Brookes and Guintoli to make Suzuka 8 Hour Bow for Yoshimura Suzuki

Josh Brookes will return to the Suzuka 8 Hour race at the end of July this season, riding a brand new Yoshimura Suzuki alongside Suzuki test rider Takuya Tsuda and fellow British Superbike returnee, Sylvain Guintoli. The star-studded line up comprises of riders who have all had world championship experience in the last two seasons.

Josh Brookes comes off the back of an incredibly successful Isle of Man TT, where he achieved a personal best of 6th place in the Senior TT, also becoming Norton’s fastest ever rider around the 37 mile Mountain Course. Brookes rides for the Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha Team in the British Superbike championship, where he currently sits in 4th place. The BSB championship returns this weekend at Knockhill.

The Australian competed in the event last year, finishing 3rd with teammates Tsuda and Noriyuki Haga, who has been dropped for 2017. The event will highlight Brookes as one of the most versatile riders in racing, having successfully competed on a range of manufacturers already this year, such as Norton (TT) Supersport 600 (TT) and Yamaha Superbike (BSB).

Sylvain Guintoli is set to make his Suzuka 8 Hour debut alongside Brookes. Guintoli flew out to Malaysia to test the Endurance configuration for 3 days in January, in preparation for the event.

The Frenchman has had three races over in MotoGP, riding the Factory Suzuki in place of injured rookie Alex Rins. Having had a difficult start to his British Superbike season on the new Suzuki, he will be looking to gain confidence and gel with the bike over at the Suzuka 8 Hours, a race that Yoshimura Suzuki haven’t won since 2009 with Daisaku Sakai, Kazuki Tokudome and veteran, Nobuatsu Aoki.

Takuya Tsuda is Ecstar Suzuki’s test rider in MotoGP. The Japanese rider made his debut in MotoGP at Jerez earlier this year, finishing 17th.

“Suzuka is a bit like a love-hate relationship. When I’m there and I’m riding the bike and it’s really hot and I’m exhausted, I think to myself, ‘Why do I out myself through this?’ There’s so many years I haven’t ridden and I’ve been gutted I’m not there. If I was to stop going without winning it, I’d be giving up in effect and I’m really not like that! I don’t want to give up on the challenge. I had to beg to get my first ride, saying ‘pick me, pick me’. Even if I won I probably wouldn’t stop going! Because I’d want to do it again and try and better myself.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’m scared to do it but I’m motivated to do it. I’ve set goals throughout my career and this is another one. To win this and already have a BSB title would be incredible, then I’d really want to win a TT! It’s good for me that I haven’t got everything I ever dreamed about wanting. If I had, then I’d be a bit like Casey Stoner. Retired and very boring. I’m sure he’s not that bothered but I’d be a bit of a lost soul without these kind of goals in my life”.

The Suzuka 8 Hour Race will take place on the 28th – 30th of July.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Josh Brookes’ Tribute to Alan Bonner

Every motorsport death is sad. Whatever the sport, you lose a member of the community and family. Sometimes however, series such as Indycar and events such as the Isle of Man TT have arguably more deaths than what most would consider normal and controversially, have been campaigned against to try and stop such events. I caught up with Josh Brookes, who lost a friend in Alan Bonner at the TT this year. The Australian superstar reminds us how the expected is always unexpected and how we should remember Alan. This is Josh Brookes’ tribute to Alan Bonner and how he as a rider and friend, overcome the situation carry on through TT week.

“Unfortunately, due to circumstances, Alan Bonner had died. The reason it affected me was because he did nothing wrong. There was oil on the track and he was just the rider who got to it at the wrong time at the wrong speed and the wrong place, and he wouldn’t have known anything about it. I asked myself, ‘why does it make a difference’ because – sorry to be blunt – but he is still dead. It doesn’t matter about the reasons that caused it because it is the same outcome at the end. It bothered me because he did nothing wrong. He was so innocent in the whole thing.

Alan was the tent next door to me. I knew Paul Owen, the ex TT rider and he was a mechanic for Alan. I was going into the awning to chat with Paul and Alan was there, so the banter started and there was plenty of good fun with jokes and just having a real good laugh. I got really friendly with him and he’d liked the fact that ‘Josh Brookes, BSB Champion’ was hanging out with him. Because of the position of my motorhome, we saw each other more or less everyday. He’d use my motorhome to warm his porridge up every morning, so when I found out what happened, it wasn’t that I’d just lost a competitor but it was more like I lost a mate.

If they said that he’d just have fallen or if we saw the line that he took and it was a mistake, then we could think, ‘at least he had control’. You’d think, ‘we are all out there doing the same thing and we took our life out of our own hands’. Most people don’t understand that because of the way they value life.

If you’d made a mistake yourself and you suffered yourself, you had control. You chose what it took to get there, you chose the line and it was your choice that led to the incident. However, when it’s nothing to do with any of that and you’re riding well within your capabilities and it’s an outside element, an outside factor that swept him away, it’s difficult to comprehend and accept and that really bothered me.

I have to say that I did have a feeling of realisation. It’s not that you don’t know – everyone knows it can happen to you – but you ignore it because you have to carry on. Just when I felt completely at ease with the bike, I had a situation that bothered me and took the wind out of me a little bit. It made the first lap of the race much more difficult, far more intense than it needed to be or would’ve been. I had my own thoughts in my own head and they was affecting how I was riding.

I got to the end of the first lap and it felt like I had got rid of that excess tension. I felt good on the bike, everything was going OK and then, I just carried on with my own destiny. Then, on the 2nd lap, Ian Hutchinson fell off and it was red flagged, so we all pulled over. At that point we knew Hutchy was OK – injured, but OK. We went back to the start, had a restart and as you know, we had a strong race.

This will sound disrespectful, but the other guys, I didn’t know. Don’t get me wrong, we all felt awful when Davy Lambert and Jochem van der Hoek died, but personally, it was better for me if I didn’t know them because it was easier for me to put it behind and focus. When you don’t know them, it’s easier to carry on because you didn’t lose anything personal to you, as sad as it was. Any TT rider will tell you that it is sad when anyone dies but there’s some weird affect it has on you when it’s personal. It’s not that their deaths weren’t as important, it’s just that we didn’t have a personal connection. The same as some riders wouldn’t have a personal connection like I did with Alan.

When it’s someone you was just speaking to and you have a laugh with and have fond conversations with that form a friendship, it’s harder. We spoke about racing a lot. He spoke about a crash he had at the Ulster Grand Prix and he was just one of the lads who was willing to take the risks.

I feel for the family that he’s left behind, because despite knowing the dangers, the crash that killed him wasn’t anything to do with him. Life isn’t worth living if you’re just competing. If the world was controlled where you couldn’t do anything dangerous, then I’d probably be on the verge of suicide anyway!

I take perspective from someone like Michael Schumacher, who lived his life in one of the most dangerous sports, to end up being seriously injured on a holiday. I may as well carry on doing what I’m doing because there’s other factors that can kill you too. It’s the same for Nicky Hayden – of all the times he could’ve been killed, it happens on a bicycle when you think you’ll be OK. The times when I think you’re going to be safe are when I’m driving the car or walking on a footpath but often, that’s when it can kill you. So, I look at it and think, ‘you can’t stop doing something because of the chances it might go wrong’.

It’s easy to say that we’re all adrenalin junkies and you do it for the feeling etc. Yes, there are elements of that but ultimately you wouldn’t do it all your life because eventually, you’d acclimatise and wouldn’t be bothered by it. Being competitive and riding a motorcycle pushes you to overlook what you’re willing to risk.

The point I’m getting at is it’s not the fact that Alan died. It’s the ‘how’ he was killed that bothers me. All the emotional concern or worry is the circumstances of how it happened. I spoke to Dean Harrison and you know when you need a chat with a lad to make sure that they’re thinking the same as you? Well, we didn’t go too deep into it but we spoke about how none of us are going to go any slower in the next race. We are all going to go out there and ride as hard or harder than the previous time. The English language doesn’t allow you to describe the emotion fully.

There’s other activities and sports such as mountain climbing and skiing where there a lot of deaths. Someone loses their father, son or partner but the next year, they’re doing it again because that’s exactly what the other person would’ve done. They would’ve been there on that next holiday. Alan would’ve been at the Ulster GP this year and warming his porridge up with me at the TT again next year”.

You can donate to Alan Bonner’s GoFundMe page here, helping the family with costs and all money raised over the target amount will go to a charity of Alan’s choice.

Picture courtesy of Josh Brookes’ Twitter, here

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

 

Mossey: I Never Doubted My Ability

 

On a surprisingly warm summers day in the Knockhill pit lane, I caught up with championship leader Luke Mossey, getting his thoughts on the season so far, having Leon Haslam as a teammate and his prospects for this year and beyond. Mossey went on to take a podium (2nd) in race one and 4th in race two but leads the championship by a huge 30 points over teammate Haslam, who was absent from Knockhill following a free practice accident.

How would you sum up your season so far?

I’ve had two strong years on the Superbike, including the rookie year. We’ve had some strong testing and we said to ourselves we are ready to win races. Not only did we do that but we got our first double as well. I couldn’t really ask for a better season so far up to this point.

Are you under pressure having Leon as your teammate or do you learn things?

We’ve learnt a few things but I never doubted my ability. We knew we had speed and the issues that we did experience have gone. Of course, having Leon in the team will up my game and it will need to if I am to match a man of his stature because he’s been around a long time and has a wealth of experience. We are ready to up our game further but so far, so good.

Would you consider being at an advantage in comparison to Leon, having had more time with this team?

No, not really. It is only my third year and I’ve been on a thousand for two and a half years, whereas Leon has been around for about 15 years so I wouldn’t say that’s an advantage at all. Having a third season with the team brings some nice continuity but Leon has got experience.


Can you focus more on racing without him being your teammate for this round and possibly the next?

I like Leon and I get on really well with him but at the end of the day he’s just another guy I need to beat. It doesn’t matter if he was here, he’d have been at the front. His absence doesn’t really effect me or my team that much really.


Is Leon your main title threat?

If I’m honest, it’s Leon and Shakey for sure. Shakey had a bit of bad start to the year at Donington Park but he’s always going to be there or there abouts for sure.

How is it working with Pete for a third season?

He’s like a second dad really. We get on really well and I feel privileged to stay for a third year really and hopefully we have another year or two maybe but we will wait and see. If the opportunities come along then we’ve got to look at the world stage. I’m 24 and just starting my Superbike career so we would like to go there in two or three years but for now our focus is primarily on BSB. The MotoGP thing is a bit of a dream. You’ll never get Movistar Yamaha and you’ll never get a Repsol Honda. It’s great to say you race in MotoGP but I wouldn’t go there to finish 15th on a satellite Ducati because it doesn’t mean anything to me. I would rather stay in Britain and win races.

Can you win the championship in 2017?

Yeh for sure. We’ve got the bike, we’ve got the team and if we don’t win it then it won’t be through lack of trying. I’ve put my heart and soul into it and it’s a very tough championship – one of the toughest in the world and the goal is always to be in the top three but we are going for the title this season.

Would you consider road racing, seeing as this team has road racing pedigree?

I have absolutely no intentions in doing road racing whatsoever. Unless they paid a million pounds for it but I think that’s the end of that! I scare myself enough on the short circuits so the TT is not really in my mind. I think it is amazing what those riders do but it really doesn’t appeal to me.

Image courtesy of Gareth Davies at Full Factory Photography, which you can follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Iannone’s Options if Suzuki say Ciao

Andrea Iannone has struggled to adapt to the new Suzuki in MotoGP and after seven races, his best result is 7th, at COTA. 15th in the championship is a disaster for last year’s Austrian Grand Prix winner and I have a feeling that we are in for some mid-season musical chairs. Lets consider he will be moving (purely for the scenario), where are his options?

Red Bull Honda in World Superbikes have a vacancy, following the death of former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden. Although Iannone has never been in the World Superbike paddock and has never rode for Honda in any class, you might have to consider a move here a little bit far-fetched even if it is practical. WSBK bosses however are desperate for big names and not ones that are at the end of their career. How much would they be willing to pay Maniac Joe on an internal Dorna transfer?

Following a run of poor form stemming from unprofessionalism and poor team attitude, Sam Lowes’ seat for 2018 is already uncertain but I wouldn’t put it past him leaving the Gresini Aprilia Team before then. Andrea Iannone was rumoured to join the team last season, as Italian owner Fausto Gresini was desperate for an Italian to join the Italian marque. Iannone would suit the bike, as Aleix Espargaro’s development has been incredible. Stick Iannone on the bike and he could be the one to put the bike on the podium. Then again, I had him down as a title threat after the tests, so what do I know…

There is another option to move to World Superbikes and that could be if Barni Racing expand to two machines. It is no secret that Marco Barnabo is looking to expand the team and it is unlikely he will field someone other than Xavi Fores. Iannone has Ducati contacts and has ridden the Panigale on track days at Misano so he does have the experience of the bike, an advantage compared to Stefan Bradl who received his Honda late on. It might be a pay cut but I think any rider would rather be winning than riding around at the back of the field with no confidence and receiving a big pay cheque. In fact, do they still do it by check? Answers on a tweet.

With the recent departure of Davide Giugliano from Tyco BMW, there is an opportunity for him to join an already star-studded British Superbike line up. However, having had one lunatic Italian, I’m not sure the Neil family’s blood pressure could sustain Andrea, nor could the team’s bank balance. It’s a long shot and BSB would certainly welcome him.

Besides those options, I’m not sure where else Andrea could fit. There’s a 0.01% chance he might drop back into Moto2 but who would it be? World Supersport certainly wouldn’t appeal to him and I don’t think any team in MotoGP would be looking to expand to three bikes.

After all that however, I personally can’t see him leaving Suzuki, less than halfway through the initial contract. Iannone is one of the most determined riders on the grid and he will make it work. I think it is more down to the bike and how difficult the front end is rather than Andrea Iannone having lost his ability. It does go to show how valuable Vinales was to Suzuki. It’s a little bit like the Stoner-Ducati situation.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

WSBK Misano Preview: Kawasaki Party… Again?

Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography

 

World Superbikes stumble into Italy this weekend for the 2nd time this year. This time however, it is at the historic Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in Rimini on the Adriatic Coast. Having his lead chopped down by 20 points at Donington Park, Jonathan Rea will be feeling the heat that former champion and teammate Tom Sykes is putting on him.

Reigning champion Rea crashed out for the first time this season in race one at Donington Park, the first time he’s been outside the top 2, too. The Kawasaki rider has 55 points over teammate Sykes although that may well change this weekend. It was a confident double win last year for Rea at Misano, fending off pressure from Sykes in race one before dominating on Sunday. A repeat performance perhaps, or will it be an in form Tom Sykes to spoil a Northern Irish party?

Sykes’ victory at Donington Park was his first of the year, astonishingly. The Huddersfielder has only finished off the podium three times this season but too many third place finishes explain the gargantuan gap between him and his teammate. Last year, Sykes came away from Misano with two second places but he knows this year he has to beat teammate Rea. It all depends on how many bikes can get in between the two all conquering Kawasakis.

Chaz Davies made another mistake at Donington Park. Crashing out of the lead at Goddard’s in the first race, Davies sits a massive 75 points behind Jonny Rea. Two retirements have put Davies’ title surge on the back foot for now but if anyone can overturn, the Welshman can. We are coming to the circuits at which he dominated last year and it only takes a mistake from the Kawasaki pairing and Davies will be there to pick up the scraps. His best result at Misano remains a third place but he has crashed out three times from ten races.

Marco Melandri hasn’t looked like a serious championship threat all season and he completes the leading four in the championship, some 123 points behind Rea. Barring miracles, Melandri doesn’t look like a challenger for the top three however, stranger things have happened. The former MotoGP race winner hasn’t had a podium since race one at Imola and is yet to win a race on his WSBK return. The last time he visited Misano, he came away with two third-place finishes but like Davies, he has never won there. The new Panigale is yet to win there too, with the last Ducati victory at Misano coming from a Carlos Checa double in 2011.

Britain’s Alex Lowes put in a stirling effort to take his first podium in over two years at Donington Park. It was also Yamaha’s first of the year. Just one DNF all season, the former British Superbike champion is starting to surge forward and now with the pressure of his home round out the way, he can focus on trying to catch Melandri for 4th (he is only 16 points behind). Alex has had a best finish 8th at Misano, which he matched last year but nothing less than a top five will suffice for the Lincolnshire rider.

Teammate Michael van der Mark is in 6th place as he continue to work through his schedule of adapting to his new Yamaha. The Dutchman is yet to take a podium this year but you get the feeling it isn’t far away. Having been usurped out of 3rd in the closing stages of race two at Donington Park, he will come to Misano – like his teammate – with a bundle of confidence. He took a podium in the first race last year at the track on a dog-slow Honda but hasn’t won there – even in his Supersport days. Could Michael be an upset? Nothing will spur him on more than being just 19 points away from his teammate.

Keep your eyes open on other movers and shakers, such as Xavi Fores and Leon Camier, but also on Stefan Bradl, who recently completed a test at the track as the team continue to gain valuable data. Jordi Torres will always be in the top 10 but could spring a surprise in the races whilst the Aprilia pairing of Eugene Laverty and Lorenzo Savadori will be desperate to make up for an apocalyptically disastrous Donington Park.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Why Bradl Still Has It

Post by @MotoGPKiko

It is no secret that the Honda are struggling in World Superbikes, however, Stefan Bradl – the team’s sole rider after the tragic passing of teammate Nicky Hayden – has got bundles of talent and on a good bike with the right team, he’s a WSBK race winner all day long. Come next year, I have a feeling that the German could be a bit of a threat.

It sounds ridiculous that I am mentioning the 2018 WSBK season after just reaching the half way distance this year but for Stefan Bradl, the remainder of this campaign will be more of a huge test session on the new Honda Fireblade.

Having received the bike late this season, the Red Bull Honda Ten Kate Team have been slashed of testing time and the results have highlighted that. Stefan Bradl’s 6th place in Assen is the team’s best result and they are slowly but surely making progress, with throttle connection being a main target, although a gearbox solution for WSBK is still looming a large issue.

Stefan Bradl is one of the top riders in World Superbikes. Having been unceremoniously tossed out of the Grand Prix circus last year, following a tricky time at Aprilia, he found himself in WSBK on what was supposed to be a championship contending bike. Bradl’s speed is most certainly there and his resilience is too, riding in honour of fallen hero Hayden at Donington Park.

Bradl is also the only German on the grid, following Markus Reiterberger’s departure due to injuries sustained over a year ago. The former Moto2 World Champion has actually been rather steady in WSBK. Every race he has finished has been in the points, which gains not only track time for him as a WSBK rookie but valuable data which will be used to improve the Fireblade. He has only retired from two races, at circuits that he has never rode a 1000cc bike at in his life.

The next circuit for the German to visit is Misano, where the team recently held a test to try and make further gains with the Honda. Bradl also knows the circuit reasonably well too, having raced there in his Grand Prix years, with a 2nd in Moto2 in 2011 and a top class best of 5th.

There is no doubting Bradl’s pace. It will just take some more time to be shown. Likewise for the Honda, development and testing is the most valuable asset to the outfit at the moment. I’m predicting a Honda podium by the end of the season; where that will be, I’m not so sure. But with a determined Bradl and a hardworking team around him, I expect some breakthroughs very shortly.

Image courtesy of Gareth Davies from Full Factory Photography

 

Halsall Slams Suzuki GB ‘Unprofessional’ over Bike Supply Feud

Images by Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.

Martin Halsall has branded Suzuki GB as “unprofessional” and “difficult to work with” following an ongoing issue, stemming from last year when the BSB Team Owner decided to drop the Japanese manufacturer after “poor communication”. Halsall once again mentioned communication as an issue, with Suzuki GB seemingly ignoring anything Martin mentions.

“I’m pretty disappointed really, with Suzuki. I had approached Suzuki to see if I could buy some bikes to do the Isle of Man TT with William Dunlop and then with a view to return to BSB. However, due to difficulty with Suzuki, I have not been able to get my hands on the bikes”.

“I have now written a letter to Japan to see if that can do anything but what Suzuki have got to realise is that they are a PLC, so they’re answerable to shareholders. So, the people not selling me the bikes are answerable to the people willing to invest in their business”.

Halsall left the manufacturer last September, having done so well with the bike, considering it is seven years old.

“There’s no logical sense to why I can’t buy bikes off Suzuki, it makes absolutely no sense. OK, I ran Suzuki and then decided not to run Suzuki for 2017. However, as a bike, the 2017 model is a very, very good piece of equipment and that was never in question before; I always knew it was going to be a good bike, I just didn’t want to work with Suzuki GB anymore.

“I like to do things my way and if I’m the one spending the bulk of the money, then I should be having the say. I think they forgot who’s team it was from time to time. If they want to fund the whole of the team’s budget, then that’s fine and people can be answerable to them but if they’re not, they have to succumb to the person who is paying the bill – which was me. It has already been good out of the box as a stock bike with Richard Cooper in the National Superstock 1000 Championship, so there’s no reason why it can’t be a really good and competitive Superbike”.

Have Suzuki messed this up? The Halsall Racing outfit is one of the most striking and well branded teams in the paddock, with a huge presence still existent from last year, ranging from merchandise to fans of Halsall’s operation of his team.

“People can see how I brand things. The thing about my businesses are that they are exceptionally branded. We’ve invested a lot of money into having proper marketing done and proper branding done to be professional with the business. I would do a good job with any branding. We’ve done it already with movuno.com, the online estate agents”. There’s no reason why we can’t follow that through to Superbikes and create an exceptionally well branded team with it”.

Have Suzuki no loyalty? Halsall dropped a proven race winner in the Kawasaki at the end of 2014 to pursue success with Suzuki – which he achieved. Now, despite persevering with a seven year old bike, the effervescent charismatic Lancastrian now finds himself banging his head against a brick wall.

“There is no reason why we as a team with the right rider can’t make the 2017 Suzuki work. We proved what we could do last year with two podiums on a bike that effectively, nobody else was interested in running. Primarily, I ran the bike with the bigger picture of picking up the new bike. So for me to walk away from Suzuki – after making massive investments for two years – hurts a bit”.

“Primarily, why can I not buy bikes? I can go and buy bikes tomorrow morning from any Suzuki dealer, without the Halsall Team name. We will be wanting some race parts from Yoshimura, from Suzuki and therefore, it makes sense to have a proper link with Suzuki – which I have tried to do on numerous occasions. I can’t see any logical sense at all in why I can’t buy bikes”.

“It’s good for Suzuki’s anyway if another team runs their brand. It is also healthy for a championship and the fans. ‘Why not bet on two horses’ comes to mind. I wouldn’t mind, it isn’t at Suzuki’s expense! It’s an absolute no-brainer. I think it is really unprofessional how a well-known brand is turning down such a well-known, successful and popular team with great presence in the paddock”.

Suzuki haven’t helped their image in this sorry saga. No WSBK effort and a difficult start to their 2017 MotoGP campaign, they’re relying mainly on BSB for their results – and that, as it stands, is risky business. Although risky business to them succeeds ‘no business’ with Martin.

“It’s had an effect on William Dunlop too. He wanted to ride the Suzuki at the TT but that isn’t possible. It is just crazy that they won’t give a top class road racer a bike that he demands. It has actually stopped the road racing side of Halsall Racing Team progressing on the roads because primarily, we’ve run out of time. Within the communication I’ve had with Suzuki, I made it clear that William Dunlop would ride the bike and that is what he wanted.

“At the end of the day, I own Halsall Racing. I am in charge. The people who I am trying to deal with aren’t representative of what Suzuki stand for. If i had the bikes in time for the TT, we could have got them prepared, potentially leading to a come back in BSB. If we got the right rider, there’s no reason we couldn’t run in BSB from 2017 and be successful”.

This is a developing story and you can find out exactly what the outcome of it will be when we hear news of it.

 

Story by @MotoGPKiko

Raw Emotion

Prosperity. Positivity. Hope. Many things were bought to the MotoGP and World Superbike paddocks but it was Nicky Hayden who did it better than anyone else. From long hair to man-buns, hardcore riding to effortless speed, Nicky Hayden brought a breath of fresh air with him wherever he ended up. From his first MotoGP race at Suzuka in 2003, to his last WSBK race at Imola in 2017, the effervescent American was a charmer in every sense of the word. The world of sport warmed to him and now the world of sport mourns him.

The first time Nicky Hayden was a name amongst the racing world was in 2001, after a stellar season in the AMA Superbike championship. Finishing 3rd behind the likes of championship victor Mat Mladin and runner-up Eric Bostrom was by no means something to be ashamed of – and of course, Nicky being Nicky, he wasn’t. The 20 year old Kentucky rider was starting to become a bit of a pest within the AMA hierarchy. But it was welcome. His warm personality and constant smile was something that disguised his fierce, tenacious nature on circuit. The reason for the number 69 was because he crashed so much as a kid, he needed a number that he could read upside down. If that wasn’t a personality, then seriously, what was?

In 2002, Hayden became AMA Superbike champion, beating Mat Mladin to take his first big championship victory. Not only did he win the championship, but he won the Daytona 200, the motorcycle racing world’s answer to the Indy 500 or the Monaco Grand Prix. His efforts were rewarded with an outing in World Superbikes, at his home round at Laguna Seca, California. Finishing a strong 4th in race one before a collision in race two saw him finish in 13th, us as motorcycle fans knew we were witnessing something special. This young rider was sending shockwaves in all championships, rocketing through every paddock he welcomely stepped foot in.

2003 would see Nicky Hayden make the big time. Not only had he joined the MotoGP family but he joined the Repsol Honda Team and Valentino Rossi in a season that would be remembered for a variety of reasons. Finishing the season in 5th position meant that not only had he become Rookie of the Year, but he had beaten proven talent such as former WSBK champion Troy Bayliss, reigning WSBK champion and fellow countryman Colin Edwards, WSBK superstar Noriyuki Haga, Alex Barros, reigning 250cc champion Marco Melandri and fellow American John Hopkins. Hayden was ruffling feathers in the biggest possible way. Taking his first podium at Motegi and following it up two races later at Phillip Island, the talent had been showcased in great quantity.

Despite another two podiums in 2004, Hayden slipped down the leaderboard to 8th. But, it would be 2005 when The Kentucky Kid earned his corn. A return to Laguna Seca for the American Grand Prix would see Nicky Hayden dominate. Having not had a podium all season, times were looking hard. Pole position followed up by a classy, exuberant race win gave him America’s first win in the MotoGP era and Honda’s first ever at Laguna Seca. It was this race where a zest of Kevin Schwantz would come in, with the wild celebrations at the crowd’s demand. He was a hero. Hayden would go on and take five more podiums that season, finishing in the bronze medallist position at just his third attempt.

2006 was always going to be special. Hayden started the season with four podiums and never dropped below 5th before his first race win of a truly unforgettable campaign. A last lap dual with Colin Edwards will go down as the day that America conquered The Netherlands. Taking his 2nd ever win after a rare Colin Edwards crash on the last lap at the chicane, we once more saw that emotion which Nicky emitted every single time he achieved his goal. Three races later and he did it again, his third and final MotoGP win at home again. 2006 was turning into a Nicky Hayden year but in Portugal, we saw emotion that Nicky had never shown before.

Rookie teammate Dani Pedrosa wanted good results and needed them to stay in the fight for a top three placing. A pass on Nicky Hayden at the parabolica interior would send Repsol Honda spiralling to the ground, both on track and off. Management watched on in disbelief. All the effort of 2006. All the graft of the team. Every droplet of sweat and molecule of tear shed. It had all come to seemingly nothing. Dani Pedrosa wiped out his teammate with just one race left after Portugal. The swearing erupted from championship challenger Hayden. Fingers pointing and feet stomping. Tears streaming. Hayden wished he was only dreaming. A little boys dream to reign supreme was lying amongst the bits Repsol Honda in the gravel. Would this be his last chance?

“Valencia 2006” – a sentence that every MotoGP fan gets goosebumps thinking about. All Valentino Rossi had to do was beat Hayden, or make sure Hayden did not finish in a position that was worth nine points more than him. But even five time champions make mistakes. Rossi crashed in the race, all but gifting Nicky Hayden the title. Whilst the Ducatis of Troy Bayliss and Loris Capirossi took first and second, Nicky Hayden finished third, enough for him to take the crown and the crowd by storm. Screaming his name they were, in awe at what they just witnessed. One of MotoGP’s finest 45 minutes. As former commentator Charlie Cox would say, “the only thing predictable about MotoGP is that it is completely, unpredictable!”.

Defying the odds after despondently marching through the gravel across the border in tears of dejection two weeks previous, Nicky Hayden now celebrated in front of the longest continuous grandstand in the world, basking in the Spanish sun as the burnouts came surplus to requirement. And instead of tears of dejection, it was tears of joy. From the dirt tracks of Owensboro to the Grand Prix circus on the world stage, The Kentucky Kid had accomplished his childhood dream and ambition in becoming MotoGP world champion.

Never once did he give up or question his ability. He never once was put off by Valentino Rossi’s hoards of fans or by the status of the man he was battling with. Nicky displayed one of MotoGP’s most determined rides ever, with his natural charismatic style blending with his on track resilience to conquer the world and reign the two-wheeled King.

And that is how I want to remember Nicky Hayden. Not as someone who would only go on to achieve a handful more podiums. Not as a rider who was struggling on uncompetitive machinery in World Superbike. But as the champion of our hearts. The champion who was as common as the rest of us, just with that flamboyancy and individualism only Nicky could make work. A people’s racer with just one desire, he leaves us with some fantastic, irreplaceable and unforgettable memories. His ‘happy-go-lucky’ aura captivated millions of fans from across the planet as we watched one rider chase a dream before watching the same rider realise his dream had become a reality. Living on in our hearts and riding on above with some other stern opposition, you can be sure that Nicky Hayden will be remembered as a true legend, both on track and off it. The Kentucky Kid will never be forgotten, even if his visor has come down for the final time.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

BREAKING: Brookes Replaces McGuinness at Jackson Racing in Supersport TT Bow

Josh Brookes has joined Jackson Racing Honda for the 2017 Isle of Man TT, in place of the injured John McGuinness following the Morecambe Missile’s crash at the NW200.

Former BSB champion Brookes has already been announced as a competitor on the Norton in the Superbike class at the TT and also as a rider for Ryan Farquhar’s KMR team in the Supertwins race.

The Australian first rode the 37 mile ‘Mountain’ course back in 2013 for TAS Tyco Suzuki, with a best result of 10th place. At the time, he was the fastest ever newcomer, setting a lap time of 127.726. Only Peter Hickman went quicker on his debut.

Brookes returned with the Shaun Muir Milwaukee Yamaha team for 2014, achieving a best result of 7th in the Senior TT which closed the week. He also achieved a 10th in the first Superbike outing.

Having had two years away, Josh said that he will be looking to “rekindle the memories” of the TT, but insisted to me in an exclusive interview that a 2nd BSB title is still top of the list and that a Senior TT wouldn’t be higher on the priority list.

There was talks of Brookes’ return to the road racing scene being slightly sooner, when the Anvil Yamaha Team he rides for in the BSB championship were contemplating the NW200 but the talks remained just that. Brookes and the Norton he will also be riding at the TT received backing to go to the NW200, with only insurance and homologation rules preventing such things.

The effervescent Australian is 4th in the British Superbike championship, just 9 points ahead of Shane Byrne who occupies 7th; the Londoner just 1 place outside the all-important showdown positions.

The TT will start on the 27th of May, finishing on the 9th of June.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Brookes: It’s Natural to have Fear

 

I spoke to former BSB champion Josh Brookes exclusively at Oulton Park about many things. From fear in racing to the mental approach, to the TT and preparation, this comprehensive interview gives a real insight into the mind of one of the fastest motorcycle racers on the planet.

How much are you looking forward to getting back onto the roads in 2017?

I probably wouldn’t have left the TT but I’m not really bothered about the other roads. If I hadn’t been steered away by the other teams then I would’ve carried on. I’m back now and happy to be back riding it. There will be no NW200 because the Norton bike isn’t homologated. They did pursue the NW but the insurance doesn’t cover it to be on track. The organisers were happy to have it but the insurance company wouldn’t allow it.

How do the roads compare to the short circuits?

The NW is a bit closer to circuit style racing because it’s in a bunch and it’s a grid start, whereas the TT is a time trial. There’s a lot of difference between the TT and NW200 compared to the circuit racing but even those two aren’t that similar. It’s another discipline really.


How do you adapt to the roads from the circuits?

I think that it is your experience that dictates how you ride. The first lap you take it steady and then you get comfortable with how you ride and the next lap you get quicker and quicker. It’s a bit like natural progression. If you compare it to water skiing for the first time, obviously you learn how to do it, but over time you become more accomplished and able to do it as you practice. It’s the exact same in our sport: you start where you feel comfortable and then you just build speed as the bike and your confidence will allow you. At the TT, you never really ride to the capabilities of the bike. Often there is far more in every corner that the bike is capable of but it isn’t healthy to ride to the capabilities of the bike because there is far more risk. You ride to what you feel comfortable with but you’re also trying to make that comfort point as fast as it can be.

Was there a fear aspect at the TT for your first time?

Yes. There’s always fear, even in BSB. It’s natural to have fear – it is a human emotion. If you have fear, you’re alive, if you don’t have fear then you won’t be alive for very long. It is a normal sensation to have fear. You’ve got to listen and engage in that feeling and ride appropriately. The fear is more or less the same on both the TT and BSB. Inside your helmet you have your own thoughts and you’re still recognising what you can do in that moment. With thoughts, you’re always on your own. The thought process is very similar for both disciplines but the surroundings are very different.

How do you prepare for the TT, is it different to the circuits?

No, not really. The TT is far more mentally tiring than BSB. You are constantly evaluating every aspect of racing in the TT. The TT has different physical demands, such as you remaining in one position for a long period of time. If you sat in a regular chair for a long period of time then it would get uncomfortable. It is similar to that, not that it is so tiring but it is the repetitive nature of being in the same position for a long period of time doing the same process. The short circuit preparation is enough to see you through.

What are your first thoughts of the Norton?

I’ve ridden it a couple of times now. It’s very good. The bike is fast, the engine is strong and the bike itself is quite stable which is one of the most important elements to being comfortable and confident on the roads, so to have that there already is a big plus. I made a few adjustments to riding position and things to try and get more comfortable. I made suspension changes so it goes over the bumps a bit better. They’re all very small setting changes really, they’re not welding new parts to the frame or anything like that. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the bike. It’s all fairly normal BSB type stuff, adjusting springs and damping to find that comfortable setting.

How do you become confident riding the TT course?

I think it is all relative to the bike. If you have a bike capable of doing a 132mph lap, put it has been in storage for a year and then rode it around the TT again, the first few laps wouldn’t be at 132mph. Even though the bike is capable of that speed, it still takes time to get confidence and ride the bike to that speed, which is where those laps are important. If you’ve got a bike that’s only capable of 129mph, it doesn’t matter how many laps you get in at the start of the week, you are only going to do a 129mph lap. There are two vital areas. The bike has to be able to improve to the point where it can do the target time and if the bike is already there, it’s up to you to gain those laps and confidence. It’s like a see-saw. The bike improves and then you get better, you make the bike better and you move forward again. It is a step by step process. Another thing is cornering. If you take a corner at 80mph each lap, you get confident and gain familiarity with it and get comfortable with the exits. At 90mph, it’s like a new corner. You arrive faster, go through faster and exit faster, before arriving at the next corner even quicker because the momentum is there. As soon as you go a bit quicker, the whole course changes. So, as I said, its a bit like a see-saw. As you go quicker, you require more from the bike. You have to make changes to the bike to do that speed and if the bike can do that speed then it is up to you to perform at the level the bike is at. Early in the week is super important if you can get a dry track and lots of laps. However, for every lap that you do, your competition is doing the same, so everyone gets better at more or less the same rate.

Does having a rider in front (leaderboard or on track) help at the TT?

Yeah for sure. You would get motivated but I think at a short circuit race, you would take more risk to try and go quicker than them. Taking more risk and riding closer to the edge is the key to gaining speed. Whoever can ride at the maximum for the most amount of laps for the longest period of time is usually the winner. The short circuits are great for that mental process, whereas the TT, you don’t really follow that process. You shouldn’t really try to do – or match – what someone else is doing because that is dangerous. What their bike and riding style can achieve in the corner might be totally different to what you can do. If you go ‘he can make it so I can make it’, then that isn’t necessarily true. At short circuits, you have the room to make a mistake and run wide or whatever, whereas at the TT, you don’t want that situation. It is safer to try and improve your speed by focussing on what is stopping you from going quicker and look at improving yourself and not the others.

Having a rider further ahead though is a confidence gauge. When you get to the point you normally brake at and you’ve got someone just ahead of you doing what you’re doing, you can use them as a marker. Their movements indicate what is possible. It is sometimes an encouragement to have someone just their ahead of you but if you have caught them it is because you’re going faster anyway. Often, the reason you was able to catch them is because you was already faster. It is a double edged sword. You don’t want to catch anyone because if they’re similar speed then it is harder to overtake, whereas if you’re quicker then it is easier.


How does overtaking compare between the TT and circuit racing?

I can’t speak for other riders but I am more reserved at the TT. You don’t know where everyone brakes. One guy might be early on the breaks and be quick on the way out, whereas you may well be late on the brakes and lose a bit on the way out. It isn’t until you’ve gone through the corner that you realise you may have been able to make a pass there but then you might have to wait a whole lap to try again. It is quite difficult but with a fast bike, obviously it is a lot easier. As you are behind for a lot of the time, the drafting effect is really efficient. If you have a long period of time on a straight with a fast bike, you can use that draft to overtake quite quickly.

How did you learn the TT?

Just laps. I did watch the onboard laps but they were insignificant to me because they had no value. If you haven’t ridden the circuit at that speed, watching it at the speed doesn’t offer you much in terms of learning. However, laps and laps in the car and getting familiar with the ground do help. As a newcomer however, doing laps and laps on your own and then watching onboards is good, that is when they become relevant.


Was there any push from the Anvil Hire Team to put on the NW200 grid this year?

They were talking about doing the Superstock races but it was one of the those things where the conversation fizzled out. It was a proper talk though, it appeared very possible at one point.

How do you prepare for bike racing on a whole?

I just think bike skills. You need to ride as much as you can. I’ve said in other interviews that if you compare it to other sports, like skateboarding, where you’re a kid and you want to learn a trick, you have to do the trick over and over and over again to master it. It is just a repetitive process that makes you good at something; you’re not born with that ability, it is just practice that allows you to do that. That kid on the skateboard will only be doing that one thing too, he wont be playing basketball, computer games, BMX or squash and all he’s doing every day is practicing his skateboard tricks.

It is the same for a motorbike rider. Unfortunately, we can’t ride our Superbikes on a race track every week. It’s too expensive, it’s impractical, track days aren’t suitable because of the different skill levels, tyres are expensive, the bikes are expensive to build, the engine running costs are too expensive etc. But even if you did ride all the time, rules in the championship stipulate that you can only test for ‘x’ amount of days a year.

For me, preparation is finding an alternative method to riding a bike. Obviously trials aren’t like a Superbike, but I ride a Jetski, a BMX, a mountain bike, a motocross and a road bike. It is about always being active, there is no substitute for being on two wheels all the time. A lot of people cross from different sports, from say BMX to motocross racing and get to a high level. The skills they learn in BMX – the jumps, the way a bike reacts in the air, in a corner, when the front goes, what to do, when the back goes, what to do and how to recover – they’re things you learn and reactions without even thinking about it. It is second nature.

When you go to another sport, those same impulses are still there, you’ve grown up with them as a kid but now, you just use them in a different manner. When you lose the front on a road race bike, it is the same process to stop crashing as it is on a motocross bike. Yes, the speed is different, the grip is different, there are variants but ultimately the input on the human side and science is still the same. As you lose the front on either bike, you actually have to turn into the corner to make it slide more initially but then as the physics come into play – often along with bike set-up – you stand the bike up and may well be able to recover.

How many front/rear end moments do you have around the track?

Definitely more rear because you open the throttle and control the slide. A front slide is more difficult to recover from because you have no engine. It is literally from speed and too much lean angle. It is much easier to create and control a rear slide. We probably have them as a ratio of 9:1 in terms of slides. Almost every session you have a moment of some kind because you push so hard. Sometimes it is every lap. In qualifying, it can be up to four corners in succession that you have a moment because you are exposing yourself by pushing so hard. In a race, if you was to push like that, there is only going to be a handful of times before your number comes up. As fuel loads come down, tyre grid levels come down, body fatigue and mental fatigue are becoming more prominent, you would definitely crash if you rode on the limit in the race.

For one lap however, you can get away with it for a few times and if luck is on your side then you can make it to the finishing line. Often it depends on all the variants. If you have a bike set-up for your confidence then you can ride it to the level where you think you’re going to crash but you don’t. If you have a bike that isn’t set up to your confidence level then you will never have a slide because if you did, you would have crashed. Sometimes you have a bike that you have so much confidence in that you think you’re going to crash at every corner but you know you won’t.

How much change is there between qualifying and racing for the bike then?

I think there is elements in qualifying that are different than the race, such as a using less fuel with a new tyre. Every time you go out, you’re experimenting with the limit. When you are at the start of the race, when the tyre is at it’s best there are variants that mean that you won’t be, such as coming from lunch, pre-race nerves etc. As the tyre starts to decrease in performance, you’re in a rhythm, you are starting to get a feel for the track, whether it be track temperature or wind speed and direction. The environment is changing a lot during a race whereas in qualifying you try and create a controlled environment. The set up on the bike hardly changes between racing and qualifying, it is the other, outside elements that do.

If I was to offer a 2nd BSB title or a Isle of Man TT Superbike win, which would you take?

Err, a 2nd BSB title. Of course I’d like a TT win, but I’ve had a couple of years off and I’ve lost the connection with it. Hopefully, me riding this year will rekindle those memories. At the moment, I’d take the 2nd BSB title.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Norton image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.

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