We’ve had a month’s break from racing and it was exactly what I needed because of the bad luck with crashes in Qatar. All these things had a negative impact on the team and me mentally.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Jumeira Rotana
Obviously, we are learning the Qatar circuit and everything is new to us, but if you want to improve you need to push your limits. The significance of the break meant we could put these things to one side and focus ahead of Saturday’s fourth round of the UAE Superbikes Championship.
During the four-week layoff, I missed the racing but needed the time off to relax and really appreciated it. I still maintained my routine in the gym five days a week and tried to stay as fit as possible so I could focus on riding and get better technically.
The half-season sojourn allows us to analyse the bike and see where we can make improvements. Nothing from the bike really changes except some minor repairs from the crashes in our last race in Qatar. I was planning to rebuild the suspension in order to get it ready for the races ahead; we contacted one of the guys from the suspension manufacturer, K-Tech, and he told me that the internal duke had a little bit of damage.
When speaking to the lads at K-Tech, I sought some advice on different geometry on the bike. K-Tech have such vast experience from different championships so they gave me a number of options to try. We attempted some of their recommendations last week to see if they suited the tyres and track. Unfortunately the slippery track conditions made it difficult to determine if these settings can work in a race simulation. It was enough anyway to do a quick shakedown with the bike.
The Touring Cars and the Porsche Middle East Cup also take place this weekend at Dubai Autodrome. I’m expecting the track to be in very good condition with enough rubber on it for the bikes and the temperature has fallen so that should help the tyre grip. We had three sessions on Thursday to figure out which is the best tactic to use, all of which proved successful.
My crew chief Ian assisted me in making some of these executive decisions. We sat down on Wednesday to exchange notes for the weekend. Ian’s been away in America for work recently so it was nice to catch up. We spoke about future races in Qatar and the UAE, but our central focus is on this weekend. The championship is not impossible to win but it will be difficult because of the gap in points between Abdul Aziz Bin Laden and myself. We agreed that we have to try our best to fight for a win, irrespective of what situation we find ourselves in on Friday.
I’ve reset my mental focus and Friday’s fourth round feels like a new championship to me. I just want to go out and understand the new settings on the bike and most importantly, I want to give it my all.
