Last year I had a tough experience at Suzuka, but instead of focusing on the past, I try to keep focused on the future and keep challenging. That's why we've had two good races so far this year. At Spa in particular, I finally achieved my long-time goal of winning a 24-hour race. When we did it, I got goosebumps. Even now, I still can't believe it. It was a great result not only for us riders, but also for the whole team, the sponsors, Yamaha and Bridgestone.
Getting such good results makes it looks like this year is special, but really, YART has always been strong. We help each other, our relationship as teammates is great, and we've always been a strong team. It's just that we've had bad luck in the past. This time though, winning a 24 hour race has given us a big boost in motivation for Suzuka, the Bol d'Or, and for the title.
In the pre-8 Hours test, we worked on electronics settings and on finding the best riding position. The lap times were pretty good, although I thought we needed to improve the electronics a bit in the wet. Overall, we gained confidence and finished the test with a positive feeling.
I think Honda will be strong since this is their home race, but in endurance racing mistakes can happen to anyone. The race is long and you never know what will happen. Rain could come partway through, or anything. For us, at Suzuka we need to concentrate on having the best race we can, not on the title. We have to keep a consistent pace, do solid work in the pits, and we need everyone on the team to give 100%.
That's the great thing about YART. We're a team that always does give 100%. One example is how we riders help each other. After riding a session together on track, we talk to each other about what points were good, or what we can improve, and we give each other tips and advice that way. This makes us faster and more consistent, and in the end gives us more confidence. We build our strength as a whole team, not as individuals. Honestly speaking I can't imagine better teammates than Niccolò and Karel.
Even though I said that the main focus for Suzuka is on winning the EWC title, if you're a rider, any time you enter a race of course you want to win. There are a lot of strong teams at Suzuka, so winning would be very tough, but at the very least I want to finish on the podium. That's my main goal.
The 8 Hours is always a fun race. This year it will be even more fun as fans will be allowed in the paddock again. I'm sure that a lot of people who come to this year's 8 Hours will feel the Kando* in a big way. We'll do our best to deliver that Kando to everyone at the event, so definitely come cheer for us. I can't wait for the race weekend to start!
*Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.
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