I’ve had a few weeks now to reflect on the Superbike season so far. At times it’s been difficult, especially thinking back to Qatar two weeks ago when I suffered two heavy crashes.
It’s been playing around in my mind for a while, but that’s racing and I have to put it behind me and focus on the next task. Aside from that, the campaign has been positive and Qatar is something myself and the team have moved on from. Our sole focus now is achieving a successful year.
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We’re nearly two weeks into January already. The weather’s cooled down quite a bit from previous Friday afternoons. This weekend signals a new start to the year as I set off from Dubai to Doha, where I’ll benefit from a full day of practice.
This is a huge advantage as I generally don’t have enough time to test the bike on the track in the days before the race, especially with the short practice sessions.
When I arrive in Qatar this weekend, I’ll set up the bike, get it out on track and find out what the best gears are for the track. This will be followed by analysing the data that the bike has gathered over the course of the day. From this, we’ll gauge the best combination to suit the track.
I’m privileged to be in good company. I have a friend, Vladimir Ivanov, who used to race in the Moto2 category. With so much experience behind him, I’m hoping to acquire some valuable advice that will influence me going forward.
One of the key aims is to improve my starting strategy. I’m much better as the race goes on due to my fitness. If I can just improve on that first quarter of the race then it may go a lot differently. It’s the little small things that make the difference. I want to try and push more, relax more and feel more of a rhythm. These all take time but this is the right time to rectify these little errors.
It’s going to be two very tough days but this is the effort you have to put in if you’re willing to succeed and earn those crucial points in the big races. It’s a week before the fourth round of the Qatar Superbikes, and then we’re back in the UAE the following week.
I’ve been quite satisfied with the campaign to date. Between the positive mood in camp, and the recovery from my injury, it’s building up to be an encouraging return to the track.
Vaughan, my physio, is delighted with the improvements and with the break over Christmas; I’m close to full fitness. I sustained a few minor bruises from the crash in Qatar in the last round but this shouldn’t prevent me from giving it my best shot.
In our championship here in the UAE, if you crash, the officials don’t allow you to go back into the races as they want to keep it safe. I don’t necessarily agree with it as you lose points if you can’t continue. I believe when you do crash and you feel ok, then you should be allowed to continue. If you feel that you cannot compete, then you can have the option to drop out. I accept the safety element, that’s why we have medics here to help.
The rule has only existed in the last few years but it caters for people’s safety so it’s something we have to accept.
On Sunday, I’ll sit down with my crew chief Ian and we’ll set out our tactics for next week. I’ll give him the debriefs – the management of the tyres, the pressures, the suspensions – and we’ll draw up our conclusion from there.
The intention is always to win. The time to myself over the last few weeks has allowed me to set potential goals for the weeks ahead. As a team, we are in great shape for Qatar next week and I want to win my title back in the UAE.
It’s a fresh start for 2015. The most important thing is to improve and become faster, and where better to build the foundations for these goals, then our first practice of the year in Qatar this weekend.
