On Track Off Road No.183

drinking in the last chance saloon?
working well and then get on top of the
Kawasaki. If we can do that right from
the start then the championship is wide
open.”
“Confidence is a strange thing, and when
I went to MotoGP I lost some of mine. I
listened to too much of the bullshit about
what people around me were telling me. I
almost started believing that maybe there
is something special with those riders.
That was a mistake and I should have
focused on myself because that would get
into my head a little bit, and that’s not
good for anybody.”
“Since coming back to WorldSBK and getting
on a good bike I’ve had my confidence
come back. At my first WorldSBK test I
could compare my data on the Aprilia to
2013, I could see from the first test how
badly I was braking compared to the past.
I needed to get my finger out again and
work at regaining strength in my riding
style. I want to get back to winning races.
I’m a better rider now than I was in 2013
when I was winning. It’s about the bike,
the team and everything around you.
There were some things that I was doing
well but there was nothing I was doing
better than what I do now. I’ve improved
in every area. So it was a matter of getting
the rest of the pieces of the puzzle.
“When I was with Aprilia it was their full
factory team. Everything was in place, and
they gave me a chance to bloom. I need to
get that going again. I know that this could
be the last chance saloon. I’ve signed a
one-year contract here at GoEleven. I think
a lot of riders are in a similar position, so
it’s important for me to hit the ground running,
get those results and put myself in
the shop window to get back to a factory
team.”