On The Pegs December 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 12 | Page 139

On The Pegs
VOL. 4 ISSUE 12 - DECEMBER 2019
139
all celebrated like it was 1997 all over again. I went to see Fuji in his mo-torhome
after the Trial and he was a broken man and crying. I knew just how hard he had
worked to lose again and I imagine it took some getting over.
By the time 2003 had come Fujinami had been your teammate at Honda
for a few seasons, and was now emerging as your main rival – how were rela-
tions inside the team as you felt the tide was changing?
Fuji and I had been teammates since 2000 and to be honest he was a pain in the
arse at times! As a teammate we got on very well except for race days, which is
to be expected. I always worked very closely with Amos Bilbao, who was my test
rider at Montesa and he knew just how I wanted the bike and together we worked
perfectly. Fuji however wasn’t good at set up and would just copy what I was
doing and my settings especially at the races. He was also watching me closely
in training and was adapting his style and training as close as he could to mine. I
think this was the time he had cracked it and knew what it took to take the crown.
After pushing you hard in 2002 / 2003 the moment came at the closing
round in Switzerland – despite winning both days – that you had to finally
surrender your long held crown to your team-mate and friend – what was
the feeling like?
I had started the season well, then Fuji had a good run during the mid-part of
the season where I lost ground to him. We had one round after the summer-break
and he had a healthy lead and the title was his to lose. I therefore had time to
almost prepare myself and it wasn’t going to be a shock finale. I absolutely cruised
the last double header, but the title was gone. Seven years on top is a long time
and I can tell you that when the moment does come and you lose your World falls
apart and it’s certainly a big pill to swallow. I took some time out from the Trial
bubble and for the first time thought about other things as Nicola and I planned
our wedding and started to think about a family. I hadn’t given up on getting my
title back, but I needed to take a breath after having almost like tunnel vision for
so many years. However Montesa had a new four stroke bike for 2004, and myself
and Fuji would have needed a magic wand to win the champion-ship on it which
is a real shame as we would have had a great battle I’m sure if we had stayed on
the two stroke 315 bikes. Fuji and I are now great friends even though he calls me
“seven times lucky’ we have a great respect for each other and our achievements.
It is fair to say that you remained competitive at the highest level for a few