Interview: Joe Roberts

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‘MotoGP IS MY ULTIMATE GOAL’ Currently I’m in the Red Bull Rookies Racing Cup and I would like to win it this year and, hopefully, next year be in Moto3.

My ultimate goal, like everyone else’s, is to be in MotoGP, says 15-year-old Joe Roberts Interviewed By: Sarmad Kadiri Photography: Gary Bailey/ picman.co.uk OE ROBERTS HAS THAT natural charisma often seen in young oOP VWDUV 0D\EH JURZLQJ XS LQ /RV $QJHOHV &DOLIRUQLD WKH JODP FDSLWDO RI WKH ZRUOG KDV VRPHWKLQJ WR GR ZLWK LW %XW KH KDV QRWKLQJ WR GR ZLWK WKH VLOYHU VFUHHQ H[FHSW PD\EH GXULQJ KLV SUDFWLFH ULGHV RQ +ROO\ZRRG +LOOV FORVH WR KLV KRPH ,W V QR VXUSULVH WKDW KLV UROH PRGHO LVQ W +XJK -DFNPDQ RU %UDG 3LWW EXW WZR WLPH 0RWR*3 :RUOG &KDPSLRQ &DVH\ 6WRQHU k+H LV P\ LGRO VR IDU DV ULGLQJ JRHV DQG 9DOHQWLQR 5RVVL EHFDXVH RI KLV DFFRPSOLVKPHQWV y VD\V -RH DV KH UHPRYHV KLV $OSLQHVWDU JORYHV DQG XQ]LSV KLV 3LORW OHDWKHUV DV GHPDQGHG E\ WKH KRW DQG KXPLG &KHQQDL ZHDWKHU 7KLV \HDU ROG ODG LV MXVW EDFN IURP D IDVW ODS URXQG WKH 6ULSHUXPEXGXU UDFHWUDFN DVWULGH D 36 %0: 6 55 +H QRQFKDODQWO\ DGGV k, DP JRRG IULHQGV ZLWK &ROLQ (GZDUG >DND 7H[DV 7RUQDGR WZR WLPH :RUOG 6XSHUELNH FKDPSLRQ@ , UHDOO\ OLNH KLP DV D ULGHU DQG KH V D FRRO JX\ DV ZHOO y , WU\ QRW WR FKRNH RQ WKH ERWWOHG ZDWHU DQG DFW HTXDOO\ FRRO

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Bike India // April 2013

www.bikeindia.in

JOE ROBERTS When Joe was just three years old, his father bought him a 50-cc dirt bike and the motorcycle bug bit him for good. Talking about it, he says, “My dad used to ride a little bit and he always wanted to ride with us. So when I was three years old he bought me my mini 50-cc bike and I just loved it.� He started to hone his biking skills in his home garden and started his racing career at WKH DJH oYH FRPSHWLQJ LQ pDW WUDFN $PHULFDQ dirt oval) on the 50-cc and soon transitioned to 6XSHUPRWR ZKLFK LV D PL[ RI GLUW WUDFN DQG SDYHG surfaces, riding on 65-cc motorcycles. He soon got on to scaled-down road-racing bikes and SDUWLFLSDWHG LQ RXWGRRU NDUWLQJ WUDFNV UDFHV $V KH WXUQHG KH JUDGXDWHG WR IXOO VL]H WUDFNV DVWULGH D +RQGD 56 FRPSHWLQJ QDWLRQDOO\ ZLWK WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV *UDQG 3UL[ 5DFHUV 8QLRQ IRU D FRXSOH RI \HDUV oQLVKLQJ oIWK DQG WKHQ WKLUG LQ WKH *3 FODVV EHIRUH being selected for the Red Bull MotoGP 5RRNLHV &XS IRU WKH VHDVRQ )RU WKRVH ZKR are familiar, the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies &XS LV WKH KXQWLQJ JURXQG IRU *3 WHDPV DQG coaches to discover future racing talent.

This highly talented kid caught everyone’s DWWHQWLRQ ZKHQ KH DFKLHYHG D ZLQ LQ KLV oUVW \HDU DW WKH %UQR *UDQG 3UL[ 1R VXUSULVH WKDW KH ZDV LQYLWHG DJDLQ IRU WKH VHDVRQ ZKHUHLQ KH OHG UDFHV DQG VFRUHG SRGLXPV ,Q IDFW KH VWLOO KROGV WKH FXUUHQW ODS UHFRUG DW %UQR -RH KDV EHHQ LQYLWHG IRU D WKLUG \HDU LQ WKH 5RRNLHV &XS ZKLFK is a rare honour.

Recalling how it all began, Joe said, “We are three brothers [an elder and a younger] and we all used to ride with my dad over the weekends and used to have a lot of fun. It used to be like a family WKLQJ WKHQ , GLG D FRXSOH RI UDFHV $QG VRRQ ZH started to do more races and just got into racing.

But they [his brothers] are all into music now.� In FRPSOHWH FRQWUDVW WR WKH UDFLQJ VFHQH RQH RI -RH V IDYRXULWH WKLQJV LV SOD\LQJ WKH EDVV ZLWK KLV brothers and friends in their band, called The Red Tambourine. Therefore, I asked the obvious question, “What kind of music do you listen to?� +H UHSHDWHG WKH TXHVWLRQ DV KH PXOOHG RYHU LW “What kind of music do I listen to? Man, all sorts. I listen to rock music mostly, Indie rock...

Young Achiever

Keith Code, former racer and founder of CSS, with his prodigy Joe Roberts

HU WKLQNV KDUGHU y , UHPLQG KLP WKDW ZKHQ KH V QRW RXW ]LSSLQJ RQ WKH WUDFN KH V SHUSHWXDOO\ listening to his iPod. He says, giggling, k+RQHVWO\ , MXVW NHHS VKXIpLQJ RQ LW %XW , OLNH Strokes, The Kinks... er...�

These achievements don’t come easy and he KDV WR OHDG D YHU\ GLVFLSOLQHG OLIHVW\OH +LV oWQHVV UHJLPH FRQVLVWV RI F\FOLQJ LQ WKH KLOOV QHDU his home, regular workouts in the gymnasium DQG D ORW RI UXQQLQJ :LWK VR PXFK RQ KLV SODWH how does this small wonder manage his school? “I did regular school until last year, but found it WRR KDUG WR NHHS XS ZLWK WKH VWXGLHV DQG VR , decided to do home school.� But there is DQRWKHU W\SH RI VFKRRO WKDW KH DWWHQGV ZLWK IXOO GHGLFDWLRQ WKH &DOLIRUQLD 6XSHUELNH 6FKRRO &66 DQG LV EHLQJ SHUVRQDOO\ FRDFKHG E\ QRQH RWKHU WKDQ .HLWK &RGH IURP 'XULQJ WKH ZHHNHQG , VSHQW DW WKH &66 P\VHOI I noticed that Joe was more than keen to ride any bike he could lay his hands on and he seemed as comfortable riding large bikes as small ones. :KHQ , VSRWWHG KLP WDNLQJ D VSLQ RQ RXU KXPEOH

“THE CSS HAS TAUGHT ME ALL THE TECHNIQUES REALLY. I KNOW I’M A TALENTED RIDER, BUT IT’S CSS THAT HAS SHOWN ME HOW TO BRING OUT THE TALENT ON A RACETRACK� www.bikeindia.in

Joe is just 15 years old and has been racing for a decade now O Plays the bass with his brothers and friends in a band O Started riding when he was just three years old O Races in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and is the current lap record holder at Brno O Also likes surďŹ ng, skateboarding, snowboarding and has recently discovered water-skiing O Owns a Honda RS 125 and CRF 250R O

796 $SDFKH 575 , KDG WR DVN KLP LI KH NQHZ WKDW LW ZDV RQH RI WKH SRSXODU SHUIRUPDQFH ELNHV RI ,QGLD 6XUSULVHG KH UHSOLHG k2K , GLGQ W NQRZ WKDW y 7KHQ WULHG WR EH SROLWLFDOO\ correct quickly, adding, “It’s a very good bike, EXW , WKLQN \RX UHIHUULQJ WR ,QGLD VKRXOG PDNH D race bike, like a 600-cc or something.� Yeah, we WKLQN VR WRR EXW KRZ GLIIHUHQW ZDV WKH H[SHULHQFH RQ WKLV SXQ\ ELNH" +H VDLG k, KDYH EHHQ ULGLQJ 0RWR ELNH > FF@ DQG , DP NLQG RI XVHG WR WKH weight. It’s still not as light as the Moto3 bike, but the handling is very good.� ,QWHUHVWLQJ 1RZ WKDW ZH KDYH GHFHQW KDQGOLQJ bikes, what else would he recommend to the WKRXVDQGV RI \RXQJ DVSLULQJ UDFHUV LQ RXU FRXQWU\" -RH VD\V k&RPH WR WKH &DOLIRUQLD 6XSHU Bike School!� Grinning, he quickly adds in a serious tone, “The CSS has taught me all the techniques really. I know I’m a talented rider, but it’s CSS that has shown me how to bring out the talent on a racetrack. I always talk to Keith Code EHIRUH , JR RXW RQ WKH WUDFN DQG KH DOZD\V KHOSV me with something or the other.� , FDQ YRXFK IRU WKLV UDFLQJ SURGLJ\ EHFDXVH , YH VHHQ KLP ]LS SDVW DQG ZKLS WKH EDFNVLGH RI many regulars on the Chennai track, that too with unbelievable ease. So where does the future road lead him? “Currently I’m in the Red Bull Rookies 5DFLQJ &XS DQG , ZRXOG OLNH WR ZLQ LW WKLV \HDU DQG KRSHIXOO\ QH[W \HDU EH LQ 0RWR 0\ ultimate goal, like everyone else’s, is to be in 0RWR*3 y KH VD\V ZLWK D VSDUNOH LQ KLV H\HV We wish him the best for his future in motorcycle racing. With so many achievements already under his belt, we are sure he gets more than a fair share of girl-attention. How does he handle it? He coolly says, “Well, you got to have fun sometimes. So, I embrace it!�

April 2013 // Bike India

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