NEIL HODGSON
British Superbike Champion, Neil Hodgson has just had his best season ever. Winning the Championship and claiming two victories as a Wild Card in the World Superbike Championship have made him one of the hottest properties around and he spoke to Paul from his Douglas home about his career past, present and future...
When did start racing and how did you get involved in the sport?
I started Motocross when I was nine years old, I'm twenty seven now and I've competed every year since. I did six years of Motocross then gave up and started Road Racing when I was sixteen. My first race was at a Kart circuit in Middlesborough in 1990 on a TZR 125 Mini-Stock bike. It was a good quick bike and was ex-Darren Mitchell. I won the Preston and District Championship on it.
My dad raced and that's why I started really. He loved bikes and raced at club level for about four years until he couldn't afford to carry on when my brother and I started Motocross. When I got to about sixteen, I was still really small and skinny and I stopped enjoying the Motocross. I had to ride a 125cc bike and I couldn't handle it. I went from winning everything on a 100cc bike to finishing fourth and fifths and crashing all the time. My dad persuaded me to try Road Racing and I knew straight away that it was for me. In the Motocross I was good on the smooth tracks and crap on the bumpy ones with jumps so I suppose I was destined to become a Road Racer!
So I presume your dad has been the biggest influence on your career?
Totally. He's been the biggest influence on my career full stop. 1995 was the first time I didn't ride for my dad when I went to the 500's.
So when did you first go to the British Championship?
The year after in the 125cc Class. We bought a proper 125 racing bike, but I really struggled to be perfectly honest. I got lapped in the first few meetings by Rob Orme, Alan Patterson and these guys. I did the full season and by the end of the season at the Powerbike Meeting at Brands, I don't know where it came from, because I'd done nothing all year and then I finished fifth and broke the lap record which shocked us all.
So the year after we managed to get a bit more sponsorship on the back of that one result. We got a better bike and I went and won the Championship. I was only eighteen at the time and there was no one more surprised than me. I had a fast bike which helped and it seemed really easy. At the start of the season I thought if I can get into the top five I'll be happy but by mid way through the season I knew that I couldn't settle for anything other than the win. I was lucky in that Rob Orme got injured really early on as he would have probably gone on and won the Championship.
The it was onto the World Championships. What was that like?
Yeah that was great. The team was set up as Team RBP which stands for Roger Burnett Promotions. Roger is my manager and along with my dad and some other sponsors we managed to go on and do two full seasons. I really enjoyed the experience and I would have to say that the first year was better than the second. I learnt all the tracks and I learnt how to ride hard.
In the second year I got another bike which was supposed to be better, but it wasn't and I didn't really do anything. Then in 94 I got the offer to ride a 500 for Team WCM who are now Team Red Bull Factory Yamaha. I did the full season and I really enjoyed it. It was similar to my first season in the British Championship. I remember in Australia at the start of the season being lapped by Mick Doohan with ten laps to go and when he came passed me he was doing this massive rear wheel slide as he passed me and I can remember as if it was yesterday thinking 'whatever it takes, I haven't got it and I'll never be able to do what he just did' but by the end of the year I had qualified on the front row of the grid and in practice I followed Doohan for about five laps wheel to wheel. He came past me and I thought 'whatever he does, I'm going to do it and if I fall off I fall off'. I went on to finish seventh in the race and was the top privateer in the Championship and still only twenty one.
And what was next?
I signed for Ducati to partner John Kosinski then and I rode for them for two years before moving to Kawasaki in 98.
You didn't have the best of times whilst riding for Kawasaki did you?
Well the bike wasn't competitive and that makes the job difficult. The team itself was alright but the factory wasn't very helpful and I only signed a one year contract but it was supposed to be a two year plan. They said don't worry we realize the bikes not too good but it will be improved for next year. So I wasn't thinking about trying to get another ride, then all of a sudden they said if you don't do well at this meeting your going to get sacked. So I tried really but it didn't go right so they said that they would not renew my contract.
And then it was back to the British Championship with GSE Racing...
Yeah, I had heard a lot about them, and had been told that they weren't a bad team but were not very well organized. Then Colin Wright who was at the time Manager of Kawasaki UK moved to the team and I knew he was a well respected team manager. So as soon as he decided to go I decided to go.
I had a tough year last year having to re-learn the tracks. You see I'd only had two seasons in the UK back in 91 and 92 on the 125's but everyone expects an English rider to know all the tracks however I'd only ever ridden at Oulton Park and Knockhill for instance twice in my career and never on a Superbike.
But I enjoyed the year even though I didn't do anything special, I only won two races, but I knew that in my second year I would do much better having learnt the tracks and the rest is history.
This season has been a bit of a fairytale for you hasn't it?
Yeah it has. I won two World Superbike races out of six starts and I should have won the last race and I was prepared to stick my neck out.
Did you expect to achieve so much this season?
Not as much as I have done, but I felt really confident after pre-season testing and I was very very hyped about the Donnington World Superbike race. When I got there I didn't expect to win but I knew I was going to do well and not get like two seventh places. But I really didn't expect to win.
And what about your British Championship? It's been the most exciting season for some time hasn't it?
I think whenever there's two riders really going at it and like me and Chris have such different styles. Chris is flamboyant, very exciting to watch, slides in and out of every corner, whereas I'm boring caring lots of corner speed using all the road with not a lot of body movements. Because we've such different styles we had collisions but we both lifted our profile through the season. It's a shame we're not going to be able to do it next year.
Going into the last round of the Championship, had you given up hope of winning?
Defiantly. After Brands there was two weeks where I was home, and I was sat just where your sat, watching the TV, sulking for two weeks. The only thing I did was train every day at Mount Murray with my personal trainer and he was telling me that it wasn't over, but I was really depressed.
Did the underdog status remove a lot of the pressure from you?
I would say it removed about 80% of the pressure. I turned up at the meeting thinking that my season had gone but then I saw Walker and he looked really under pressure which was a nice feeling.
Chris Walker was your main rival all season and a lot has been said and written about the clashes the two of you had this year, but I'm sure everyone would like to know what your relationship with Chris is like?
It was a bit up and down really. I like Chris and I was sat next to him yesterday actually at the BBC Sports awards. I've nothing against him, I don't dislike him, but if I was having a party for instance, I wouldn't invite him. Whenever I'm asked this question I tell the truth. I don't tell you what you want to hear, like we're best mates and stuff because we're not and I'm sure he would answer it the same.
How do you think he'll fair in the Grand Prix's?
I think he'll do really well. He's going into a good team, very good bike, and he can ride a motorbike, you can't take that away from him. It's not going to be easy, but I genuinely hope that he surprises a lot of people.
Had you of been in his position with the two rides on offer, which one would you have chosen?
That's a good question. I've got to say it must have been bloody tough for him. Everyone says it's better the devil you know, and he's got the Suzuki there or the 500 ride. I would say I'd have gone with Honda because it's a chance of a lifetime and if it did all go wrong, you could always come back. You might never get another chance like that. Good question...
Yeah it was put forward by one of our regular visitors. So anyway, what's it been like in the weeks since you won the Championship and has it sunk in yet?
It has now, but I mean after all the drama and with four laps to go, you know it was incredible. I couldn't take it in there and then and the week after I was racing anyway, so I couldn't let my hair down. It was only when I went on holiday two weeks after Brands to Capetown that it sunk in. I'd been on holiday before with Kathryn after the season and it's always been doom and gloom, a great holiday, but I'd be thinking 'what a shit year that was and hopefully it'll be better next year', but this was the first year we we're sat back on sun loungers going 'Top year, let's have another one like that'. Everything I wanted to achieve I did.
The last year has been pretty hectic for you; do you get much time to relax?
The way the British Championship calendar was, there were holes in the calendar where I would be back here for three weeks enjoying myself, training, mountain biking, I'd go down to the Sound but since the season has finished, because I won the Championship everyone wants a piece of you and I've done so much stuff. I'm not sick of it but it's none stop and it's what your paid to do and you get paid a good wage and if they say 'Can you do this' you do it.
The British Superbike Championship is going to lose three of it's most talented riders next season. Has the Championship got the strength in depth to maintain it's status as probably the best domestic series around?
I think so, but not straight away, I think the next rivalry will emerge and there is a lot of very very good riders there.
Who do you see as the main contenders for the domestic title next season?
I'd have to say John Reynolds. I can't see anyone touching him, he won't win every race, but he's going to be the man. He scored in every round last year which is incredible and he's riding now as good as he's ever ridden and he'll even tell you that so I can't see anyone touching him. But then you've got Steve Hislop who if he can put a year together he would be the next man I'd put my money on. Jefferies and Llwellyan will surprise a lot of people and I think both of them will be in the top six and then there's James Haydon. He'll be right up there on whatever he rides then there will be Plater, but his bikes not anything special. That Kawasaki is getting older and he'll do exactly the same as what he's done this year and that'll be that he'll ride very fast, ride the wheels off it and fall off because he'll have to try too hard. I don't think he'll go forward because the bike will hold him back.
Ok, so what about the World Superbike Championship? You must be pleased to be able to maintain the continuity by remaining with GSE Racing?
Yeah it makes it a lot easier. I feel dead relaxed, I'm looking forward to next year, I feel nervous but If I was riding for Honda instead next year say, I'd be sitting here worrying about the different bike, different team, different tyres. I wouldn't be as confident as I am now. the only unknown is James Toseland in the entire team and I've spent time with him already and he seems to be a brilliant bloke and he's a normal Northerner and you can have a laugh with him.
Do you think GSE Racing will be immediately competitive with the established factory teams next season?
Yeah I do. I've been on the other side of the fence and you think the grass is always greener on the other side because there is a factory behind it. I've ridden for factory Kawasaki and factory Ducati and it means nothing except for extra pressure. If you've got a good mechanic, good engine tuner, good suspension guy and a good team manager and money you don't need anything else. You only need about five people. You don't need five hundred Japanese guys working on the bike, all you need is five good people, the Ducati is a good bike and you could do it out of the back of a van. Next year I'll have been racing ten years and I've learnt things like that.
You have already mentioned James Toesland, but how highly do you rate him as a rider?
I think he's got a lot of talent and I think he'll surprise a lot of people next year. He got some fantastic opportunities really young and he was under a lot of pressure, and he rode the bikes well although he crashed a bit. Then this season I was really impressed with him because his bike was dog slow. I commented a few times to the press and people how bad his bike was. I couldn't believe how slow it was and he rode it really hard that's why I think he'll surprise a lot of people. Having said that I was still pretty surprised he got the job but pleased with it because I knew that he's a good guy and the team have made a smart decision.
The rumor was that John Reynolds was going to get the ride...
Well that's what I heard (laughs) and I think I told a few people as well.
Do you feel that being involved in the World Superbike Championship at such an early age the first time round helped or hindered your career?
It's helped me now but at the time it was horrible. It didn't work out for me so I really hated it and it almost ended my career because I stopped enjoying it. I think with racing, if you don't enjoy riding the bike, there's nothing to do it for because it's dangerous for one and there's a lot of pressure involved in the sport and you shouldn't just do it for the financial side. So at the end of 98 I had to sit down with Kathryn and my family and really talk about how I felt and is it going to be worth caring on. And thankfully I decided to try and find the enjoyment again and I did last year and then this year I've loved it.
Do you feel fortunate to be give a second bite at the cherry as it where?
Yes very fortunate and I was also fortunate to get my first chance so young. If I was going into World Superbikes now as my first chance and if in two or three years I cocked it up, then that would be it. But I got my first chance when I was twenty two, failed but it's like taking your driving test, if you fail they don't say 'That's it you can never take your test again' they tell you to learn how to drive and come back and give it another go and that's what I did!
You are already being hailed as 'The New Foggy'. Do you enjoy the comparison, or does it just put extra pressure on you?
It's to be expected really, but it doesn't put any pressure on me really. The only pressure I'm under is that I put myself under but I don't feel any outside pressure anymore. I've said before in interviews, I've only won two World Superbike races and Carl Fogarty won fifty odd so I've a long way to go and they're very big shoes to fill but I'm not going to say that I'm going to do it because there's so far to go I'm not even thinking about it.
Apart from winning the British Superbike Championship, what has been the highlight of your career so far?
Donnington. Nothing has ever come close to that, the feeling you get when you cross the line, I cant' describe it. The next closest feeling was winning the second race at Brands then next was winning the Championship, it was that order.
I would be interested personally if you ever in your career considered racing on the public road circuits?
When I started racing, whatever my dad said I did and my dad would say 'This week your going to race at Scarborough, so I went to Scarborough and I turned up and thought 'This is a bit narrow!' So I raced there and loved it and then he said 'We're going to Abadare Park' and I raced there. I've said this to a few people, if my dad had said 'We're going to do the Manx this year' I'd have turned up and I'd have rode. I've nothing against the roads, it's just what I did.
Do you follow road racing at all?
Yeah I get Road Racing Ireland and I keep up with the results in there.
Road Racing for me peaked about three years ago, but there 's been too many people hurt or worse. Like my hero James Courtney; he could have won loads of TT's but he's been hurt bad too many times...
Yeah I know James really well. Every time he crashed he hurt his legs, badly. I met him for the first time in town in TT time and it was about five in the morning and they wouldn't let me go. They kept making me take another whiskey. The Irish are real generous people.
Your Courtney's and them sort of people have got balls of steel and Joey...
Did you ever meet Joey?
No I was always in awe of him. There was an aura that kind of followed him round. I remember a couple of years ago, I was shopping with Kathryn in Shoprite the week before TT practice and there was Joey and Linda getting there groceries in the aisle in front of us. Kathryn was going to me 'Go and introduce yourself' but I didn't, I was just in awe of him and he didn't see me and that was it.
Excellent. Ok, a final few questions. Who is your favorite rider of all time?
Mick Doohan.... easy. He's my hero, I love the guy. It's like you probably are with Joey, I'm like 'I'm not worthy'.
Which young riders riding in the UK would you tip for success?
Unfortunately the young rider that I would tip, is Australian and he's called Casey Stoner. He's also the nicest kid you'll ever meet. He came and knocked on my motor home door and introduced himself to me. I had a lot of respect for him for doing that you know a fourteen year old kid. Remember the name, he'll be World Champion, I'm confident.
What are your ambitions for next season in terms of the World Championship?
Being realistic, to win as many races as I can and to try and finish in the top three in the world. If I do that I'll be happy. Then the year after I would like to think with a new bike that I could be World Champion.
And who do you think are going to be your main rivals?
Edwards, Corser, Bayliss.... I don't know who else really.
How do think Chris Walker would have faired?
I think he might have struggled. He's very scratchy and he suits a lot of the British stop start circuits, but in Europe the circuits are more flowing. I reckon he'd have been about eighth or ninth in the Championship. I'll probably get slagged off for saying that!
What about Chilli?
He'll do exactly what he does every year, he'll win races, he'll fall off, he'll cry, he'll break down, he'll throw his leathers into the crowd. He defiantly won't win the Championship. He'll be a threat in some races but I feel that I'll beat him in the Championship.
And finally, what is your long term ambition?
I don't have one really. If I can win World Championship Races next year and get really good at it after, I would then maybe think about GP's or something, but I want to win races. That's what everyone want's.
Well I think that's the grilling over, thank's a lot....
No problem.