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/128198
Neil Hodgson down two. There is a gap between the two championships, and there always will be, I think. Because that gap has grown, it has caught me off guard, but obviously I will be saying to Ducati, "If I win the championship, can we have a test? Any chance of doing MotoGP next year?" When Chris Walker got a ride in MotoGP a couple of years ago, there was a body of opinion that said it should be you rather than him. Forgetting all that has happened since then, do you think you could have maximized that opportunity more? Would I have taken that job if I had been offered it? Probably not, because I did GPs for three seasons, rode a 500 for one season, and had a real good year. Then I got snapped up by Ducati and failed miserably. Then I got snapped up by Kawasaki and failed miserably. It took me three seasons really to ride one of these things properly. In 2001, to go full circle and ride one of those 50 Os properly? I felt like I have spent too many years of my career battling for 10th place, eighth place, seventh place. I wasn't interested in jumping on a bike, even though it was a Honda, and battling for 10th or 12th place. It was of no interest at all. It's difficult to say either way, but I don't know if I would have done a better job than Chris. The lad was trying unbelievably and crashed a lot. What are your long-term ambitions? To try to win this championship, first of all, and then see what happens. I always said that if I did win this championship, I would love to be able to defend it. If that could happen, then I would like to go into MotoGP then. But we'll see how it goes and what the level of manufacturer interest and so on is in this championship. If nothing was going to change for 2004, then I would be keen to move straight away - if there was a place for me in MotoGP. Is it easier now to make the transition to MotoGP, as it has gone four-stroke? Absolutely! That's why the two top Superbike riders have just been snapped up. Before, there was this transition you had to make. It took me three years to learn how to ride a four-stroke from having ridden two-strokes, but generally it has always been the other way around. Whenever any good riders have gone to GPs - good riders like Corser or Haga - they always struggled. This was the easiest year in MotoGP, I think. I could have got on a Honda and battled up there, been on the podium maybe. If I had jumped on a two-stroke, I would maybe have only done what Chris Walker did. The best riders in the world will always be the best riders on any sort of bike, but there would be certain two-stroke riders who won't be able to adapt to four-strokes; it would not suit their style. You're 29 now, and you've mentioned that you want to retire early. Ideally, when would you call it a day? Ideally, I want win the World Championship this year, then I would like to defend it and then go to MotoGP. But I do not want to go to MotoGP and toss it off battling for 12th. I've got this strange theory that British riders develop slower than Spanish and Italian riders. I have thought about it for a long time. Us British riders always seem to get better as we get into our 30s. I believe the next four years and I'm not giving myself any more time than that will be my best four years. Then I'm sure I would like to retire. I don't know if I would like to just carry on like Steve Hislop, or Jamie Whitham, who must be 37 or 38. I don't think I would have any interest, 24 JANUARY 29, 2003ยท eye I ... but ask me in four years' time. Maybe then I will say, "Well, someone has just offered me half a million pounds to do this or that. .... But I have been racing for 20 years, and there has got to be more to life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not burnt out now or anything, but the way the industry is going ... it's getting less and less about riding the bike, more about PR and traveling, and that is not the fun side of the sport. The fun side is cocking your leg over the bike and going fast. Best and worst aspect of being a World Superbike rider? Best is winning races. I haven't won for over a season - but I've got a good memory. When you win, it is the best feeling in the world - because winning is difficult. You can say that winning is better than sex, and people laugh at you. But nine times nevus out of 10 - if my wife's in a good mood - I can have sex whenever I want. But you can't win a World Superbike race whenever you want. The worst aspect of the job is traveling. I like being at home in the Isle of Man or Lancashire, just hanging out and being normal. Has wedded bliss altered your outlook on life? No, but I am very content and settled at the moment. I'm happy with the way everything is going. With a World Championship under my belt, I would be a pretty happy chap. How would you describe yourself to someone who had never met you before? Boring! But seriously, I'm disappointingly normal, with a split personality - race face and non-race face. eN