David, congratulations on your win. How was the race?
DK: “It was really good. Tough, but everything pretty much went well. I got the holeshot and then rode steadily for the first few laps. I wasn’t pushing too hard because of the way the ground was. Jonny (Walker) and I both lead, both made mistakes, and swapped positions a few times. I was trying to learn the track during the early laps. It was really hard to gain time but easy to lose it. I didn’t want to take any risks, but started to push from about the third lap. I think that was when Jonny made a mistake so I was able to open a gap. I just tried to keep using my head and things worked out really well.”
Tell us about your pre-event prep, any secrets to getting ready for the race?
DK: “I haven’t done too much extreme riding to be honest. The last few weeks have been pretty crazy with getting my world championship bike ready to be sent to Chile and Argentina, as well as the late arrival of my son. In between testing and training on the 450 I’d been getting out on the 300, but it’s basically a stock bike. I’ve changed the clamps and pipe and the rest is pretty much as I got it. I have a tough little loop in the woods that I train on at home and I basically used that for my preparation. There’s no secrets, nothing special.”
When David last raced in E2 in 2009 he won...
Why did you opt to race a converted 250f and not your 450?
DK: “Mostly because it has an electric starter. The 450 that I use is a great bike, and now I think I probably could have won on it, but going into a tough race you always want to make things as easy as you can. Smaller bikes are easier to ride, to boss around, and the 300 is like a trials bike when it needs to be. I wasn’t revving it hard enough to start with, I was riding it like my 450, but as I got into the race I started to get the hang of riding it. A little less power means you feel fresher as the race goes on.”
How’s your general prep going for the 2013 season?
DK: “It’s going well. I’m really happy with the 450 Honda and now I just have to do more riding, more fine tuning. I’m not sure that we will be able to make the bike any better than it is now because it’s really, really good, but that’s why you test – to see if improvements can be made. We’re working mainly with suspension now, and the ignition mapping a little bit. I’m going to be doing as much riding as I can now, and will go to Spain for a week before heading to South America. I basically just want to be 100 per cent confident with the bike.”
David knows how to enjoy himself at the Barcelona indoor...
Finally, next up is the Barcelona Superenduro. Are you looking for a win there?
DK: “I’m just planning on going and having a good time. I really enjoyed the Polish indoor, and the Barcelona indoor is a race that I’ve done a lot of times in the past and always enjoyed. I’ll focus on having a good time and see what happens. I definitely feel like I have the speed to win. There’s no pressure on me, but there’ll be a few more fast riders, compared to Poland, so that should spice things up…”
All the best in Barcelona, look forward to catching up again soon.
DK: “Thanks, I’m really looking forward to getting over to Spain, should be a good laugh.”
