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SBK, Tamburini: "Thanks to Yamaha I can focus on redeeming myself"

The new Yamaha Pata recruit: "2016 was a year to forget. Now I want to redeem myself. Superbike? Only if I could be competitive"

Tamburini: "Thanks to Yamaha I can focus on redeeming myself"

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His debut season in Stock1000, in 2015, saw him fighting for the title all the way to the final race against Lorenzo Savadori, and for this reason Roberto Tamburini was one of the favourites for the title at the start of the following season. The move from a privateer BMW to a factory Aprilia also seemed to bode well, but sport is unpredictable of course, and seventh place overall is proof of that very fact: “I can't deny that, after my great first season, I was aiming for the title in 2016 – explains the Rimini rider – but various factors prevented me from achieving my goal”.                

What didn't work?

“In practice we were consistently competitive, while in the races various issues arose. The biggest had to do with the front of the bike, which in normal conditions is one of my strengths, and that saw me gradually lose confidence in terms of corner entry throughout the course of the race. This can depend on several things, but we weren't able to really solve it, which was a pity”.

Did moving from the BMW to an Aprilia have a bearing?

“They are very different bikes of course. With the Aprilia you really need to be sorted to be quick. Adapting wasn't a problem though, and pole position proves this. The problem, like I say, was in the race, where I wasn't able to be as competitive as I and the team had hoped”.

Now it's time to turn the page, with the aim of redeeming oneself and looking to the future, which for Roberto means a factory Yamaha.

Another important team with whom you can do well.

“Absolutely, the team is also supported by team Motoxracing, or rather the guys who followed me in 2015. I got on with them well, both personally and professionally. I have to thank Sandro Carusi of Motoxracing and Andrea Dosoli of Yamaha Europe for this amazing opportunity. I really want to redeem myself and be competitive again, as competitive as I know I can be”.

Have you already tested the new bike?

“Yes, I was able to test it at Vallelunga after the championship ended. There was a lot of traffic on track, so I couldn't lap as I'd hoped to, but I can say that the initial approach was positive. We'll have more of an idea after the first official tests. The bike is undoubtedly fast though, as demonstrated by Mahias' wins last season”

So you start out with the same goal - the title...

“The final goal is the title, yes, and it would be a great personal victory after the recent season. In a championship made up of so few events like the Stock 1000, you need to take it race by race and avoid mistakes - consistency is key”.

All of this with an eye on the long-term goal, Superbike.

“I would like to take part in that championship, but to do so I need to achieve great results in all of the minor categories like the Stock 1000. Also, I think that moving to Superbike just to make up numbers, on a bike that's not up to the competition, is the wrong thing to do. So if I were to have an opportunity, I'd carefully consider it without making any hasty decisions”.

Are you still thinking about the world championship?

“Never say never in life. If I were to get an opportunity, it would definitely be hard to turn down, but also in this case I'd need to think carefully, to avoid repeating past mistakes. My mind is focused on the Superbike world for now though”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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