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Having passed the halfway point of the season at Most, World Superbike arrives at Portimao to inaugurate the second half of the year. This is a particularly important moment for Dominique Aegerter, who comes to Portugal on the back of the podium he won last weekend in CIV SBK, after a heated battle with Alessandro Delbianco. Never before will it be as important as now for the Swiss rider of the GRT team to obtain results with which to rip apart the shadows shrouding his future after a complicated first part of the season, which sees Domi occupying 11th place in the championship with 64 points. A situation we talked about with the two-time Supersport World Champion at the Italian Superbike Championship's Racing Night.
"For me it is a great pleasure to participate in the Italian Championship and there is no better place than Misano, which is a really nice track," Aegerter underlined , "I have to thank the GRT team, which gave me the opportunity to take part in this race and train, so that I could arrive in good shape in Portimao. As you can also see from the times, there are some fast riders here and a good organization."
Did you expect to find this level?
"I knew there were some riders I have raced with in the past, like Pirro, Bernardi, or Delbianco in Endurance, who are also good riders, but obviously the bike is not the same as the one I use in Superbike, so I have to adapt my riding. Plus, riding at night is very special, and the first day I had a hard time seeing where to go because it was quite dark. It's not like in Qatar, and we also had to make some changes to the dashboard, which was very bright, but I improved already on the second day."
Is the bike that much different than the one you use in the World Championship?
"Yes, it is configured according to the rules of the Italian Championship, so it is quite different. Let's say the Yamaha engine characteristics are quite similar, but the electronics, tyres, riding position and all these kinds of things are very different. It's harder to get used to a new bike and take it to the limit than it is to find the feeling with one you already know."
Speaking of the World Championship, there were high expectations for the first part of the season but the results didn't come. How are you living this moment?
"I think I will live better when I have better results (laughs, ed.), but I certainly am not giving up. I train very hard. I put everything into the race weekends to try to achieve my result, which is to be in the top six. A couple of times we were a little unlucky and had technical failures, while in the other races I was strong in qualifying and we were able to start on the second row. I got some good Top 10s, but not where I wanted to be."
How much did missing the first part of the winter preparation weigh on you?
"We missed a lot, because you have four days where it is important to fine-tune the basic set-up of the bike. It's very difficult to do that during a race weekend, because Friday practice has to be tackled one with new tyre and one with used tyre, and maybe in the morning the asphalt temperature is 30°C and in the afternoon it's 45°C, so it's always quite difficult to make changes when you don't have a base. I think we missed that a little bit this year to be able to perform better on Friday morning, but we tried to figure out how to improve."
Do you think this is the main reason why you are struggling so much?
"Not really, because I know the bike and we have some data from last year, but also the level of Superbike has increased, so there are three or four more riders fighting for the Top 5 and everything has to be perfect to be able to finish in the top six, which I want to do. But so far we've been struggling a bit and we have to work to get back to where I finished last year."
Is it helping you to see the data from the other Yamaha riders?
"Yes, seeing data from three different riders is a big help for all of us to take the project higher."
Rea seems to be starting to understand the bike. What do you think of his progression?
"He was with another manufacturer for a long time and I think he expected better results when he joined the Yamaha family. He hit a pole position and a third place, though, and he just passed me in the championship. He is a Superbike legend, but he also needs some time to understand the bike and the set-up, however, I hope I can stay ahead of him (smiles, ed.)."
Your contract is up at the end of the season and there are a lot of rumors right now about your future, what can you tell us about that?
"We are talking with the team and Yamaha to see what will happen next year. Obviously I would like to continue in Superbike, but we will see what happens in the next few weeks."
Are you already thinking about a plan B in case it is not possible?
"I'm trying to stick to plan A and then we'll see. For now I'm focused on this weekend and then next weekend, and then we'll see what happens. With me is my brother, who is also my manager, and he will deal with all the offers I have and the options for next year."
How frustrating is it for a three-time World Champion to be in this position?
"Motorsport is always difficult when you don't have good results, because there are 100 other riders who want to take your place. I think the most important thing is to focus on racing, try to get good results, and then we can talk about contracts. Let's say that for me being 33 years old and Swiss, it's not always easy to find the best place."
Do you think you came too late to Superbike?
"For me age is just a number, but I feel that last year or the year before I was in my best years. I am over 30 years old, but I feel great and I hope I can continue for a few more years."
