Pablo Nieto, targeting victory
The Repsol rider will continue his quest for victory in the next races
Victory was within Pablo Nietos reach in the last two races, but little luck and his own mistakes eventually hindered him from getting onto the highest step of the podium. Sixth in Italy and third in Catalonia have been his latest sports achievements, but they are achievements that are not enough for the youngest member of the Nieto clan after having been fighting for victory until the very end on both occasions. We talked to Pablo Nieto to know how Jorge Martínez Aspars pupil sees the present and future of the class, and his aspirations for the rest of the season. Youve been very combative in the last two races and almost clinched the victory both times, although it wasnt possible…How does a rider feel after experiencing too very similar situations in such a short period of time? It isnt easy because you see that youre in the front and that you can win, but in the end the victory stays away. What we must have clear is however that we are following the right line, and that is the reason why were able to be in the front; sooner or later the time will come where the results show up and you dont even notice. I would have liked to win both in Italy and in Barcelona, but it hasnt been possible, so now Im only focussing on getting ready for the next GP in Holland. I guess it mustnt have been a good feeling to see how somebody else was taking the victory in Catalonia. The victory in Spain is still resisting, isnt it? Its a shame, but yes, it seems that the time to win at home hasnt arrived yet. I worked very hard during the practices at the Catalonia GP and everything worked out fine. I was really eager to win during the race and I had to remount a lot until I caught up with the leading group. In the end, after having been fighting for the victory I finished third. But Im happy with it because I did all I could and I didnt give up until the finish line. Winning a race in front of your fans must be something wonderful and I hope that itll be my turn some day. The 125 GP class is one of the closest due to the similarity of the bikes. Do you thing that there is any bike in the 125 GP superior to the others?This is something you dont see in any other class. We have four makes (Aprilia, Honda, Derbi and KTM), all of them very much involved in the 125 project and that is something that hadnt happened for a long time. With regard to the engines, there is no make setting differences: there is a big similarity and that turns the races very contended and at the same time beautiful. What would be your evaluation of this first third of the season? The truth is that it hasnt been as good as expected, but it could also have been worse. I had a scaphoid injury during the preseason and we arrived at the first GP without having lapped much due to the incident. We had a good start in South Africa but things took a bad turn in Jerez and France; it seems though that were back on the right line since Italy. What do you think about the circuits of Assen and Rio, where the next two events of the calendar are going to take place? There are several differences between these circuits. Assen is a very long track, the longest of the calendar and at the same one of the most complicated and technical ones, where the bike has much less to do than the rider. On the contrary, Brazil is a much shorter track, but the asphalt is very bumpy and that makes the setting of the bike the most important factor to get a good result. I was second last year in Assen and fifth in Brazil. Both of them are circuits Im looking forward to and I adapt to them very easily. Fifth in the overall standings, 41 points behind the leader… Do you think that the gap to Doviziosos Honda can be closed? Dovizioso has been the most solid and regular rider since the start of the season. Hes the only rider who hasnt failed and this is reflected in the overall standings. It is also true that there is a lot of Championship ahead and several points at stake. Im very eager to do things well and Im working race by race. Well see what happens in the end. Which riders do you consider stronger right now in the class? Dovizioso has proven to be the most solid rider. Hes been there in all races and he has made good use of the chances he got. But then there are other riders who have shown some very high quality flashes: Locatelli, Simoncelli, Barberá, Lorenzo& Theres a big similarity between the bikes in the 125 class but also among the riders. Is the World Championship title still your aim for this year? Getting the world championship title is like a dream for me and for any rider. You have to work really hard with your team, race after race, to get there, thats the way things work out. The main aim is to win races and then well see what happens. Not winning, does it increase the pressure?Not the pressure. It increases the motivation to get there. Winning is a very nice sensation and this sensation motivates you to get there, to reach victory again. Do you think that youll be back in the front, fighting for the victory? Of course I will. In fact I have proven that Im able to be in the lead in the last two races. I made a mistake at the end of the race in Italy and I finished third after a breathtaking finish in Barcelona. If we keep on working like this, Im sure that well be fighting for the victory race after race.
