-It's a joy to see your smile again in the paddock.
-Here I am, smiling again, happy.
-How did the possibility of replacing the injured Abraham come about?
-They called me to go to Germany, because Karel was still not recovered from his injury, but at that time it was not possible because Honda understood that it was better for Aoyama to race. This time, after the Suzuka 8 Hours, Karel's father told me that he would call again for Indianapolis and this time it was possible.
-Has your role in the 8 Hours with Moriwaki influenced this?
-We were fighting for the podium there and, if the handlebar hadn't broken, we could have achieved it. I imagine Honda has seen it more or less favorably and they have given the OK. For now, it's only for this race. Abraham will be ready for his home race.
-How do you approach a situation like this?
-I take it very well, because I come from a complicated situation, from a team that didn't succeed in SBK and I have been out for ten months. I have only been working on projects with the driving school that I have started with RACC, dedicating myself to kids. We have set up a team with my father that will debut in a few weeks in the Spanish Championship, with Xavi Artigas. I had a great time at the 8 Hours and suddenly this comes up. In just three weeks I will have been in two races that give me a new energy and motivation. For me, just being in a MotoGP race is a lot, even if it's just one.
-Did you know that this will be your 100th Grand Prix in MotoGP?
-Wow! Really? I didn't know! Well, that's great. It will be a nice celebration regardless of the result. Being here is already a victory. Now, if it goes well, it will be perfect, and if not, it's just another experience, with the hope that after this, other opportunities will come, as happened to me with the 8 Hours.
-Is there anything that worries you specifically?
-No. I come from adapting to everything at the 8 Hours, from adjusting to a bike that belonged to another rider, to the Bridgestone tires... I will adapt here to whatever it takes.
-Do you know that you are still the last rider to win in MotoGP with a non-factory bike? In Portugal 2006, what a race that was...
-(Laughs) Yeah, I know that. It's still valid. Melandri did it the previous week and I did it in Estoril. I'm happy to be here and if I get a chance to come back, it will be very welcome, and if not, it will be somewhere else. It's okay.
-Do you feel a bit like a bullfighter who is called for a substitution and with it, his future is at stake?
-No. After what I've experienced during these months, anything that comes is very good for me. I've had a tough time because it seemed like a very good option, and it seemed like a back and forth. They told me we wouldn't go to the first race but to the second, and then maybe the third, and the fourth, but in the end, nothing.
-Have you felt retired early?
-No way. I'm still a rider and I hope to be one for many more years. Seeing Checa or Biaggi as World Superbike champions at 40 or 41 years old is encouraging. And Biaggi the other day still made it to the podium at 44 years old. If I have opportunities, this will go on for a long time. (He is 32 years old).
-Who will win the MotoGP title this year?
-I don't know. Márquez is currently the fastest, but he has the disadvantage of 65 points, although there is still a long championship ahead and he can recover. On the other hand, I see Rossi very strong, winning from time to time, but always on the podium. And that's what counts to be a champion.