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DSF
Sports & scene
Interview with Alex Hofmann
Interview with Alex Hofmann
“Biaggi has no idea.”
Content of
Ex-MotoGP rider Alex “The Hoff” As a development driver, Hofmann played a key role in the creation of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory.
Uwe Seitz
05/12/2009
Alex how far was Aprilia In 2007 with RSV, when you left MotoGP and came to Aprilia?
Honestly, that was the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done. In principle they had an original version of the V4 engine. It just came off the test bench. They put it in some kind of chassis – from the 250cc GP, with the wheels on, and off we went to Valencia for testing. That was a real prototype. So you can say that I was there from the start.
How much of your work can the customer buy with the serial RSV4??
A lot, because Aprilia has consistently taken the path of building a victorious racing motorcycle with the RSV4. They’re like that here, that’s the Italian way of thinking, and I only know them from here. The makers were very focused. They have subordinated everything to the racing idea. There were no compromises or parallel projects for the series version. The tenor was: “We want to build a competitive racing motorcycle for the Superbike World Championship. After that, we’ll see how we can sell this as a production bike.” For this we have developed everything from scratch: geometry, chassis, chassis – everything.
Then what makes the RSV4 a viable country road motorcycle? After all, not everyone will hunt for times with it on the racetrack.
I find the engine with the combination of the high torque of a two-cylinder and the revving power of a four-cylinder very exciting, wherever you drive the RSV4. In general, I am of the opinion that the racetrack or the street as different categories in the suitability assessment of real athletes do not really bring anything. Anyone who buys a machine like this has to know: It’s a weapon. And for something like this to work, it has to be drivable. It has to be as light as possible to drive. This applies to a racing motorcycle as well as to a production machine, for a racer as well as for an athlete fan who sets off on Sundays. Incidentally, the factory is pretty close to the Superbike World Championship racer. Well, the guys ride softer springs. You are also considerably lighter than me.
Nevertheless, Max Biaggi said that he had to work an incredible amount in a very short time to bring the RSV4 so far that he is competitive with it in the World Cup. Does that annoy you?
No, he has no idea how much development there was in the motorcycle before he could get started. The basis was very good. He crouches on it and is damn fast. He really gives it incredible gas. But that required a lot of preparatory work. Without them he would probably not have made it onto the podium.
What’s next for you at Aprilia? Will we see you racing again soon?
I have the test job here, which I really enjoy. Wildcard bets are under discussion, I would really like to do that. Let’s see what else is possible. But I will not fight with the utmost determination and at any cost to end up as a racing driver in the works team. Somehow I’m not that keen to hold out my bones anymore. In MotoGP in particular, I did this so often and sometimes for far too long. Wildcard in the Superbike World Championship sounds really good.
You still have the job as a MotoGP TV commentator at DSF?
Oh yeah, it’s really weird to hold the microphone under the nose of the guys I recently competed against. I have to put up with a lot here; but it’s fun!
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