I'm obviously not talking about Casey Stoner, that's a different talent. You have to drive the RCV much more “manually” than any other motorcycle and it becomes more complicated when track conditions change. »
“In other words, with the Honda the rider has to adapt a lot more. I think that each bike has very different characteristics from the others, you have to know how to adapt: riders like Márquez and Pedrosa have never ridden differently in MotoGP, they have not had to adapt. In recent years, only Márquez has been able to get the most out of him, because he is a great talent. »
Why did you leave Ducati?
“It was a decision for my career, because they had already bet on Iannone for the official team. After some difficulty, I managed to ride this motorcycle well. I had a fantastic team. I decided to move to Honda just for my career, not because I didn't know how to ride the Ducati. »
Photos © LCR Honda, Cal Crutchlow personal
