Latest / Pit Talk / From Two Wheels to Four: Mick Doohan on MotoGP, Aussie Talent and Jack Doohan

Transcript

From Two Wheels to Four: Mick Doohan on MotoGP, Aussie Talent and Jack Doohan · Pit Talk

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Pits Talk podcast, brought to you by
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Shannon's Insurance for your dose of all things F one
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and Moto GP. Okay, Mick Dolan, welcome to Fox Sports.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me.
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  Speaker 2: Absolute pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: Now we're catching up with you ahead of the event
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  Speaker 1: that you're doing with a Jacob Roston and Sydney this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: And I love the title the Master and the Apprentice.
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  Speaker 1: It's so fitting. But I wanted to talk to you
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  Speaker 1: about what excites you about helping support the next generation
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  Speaker 1: of Australian writers coming through.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's easy. Really, we need to have continued flow
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  Speaker 3: of riders coming through Australia to one to keep the
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  Speaker 3: race here and to to just just keep people on
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  Speaker 3: the track. And you know Jacobs, he's a talented young guy.
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  Speaker 3: We've known each other now for a little while and
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  Speaker 3: in his early years in Europe sort of helped him
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  Speaker 3: out a little bit now, so just if I can
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  Speaker 3: support him to get back there a little bit quicker
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  Speaker 3: than he's planned to, then it's all the better for him,
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  Speaker 3: but also inspires the next group of young guys coming
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  Speaker 3: in behind him.
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  Speaker 2: So if I can help, it's easy when.
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  Speaker 1: You look at Jacob's career, does it remind you of
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  Speaker 1: your own when you were that age starting and chasing
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  Speaker 1: that dream.
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  Speaker 3: It's completely different now than what it was many many
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  Speaker 3: years ago.
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  Speaker 2: It's much more well.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know whether it's more difficult, but the opportunities
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  Speaker 3: are more difficult.
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  Speaker 2: One, it's a lot more expensive.
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  Speaker 3: The manufacturers don't pick you up at such an early
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  Speaker 3: ages as they did back in in the eighties when
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  Speaker 3: I was that's sort of his age running around doing
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  Speaker 3: these type of things. I was racing in Japan and
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  Speaker 3: then the Japanese manufacturers would pick you up, take you
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  Speaker 3: to Europe and next minute. So I was expedited really
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  Speaker 3: quickly through and as were a few other Aussies. And
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  Speaker 3: then then the whole platform changed and it's really moving,
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  Speaker 3: the whole family moving to Europe, and pretty much Casey
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  Speaker 3: Stoner was really the first of that next generation to
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  Speaker 3: make it through that step. Really he went and the
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  Speaker 3: whole family packed up and went to the UK and
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  Speaker 3: Barry Sheen.
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  Speaker 2: I'd ask Barry Sheen, who's the next guy?
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  Speaker 3: Because I was helping out with the sport at that time,
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  Speaker 3: an advisor for Donner, and they were looking for the
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  Speaker 3: next the next great hope, I guess coming through because
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  Speaker 3: they'd been you know, Wayne Gardener, Kevin McGee, Darryl beat Y,
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  Speaker 3: myself and so on and so forth and some superbike guys,
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  Speaker 3: but needed the next younger guy to actually do exactly
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  Speaker 3: what we're just talking about to keep to keep it going,
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  Speaker 3: to keep.
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  Speaker 2: The Australian riders right there.
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  Speaker 3: But Casey was there they went and then and then
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  Speaker 3: he was into Spain and then he was into the
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  Speaker 3: Junior Championship like Jacob's doing so and he made it through.
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  Speaker 3: So it is possible, but it's a lot more work.
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  Speaker 3: There's a lot more stepping stones to get through, and
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  Speaker 3: the budget's massive, so you know, as in all motor
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  Speaker 3: sport today, but it's almost like a business. Everyone wants
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  Speaker 3: you to go through these different steps to take their
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  Speaker 3: piece of the pie. But so it quite often it's
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  Speaker 3: got more to do with the funding available and just
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  Speaker 3: pure talent. You know, it's very rare in this day
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  Speaker 3: and age in either sport, whether it be four wheels
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  Speaker 3: or two wheels, you just get there directly on talent
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  Speaker 3: and it still is possible, but it's very rare.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned there, you know, Barry Sheen and my brother
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  Speaker 1: Chrispermullen Barry helped me. So I understand the connection and
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  Speaker 1: we see that now with a lot of the Aussie
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  Speaker 1: guys who are coming to help support it as something
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  Speaker 1: that we love because I feel like as Aussie's we
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  Speaker 1: kind of rally around each other. We want to help
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  Speaker 1: each other succeed. But you mentioned they're casing having to
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  Speaker 1: move and relocate. It's not always an option for Australians, right,
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  Speaker 1: But do you think it's tougher now in this day
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  Speaker 1: and age to have to for an Aussie to have
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  Speaker 1: to pack up and move just to be able to
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  Speaker 1: be seen like talent isn't enough, Like you said.
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  Speaker 2: I think there's no other option.
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  Speaker 3: And unfortunately for for a lot of people, there's plenty
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  Speaker 3: of talented people around, young riders, you know, even young
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  Speaker 3: female riders who can go and do a few few
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  Speaker 3: options in Europe these days. But it's just difficult. You've
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  Speaker 3: got to pack up. It's a big commitment. It's a
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  Speaker 3: big commitment for the family and you know, forget about
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  Speaker 3: the airfare's accommodation.
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  Speaker 2: And everything else. It's actually the competition side of it.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the tires.
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  Speaker 3: You've got a full team you've got to support, you've
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  Speaker 3: got crash damage, you've got you're talking, you're talking anywhere
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  Speaker 3: from you know, in Australian dollars, you're pretty much your
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  Speaker 3: starting point is around four hundred thousand dollars and through
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  Speaker 3: to multimillions if you're talking, if you want to get
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  Speaker 3: through to gp SO, MotoGP, I should say, And it's
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  Speaker 3: just ridiculous. You know, back in the days gone by
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  Speaker 3: was all supported by the factories and so on and
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  Speaker 3: so forth.
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  Speaker 2: But now, as I say, there's such.
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  Speaker 3: A business, and there's the Europeans, you know, the Spanish especially,
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  Speaker 3: and the Italians just you know, our wigh the Aussies
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  Speaker 3: by probably fifty to one who are there, and they
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  Speaker 3: generally come with a backpack full of money.
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  Speaker 1: It's crazy, isn't it, the whole MotoGP and all the
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  Speaker 1: Spanish and the Italians. But I think we're lucky that
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  Speaker 1: we have got Jack Miller flying the flag for us
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  Speaker 1: still in Moto gp SO.
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  Speaker 3: And I think that's exactly right, and that's why we
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  Speaker 3: need somebody like Jacob Rolston to come through, because Jack's
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  Speaker 3: not a young man in this yet. He's a young man,
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  Speaker 3: but he's not a young man in Moto GP terms
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  Speaker 3: any longer.
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  Speaker 2: But it's good to have an.
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  Speaker 3: Aussie there and we need another Ossie to come through.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, Jacob's doing a little bit on superbikes
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  Speaker 3: here in Australia and going well.
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  Speaker 2: The young the young guy is very, very talented. He
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  Speaker 2: just needs the.
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  Speaker 3: Support and and and just a little bit of a
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  Speaker 3: break to get through. It's it's really, you know, timing
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  Speaker 3: is everything. So if he could even be there and
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  Speaker 3: something happens and you step in for somebody, you get
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  Speaker 3: a result. That's you know, quite often the way as well.
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  Speaker 3: Once once you're the chosen one, it makes it.
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  Speaker 2: A lot easier.
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  Speaker 1: I thinking back to last year some of Jacob's results
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  Speaker 1: and when he was so close to getting you know,
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  Speaker 1: that top five finish of that podium finish, and the
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  Speaker 1: heartbreak when it was an engine failure or something totally
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  Speaker 1: out of his control. I think Australia as a whole
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  Speaker 1: we've been rooting for him this whole time. But let's
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  Speaker 1: just touch on our aussie's Emoto GP just quickly, because
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  Speaker 1: we just mentioned Jack there and I don't know if
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  Speaker 1: you know this, it's his two hundredth Grand Prix start.
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  Speaker 1: This weekend in Brazil ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix,
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  Speaker 1: and you mentioned that, you know, he's not a young
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  Speaker 1: duck anymore. He's thirty one, a veteran in the Moto
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  Speaker 1: GP class, which is crazy in your opinion to hear
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  Speaker 1: from you, what do you think has allowed Jack to
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  Speaker 1: stay at this top level for so long?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think he clearly and this is just mine.
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  Speaker 2: That's why I I think, I don't know.
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  Speaker 3: In one he's you know, he's a good lad people
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  Speaker 3: like him being around, but that doesn't sort of, that
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  Speaker 3: doesn't turn into a longevity. He clearly understands what goes
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  Speaker 3: on developing a bike, you know, whether it was with
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  Speaker 3: to Caddy to Caddy then sort of you know, unfortunately
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  Speaker 3: wasn't him performing on it, but they certainly seem to.
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  Speaker 2: Find their way.
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  Speaker 3: Yamaha now have him developing really what is a new
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  Speaker 3: format for them as well with the V four engine.
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  Speaker 3: So you know, unfortunately, I believe that, you know, he's
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  Speaker 3: super talented and he certainly got the ability to run
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  Speaker 3: closer at the front. It's more difficult with the Yamahara
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  Speaker 3: he's got this year. But but you know, he shows
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  Speaker 3: signs of brilliance and he's quick on a lap. He
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  Speaker 3: understands what goes on with the bike. He can give
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  Speaker 3: good feedback from what I understand. So that's what's kept
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  Speaker 3: him around.
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  Speaker 1: And then we've got Sena a g A Similtar two
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  Speaker 1: and Joel kelso E Moto three. So we're lucky, we're
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  Speaker 1: fortunate we've got and Ozzie in all the categories of
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  Speaker 1: Moroto two. Are you seeing the similar progression with Senna
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  Speaker 1: and Joel? We know Senner's had that race, when now
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  Speaker 1: Joel last year was pretty high up in the championship fight.
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  Speaker 1: I think we've got a strong Ossie's making their way
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  Speaker 1: up through to Moto GP.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, Senna's he seems to be going. He's just
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  Speaker 3: going from strength to strength. Here's also he's still a
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  Speaker 3: young lad, so you know, it'd be great to see him,
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  Speaker 3: you know, picked up or on somebody shortlist for Moto GP.
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  Speaker 3: I think he'd probably go better on something like that,
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  Speaker 3: you know. Unfortunately, Joel, he's a he's a great young guy.
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  Speaker 3: I've known him since he's been about twelve years old.
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  Speaker 3: Through he was a friend with Brock FREENI sorry Brock Feenie.
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  Speaker 3: The v A supercar driver these days, and when he
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  Speaker 3: was riding dirt bikes, he's always been quick.
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  Speaker 2: He's just you know, I'm not sure.
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  Speaker 3: Whether a Moto GP would be the right fit for him,
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  Speaker 3: just because he's he's not that tall in stature, so
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  Speaker 3: you know, and it's not to say that he couldn't
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  Speaker 3: ride it, but we've seen guys in the past would
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  Speaker 3: have a little bit limited and height and.
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  Speaker 2: And there's a there's a happy medium there.
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  Speaker 3: Too short to tools not good and he might just
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  Speaker 3: be in the too short basket for that where a
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  Speaker 3: center seems good. But likewise, he's fast, he's always in there.
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  Speaker 3: He hasn't had the best bikes being Jold in the
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  Speaker 3: past few years, but you know, last year he seemed
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  Speaker 3: to have a good bike, so you know, it'd be
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  Speaker 3: interesting to see him go if he can step up
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  Speaker 3: to Moto two and then see what happens from there.
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  Speaker 3: But likewise, I'd like to see him sort of start
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  Speaker 3: to get a few more wins on on the Moto three.
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  Speaker 3: He's certainly capable of it, but it's just such a
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  Speaker 3: close field in that series.
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  Speaker 1: Some of the best racing is something that we always
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  Speaker 1: try and promote because you're on the edge of the
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  Speaker 1: seat the whole time with these Motor three kids. But
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  Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you your opinion on the rule regulation,
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  Speaker 1: the changes that's happening in Moto GP, because we know
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  Speaker 1: you're known as the real racer with going back to
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  Speaker 1: the eight fifties, the reduced era, et cetera, et cetera.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think we're going to see a big change
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  Speaker 1: next year in some of that real racing again, I
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  Speaker 1: would hope.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, the real racing is still there.
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  Speaker 3: I know it's it's different, but it's still the same
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  Speaker 3: qualifyings a lot closer and whatever else. But that was happening,
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  Speaker 3: it has been happening for decades, and there's still one
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  Speaker 3: or two guys would dominate regardless of what electronics or
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  Speaker 3: whatever else is on there. I'm not sure that. I
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  Speaker 3: don't believe that the wing the arrow is much different
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  Speaker 3: than what it currently is. The engine size is a
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  Speaker 3: bit smaller, so does that make it.
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  Speaker 2: Any better off the turns? I'm not sure.
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  Speaker 3: Or you reduce electronics and I'm not sure what's you
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  Speaker 3: know I think you can pick up. I don't know
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  Speaker 3: much about really the full regulation breakdown, so but generally
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  Speaker 3: the things that remain the same. It'll be nice if
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  Speaker 3: the if the changes are large enough to be able
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  Speaker 3: to bring the Japanese manufacturers back in. I think they
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: lost their way during the pandemic, just and lost their
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: way Maybe is a big too broad of a statement,
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  Speaker 3: but they stopped development, whereas I believe that the European
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  Speaker 3: manufacturers kept going. So hopefully this will then reduce the
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  Speaker 3: plane or even up the playing field, and and we
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  Speaker 3: have more more candidates for wins.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: Now we can't not talk about your Jack, your son Jack,
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  Speaker 1: who is the test and reserve driver for the has
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  Speaker 1: F one team this season. Now, I'm you're a racer,
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  Speaker 1: your son's a race I've been around racist. I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: he is itching to get back out on that signing grid.
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  Speaker 1: But is this his way to get back into that
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  Speaker 1: full time seat next year?
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  Speaker 2: Look, anything's possible. That's the plan for him.
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  Speaker 3: Is he's working towards getting back a full time seat
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  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty seven. You know, some testing this year,
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  Speaker 3: as you say, it limited and perhaps you know lamon
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  Speaker 3: twenty four hour on this type of thing, just to
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  Speaker 3: keep to keep competing. But it's a it's again, it's
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  Speaker 3: not an easy position to be in and there's a
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  Speaker 3: lot of politics, more so with Formula one than there
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  Speaker 3: is in than there is in Moto GP, and especially
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  Speaker 3: in the junior categories.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, Formula one Moto GP.
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  Speaker 3: It's a it's it's you know one, it's difficult to
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  Speaker 3: get there, and then two. In Formula one especially there's
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  Speaker 3: a whole bunch of other factors will come into it
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  Speaker 3: versus just pure talent. So he's hoping that has providing
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  Speaker 3: a great platform for him. He's enjoying working with them,
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  Speaker 3: so that's a start, and hopefully vice versa, and then
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  Speaker 3: he can get back in a seat and he can
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  Speaker 3: go and enjoy racing again.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we'd love to see him back on the grid
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  Speaker 1: as well. Australia supports Jack just as much roost Our
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  Speaker 1: other Jack em roto GP. So we love it. But Mick,
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  Speaker 1: before we let you go. The event this weekend, that's
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  Speaker 1: why we're here, the event, The Master and the Apprentice
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  Speaker 1: with yourself and Jacob Roston and Sydney. For anyone who's
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: thinking about coming along, what can they expect from the night.
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  Speaker 3: I think just a pretty laid back Q and a event,
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  Speaker 3: you know a bit of a few laughs, a few
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  Speaker 3: stories about Moto GP and and what it takes to
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: get there.
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  Speaker 2: Some of the adventures along the way.
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  Speaker 3: So look, it's you know, it's really all about Jacob
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  Speaker 3: and what what can be how we can help him
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  Speaker 3: out to get him get himself back into Europe and
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  Speaker 3: back on the scene out there. So you know, I
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  Speaker 3: really hope that that some money can be raised and
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  Speaker 3: will continue to raise it before and after this so
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  Speaker 3: that he makes your way back into a class and
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  Speaker 3: he can show what he's really capable of and he
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: can get a career out of out of motorsport.
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  Speaker 1: We love it. Oh, thank you so much, Met for
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: taking the time to chat with us. We can't wait
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  Speaker 1: to talk to you again soon.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: Or do it.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: This episode of Pit Talk was brought to you by
• 14:41
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• 14:45
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