SBK, Jones: MotoGP was a real eye-opener

Australians like Ducati and the feeling is mutual. All you need to think of is Stoner and Bayliss, not to mention Corser, to understand just how much the riders and fans in the other hemisphere have Ducati in their hearts. Now they are trying again with Mike Jones, under Troy’s wing, who even finished in the points in two MotoGP races on Barbera’s D16.

This year, Mad Mike will do the entire European Superstock championship on Team Junior Aruba, the perfect springboard to show what he is made of.

They call you ‘Mad Mike’… why?
“This is a difficult thing to explain, but it starts when I was a kid and it’s just something that stuck. For me it’s a nickname and it’s important.”

You are very close to Bayliss. What is he for you, your biggest fan or your manager?
“Troy has been running the Desmo Sport Ducati team in Australia, so for me, I competed with his team last year and I think that he wanted to help me because I have the potential to race in the world championships, so he wanted to help further me in my career. Whether he is mentor or manager, I don’t know, but he is definitely helping me.”

How does it feel to be part of the Aruba Junior Team?
“It’s very exciting. Of course, the goal is to win races and you’re always aiming to finish in the best position possible for the championship. It will be quite a tough challenge for me though, because I’m new to the team, new to this bike and new to some of the circuits. So it will be very challenging, but I think it’s possible to finish on the podium, win some races and challenge for the championship.”

Last year you did two MotoGP races. What did you learn?
“The Motegi and Phillip Island provided me with a great amount of experience, mostly for my riding skills. To ride those types of bikes takes a different style of riding and way that you need to ride the bike, so for me it helped my skills, but also just to be part of the paddock was a real eye-opener.”

What are your goals for the future: win SBK first and then move over to MotoGP, or would you like to jump over to MotoGP again?
“I think as a rider, the dream is always to race in the MotoGP World Championship, but for me, at the moment, I’ll just take it step by step. I’ll do the Superstock championship, see what progresses from there, and for sure it would be good to be able to race in the WSBK championship and win there. Then, if the opportunity arose to race in MotoGP then certainly I’d like to do that.”

Will you continue to live in Australia or will you move to Europe?
“I plan to base myself in Bologna, in Italy, for the rest of the season.”