MxLarge Story
Shaun Simpson interview - Another Mantova victory
Interview Tuesday 09th February 2010 By Geoff Meyer
Red Bull KTM Factory rider Shaun Simpson isn't one to get carried away with his results. It was 12 months ago that the smiling Scotsman had dominated the field to win the MX2 class in Mantova, yet only a month later he was being used as traction for the likes of Marvin Musquin and Gautier Paulin.
A year older and a year wiser Simpson was very relaxed about this years MX2 overall in the Starcross. We decided to sit down with Simpson and ask him about his weekend and his preperation for the 2010 Grand Prix season.
Q: Shaun, congratulation on your win. Can you tell me how your Saturday was in Mantova?
Simpson: Saturday we started off and the track was wet and the jumps were sketchy, but everything worked out good. Two times trainings I was quickest in them, I got a great start in my qualification race and I had two or three really good laps and had a nice gap going on, I made a stupid mistake going over the back and misjudged a jump and nosed dived a little bit and had a crash. I hurt my foot a little. I got up and my bike was twisted and my goggles were all over the place. I rode around in third for a good gate pick for Sunday.
Q: How did you prepare for Sunday and what did you think of the circuit for Sunday?
Simpson: I worked on my foot in the evening because it was very stiff and I could hardly walk Sunday morning. We did some work on that and it went great. The weather was mega, I mean I've been here many times and it's often rained and rained and the track is always good, they do a good job here.
Q: Sunday you looked very strong. Tell us about it?
Simpson: Warm-up Sunday morning I felt good and was 4th and 6th or something like that, so I felt good. First race went really good, good start, good pace and I was keeping up with the 450's. I ended up fourth, pass Ramon and a couple of the other guys, so I was happy with that. Second moto also a good start and rode steady, but then De Reuver came in hard and hit me and I thought I had done something to my ankle, but it ended up he broke my knee brace and everything, but I managed to finish in seventh, so that wasn't too bad.
Q: What happened in that last moto, you had to come back from a long way back?
Simpson: The last moto I was pumped, got a good start but hit De Reuver, then Barragan and went down. I was completely last and it took me 20 seconds to get the bike going, I was way behind, but I worked my way through to 14th or something and managed to take the MX2 overall. I didn''t expect to do this good, I expected maybe a podium, but I came away with the win, so I couldn't be happier.
Q: What about coming in with the same training as the others. Last year you were behind the eight ball when you came back and now you are all on the same position as far as preperation goes.
Simpson: I wasn't really thinking about it. Regardless of how much work somebody else has done, or how much they have been on the bike, you have to think about your own thing. It's an inderviduel sport and people forget this. At the end of the day it's the guy on the bike who has to twist the throttle cables.
Q: It must have been nice to beat Marvin after his performances last year and at the MXoN?
Simpson: For sure, he is the World Champion and and I know he isn't on the top of his game at the moment, just like I am not, we both have things to work on, but it's nice to beat him, but it's nice to beat anyone at any time. I am not going to get big headed or start thinking about it too much, I know what I need to do and I know where I need to get stronger.
Q: They always say defending a World Championship is harder than winning it. Do you think about that?
Simpson: You see so many guys and many times the guy who wins the championship hasn't won it two years in a row, it happened with Cairoli it happened with Pourcel, it's hard to defend the title.
Q: This time last year we were all saying Simpson will be 2009 World MX2 Champion. Did you learn from that?
Simpson: That was something that wasn't good for me last year. This year people are saying I will be a contender, but they are not talking about me, they are talking about Ken (Roczen) and Marvin (Musquin) and I am just doing my own thing and enjoying it more. I just want to have fun again.
Q: What do you have coming up, leading into Bulgaria?
Simpson: I have a week off now, then I do Valence, then a week off and I do Hawkstone Park, go see the British guys over there, then two rounds of the French Championship and then Bulgaria.
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