Moto GP Feature - The Capirossi Interview
07/06/2006
Loris Capirossi was delighted to take the early lead in the MotoGP World Championship for the first time in his career. He was even more pleased to be in the lead again after six rounds. But the veteran Italian Ducati rider was not necessarily surprised.
“Already during the winter, the level of the bike and the tyres were coming good,” he said, in his gruff, accented English.
“I was thinking then that the target for this season is to be competitive for the full season, at every track. I was thinking, we have a really good relationship with Bridgestone, and they and the Ducati factory are using all their strength to try to stay in this position.
“I’ve known from the beginning this is our best chance of the championship.”
Capirossi’s confidence was reinforced with MotoGP’s return to Europe. In rounds five and six, in France and Italy, he added two second places to his first-race win, to regain the top points position in a close contest.
His home result was an epic ride from eighth to dispute the lead in a race this will go down in history as a classic. On the rostrum, winner Valentino Rossi, the defending champion, lifted his friend and rival off his feet in delight, after the race of their lives.
The consistently strong results came after Bridgestone engineers had targeted their problem circuits – those with low grip. Capirossi had swept to two clear wins at two of Bridgestone’s favoured high-grip tracks during 2005, Motegi and Sepang; but other tracks were more difficult.
Now, instead of waiting for the “good” circuits, he and the Ducati team could plan for a full season of competitive racing.
“The most important thing is between the tyres and the bike – the way they work together.
“With this year’s Desmosedici, we have improved some small points. But the tyres have made a big step, especially at some tracks,” he continued. “Like in Qatar. Last year was really no good, but this year the tyres worked really well.”
Capirossi was a close and fighting third in the desert race, with team-mate Sete Gibernau on his heels.
Looking to the season ahead, Capirossi still has some favourites. Motegi and Sepang, of course, and also Australia’s Phillip Island. “Last year I crashed in practice after winning the two before. It’s a favourite circuit, and I want to finish my work there,” he smiled.
At 33 years old and with 237 grand prix starts and three World Championships (125 and 250cc) in his portfolio, Capirossi is the most experienced rider on the grid. He remains as enthusiastic as any teenager, and he is intrigued by the prospect of the new 800cc MotoGP bikes of 2007.
“I think it is a really interesting class for me… because you will need more corner speed. The style will be closer to a two-stroke. With these 990cc, the gap between the strong riders and the normal riders is not so big. I think 800cc will make the gap bigger again. For me, this is much more interesting"