Eighteen-year-old motorcycle racer Danny Kent has everything to play for this season, with a ride for KTM Ajo in the new Moto3 class. We grabbed a word with him as he flew by…
In between impromptu games of table tennis at Red Bull’s London HQ and fresh from a photoshoot, Danny talked about the jump from 125s to 250s, a celebrity wedding, and having the confidence to drive hundreds of miles the day after passing your test…
What were your best and worst moments of last season?
Probably one of my good moments was finishing fourth in my second race, at Jerez, in my first year. One of the worst moments of last year? It’s a tricky one, that… I always find those a bit tricky…
GEPA Pictures/Gold & Goose
Don’t worry if you can’t think of any bad moments!
No, I can’t really… it was a pretty good year. I had to learn most of the new tracks and stuff, so it was all right for a rookie year, all in all.
The new KTM looks really good, have you got to ride it?
No, I haven’t actually ridden it yet. We’ve got the first test on the 30th and 31st of this month, then we’ve got a three-day official test [in Valencia] on the 6th, 7th and 8th of February. As soon as I’ve ridden it, I’ll let you know!
Which of the tracks are you most looking forward to this year?
Obviously I’m looking forward to my home grand prix [the British round at Silverstone] because all the English fans will be there, and my family friends and sponsors. I won’t know what tracks will suit the bike best until I’ve ridden it.
You said last year that Moto3 would be a "level playing field" – do you still think that the new series will give everyone an equal chance?
Not straight away, I don’t think, as it’s going to be better for the people with more knowledge. But it’s a new class, so no one knows what to expect, really. It’s well known that KTM make a good bike, but until the rest of us have ridden it, only the KTM test rider knows how good this one is – we might get on it and find there are other bikes that are even better. You’ll start seeing what’s going to happen after the first couple of races.
KTM
Who do you think are your main rivals for the title?
The Spanish rider Maverick Viñales will be, and also my team-mate Sandro Cortese, who won races last year. Then you’ve got experienced riders like Hector Faubel, Luis Salom… I think there are at least six other riders who’ll be up there.
Who’s your money on for the MotoGP title this season?
I hate to state the obvious, but I think it’ll be Casey Stoner. He’s such a good rider, and Honda, last year, were just on a different level compared to any other bike out there. Unless Ducati can make a lot of difference with this year’s bike or, you never know, Valentino Rossi can pull something out of the bag… I do like Rossi, but then I admire all of them. I think what they all do is great, but I think it’ll be Stoner again at the end of the season.
It sounds as if you’ve been training hard in the off-season, what’s your daily routine like at the moment?
I wake up early in the morning, eat heathily, check my vitamins and go to the gym. I spend a couple of hours in the gym, sometimes twice a day. But after I’ve done whatever fitness training I need to, I do whatever a normal 18-year-old does – you know, go and see my girlfriend and stuff.
'James Toseland’s going to help me out quite a lot this year'
We hear you also passed your driving test recently – congratulations! Have you been very far yet?
Yeah! I only passed two days ago, so I had my first long drive yesterday, from Leeds [Danny lives in Gloucestershire, some 200 miles from the Yorkshire city…] and then up to London today [another 100 miles!].
Have you spoken to James Toseland since he announced he had to retire?
Yeah, I speak to James quite regularly. I think I’m going to go out to the Isle of Man, where he lives, and do some training with him before the season starts. He’s going to help me out quite a lot this year, as he’s got more time on his hands. He’s doing a bit more with music now… [Toseland is a talented piano player and singer with serious musical ambitions.]
I guess you’ve heard that James and Katie Melua have got engaged?
Yeah, he and Katie and are getting married in September.
Will you be going to the wedding?
Probably. Hopefully. If I’m here and not racing!
Want more?
- Danny Kent: Best Day, Worst Day
- Danny Kent's official website at dannykentracing.com
- Moto3 news at official website motogp.com
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