EXCITING CONTENT verbal delivery he is often dust dry but when someone says something to rile him , or that he thinks is unfair , he sparks up and really gives vent . Devil Michael , not angel Michael . Does he recognise that shift ? “ Yes , some people struggle with it ,” he said . “ Sometimes I can just switch all the way around and I know a lot of people struggle with it . But , anyway , I want the best . I can go full on the ‘ rev-limiter ’ but also when I am wrong , I can still say it . I can still say , ‘ OK , sorry .’ But sometimes you have to .” VDM knows when that takes over and when he has been wrong . “ I know it myself , I feel it . Then I cool down , and say to myself , ‘ maybe it wasn ’ t like that .’ It depends on the person as well !” Self-contained is a phrase that encapsulates the day-to-day VDM well , it seems , and he does not need the company of close friends or that kind of emotional support at races . Or elsewhere , it seems . “ To be honest I was always - I will not say ‘ alone ’ - but I could live all by myself ,” explained Michael . “ For seven years I am with my girlfriend and we are like one . Always together , everywhere . To me it is quite tough to be with someone every day , or every week - just let me do my thing and don ’ t follow me all day long . The only person who can do that is my girlfriend . In racing , my Dad is always there . I would say the group is quite small . I don ’ t know why but I don ’ t see the point of bringing a lot of people everywhere .” I put it to Michael that I could never remember him bringing any friends to races , even when he was younger . He said , “ Why ! They are just annoying , yeah I find it annoying and you have to entertain them . No , better bring no-one .” Michael and Nadieh ’ s relationship feels more than seven years old , and they were not childhood sweethearts . “ It was co-incidence . She lived just 15 minutes away and I did not even know that . Yes , it ’ s seven years . A little boy coming pretty soon , too . It is going to be interesting . Luckily in August and September - there will not be so many races !,” joked VDM , knowing full well that there are plenty of races away form home around that time . “ I think it is a gift because so many people want a baby and cannot have one , so that ’ s what we have always said . We must be really happy and lucky . I hope he does not like bikes !” Having moved to a house recently , from his cool apartment high above the European megaport of Rotterdam - a flat of which he was very proud - VDM joked the garden at his new place would give him somewhere to hide . On a more serious note , he stated , “ It is nice to have a nice garage and a garden ; stuff like that . Just outside of Rotterdam . It is in ( as he now leans forward to the voice recorder on the table to get the pronunciation just right for the non Dutch interviewer …) Bergschenhoek . It was amazing to be in the city and I really enjoyed it , but when I am older , and the kid or kids leave the house , I will probably move back . But it is nice to have a house and some outside space . Especially during lockdown , I was happy to have something to do . There is always something to do in a house .” At 28 years of age VDM is coy about how financially secure he is , joking that he needs to win more races to make money to invest . ‘ No pressure !”, he said . Van Der mark , who has a happy habit of winning championships as his career has progressed , also has a habit of moving himself on from manufacturers and teams when he feels he needs to . Leaving his racing compatriots at Ten Kate Honda was a seismic shock in some ways , but it paid off at Pata Yamaha , with 28 podiums , including four wins . Not everybody in VDM ’ s position at that earlier stage of his career would have made such a big call , however . Leaving Yamaha for the recently less successful BMW squad in the winter was seen by many as a pure gamble , if not a bit illogical . But For VDM , BMW simply seemed a better way - a better future way . “ I went to Munich and spoke to Mr
“ You should always go to the limit if you want to win , want to be the best . You have no other option to go as far as you can go ”
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