Marcos Ramírez: 14 years of pure motorcycling and aiming for the CEV

Yesterday we spent some time with a small but great rider. At just 14 years old, Marcos Ramírez has become one of the benchmarks of the Spanish Speed Championship in the Moto3 category. His progress this 2012 season has been steadily upward, always showing a little more experience at every race.

The rider from Andalucía Cádiz got into motorcycles at just two years old. Coming from a motorcycle-mad family and with a passion for two wheels, he has followed in his father’s footsteps and grown up surrounded by tyres, petrol and fairings. He is now in a great moment of his racing career and keeps improving day by day, by leaps and bounds.

Ramírez has been a hard-working kid, always training despite the conditions and the difficult situations, balancing his studies with his passion. And at just 14 he already has a total of 152 races across various disciplines behind him, so we asked him what he thought about his numbers at such a young age?

Marcos: Well, you always have to keep learning. You learn something from everything.

And it’s clear that Ramírez has learned a great deal from all these races, but he wants to keep doing so, so maximum focus and learning in every race.

PM: What discipline did you start with?

Marcos: With minimoto, from when I was very small.

PM: And what memories do you have?

Marcos: They were incredible, like village races, and the riders I raced against were always the same. When we moved up to the 70 it was the same group, and as we moved up categories we kept changing.

PM: But that bike was racing…

Marcos: Back then it raced, but now it doesn’t race much, to be honest.

PM: And any scares back then?

Marcos (shows us his legs and fingers) I broke one finger, nothing much more.

PM (Josechu): And this season you’ve also had a few crashes, although you haven’t been one to fall off much. Marquitos never crashes, that’s the usual thing.

Marcos: I don’t crash much, but lately I have.

PM: There’s a lot of talk about Moto3 precisely in terms of crashes. Have you noticed the difference with the 125cc?

Marcos: I’ve crashed more often in Moto3 now. The difference between the two is that in the wet Moto3 handles better, it has a lower centre of gravity and it’s harder to crash. But I’ve only crashed a few times on the 125cc.

PM: When you’re in the Rookies with the 125cc and then you come to the CEV and get on a Moto3, don’t you notice the difference?

Marcos: No, because I’ve already spent two years training on the 125cc and pre-Moto3, which has a smaller displacement, but I’m used to it… one bike or another, it’s all the same to me.

PM: And what do you have to change in your riding style from one to the other?

Marcos: The way you accelerate from one bike to the other. The chassis is very similar, and the engine’s power delivery and all that is pretty much the same. The only real difference is the acceleration.

PM: If you had to choose one of the bikes you’ve ridden or are riding, which would you keep?

Marcos (without thinking for even a second) The one I’m racing now, the FTR.

PM: Apart from the CEV and the Rookies, where else do you race?

Marcos: This year I’ve also raced one Andalusian Supermotard round in Jerez and two MotoDes races. I also want to race the European championship and some other Andalusian rounds, and maybe I’ll do some motocross too.

PM: You’ve also raced outside Spain.

Marcos: Yes, two in Portugal, one in Germany and one in France.

PM: And how do you see those championships?

Marcos: You learn even more, on different circuits, and there are fast guys whom you later meet again in other championships.

PM: And regarding how those championships are organised, it’s very different from the CEV.

Marcos: The other championships are more like the Andalusian style, as in France, but in Germany, for example, they’re very similar to the Spanish one.

PM: There are also other disciplines, like Motocross…

Marcos: Motocross for three years, but mostly for training, since my father used to race motocross, so it was always there.

PM: And why did you choose speed?

Marcos: Because I was better at it when I started, and I decided on that. I started at two years old; that was the first time I got on a bike.

PM: How do you prepare for races, what are your routines?

Marcos: I train all week, three times a day. A man prepares me technically, both for motocross and for speed, but it’s a lot of training.

PM: And is it hard to balance school and racing?

Marcos: The end of this year has been tough, because in June I only went to school four days, between the Red Bull Rookies and the CEV. I’ve missed almost every day… let’s see how it goes next year. The teachers give me a hand, and when I do go it’s almost just to sit the exams.

PM: And what does it mean for your parents, since it’s financially difficult, also balancing it with work…

Marcos: They’re always away from work, and they always want to get back quickly so they can go back to work. My parents come with me to every race, both my father and my mother, although my mother doesn’t watch them.

PM: And what do your friends say when they see you on TV?

Marcos: They don’t say much, because they all talk more about football.

PM: And going back to the CEV for a moment, who are the strongest rivals?

Marcos: Márquez is the most dangerous, but there are many. Guevara too, and Pecco. And Amato doesn’t seem to find the feeling at this circuit; he doesn’t do as well as the others.

PM: Of the circuits you’ve raced at, which one do you like the most?

Marcos: Jerez, because it’s my home track and for me it’s the best. I train there almost always, and it’s the most beautiful.

PM: Of the races you’ve competed in so far, which one is your best, or which do you think is your best race?

Marcos: Today’s. And the truth is it went very well; I got 4th place and I keep improving day by day. A great one, the present and future of motorcycling.

PM: And for the future… dreams?