Portraits – Meet Fabio Quartararo, Moto3 rider in 2015 – Interview with Fabio Quartararo and MNC file

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Meet Fabio Quartararo, Moto3 rider in 2015

Portraits - Meet Fabio Quartararo, Moto3 rider in 2015 - Interview with Fabio Quartararo and MNC file

Trained at the excellent Spanish motorcycle school, Fabio Quartararo splashed his talent in the Grands Prix, playing at the forefront in his first Moto3 season. MNC met this sympathetic and ambitious 16-year-old pilot from Nice. Portrait and interview.

Interview with Fabio Quartararo and MNC file

Site: Even if you were immediately in the rhythm during the first Moto3 offseason testing in Valencia, did you expect to fight at the forefront from the first races? ?
Fabio Quartararo : After these first tests in Valencia, I thought I would be able to finish in the Top 10 in each race. But in Qatar, it went well and I was even able to take the lead at the end … Alas, I made a big mistake on the last lap and I finished 7th while the podium, even the victory, was possible. Seventh, it still remains in my goals. (Editor’s note: this answer reflects all the level of requirements of Fabio, who considers having made a "big" mistake when he was fighting at the head of his first race on an unknown circuit!)

MNC: You seem formidable at the end of the race, when you systematically go up against your opponents. Is it due to your excellent physical condition or your management of worn tires ?
F. Q .: Probably more to my physique because we have focused on my condition since the end of last season and the start of this year and these efforts pay off. When I finish a race, I don’t really feel tired and I’m not too short of breath. At the moment, I have the physical condition and the pace to play in front. All I lack is the experience that pilots like Oliveira enjoy in particular. (20 years old, Editor’s note) or even Vasquez (28 years old, Editor’s note).

MNC: In view of its very fast pace, do you think you can escape like Danny Kent did in Texas and Argentina? ?
F. Q .: Maybe I’ll try to apply this technique to Jerez, circuit that I enjoy and that I know well for having covered it in CEV (unlike Losail, Austin and Termas de Rio Hondo, NDLR). In this way, it would be possible to take shelter from pilots like Vinales who attack you as if each lap was the last, even if you are faster! But in Moto3, it’s important to know how to take the wheel of a faster rider rather than battling with him in each turn. This avoids breakaways like Kent’s: by dint of getting in the way, we gave him a second per lap, which explains why he finished so early. (8.5 sec in Austin and 10.3 sec in Argentina, Editor’s note).

MNC: How is it that you are one of the few Moto3 riders to regularly touch the elbow in curves? ?
F. Q .: It’s because I tend to sway my hips a lot on the bike. I’m not trying to put my elbow at all, it’s my driving style that wants that. For the anecdote, I had a hole in my wetsuit by rubbing my left elbow last year in Jerez !

MNC: In Argentina, your Honda was again delivering 5 km / h to that of your teammate Jorge Navarro. How do you explain it? Is it a question of size, settings or driving ?
F. Q .: Above all, I think it’s a question of aspiration, a very important area in Moto3. Jorge benefited from good "aspis" during the previous Grands Prix, which was not my case.

MNC: What’s your favorite for the Moto3 title (besides you, of course) ?
F. Q .: (smiles). Danny Kent, without hesitation! He is very strong and has had three excellent first races including two consecutive victories (three now since the British won in Jerez, Editor’s note). And his pace in Austin and Argentina was just amazing !

MNC: What does the longevity of Valentino Rossi, of whom you are a big fan, inspire you? You imagine yourself a nine-time world champion and still at the forefront at 36 years old ?
F. Q .: I hope so! Frankly, that would be a good career plan! But it takes a lot of work, hours of training and experience. Because at the moment, if Rossi is so strong, it is thanks to his racing science acquired over the years: he has demonstrated it again by taking the bet of the extra-hard tire in Argentina. For my part, I’m currently focused on my goal, which is to be Moto3 world champion. Then I will focus on getting the title in Moto2, then in MotoGP.

Fabio Quartararo recorded by MNC

MNC: Right-handed or left-handed ?
F. Q .: Right handed.

MNC: Studies, diplomas ?
F. Q .: I am currently in a private high school and followed by a private teacher who teaches me the most important subjects.

MNC: Small jobs in addition to your pilot job ?
F. Q .: No None. I’m already busy full time !

MNC: The quality that we recognize most often ?
F. Q .: (embarrassed) I don’t really know…

MNC: Your main fault ?
F. Q .: Same answer !

MNC: What are your hobbies ?
F. Q .: Anything that has an engine, especially motocross ! (Editor’s note: Fabio does not amuse the terrain in MX … even if it means injuring himself, especially on his wrist where since 2012 he has borne the scars of a fall from which he recovered with 15 fractures, 12 packed vertebrae and the coccyx moved!)

MNC: The vehicles currently in your garage ?
F. Q .: Two Honda CRFs and a scooter for my trips.

MNC: Your idol of youth ?
F. Q .: Valentino rossi (with whom he rode in January in the Doctor’s "Ranch", editor’s note)

Career

MNC: Your first experience on a motorized two-wheeler ?
F. Q .: At 4 years old, in a parking lot.

MNC: Your first motorcycle race ?
F. Q .: At 4 years old, on the Biot circuit (06), between Antibes and Nice.

MNC: Your first victory ?
F. Q .: The same day, during the second race organized in Biot !

MNC: Your best victory ?
F. Q .: In Aragon by CEV. I had really calculated my shot to the millimeter and I was really happy to win !

MNC: Your worst defeat ?
F. Q .: I think it was this year in Qatar … Of course, I was happy to finish 7th because it’s a good result for a first GP. But I wanted a better result and it was difficult for me to finish in this position after the race I had done…

MNC: Your best memory on the track ?
F. Q .: My second place in Austin this year. I really had a good race and above all? I fought with very experienced pilots like Alexis (Masbou, NDLR) and Efren (Vasquez, Editor’s note).

MNC: Your favorite circuit ?
F. Q .: Portimao (too bad it is not used in GP but in WSBK, Editor’s note …)

MNC: Your favorite motorcycle ?
F. Q .: My Honda Moto3.

MNC: Why the 20 as a favorite race number ?
F. Q .: This is my birthday, April 20.

Piloting / training

MNC: Your strengths on the track ?
F. Q .: I would say braking (like the one attempted in the last round in Jerez 15 days after our interview, Editor’s note: see opposite!)

MNC: Your weak points on the track ?
F. Q .: Oh no, I don’t want to reveal them! (laughs)

MNC: Your daily training ?
F. Q .: At least 1h30 of sport, including the 15 to 20 minutes of stretching practiced every day because I lack flexibility at the base. And that can amount to up to 7 hours of training, most of the time split up with 4h30 of cycling, stretching and climbing. I do a lot of road biking, mountain biking and running. This is also why I moved to Spain: the setting and the weather are perfect for training, with slopes of 26% in particular that I finish well rinsed on my bike. !

MNC: These are "basic" sports that increase general power and cardio but do not over develop muscles. ?
F. Q .: That’s the goal, I don’t want to gain too much muscle mass because it’s useless in Moto3 which are light motorcycles (80 kg). That will change when I switch to Moto2 because the bikes are heavier and more powerful. The important thing now is cardio and flexibility, especially in the adductors..

MNC: Your entourage during race weekends ?
F. Q .: My manager, Edouardo Martin, is present at all the races. My father (Etienne, former motorcycle speed pilot, Editor’s note) and my big brother (Anthony, Editor’s note) come as soon as they can, which could not be done in the United States for example.

Interview by Alexandre BARDIN

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