{"id":97421,"date":"2019-05-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pre.boxrepsol.com\/uncategorized\/marquez-me-parece-mas-fuerte-varios-pilotos-pueden-dar-la-sorpresa\/"},"modified":"2023-02-27T07:18:10","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T09:18:10","slug":"marquez-me-parece-mas-fuerte-varios-pilotos-pueden-dar-la-sorpresa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pre.boxrepsol.com\/en\/motogp-en\/marquez-me-parece-mas-fuerte-varios-pilotos-pueden-dar-la-sorpresa\/","title":{"rendered":"Gilles Bigot: \u201cM\u00e1rquez seems strongest, but there are several riders who can spring a surprise.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the 62-year-old Frenchman, the equality amongst riders and manufacturers in MotoGP is providing a great spectacle which does not only feature the established names in the premier class. Bigot is currently working as a chief mechanic in Moto2, but one of the main milestones in his career came when he was \u00c1lex Crivill\u00e9\u2019s crew chief for the Spaniard\u2019s 500cc title-winning campaign with Repsol Honda.<\/p>\n

[Question] Your relationship with the Repsol Honda Team is closely tied to \u00c1lex Crivill\u00e9\u2019s 1999 title. What do you remember about that season?<\/p>\n

[Answer]<\/strong> It was a dream come true; the result of a lot of work and a journey full of obstacles for \u00c1lex [Crivill\u00e9], because he had the best rider of the 90s as his teammate. At the beginning of the season, I think we found a very good base setup. Since 1995, one of my requests to HRC to help \u00c1lex was for them to develop an electronic control for the exhaust valves, to better control the bike\u2019s power when accelerating, and it worked very well. Many elements combined for us to be very competitive and have a good season.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Q] You arrived at Honda with \u00c1lex. What was it like to join a Japanese team, with a young Spanish rider and a teammate like Doohan?<\/p>\n

[A]<\/strong> At the beginning it was rather difficult, because \u00c1lex was the third rider, it was my first year as a chief mechanic, and my first year in 500cc. In the opening preseason test, in Australia, I was told on the first day that we were going to use Doohan\u2019s two bikes from 1993, plus some same parts, and that we would be located behind the box occupied by Mick Doohan and Shinichi Itoh. I understood that we had to earn HRC\u2019s trust. In the first three races, the difference between us and the winner was quite big and there was some tension. But at Jerez, \u00c1lex cut the gap a lot and at the next round, in Salzburgring, we took a load off our shoulders thanks to the podium he earned after fighting with Kevin Schwantz. <\/p>\n

From there on he gained confidence and everything went well with the team; There was a very good atmosphere among us all. I will always remember when \u00c1lex crashed in practice at Laguna Seca; he had destroyed the bike and, when he arrived in the pits, mechanics from Mick and Shinichi\u2019s crews helped us to rebuild it. The bike was ready in under an hour.<\/em><\/p>\n

[Q] How has the job of a crew chief changed?<\/p>\n

[A] <\/strong>Before, there were many things that a crew chief could decide, from the setup, to the gearbox, to the chassis geometry. We had 4 or 5 different front tyres, and 5 or 6 rear tyres, and you had to choose them well. There were fewer technicians and engineers. With the power that the current bikes have, the electronics needed to control it has taken on a more important role. <\/p>\n

Nowadays it is simpler in terms of tyre choice, but much more reflection is required when analysing at what temperature each compound works best. Everything is analyzed down to the smallest detail and there are several engineers working on the electronics. Data has taken over.<\/p>\n

A little anecdote from my first season is that Alex asked HRC for permission to participate in the Superprestigio, in Albacete, and HRC said yes. When I asked what package we would have, the answer was: \u2018A motorcycle and some spare parts, the coordinator -Roger Van der Borght- a mechanic, and you.\u2018 We set up the bike thanks to \u00c1lex\u2019s instructions, as we didn\u2019t have a computer or data, and we won the two races.<\/em><\/p>\n

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