good. I think my best memories of racing come from the asphalt. Motocross gave me a lot of success but it felt easier for me whereas going for pole position in MotoGP was like travelling to another place that I did not know. I was pushing myself so much. On the mental demands of both sports… I would say the concentration level is the same because supercross is also very difficult; to get the triples right every lap. It is difficult to stay at maximum concentration all the time and on a supercross track you need to have most of it 100% but there are also small parts where you can breathe. It is the same in road race; there are parts where you can rest a little bit before hitting a section that can decide a lap.
go to the limit but the 500s were un-rideable if you were not one of the best riders in the world. I remember my first time; it was with Kenny Roberts’ team in Barcelona. It was in the winter and a little bit cold and I was alone on the track. I started the bike, went out of the pits and did a couple of slow laps and then when I first whacked the throttle on the straight it went
Supercross is pretty crazy. Road race is 2D but supercross is 3D and the first lap in an arena is very intense
On the sport that scared him the most… Supercross is pretty crazy. Road race is 2D but supercross is 3D and the first lap in an arena is very intense. For crashing I prefer motocross to road race! When I used to ride the 500s it was so scary and you were afraid of the high-sides. Losing the front was nothing but the high-sides got everyone. I think many can ride the MotoGP four-strokes today, of course it takes unbelievable skill to
crazy and I thought ‘what is this?!’. Every time I opened the gas the rear end slid or the front went up and it was like that for a number of laps; I was like ten seconds slower than I had been with my 250. I came back into the pits, sat down and thought ‘I will never be able to race this bike’ and the first GP was three months away. Kenny came by and could see what I was thinking and patted my shoulder and said ‘welcome to the 500 two-stroke’! I got used to it but the bike was so powerful and the delivery so strong. It was a different time.