Interview to Albert Cabestany
By TMX Archives on 11th Jun 07
As the reigning Spanish Indoor Champion do you feel pressured to perform well in the upcoming series?
As the reigning Spanish Indoor Champion do you feel pressured to perform well in the upcoming series?
With all sincerity I do not. In spite of being the current champion, I believe the rider to beat today is Toni Bou. He won the 2007 world indoor championship by riding very well and being extremely consistent. He has been the man to beat in the outdoor championship as he has continued to ride well. You can also not overlook the rest of the rivals, Adam Raga, Jeroni Fajardo, Marc Freixa etc.
Eres el campen actual por lo que ests en el punto de mira de todos. Te sientes presionado?
Sinceramente no. A pesar de ser el campen en ttulo, creo que el rival a batir a da de hoy es Toni Bou. Ha ganado el mundial indoor 2007 pilotando muy bien y siendo muy regular, y en este inicio de temporada outdoor se ha mostrado intratable, por lo que es el quien sale con la etiqueta de piloto ganador. Eso siempre sin descuidar los dems rivales, Adam Raga, Jeroni Fajardo, Marc Freixa, etc.
Tarragona opens the 2007 CETI . Are you excited about the first round being held there?
The truth is that Tarragona is always special for me, for many reasons. It is the inaugural round of a very important championship for me and besides I will be competing at home in a very marvelous setting. My motivation is very high, I am also feeling the normal pressure you feel before a major race, I have very high hopes to do well. I was able to win the last Spanish Championship; I would really like to repeat, so I am going to give this championship my maximum effort.
Tarragona abre el CETI 2007 Como te planteas la prueba tarraconense?
La verdad es que Tarragona siempre es una prueba especial, por muchos motivos. Es la cita inaugural de un campeonato muy importante para mi, y adems compito en casa en un escenario maravilloso. La motivacin es mucha, as como tambin un poco ms de presin que de costumbre... La afronto con muchsimas ganas. Vengo de ganar el ltimo campeonato de Espaa indoor, hacer un buen mundial indoor y voy a dar el mximo para repetir la victoria de los ltimos aos...
Do you believe that being at home makes you the favorite?
Being at home motivates me a lot. I give it my best effort and have been very successful here as I have won 5 of the 6 races held in Tarragona. It is very difficult to maintain this form, as each year passes my rivals continue to improve.
El hecho de correr en casa te favorece?
Lo que si tengo claro es que me motiva muchsimo. Doy lo mejor de mi mismo y se puede ver en que he ganado en 5 de las 6 ediciones celebradas en Tarragona. Es muy difcil mantener esta lnea, y cada ao que pasa ms, pues todos los rivales pilotan cada da mejor.
This year the Championship has fewer rounds, how do you feel about that?
It is a delicate subject. For me the more races the better. With fewer rounds any failure can be very costly. With a long championship the outcome is always in doubt, you can have a bad day but you also have the chance to recover. With this format victories will be hard fought, you will have to ride very consistently.
Este ao el campeonato tendr menos pruebas. Que opinas al respecto?
Es un tema delicado. Para mi cuantas ms carreras mejor. Con pocas pruebas cualquier fallo se puede pagar muy caro.
Con un campeonato largo siempre hay menos dudas del vencedor del mismo, pues un da puedes tener mala suerte, pero siempre tienes la ocasin de recuperar. Con este formato se har un poco mas duro y se premiarn mucho las victorias y regularidad...
Bou and Raga, will they be the toughest opponents?
With out a doubt, however you can never neglect any of the others, they will all come to the contest very motivated. Toni Bou will certainly be a rider to watch. I will dispute the first round in last place because I am the current Champion; I intend to watch the actions of my rivals very closely. I expect this to be a difficult trial with fairly high scores, therefore it will be very important to not succumb to the pressure and minimize the number of errors one commits.
Bou y Raga, sern los rivales ms duros?
Sin duda que si. Sin descuidar los dems, pues todos afrontarn el certamen muy motivados. Sin duda la referencia estar en Toni Bou. Disputar la primera vuelta en ltimo lugar, debido a que soy el actual campen de Espaa, y espero tomar buena nota de la actuacin de mis rivales. Espero encontrar un trial de nivel y que no marquen puntuaciones muy bajas, pues entonces esta moneda se gira en tu contra y sales con mucha presin por no poder cometer el ms mnimo error.
What do you think of the young riders of today? Do you think they can reach your level of competitiveness?
That is a very difficult question even more so for the indoor. We have a lot of training that has helped us reach the level that we are at; we also have several years of experience. The past few years it has always been the same riders at the top and for the most part we are all very competitive. It will be very hard for a young rider to step in and compete head to head with riders like Bou, Raga Fajardo or myself. I hope that there is someone who has the heart and the opportunity to reach our level; it will bring some fresh air to the championship.
Que opinas de los jvenes, Crees que pueden llegar a vuestro nivel de competitividad?
La verdad que es un tema complicado. Y ms aun en los indoor. Nosotros tenemos mucho rodaje, no solo por el ultimo mundial indoor, sino por todos los aos que llevamos de experiencia. Los ltimos aos hemos sido siempre los mismos pilotos los top, los que marcbamos la diferencia y estbamos en el indoor, y por eso hace que el camino que tienen que recorrer actualmente los jvenes pilotos sea muy duro y no creo que llegue nadie, al menos de momento, a poder plantar cara a pilotos como Bou, Raga, Fajardo o yo mismo. Espero de todo corazn que tengan oportunidades y pueda llegar, para dar un poco de aire fresco al campeonato.
You are currently competing in the outdoor championship, this is the first indoor in several months, is that a handicap for you?
Definitely, we have been training for the outdoor competition; we must now make adjustment to compete in the National indoor. We will all face the same obstacles so it will be the same for all of us. It is clear that this will be different from what we have been doing on a daily basis but it is a matter of adapting to the conditions.
En estos momentos estis en plena temporada outdoor. La prueba tarraconense es la primera indoor despus de varios meses. Es esto un hndicap para vosotros?
Sin duda no estamos con el mismo rodaje que al inicio del mundial indoor, pues en ese venimos de hacer muchas pruebas del nacional. Todos lo afrontamos en las mismas condiciones. Est claro que es bastante distinto a lo que estamos haciendo a da de hoy pero siempre resulta una adaptacin bastante sencilla.
This is your third season with Sherco. Together you have arrived at a high level of competitiveness as shown by the title you won last year. What is your next objective or challenge?
Taking the leap to Sherco two years ago was a great decision for my sports career. I found myself with a great motorcycle and with a great group of people who have placed their trust in me, which has resulted in some very good results. I am satisfied with how everything has worked out. The world of Trials is taking a step forward with the entrance of the 4T; the motorcycles have evolved a lot in the past year. We will confront this new challenge with much anticipation. They have placed all of their resources at my disposal and we will continue to fight for championships and victories in all of the various world and national competitions.
Esta es tu tercera temporada con la marca Sherco. Juntos habis llegado a un buen nivel competitivo fruto del cual fue tu ttulo la temporada pasada. Cual es tu prximo objetivo o reto?
Dar el salto a Sherco hace dos aos fue una gran decisin en mi carrera deportiva. Me encontr con una gran moto, y un grupo humano que me hizo creer de nuevo en mi, depositaron su confi anza en mi y eso pronto se not en buenos resultados. Estoy satisfecho de como funciona todo. Ahora el trial est dando un paso hacia delante, con la entrada de las 4T, y estamos viendo que las motos en un ao han evolucionado muchsimo. Ellos afrontan este nuevo reto con muchas ganas, y me dan toda la confi anza del mundo para seguir luchando en todos los campeonatos por la victoria y los puestos de honor.