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/126950
waS'Six years old, so I didn't grow up andbave that choice of loving motorcycles and then starting to ride. I'm notsayingI don't enjoy racing: It brings me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. But I'm n'ot in love with il. It's my job. And I'm a perfectionisl. I found the double championship reaUy satisfying, because so many people had said I was crazy to do il. I'm just trying to give you a little insight into my views toward racing, and probably why I am a little differenl. This has nothing to do with my views towards the other riders, because I respect them. To get to the level that we are, you have to .sacrificea great deal. 1 know 1 have. You sacrifice your body, and you sacrifice . your time, and you put a lot of stress and strain on all the people around you that care about you. The ani y 'way 1 view other riders is from an ability standpoinl. And that's where the respect comes from.· ' Who do you most respect? Kenny Roberts - because of the battles we've had, and how we raised each other's riding. He is the oniy rider who has evet pushed me to that limit of performance. Nineteeneighty-three wa's an incredible year. I respect riders' for different reasons: Carlos Lavado (25Occ World Champion) because of his effort. He'd go out every week, and give 100%;. Eddie Lawson because he knows his ability, and he's consistenl. We suppose 1987 will be much the same as before: the person wbo drifts tbe best will be tbe fastest. Can you tell us sometbing about the tailsliding technique? I don't believe you're going to see much steering with the rear wheel in the future. A lot of that is to do with the machine. When I started the World Championship on the thr e-cylinder, the four-cylinder bikes were maybe 10 miles-per-hour faster on the straightaway. The only way I could stay up with Kenny and those guys was with corner speed and exit speed. And the bike was very peaky, so it would spin the tire really easily. Because it didn't have a lot of weight on the front, 1 had to learn to steer it with the rear end. That comes a little bit from dirt tracks, and it also comes from the power. From 1981 to 1986 the bikes probably went up400r45 horsepower, maybe even a little more; but the tire technology stayed pretty much consistenl. You had to adapl. For instance in 1983 Kenny and I both knew that our tires would only work a certain amount of the race, and after that it was just whoever adapted. That's why it was incredible that sometimes our fastest laps were at the end of the race. There were a lot of times when we were just hanging on, lap after la p, every turn right on the edge. The suspension would go away, and the tires. Now, the bikes are handling better, and radial tires are better. That's why I don't think you'll see rear wheel steering as much. The tire technology has caught up to the horsepower, and there probably won't be the same big gains in power. Radials have so much bite that they don't give like the old bias-belt tires - they're not as forgiving, and you don't have that feel. So it has become more dangerous to slide. Exactly. You don't have that room for error. . Eddie Lawson has told us tbat he thinks braking is' your weak point, and that you get flustered under pressure. Is that fair comment? I can't remember us racing iigainst each other, except one time at Kyalami in '84. Phew. You know: what is '£I ustered under pressure?' I ... really don't have a comment on thal. I I think we should go back to the record. That's really what we should be judged by. We've raced the arne number of seasons, beC3l.lseyou really can't count 1986; I've raced less races than him in the 500cc class, and won 22..He's won 10 or II, or something Iike'thal. [Freddie is qbviously not devoted to 'poring over records. His own total is 28, and Lawson's actually H.) You've obviously made a lot of money out of racing. You have property and other business interests. How important is racing to you as a moneyearner; and where does the bulk of your income come from? I'm not racing because of the money. One of the standards that I live by is: never forget what got you there ... and thill is hard work and effon. If you petform well, the meney and the glory comes. So that's an after-facl. ·Of course, I race to make a living and I'm making a very good living. I've invested in businesses like real estate, that don't require my management energies, because most of my time is devoted. to racing. That's· all fbr the future. What about your psychological makeup. You're obviously pretty determined. Do you get a big kick oul of - winning? Do you need to win? Yeah. I believe that is something you are born with, or you develop over a period of years. Over this past year, not racing, I've had the opportunity to look back, and to look at myself and see why I go out and race, and what I enjoy about il. What drives me. I still don't totally understand il. I just know it's something that I need to do. I enjoy il. 1 get tremendous satisfaction. And if I show up, I want to win. What other ambition do you have? One thing I enjoy is being involved in the growth of the sport. Here in the U.S.A., I would like to see it get more exposure, and to be involved with the management - the image and the marketing. We were once told that you planned a future in politics. Is this true? Well I'm involved a little with the gubernatorial camp.aign of a gentleman running right now for the State of Louisiana - Buddy Romer. I want to help our State as much as I an. I'm involved with local charities, younger groups, and I'm on an executive committee of a group against drugs ... talking to schools and things like that. As for myself - well, if it gOt to the point where I had the ability to help the people through my inn uence,'1 might consider it. But tbat's a long way down the road. Your absence from racing in 1986 must have been a very unhappy time for you. How did you actually spend the time - do you find it easy 10 relax? . It was hard, because of the apprehension. You always think that if you had the time, you'd relax - lay on the beach, look at the girls. But when you actually have the time, you're going: "God, 1 can't wait to get back. .1 can't take aU this free time." It's Catch 22. What is the proudest momenl o[ your very long career? I've been fortunate - there are a lot of moments that I cherish. Probably my first World Championship title - going down to the la t race, and only being separated by a couple of points. That is one that stands out more and more all the time, because of the IOtal effon involved, and the way the people responded after it was all over. It was an incredible moment. The worst? 'When I had to pull off the race track in Spain last year. That's the worst moment in any athlete's career when you're dealing with your mortallty, and the fact that you don't have control over your own destiny. Something hits you and says: 'Welcome to the human race.' • 13