The young Galician has not disappointed this season with the Repsol Honda team. He always strives to be on top and improve his riding. Ending the year with a national championship victory was a way of putting the icing on the cake of a difficult season.
– How did you feel in your first year as a rider in the Repsol Honda team and what is your assessment of your season?
“I am very happy with the team, I have no shortcomings, they have made me happy all year, I have good material… At the beginning of the season I would say that maybe the colors weighed on me more than necessary: I had a little pressure at the beginning, but as the course progressed I assimilated the new position I was in, I let go more and I was riding at the level I think I really have”.
– What went best in 2022?
“The family created in the team. I am very happy. We manage to build a great team that helps me improve and raise my level. The word that defines it is ‘harmony’. This peace of mind gives -allow me to improve.
– And the worst?
“The injuries. It was a season marked by injuries. The ankle fracture, the bacteria in the leg… then, in Pobladura, I split my wrist and I still have sequelae. We didn’t take it too seriously at the time , but to this day it still bothers me on the bike. There are three major injuries that have stopped me from improving”.
– You say that you feel comfortable with the team, that they treat you well, have good equipment, a good bike… So… what is the difference between you and Toni Bou? Only 32 titles?
(Laughter) “The truth is that right now in terms of equipment and motorcycle there is no difference. I have everything I need and want. What I needed was to travel and take that small step to get closer to Toni. He has a lot of experience after many years. The goal is to train harder than before, get good settings on the bike, continue to “chip stone” and improve.
– And what was Tony saying?
“Toni helps me a lot, he is very humble. As a teammate he was a 10. And if I needed help to set up the bike, nothing was cut. He always helps when I ask him for advice and I hope I can play a World Cup against him. I think that is the goal of the team, of Repsol Honda, and also of me. Gotta work”.
– You talked about the motorcycle. How different is this bike from the first time you rode it when you started Montesa Talent School?
“There has been a great evolution. From 2016 to now a lot has changed. From last year to this year, I had a good bike and now it’s even better. It’s a qualitative leap in terms of the engine, because of terms of suspension and chassis have not changed much”.
– In the Spanish Championship you wore number 3 and chose to improve it. You would have finished runner-up, but the start of the season was not the best. However, you ended the year with a win.
“The same thing happened to me as in the TrialGP World Championship: I went from less to more. Going into the season, I was pushing myself too much. Maybe I wanted to show more and it plays into mine. As the competition progressed I absorbed it more and saw the options I really had. In the last races I looked strong, I cut points from second and I won the last race, but this is very close to getting the runner-up position”.
– What is the goal for 2023 at the National?
“Since we finished 2022: fighting in every race for the win. It’s good to start like this and improve the results as the season progresses. I prefer to be like that, better than starting strong and then dropping points throughout the year”.
– The 2022 X-Trial World Championship started without you. You join the tournament in the second race and the need to recover the points that you could not add in the first round is more than your skills and abilities to achieve a good result. Then Madrid came and saw that you were at a very high level.
“I started with a lot of nerves, yes. And there is a downside. It’s an intense championship, with races with very little space to show what you can do. The first race I did didn’t go well for me, but later in Madrid I relaxed more and everything went well. I had a fall where I injured my leg and two weeks later I had to race in Barcelona and, obviously, things didn’t go as expected. We know we won’t come in the best conditions, but we got points for the championship. In the remaining appointments I was better: I found my place, I ran with my head… I made mistakes, but I consider that I drove at a good level and showed that I can be at the front and that I’m ready to fight for podiums throughout the race. season 2023”.
– In TrialGP it was difficult to get into the top 5, but in the end your regularity led you to finish fifth.
“At the outdoor World Championship, all the riders surprised me by competing at a very high level, very strong. The sixth place was unacceptable. During the year it got better, but before the appointment in Germany was I was in the hospital for more than a week because of a bacteria that got into my leg and I couldn’t train for fifteen days. I didn’t come in the best condition. I did the race and finished better than expected, I got positive points. Already in the last rounds of the World Championship I feel better, ride at a higher level. I did three 4th places. For 2023 the goal is not to fall below the top 5, to be regular and try to be on the podium in as many races as possible”.
– You are one of the strongest in the body. But psychologically, how do you prepare for competition?
“I’m going to see a sports psychologist in the middle of the season. I already talked to one a few years ago. I applied some “tricks” in the races… But in the end I decided not to go because I took my chestnuts out of the fire himself. And I hope this continues because it means that things will work out and I don’t need external support”.
– You were recently in Japan. A special end-of-season party, Honda Thanks Day, has recovered after two years of the pandemic. What does it represent for you?
“It’s special. Toni and Fuji have already told me what it’s about. And being part of the ceremony is unique. I’ve gained a lot of experience and experience. It’s a detail on the part of HRC and Honda because it gives you opportunity to meet the “great Honda family”.
– You already know Marc Márquez, but not Verstappen and ‘Checo’ Pérez, Gasjer, Brabec and Quintanilla…
“You are among the ‘crème de la crème’, with the best of all motor disciplines. It’s a dream come true and the fact of spending a few days together makes you feel a little more important, as one of them. It was a great injection of motivation”.
– When the hangover from the party passed… work began for 2023 with the HRC team of technicians, there in Japan. What can you suggest about improvements to the bike?
“The truth is that there are no big changes and the bike is pretty much the same as this year. We are testing some engine and clutch settings, which is the only thing we want to improve because everything else works like a 10. In all aspect it works very well and we tested some parts. As always, some things work better than others. The fact that we can work with the Japanese and send them directly what we are looking for is very positive. They will work more to make new pieces. And in the last days of the year we will train with our references to see if we have really improved the team”.
– What do you wish for in 2023?
“Well, I hope to start as I finished 2022: with level and results, and to improve more and more. If we start at the level where we closed this year, I will be happy”.
– Do you have any message on these dates for the fans?
“Yes, I would like to wish all the fans and supporters of the team a happy holiday and New Year’s Eve.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
