19-YEAR OLD Danny Kent is one of Britain's hottest prospects in the MotoGP paddock. Scouted by Red Bull in 2007, he's on to a good thing. After struggling for a year in Moto 2, the 19-year old has moved back to Moto 3 with KTM (badged as a Husqvarna). In 2012, he finished 4th in the Moto 3 World Championship with KTM. He's back and more eager than ever to prove himself. He shared a few thoughts with us at a recent Moto 3 test at Almeria.
IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE IT BUT THIS IS WORK. It’s hard work. It’s definitely not playing. I’ve spent a year in Moto 2 and so getting as much time and setup data for the Moto 3 bike is vital at a test like this.
NERVES PLAY A BIG PART OF RACING. Going into the race you know who’s fast but you don’t know who’s nervous. You can be fast all weekend through practice and qualifying but if you go into a race and you’re nervous, you make mistakes. In Valencia this year Álex Rins was making a few mistakes, Salom didn’t crash all year, got nervous and made a few mistakes. Race day is where it all counts.
YOU COULD SAY CHATTER IS A BY-PRODUCT OF GOING FAST. You get chatter, you dial it out, you go faster, you get chatter again but it’s not always like that. During the 2013 season KTM found that the slower you went, the more chatter you got and the smoother you were, the more problems you had. You need to be aggressive with this bike and load up the front to make the rest of the corner easier.
THE NOMADIC LIFESTYLE IS SOMETHING I’M USED TO. Airport, race track, hotel, race track, airport. I’ve been doing it since 2008 and I’m used to it now. It’s basically your life, so you get on with it. I spend more time on an aeroplane than I do in my own bed.
SHIT RESULTS IN 2013 MEANT I DIDN’T GET A LOT OF MEDIA ATTENTION. I was fine with that, because it gave me more time to concentrate on the job. Coming back to Moto 3, I know I’ve done well here in the past. I don’t think you can take a lot from Moto 2 and apply it to Moto 3; the bikes are completely different. The Moto 2 machines have engine braking, you approach the corner faster but you have less corner speed. Coming from Moto 2 doesn't add any real advantage.
I DON’T THINK ANYONE HAS A SECRET TO GOING FAST. You just go out there and do it. Every rider has their own style but you go out and do what comes naturally.
I LEFT SCHOOL AT 14, I CAN ALWAYS GO BACK. Barry Sheene went back to school at 40! It was such a shock to get scouted in 2007 and when people like Red Bull believe in you, you know you can do it. I was offered a contract you don’t get offered every day, so I thought I’d take it and become a professional motorcycle racer. I might to back to school one day. Maybe.
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