Christian Iddon
Itold you last time I’d be back! It’s probably the least exciting ‘new’ news that could possibly exist as it’s with the same team, but I am sure excited about it; I mean, the decision to stay in BSB was a no brainer. Aside from the fact that riding in the MotoGP paddock was an absolute impossibility and that there are next to no competitive rides in the WSBK paddock, I never set my sights on anything other than BSB anyway.
I never wanted to leave the series because genuinely, I think it is the most epic series going. I’m not going to get into a debate on which series has the best riders etc. because honestly it’s horses for courses and an impossible argument to make unless a rider makes that switch (which I guess we will have an idea of with Scott Redding and Xavi Fores’ involvement) but the depth of field of BSB is absolutely insane, the rules make for close racing, we have immensely different and interesting circuits and because of our awesome little island, we have the most incredible band of fans I’ve seen in any series I’ve ever been involved with.
So, I’m happy in the British Championship and it’s where I want to be but to stick with the same team for four years is very rare in modern motorsport and it did take a bit of pondering. I had my reservations about staying put and I have no doubt that Tyco BMW had a good think if I was still the right man for them too but in the end, everything seemed to fit well. We have a great working relationship and I suppose we both feel that neither of us have got the most out of our collaboration yet.
Sometimes things can go a bit stale and sticking with the same team for four years, that was my main concern but I think the brand new BMW will be the shot in the arm that we need. That’s not to say effort has lapsed at all. I simply think that every now and again with any relationship things need a refresh. I’m thinking of the new BMW as being our date night; it will add a bit of spice to our relationship and get the juices flowing again to realise why we got together in the first place and that is to stake our claim on the BSB title!
I’ve also had a great working relationship with BMW over the years and the new bike looks just insanely good. I actually rode the thing a couple of years ago when it was a brand new, top secret, development thing. I had to sign an agreement not to talk about it at the time hence nobody actually ever knew I went (other than BMW top brass) and I spent three days endurance testing somewhere in Spain. No phones were allowed at the circuit, no branded clothing of any sort. Not even any social media posts were allowed while I was out of my native country to stop anyone even wondering what I was doing. I felt like a secret agent. Agent CI.
The one important thing they did also mention just before I was set to ride the new steed was, “No matter what, do not crash this bike. We are here only for endurance testing the engine. This is the one and only bike of its kind in the world. There are no spare parts.” I understood the request quite well, I thought, before careering off into the gravel trap on my first flying lap. It really wasn’t my fault though as they had forgot to mention that the electronics basically didn’t work at all and the ABS would kick in at random basically giving me absolutely zero brakes. Thankfully I did keep her upright and a year and a half of development later, it would seem the new bike is ready to rock; unlike me.
I’m currently resting up after a collarbone op and I’m hating every minute. After all that riding (and a bit of falling) on it while bust, it seems it was beyond natural repair so I had it re-broken, straightened and plated. I’ve been ‘resting’ and as most of you know from my columns, I have brain issues associating ‘rest’ with ‘lazyness’ but the body needs to heal so I’m basically unable to do anything but just chill.
I also have another new scar to add to the collection. In order to be a proper racer I need to hit you with some kind of positive thought to go with it so here we go… ‘I wear my scars like trophies of my efforts’ Yeah! I nailed that one right there! If only scars were trophies I would be damn successful…