JONNY TWELVETREES
After a couple of turbulent TTs and with the Ulster GP just around the corner, we caught up with Honda Racing manager Jonny Twelvetrees to get his lowdown on what’s been going on in the big H camp…
FB: Jonny, last year was tough for Honda on the roads; tell us a bit about it, and did it affect things this year?
JT: Last year was really tough! We had our problems, and obviously what happened with J ohn [ McG uinness] crashing was horrible – and then we came to the TT and it was difficult with G uy, which was frustrating as we didn’t actually get any of the development we needed. We’ve basically started from scratch this year rather than last year with the new Fireblade, so even having things like a base setting for suspension has been new to us. The bike has a lot more power this year as well, so trying to work out the best way to get that to work as well was hard as everything at the TT course is such a difficult compromise. It seems like you get a lot of time at the TT, but as far as general laps goes you barely get any when you start making changes! And if you change too many things you can get really lost in translation of setup.
FB: Can you share data and parts with the BSB team to help with that at all?
J T: We share everything we can as we want wins on both sides! Any parts or bits that are working well, or not so well, we always share, so we can accelerate together. It actually goes the same for the H onda World Superbike team as well, as the rules allow us to run their stuff! Funnily enough, on the Superbikes we were running back to back with the WSBK and BSB spec engine to find which is best. As an example H utchy used the WSBK spec engine, and L ee used the BSB spec engine.
FB: Some of the competitors have been out racing. Does that give an advantage?
J T: Other teams have been doing more racing then us, but we’ve still been out testing. A lot of the other guys, like H arrison who’s been out at BSB, is on Metz eler tyres which are incredibly close to the P irelli control tyre. We’re on D unlops, so it would be slightly different, and although you can get some feedback it will all change on different rubber. P lus the weather this year has been pretty rubbish even in Spain – we went to Monteblanco for four days and only got one day on track!
FB: At the end of last year, who did you want on the bikes?
J T: We basically wanted to be in a position where we could go win! Even just looking at H utchy and his determination, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he would’ve been able to have stuck it up there at the TT. The thing that gave us confidence is that he’s been through it all before, so there’s no one more qualified to know what he could do. If he’d have had 12 weeks instead of four, I think it could’ve been a very different place. And L ee is awesome, he just needs more time on the bike which is where the Ulster will be good.
FB: What’s the best course of improvement?
J T: That’s a difficult one! From us there’s a lot to come with getting time on the bike and getting it dialled in. With H utchy, of course there’s lots of work, but it will come with time. With L ee we just need to make it easier to ride on our end – he’s only small, so it’s hard work for him muscling a big bike about. On the stock bike he absolutely flies.
FB: Are you disappointed about the results?
J T: At the end of the day, no teams had as much success as H onda, and sometimes it doesn’t go your way. That’s racing – it just happened to be with the new bike, which is shining in World Endurance. We would’ve liked to have done better, but with the way that H utchy was, what could we expect? H is cage only came off four weeks before he set off down Bray H ill. H ow he can do anywhere close to the lap times, let alone putting in four at a time is beyond me. L ee’s doing a great job at developing the bike as well. We’re learning a hell of a lot, pushing on into the Ulster.
FB: Would you like to keep the team constant for next year?
J T: Y eah we’re still early on the year, but at the moment it’s a good team with a good dynamic. The big challenge is in BSB you’ve got so many races to look at riders, or have a duff weekend, whereas the roads guys don’t have that many opportunities. We’ll leave it at a yes!