FEATURE - Mike Jones interview
Photos: TBGSport, Mike Jones Racing, TDJ Media, Russell Colvin
Just like his DesmoSport Ducati team and the rest of the Australian Superbike Championship grid, defending ASBK Champion, “Mad Mike” Jones, is champing at the bit to go racing again.
After winning the 2019 title in the most nail-biting way possible – at the last corner of the last race – Jones endured a rough start to his championship defence.
At the opening round of the 2020 ASBK season, Jones put the DesmoSport Ducati V4R on the front row in qualifying, but was pulled from the grid before the first race with a suspected fluid leak. That left him playing catch-up for the rest of the weekend, securing third and fourth place finishes in the remaining races to complete the round in eighth overall – not where the champion or his team wanted to be, but certainly not a disgrace.
That opening round at Phillip Island was the only one completed before the coronavirus pandemic brought out the red flag for racing globally. At time of writing, ASBK Rounds 2 and 3 (at Wakefield Park and The Bend) have been postponed, with Round 4 at Barbagallo cancelled. As such, the earliest we’re likely to see ASBK on-track action again is at Morgan Park in August.
With so much unplanned downtime, riders like Jones are facing the same uncertainties as the rest of us, but are putting a brave face on it, doing what training they can, communicating with their teams and staying safe.
Recently, the two-time ASBK champion sat down to share his thoughts on racing, adapting to the Ducati V4R, fitness and what’s on the horizon.
You were ASBK champion in 2015 and 2019. Does that give you a buzz?
It’s a very exciting feeling. We put so much hard work into it, both myself and the team, so it’s fantastic to win this award and get the recognition for a goal we set out to achieve at the beginning of the season.
How did you get into bikes?
I started riding bikes before I could walk! At three, I was riding a Peewee50. I’m 26 now, so I’ve been riding for a long time. When I was 10, I started riding on the bitumen in mini moto and then progressed through the different categories of racing. Starting that young was an influence from my father. He’s always been passionate about motorbikes and wanted to get me riding. It’s something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since I got older.
What does it take to become race fit?
Being a top-level Australian Superbike rider, I’m classed as an athlete. So human performance is a key part of success. I work heavily on my fitness, nutrition and mental state to try and best prepare myself for racing. Obviously the most important thing is my skill and ability on the bike but it’s also helpful to work on my fitness. I like to road cycle and mountain bike and mix that up with running and gym work. Another key aspect is clean eating - trying to stay away from refined foods and eating whole foods. When your body is performing at its peak, you feel good on the motorbike and the results come, so it’s definitely worthwhile.
How important is ergonomics and body positioning on the bike?
We don’t modify a great deal on the bike, but there are some things we do in terms of positioning and ergonomics. We put on different foot pegs to ensure enough ground clearance and better positioning. I also attach myself well to it with my knees and legs. We run some tank grip that allows me to lock onto the bike very well. We also swap the cover on the seat for a more grippy, textured covering so that the leather race suit sticks to the seat. These things help keep you in place and be looser and more relaxed on the handlebars. If you hang on to the bars too tight it’s detrimental to the way the motorbike handles.
Having a partner on board like Motul, what impact does it make?
They are a great partner to have on board, especially with their high level of product. The Ducati is a performance bike and we’re trying to extract the most performance we can from it, so having a brand like Motul supporting the team is really important for us to achieve good results and our aim to win the championship. Some teams sponsored by other brands of oil actually use Motul in the engine. That’s how good it is.
How’s 2020 shaping up?
We’ve moved to the new, four-cylinder Ducati V4R (last year I was on a twin-cylinder bike). So far, the year’s started a little bit more conservative than we’d have liked. I’m still adapting to the bike and working through the process of finding the correct settings that work well for me. We’ve completed our first round at Phillip Island. We’ve certainly got room to improve and we’ll be working hard to achieve that.
And after 2020?
Ultimately, I want to compete in the World Superbike Championship. I’ve done some overseas racing. In 2017, I raced in the European Superstock 1000 Championship and the Spanish Superbike Championship in 2018. Coming back to Australia and winning the ASBK was really good. But I want to reach my full potential and I feel that I have the ability to compete on the world stage. But there’s more to racing than being able to ride the motorbike well. All the other pieces of the puzzle have to line up. I want to work on achieving this.
Interview courtesy of Motul, via Link International.
Born in the USA, but now based in France, Motul is a world-class company specialising in the formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine lubricants for motorcycles, cars and other vehicles, as well as lubricants for industry.
Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines - the 300V lubricant - making use of Esters technology and issued from the aeronautical industry.
Throughout the years, Motul has gained experience as an official supplier to many racing teams and manufacturers and contributes with them to further technological development in motorsport.
Motul is supporting teams in international competitions such as: Dakar, 24 Hours of Le Mans (cars and motorcycles), FIA World Endurance Championship, Super GT, Drift, MotoGP, World Superbike, MXGP, Endurance World Championship, IOM TT, IMSA, Rallycross, F1 Boat and scores of others.
Find out more at http://www.linkint.com.au/motul-oils.html
