Updated: Monday, 23 Mar 2015 15:46 | Comments
Ireland's Eugene Laverty will make his MotoGP debut this weekend in Qatar riding with the Aspar Team, completing a long journey to reach the top tier of the sport.
Laverty has progressed through the 125c and 250cc World Championships, as well as the Supersport and Superbike World Championships to reach the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, and speaking to RTÉ Sport he highlighted that this next step took years of hard work and patience.
"It's been a bit of a whirlwind. Last season was slightly disappointing and then to sign the contract to move to MotoGP for 2015, it was a dream come true, and it couldn't have come at a better time," said Laverty.
"It takes a long time to make an overnight success. It's been a lot of years work. I've been in the World Championship since 2007, so to reach the top class in 2015, it's been a lot of hard work to get here and a lot of support from sponsors here in Ireland, because there's a lot of support, not just me riding the bike.
"It takes a lot support to get to the top."
"When you come back home and see how proud people are of me back here it's really nice for me and my family because they worked hard for it as well" - Eugene Laverty
That support began with Laverty's family first, before opportunities to go professional opened up before him.
"When I first started it was just, me, my brothers, and my Dad supporting us, and I was fortunate I was picked up by a rookies project in the championship and worked my way there winning races and fighting for the championship," said Laverty.
"And I got an opportunity in the World Championship, but it was a long time before it was my occupation as such. There was some difficult years struggling and it's nice to be doing what I love."
Superbike and MotoGP are not mainstream sports in Ireland, but across mainland Europe the riders are celebrities and being part of Italian side Aprilia has opened Laverty's eyes to the appeal of the sport. However, it is the admiration of Irish fans that he craves most.
"In Italy Superbike has become big in the last couple of years.
"And I rode for an Italian manufacturer. They accepted me as one of their own and that was a big part of me wanting to learn the language. It's nice to have that support, but there's no place like home," said Laverty
"When you come back home and see how proud people are of me back here it's really nice for me and my family because they worked hard for it as well."
In terms of what Laverty hopes to achieve this season, he feels it is too early to tell, given that testing is still ongoing.
"It's difficult to have a goal right now. If you ask me that in a month's time I might have a different answer. Testing has been so, so," said Laverty.
"I'm not really focusing on my lap times now, just getting comfortable on the bike. But I feel we're making progress. It may not show it on the time sheets, but we're going to be capable of being in the top 15 and progressing from there."
Laverty's team-mate is former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden and the Irishman feels that matching The Kentucky Kid in testing can only be a positive sign.
"Nicky Hayden was the 2006 MotoGP world champion. My lap times have been on par with his, so I think that's definitely positive. That surprised me. We've got some work to do with the bike to be competitive, but once we do that I feel we'll be right there at the sharp end," said Laverty.
"I'm still getting used to the bike. After round one I think I'll know which circuits will suit the bike, but until I get as one with the bike it's difficult to make predictions, but looking at the bike last year the bike was fairly strong in Qatar in round one, so I'm going to go out and try and start with a bang."
Laverty also revealed that his team are keen for him to settle with the set-up early on and not push the limits too early, but that he himself wants to see how far he can go early doors.
"The team have been really supportive to be honest. It's always really difficult when you get a new rider on board. But they know I've been successful in other championships, but I'm 28-years-old, so I'm not just a young thing who's coming in to kill things dead right away," said Laverty.
"I'm ready to take my time and learn, but they know that when they say, 'Take your time and settle', I'm not just going to sit back and relax. They know that inside I'm still trying to get faster."
As for alterations in World Superbike to MotoGP, Laverty highlights the difference in tyres as the main component to adapt to.
"The biggest change is the tyres. The tyres I've been on for the last six years couldn't be more different to what I'm on in MotoGP. The Bridgestone tyre is really strong. You can really force the bike a lot," said Laverty.
"It takes an aggressive riding style. It's something I feel I'll relish. I like to really push the front tyre on corner entry. I'm looking forward to really getting to know the tyre better.
"The bike itself is really small, and you can get big lean angles. Now it's not just scraping your knee on the ground, you're also scraping your elbow on the ground, so things have definitely changed over the years."
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