OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
Once upon a time , in a racing galaxy very , very near at hand , the role of ‘ Rider Assistant ’ was almost non-existent . Sure , some riders and some teams had people involved who would help the riders out , but that would often be people who had other roles to play or who were simply friends or family , just lending a hand . Now , it is a paying role for a number of people inside WorldSBK ; people the riders depend on to keep all the nonracing side of their working lives ticking along with minimal distractions .
‘ Rider Assistant ’ may be a relatively new job in the paddock , but a real job for some .
If you watch WorldSBK on TV or via the WorldSBK Video Pass for all the practice sessions and races , you can often see that the person closest to some of the top riders at all times is not even their own crew chief . In the garage , out on the grid , in post race victory celebrations , that same person is seldom far away .
EXCITING CONTENT
In many cases that person is the Rider ’ s Assistant . In the past most riders were fastidious with preparation of their own riding kit and drinks , etc , or simply had not choice in the matter if they were just too busy . But increasingly riders ’ assistants have become just that - full-time assistants , who basically look after almost everything non-technical during a race weekend to let their rider get on with riding , debriefs , thinking about riding , sleeping , riding some more , thinking about how to win some more … ‘ Rider Assistant ’ may be a relatively new job in the paddock , but a real job for some . And some teams even include that person and that job title ( which is almost exclusively paid for by the rider not the team or manufacturer ) in their official list of team members . Of course , this being life , and everybody having their own needs , wants and processes , not every single rider has an assistant . And even those that do get differing levels of help from them , and have different expectations .
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