Is there an area of the bike where you feel development should be concentrated ?

"At this moment I'm not using the full potential of the bike, because I'm still adapting my riding style to compensate for the extra power and the unique characteristics of a MotoGP machine. At this point I think it's more important to concentrate on improving my riding ahead of the coming season than to start thinking about the development of specific areas."


Both yourself and your Kawasaki teammate, Shinya Nakano, came up through the 250cc ranks, but how similar are your riding styles and set-up on the bikes, and do you share information on settings and tyres between you?

"My riding style is a little different to Shinya's, so we don't tend to use identical settings on the bike. We also position ourselves differently on the bike, and this obviously has an effect on set-up. But, the fact that we're roughly the same size and weight means that, so far, our settings on the bike haven't been too far apart. We do share information in the pit box, and we do tend to use the same tyres as well."

Do you think having someone as experienced as Shinya for a teammate will help you develop as a MotoGP rider this season?

"For sure, having Shinya as a teammate is a big advantage for me. He is a former 250cc rider who made the switch to MotoGP, so he knows what it's like for me at the moment. He's a good teammate; he's easy to get along with and quite open about what he's trying on the bike. I'm sure I will learn a lot from him this season."

What are your aims for your first season in MotoGP?

"My goal is to give 100% in every race this season, and to learn more every time I go out on track. I have a good target to aim for with Shinya and I hope that, as the season progresses, I will be able to close the gap on him. I think we have good potential - the bike, the team and myself - and I think it's possible for us to score some good results this season. But, as I said, most important for me is to learn at every race, and to do this I must finish every time; a big crash would lose me valuable learning time."