Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/116084
VOL. 50 ISSUE 11 MARCH 19, 2013 P91 MEET THE NEW BOSS Dorna's Javier Alonso is the man in charge of World Superbike racing BY GORDON RITCHIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE J avier Alonso, the new boss of World Superbike racing, came to the opening round of the championship to meet the media, the riders, teams and manufacturers face to face. Having taken over the helm of the series just a few months earlier and with many contracts already in place, only so much could be done. But Alonso did speak about his future plans and philosophies. Is this your first-ever World Superbike race? I have not been to World Superbike in Phillip Island, but I have been to other World Superbike races in the past. I like racing. I have been in racing all my life since I started working - many types of different races so I knew about Superbike already. Your impression of World Superbike so far? I need more time to answer that question… We are learning and one approach that we have in Dorna is that people do not know anything until you know it. So we cannot arrive here and try to say that we are the masters because we have come from MotoGP, and we have been successful in MotoGP, and we can impose our way of doing things and that will work. No, that is a different championship and a different personality and we have to learn this one. We have to understand what is the best for the championship together with the people that are inside this championship. As an example, I ran the Spanish Championship, it was under my responsibility and, of course, it has a different personality and we have to run it as it is - the Spanish Championship. Why do we run the Spanish Championship? We believe there has to be a domestic championship for the rider to be tested in before they go to MotoGP. Have you planned changes in 2013 that you know will happen now? The first thing is that we need to listen to the teams, riders and manufacturers. Today we have a meeting with the team representatives, tomorrow there will be an MSMA meeting for the first time since I do not remember when, and I have started to talk already with the riders. We need to understand what they want. Again, you have to be working for what you believe and you have to understand every single part. Once you have understood what they want, we have to put all together and try to find a line. We have to work with the manufacturers - that is an obligation. This is a championship for the manufacturers because they have to showcase their products that they sell for the streets. I had meeting a few minutes ago with the guys from Kawasaki and I have been telling them, what do you want? Because we cannot go against you, because we will not have bikes and if we do not have bikes we do not have a championship. We are trying to understand. Of course, we have all the experience of the people who are working with us in Rome. They are very experienced, and we are very happy because they are running the series. We have just arrived and been able. The races are there and unfortunately we have had five red flags this morning in Supersport. That is a lot. These guys are showing the red flags and working with the teams, the timekeeping is working, and everything is working." The organization in GPs is different because there is no IRTA in World Superbike and they have a lot to do with the day-to-day running of MotoGP racing. So this must be a big difference, culturally. Culturally yes, but if you go