David, how do you feel after being crowned champion of Spain? Also with a historical title, the first one!
Good, very good. I am very happy, but without stopping working on the bike since this has not done anything else to start. Next weekend starts the World Cup in France and, the following week, ends in Belgium.
The World Cup of this electrical discipline begins this year?
Not really. Last year, a single test was done and, now, it has been extended to two. Step vy step the E-Trial grows. I did not participate last year, but this year I’m looking forward to it.
How many riders partecipate?
We will be eight. Two Spanish, two Japanese and four French. It will be a very short but complete World Cup, since in addition to my brand -ON Racing- Gas Gas, Yamaha, Mecatecno and Electric Motion also attend.
Returning to the origins, where is your hobby born?
I started riding a motorcycle at the age of ten because of my father’s love. Like all, at the beginning I was competing in a combustion motorcycle. Over the years I was enjoying discipline more and more and I was dedicating more time to that. I studied Electrical Engineering and, the last year of my degree, I had the opportunity to participate in Motostudent with the University of Castellón.
J.Juan is an official sponsor of Motostudent!
Yes I know! That’s where I started to work and to learn more about the Spanish brake company.
What’s happened after that?
After finishing my degree, graduating as an engineer and after the experience in Motostudent, I decided to start a similar project on my own. On this occasion, instead of creating a speed bike, I designed my own Trial electric motorcycle. Some colleagues helped me, but essentially I designed and manufactured it myself.
What was the objective that moved you?
At first my idea was to go directly to the World Cup because until the beginning of this season we did not know that there would be a Spanish E-Trial Championship. However, when the federation created it, I did not hesitate to sign up and participate. It was important to havebreake-in before the World Cup, in competition is where you see the failures.
So you decided to participate in the national …
Correct. This year I have competed in several rounds of the National Trial. Of electric category there have only been three races. In the first I ran alone, but in the last two we were more riders in the category.
That is, in total, you have done three races before facing the World Cup.
No. In the rounds of the national there was no electrical category so I ran with the other riders carrying combustion bikes. The electric motorcycle behaves differently from gasoline. But only that: different, neither better nor worse. I can do the same as others.
How did you decide to put Braktec brakes on your bike?
I started with a Gas Gas and the Braktec are the brakes the bike was equipped with. I’m used to running with them and, for Trial, they work very well. I wanted to put the best on my bike!
How did they work during the competition?
Very well. Maybe this bike has more power than the combustion one, but even so the behavior of the brake is very similar.
What difference would you highlight between an electric motorcycle and a combustion one in terms of braking?
The truth is that they do not present great differences, although it is true that the electric motorcycle may depend more on the brake than the gasoline, since -in my case- I do not have the extra help of the engine brake. With my bike, on the downs, you can not help with this type of brake and it’s time to pull more of the traditional brake system.
So in the E-Trial, the brakes are even more important?
In a certain way you could say yes.
David, your participation in the World Cup is as a rider but also as a constructor. What role weighs more now: the manufacturer or the rider?
They both weigh a lot, but maybe the idea of a manufacturer pulls me over. Not at the level of taking the bike to production, but to keep evolving it, so that it works at its maximum level. If the motorcycle finishes the competition and I draw conclusions to continue developing it, that will be more valuable than winning the World Championship and that the motorcycle ends up destroyed.
Therefore, if you had to define your short-term goal, this would be …
Perfect the bike.