Iván Silva: “I have achieved the goal of developing the bike”

During the Campeonato de España de Velocidad round held at the Albacete circuit this weekend, we saw many world championship riders walking through the paddock. On Sunday, Álvaro Bautista, Julián Simón and Héctor Faubel were there, and they even handed out the Moto3 category trophies.

On Saturday, we caught up with his former CEV teammates, the then-reigning Stock Extreme champion, Iván Silva. We saw him chatting animatedly with those he had fought hard against last year to win the championship. Carmelo Morales, Xavi Forés, Javier del Amor… The Catalan rider, always friendly with us, did not hesitate to sit down and chat for a while and tell us how his year had gone so far.

Plusmoto: Hi Iván. First of all, I’d like to ask you about the news that broke this week, that David Salom will be the rider who replaces you at Misano…

Iván Silva: Well, it’s a new situation in my career, as it had never happened to me before. From the start of the year I knew I had been signed to develop the bike, thanks to the experience I already had of evolving the Moto2 and MotoGP machines at Inmotec, and my experience with this type of bike with a Kawasaki engine and with large-displacement bikes. Basically, that was it. Now that the bike is more developed and has a competitive package, they think another rider can do it better or get better results for the team. We have to accept that. Also, what’s interesting for me is that I remain within the team, that they haven’t sidelined me. What they are looking for is to improve and to have something better to offer sponsors next year, and to show that they have a competitive bike to sign a series of riders for next year.

Do you think they gave you everything that was in their power?

Yes, of course.

Did they give you time to develop the bike?

Yes, definitely.

How have you experienced this world championship?

It’s been a bit tough; you never fully get used to it. I had already done individual world championship races, and although it was hard because you arrived on Friday barely knowing the bike and the circuits, it was very difficult to get results. In the championships where I have competed on a full-time basis, I have fought to win or at least to be at the front, to be competitive, but a year like this is very long and difficult, with races so close together where if you fall into a negative spiral… On the European tour, for example, with four races in a month and a half, if you string together a bad result it’s very hard to fix, and even more so on a prototype like ours.

Wasn’t it a lot of hassle having to take the bike out on Friday and test a different chassis from the one you used on Saturday?

Well, perhaps I didn’t have it as easy as my teammate or my rivals, but it was my job. I had to develop and choose what was best for the bike. That was my role.

Which moment do you keep from this year?

The Indianapolis race without a doubt. I enjoyed fighting with Colin and taking a podium in the CRT class. I know it was partly by default, because Pasini crashed in front of me and Ellison also went off, while Petrucci blew his engine. The good thing is that I was with them, and even though they took more risks to go faster, I was keeping the same pace. The truth is we were already starting to be competitive and to be able to fight for points in every race. Also, all the moments I’ve lived both with the team and with my teammates.

Is there a good atmosphere with the rivals?

Well, there isn’t much of a relationship between the riders. Everyone keeps to themselves. We come to work, not to hang out, and everyone goes their own way.

Tell us a bit about the controversy that has arisen between the CRTs and the factory prototypes, with many riders complaining. Do you think that in the future there could be a championship with only CRT bikes?

It’s the future if Dorna wants it to be. It’s clear the factories don’t want it, because they won’t be able to develop their technology in competition, but they did it with Moto2 and they will be able to do it with 1000cc bikes. It can be done perfectly well. If they want to keep MotoGP for the factories and don’t want two parallel championships, they will have to regulate the rules.

Do you think ART (Aprilia) arrived with a big advantage in the championship?

Well, it’s a bike that has been developed for years and has been a World Superbike champion. It won’t be the same chassis, but they’ll be close cousins… The base was very good and they will have improved it to adapt to MotoGP. What is clear is that they haven’t started from scratch as we have, or as Gresini did.

Couldn’t Kawasaki have done something similar with the Superbike machine that Sykes rides, for example?

Well, basically no, because it’s prohibited by the rules.

One of the most spectacular moments this year was in the free practice in Portugal, where you nearly did a high-side, breaking the fairing… What is that like on the bike?

The truth is you don’t have time to think about anything. You just see the bike slipping away and starting to move, and it seems like you’re definitely going down. The bike carries you, and it decided I wouldn’t hit the ground.

What are you looking for now for the future?

My first option right now, although I don’t have anything arranged or any offer yet, would be the World Superbike or Supersport championship. I’d also really like to do the AMA Superstock in the United States. I’d like to try it since no Spaniard has ever been competitive in that championship. There’s always time to return to the CEV, but I’d like to try other things.

But the AMA is a tough championship with all the new circuits, races so close together…

We’re here to work. There is a high level in the CEV, and the organizers and the federation treat us very well, but there are only seven races a year, and going from race to race is almost like starting over because there is so much distance between them. That’s something that could be improved, since it’s the only thing I don’t like about the championship.

Thank you very much, Iván, and good luck.