P46
Interview
AMERICAN MOTO2 ROOKIE JOE ROBERTS
getting cold and I was starting
to lose the front. I was a little
nervous about what the condi-
tion was. On the last lap I made
a big push to get the podium and
basically figured out that I had to
change the line in the left-hand
corners a bit. The right-hand
corners I could just do exactly
the same because it had plenty
of heat. I think I set my personal
best time on the last lap or some-
thing. It was actually quite frus-
trating. It's frustrating to see that
as a rider. You're like, damn it. I
could have done that the whole
race.
How do you find the new
three-cylinder format com-
pared to the old four-cylinder
format of the CBR models?
I like it a lot, actually. I think
at first it was something to get
used to. We have auto-blip now,
whereas I think the Moto2 bikes
were a lot more simple. They
didn't have really any electronics.
It was just when you go into the
corner you would use the clutch
to backshift. It would have this
clutch where you didn't have to
lift the throttle, so you'd get these
crazy slides. It was definitely a
rider's bike. It eliminated all the
extra electronic aids and things
that maybe if you're not so savvy
with that stuff you maybe can't
take full advantage of.
But now I quite like it.
I think the styles
have changed for
sure. I don't think
people are backing
it in as much as they
used to. The auto-blip
is quite nice. Also,
you have some dif-
ferent things with the
torque management.
I think it's probably
just better preparation
for MotoGP, to move
up there. The engine
is quite a lot more
powerful too, so I like
that aspect, too. It's
kind of nice. Sometimes the CBR
engine felt a bit sluggish.
You've done a lot of travel
now. Where are your favorite
racetracks to go and your
favorite countries?
I really love Portugal. I really
love that whole coastline and
surfing there. It's really, really fun.
As for favorite racetracks, I've
always said Brno in the Czech
Republic. It's a really fun track.
Roberts flanked
by the American
Racing Team
after taking pole
in Qatar.
