By Michel Turco Photos/Courtesy 2snap Copyright reserved

Cal, sixth in the championship with three DNF… How do you analyze your season so far?

I analyze it that it’s like my normal season, average. If you give me sixth place, just average of sixth place in the three races that I crashed, when actually I was in a better position in all of them, then I would be third in the championship. This is the reality in the moment… Third or fourth, but really close. I think we’ve had a good season, but it could have been better because of these mistakes. But sure, my team and Honda have been working fantastic this year, and I feel good with the team and with the bike, better than in the previous years. I think we’ve made a step as a team, and also the engine on Honda has made a step. So, overall, I feel happy with my position… But sixth, too close to Petrucci and Zarco when they are riding not good…

I think Johann is really lucky, because in the end he did nothing else all year except for finish the race. But he is a fantastic rider, he just in the moment is not in the best shape. Petrucci is the same. But me, I’m willing to take more risk. For me, to finish sixth in the championship… I’m here to try to win or to try to be in the top three, top four.

That’s why you take too many risks?

Maybe it’s not a risk because in the end we have to look at the situation of how many times the Honda riders crash in practice or in the race… So I don’t think it’s risk, because I take any special risks.

You have sixteen crashes…

Yeah, and Marc even more…

“Yes, true, so far, this season I have crashed 16 times … but Marc even more”.

Does this mean that the Honda is difficult to ride?

Look over the years… The bike is obviously a very good bike. Marc has won the championship many, many times; the two make a perfect couple. I think the bike is getting better, I think it’s stronger in the engine, but it’s no real different to ride year upon year. I feel very, very much the same. The statistics show how many times we crash the bike, and this is not just our style… Even a satellite rider!… I think it’s difficult to ride the Honda, but if you can manage to ride the bike, then you get a lot of satisfaction to do a great job. To ride a factory Honda in MotoGP is everyone’s dream.

But do you consider that you have a factory bike? You’re always saying, “I’m not on the same bike as Marc.”

It’s still a factory Honda.

“It’s not that I have a big mouth or that I am arrogant, it’s that I tell the truth”.

It’s a way to put the pressure to get better parts?

Yeah, but in the end we are happy with the package we have. We have never complained about our package. I have never said my package is not good. I believe in my package fully with Honda, my team, and me. We are strong. What we have is what we have, and we have to ride with what we have. Our bike is competitive enough to be in the podium, sure, with or without any different parts. I think for me to compare myself with the other Honda rider is always difficult, so I compare against the other manufacturers a lot as well. We are close. We are doing a good job compared with Ducati and we are doing a good job compared with Yamaha. So, I believe that our package is good enough. Of course, every rider puts some pressure here and there if they believe that with something else they may be a little bit better, but this is normal.

Is a different way to put pressure on your team, on your manufacturer? You have the reputation to do the big mouth the championship. How do you play with that?

I’ve always had a job and I’ve always signed a new contract.

So this is a way to…?

I’ve always had the same sponsors for 12 years.

So this is your plan?

Maybe. Maybe in that sense I’m clever to be able to do that. You know the problem is like I have always told you and always told everybody. It’s not that I have a big mouth or that I am arrogant, it’s that I tell the truth.

To be arrogant or to have a big mouth are not the same thing

But I say the truth.

Sometimes you go far to a point. For example, Fenati, you said we have to take off his license. Don’t you think it’s a bit strong for a kid who is only 20, even if he made a mistake and he deserves to be punished?

No.

“The Honda is obviously a very good bike. Marc has won the championship many, many times; the two make a perfect couple”.

This is your opinion?

You fucking can’t ride down the straight and grab somebody’s brake.

I agree with you with that.

Okay. So you have to control yourself.

You need to be punished for life?

This is his fault.

Can you be forgiven at one point, when you are 22?

You can smoke and drink at 18, you can get a lady pregnant at 16 legally, so he knows you cannot grab someone’s brake. Imagine, imagine that the incident was a lot worse.

“Fenati?… You fucking can’t ride down the straight and grab somebody’s brake!”

Don’t you see that this happened in the past, but…

Okay… So I can say things happened to me in the past, but I have to control myself. It’s as simple as that: You have to be able to control your emotion. If you are defending Fenati, I don’t agree with you at all, not in the slightest.

But do you think we went too far with the social media?

This was not the question I was asked. I was asked what I would do with him, and I gave the truthful answer is that he would not race again.

Do you believe that the new generation is too political?

You know it is. You and everybody else know it is… You look at when Kevin, Wayne, Randy, all these guys were racing, were they more like me or more like the guys now?

“It’s okay for the teams, manufacturers, sponsors or anything like this them to say something about us riders, but we cannot say anything about them. How does that work?”

You are not in your time?

I absolutely love what I do. I think that just because I say things, it doesn’t mean I don’t respect my team, manufacturer, sponsors or anything like this. It doesn’t mean you don’t respect them. It’s okay for them to say something about us, but we cannot say anything about them. How does that work?

Don’t you think that your attitude has been a handicap to get a factory ride?

No, because for many reasons over my career I have always been better in a satellite team. This is not because I talk and say the truth, it has nothing to do with this. It’s the working environment. I simply enjoy more like this. I like to spend more time at home. With a factory team you have to be away from home a lot more. I like to be able to ride my bicycle and spend my time with my family. Even when I didn’t have the family before, I have other things I am doing. I race the motorcycle, sure, but I don’t like to be away from home a lot. So this environment has always suited me very well. But I’ve always, always been paid like a factory rider, except for when I first came to MotoGP with Tech3 team. But then the third year with them I was paid like a factory rider. I’ve never dreamed to be in a factory team… I always dreamed two things: I wanted to ride a factory Ducati, and I did; I wanted to ride a factory Honda, and I am.

So you are the happiest rider in the paddock?

I am always happy. You know what is the reality? Is people don’t understand my personality because they think that I am mad, but I am not. Or they think I am angry, and I’m not.

“I always dreamed two things: I wanted to ride a factory Ducati, and I did; I wanted to ride a factory Honda, and I am”.

So you play with them?

Exactly.

So maybe you play with me now?

No, but I tell you the truth. I don’t play with you, because I tell you the truth. I don’t play with people. I don’t lie. I don’t like to create something bad ever, because I’m a positive person. I have positive people around me. But it looks like I am mad, aggressive and things like this, but in the end, you have to do the things that make you be able to be the full package, apart from just being able to ride the motorcycle. Sure, you can ride the motorcycle, but you have to be a full package in MotoGP now more than ever.

I don’t see you staying in the paddock when you stop to ride? Am I right?

Yeah, you are right.

“I like to ride the Honda because how deep you can brake, and how manual you have to ride the bike”.

Because you don’t like this paddock or because you have something else to do after?

Of course, I love this paddock. If I didn’t, I would not be racing. I don’t need to race. I can stay in the house for the rest of my life sat on the beach and be very, very happy and have no stress.

Because you’ve got enough money?

I have a lot of investments, some small businesses that take care of themselves that I can easily manage, and I can go cycling double the time that I can do now. So I can, but I still love what I do. I love MotoGP. I love the sport. I love my team. So this is why I’m still here.

Which bike did you enjoy the most riding? You cannot say?

For a political answer, because I will not lie to you. I will say why I enjoyed to ride all of them. I enjoyed to ride the Yamaha because it was easy to ride. I enjoyed to ride the Ducati because when you got to a certain part of the engine, it was just a rocket and the electronics on the Ducati were unbelievable. And I like to ride the Honda because how deep you can brake, and how manual you have to ride the bike. So it’s quite my style to be able to fight a lot with the bike.

“What Marc can do on the bike is him. You can’t teach this, you can’t train for this. What he has is instinct and what he has is talent”.

When you see the Ducati now, wouldn’t you like to try it?

No, because we have a saying in English that you always think the grass is greener on the other side. We always say that their bike is turning better than ours. But when you look from the outside, you always think everything is better, but really they are also close. They do everything different, but this is why they make good racing.

What about Marc? You see him riding the Honda, what his physical condition allows him to do on the bike when you see him?

I don’t think Marc is any fitter than me or anything like this. I would say the opposite way – I am fitter than him. But what he can do on the bike is him. You can’t teach this. You can’t train for this. You can’t do all these things that everybody believes will make you like him. What he has is instinct and what he has is talent. Sure, he is fit…

“Having 24 guys screaming at you every week what they want from the tire, and 24 different styles, 24 different weights, 24 different information … No, I don’t think Michelin’s job is easy”.

His flexibility…

This is horse shit. I don’t believe. Sure, you can be flexible. I think there are other riders just as flexible as him, but why they don’t beat him? I think this is him. The reason why he’s able to crash is because his body is so low to the floor anyway. Then he catches the slide and he fights. But everybody else doesn’t lean off the bike like him.

It’s more his riding style than his condition that allows him to do.

Yes… and the natural talent.

Last one: what about your relationship with Michelin Tires?

Good. I feel that over the years they’ve been in MotoGP they make a step every single time. As I said when they first came into the championship, I don’t think it’s easy to do what they do, or what Bridgestone did. Having 24 guys screaming at you every week, and 24 different styles, 24 different weights, 24 different information, what they want from the tire, and they have to build one for everyone. I don’t think it’s easy. Then they have to manufacturer. Then they have the crew chiefs. Then they have all these people giving the opinion. So I think they have done a good job. I think this year the quality control is a bit better than it has been, and this is what we asked for. I like working with them. They are always good. One time I need to go to the factory, but as I said to you, I don’t like to travel.