At the start of our season in Le Mans, we had a crash because of oil, but we recovered and didn't have any major race-ending problems, which can happen a lot in 24-hour races. Right now though, the EWC is getting even more competitive. There's no room for error. If you make even a very small mistake, you can't win.
In the title battle, F.C.C. TSR Honda France is giving us strong competition. So, even though we're leading the championship now, we're only ahead by one point. You could say that the real battle starts here in Suzuka. There's also a lot of points on offer at the Bol d'Or, so right now we don't know how the season will go. At Suzuka the main goal is to get as many points as we can toward the title, so we can't go slow of course! But we just have to race our own race.
What's different from last year is that the whole team has extra motivation coming off our win at Spa. Everyone has more confidence and there's an even better team atmosphere than when we've finished second or third.
I've always said that a podium at Suzuka is my dream. Last year we were in position at the end of the race to make it happen, but we missed out. It's OK though, because we learn and gain experience every time we crash or have difficulty. I think this is why YART has gotten stronger, because we've done that over and over again. Endurance racing isn't just about going fast, it's also about avoiding problems. This year, our package is almost the same as last year's, but we've solved our start issues, improved our electronics and fixed various minor problems, and we've been able to do that because of our experience.
YART also has another strength, and that's our riders and staff. I don't think many other teams have kept same rider and staff lineup as long as we have, but it's something I try to do because I trust everyone in YART. Our riders know each other's strengths and weaknesses well, and they win as a team. When they're out there, every one of them is aiming for the win. It's like a big family and I think that's one of the reasons we're leading the championship right now.
In the 8 Hours we have some very strong rivals who can win, but that's fine. It doesn't concern us, because no matter how much we think about it, it isn't something we can change. Whether other teams are strong or weak, we have to ride our own race.
I think that at this year's 8 Hours, YART is at a disadvantage. We arrive in Japan just a few days before the race, and we're up against teams who have a major home advantage. Many of our EWC rivals are also riding bikes that were born in Japan and developed at Suzuka. Our YZF-R1 is fast, but their bikes are fast, too.
At home in Austria, there's a trophy case in my office where I have Suzuka trophies for fourth, fifth and sixth place. When my son looks at them he asks me, "Where are the first, second and third place trophies?" And I say, "They're in Japan!" Like I said before, our rivals are strong as always, but right now we're stronger than ever, so this year we want to bring home a trophy with a "1" "2" or "3" on it. Yamaha has given us amazing support on both the technical and administrative sides to achieve this. One other very important thing in racing is support from the fans, so we can't wait to see you all at the Suzuka 8 Hours!
Back to