Álex Rins: "I'm focused on Moto3, going race by race"

Rider Álex Rins has given an interview during these summer break days of the Moto3 World Championship, so don’t miss anything that one of the stars of the small-displacement category of the Motorcycle World Championship has to say.

Rins has taken a brutal step forward. If in 2012 he already surprised everyone with his potential, in 2013 we are seeing that he is ready to fight with the favourites. Without doubt, we have a second half of the season that is extremely interesting and exciting ahead of us.

How would you assess the first half of the championship?

Positively. We didn’t expect to be so far up the order, fighting for the podium at every race. The crash we had at Jerez is a real shame, because I think we’re having a great start to the season.

You have stood on the podium in every race you have finished. Do you feel you have met the goals you set at the start of the year?

Yes. In fact, we’ve had to rethink them for the upcoming rounds. At the beginning, our goal was to score points at every Grand Prix, without falling and finishing as far forward as possible. Given how things have gone, we have set ourselves other challenges, such as trying to fight for victory in every race, which is a wonderful thing and tastes like glory.

Has today’s Álex Rins changed much from the one who arrived in the World Championship a year ago?

Yes, he has changed, and for the better, both on and off the track. I have more experience, I stay longer to talk with the technicians, and we analyse things better. On track, I am a little more aggressive and I know what to do at every moment, although I still find it a bit difficult.

How would you define Salom and Viñales, and what would you highlight about them?

From Salom I highlight his great ability to pull off the final laps of a race. And from Maverick [Viñales], his capacity to quickly get up to speed on the timesheets.

In the final laps with lots of riders, what is the best strategy for winning?

Having luck, analysing the race situation well, and knowing when to push hard at exactly the right moment.

Two people in your day-to-day race life: Emilio Alzamora and your teammate Álex Márquez. What can you tell us about them?

Emilio is someone who has a lot of confidence in me and helps me enormously, along with José Luis Carrión, the team coordinator. Honestly, I am very grateful to them. Álex is my teammate and we get along well off track, but on track there are no friends.

Which Moto2 and MotoGP riders do you admire most?

In Moto2, I look mainly at Pol Espargaró and Scott Redding, because they are two very aggressive riders and they are leading the championship. I really like their way of working. In MotoGP I look at quite a few. The ones up there are very good, like Jorge [Lorenzo], Valentino [Rossi], Marc [Márquez], Dani [Pedrosa] or Crutchlow.

Are you already thinking about Moto2?

No. I’m focused on Moto3, on the season, on going race by race. There will be time to think about that when the moment comes.

This year you are sleeping at the circuit. What is life like there when night falls?

At first it was a little hard for me to adapt to sleeping somewhere other than my own bed or a hotel, and to get used to the noise and commotion people make at circuits. At Jerez, for example, which was the first time I stayed overnight, we arrived on Wednesday and on Thursday morning I overslept. I didn’t even hear the alarm! Since then I’ve had that insecurity, and now they always have to come and wake me up.

For this summer, beach or mountains?

Both. I really like the mountains for physical training, for running or cycling. The beach is more for switching off.

How many kilometres do you plan to ride on your bike this summer? How many have you done this year?

To be honest, I’m going to do quite a few, maybe around 400. Each time I go out I average 60 or 70 kilometres. This year, from February until today, I’ve done 700.

What do you like most about training, and what do you like least?

What I like least about training is doing it alone. What I like most is pushing myself day by day; motivating myself, setting difficult challenges and being able to overcome them. My trainer and I set each other small competitions, such as strength-endurance circuits. Whoever does it faster wins. Every time one of us wins, we add up points and, when the season ends, the loser has to buy something for the other.

Source | Repsol Media service