Torres: “We need to set an example: Aegerter should have had his licence suspended”

King Jordi is about to abdicate. After two consecutive titles in 2020 and 2021, Jordi Torres will pass the champion’s baton this weekend, after a season in which luck has definitely not been on his side. A serious injury at Le Mans – sustained when Niccolò Canepa and Xavi Fores blamelessly ran over his left leg during the early part of the race – meant that the Spaniard was in for an uphill climb, his view of the 2022 season understandably clouded as a result.

“Overall, the season has been a negative one. Things were going as I’d hoped up until Le Mans” explains Jordi, “but the race 1 incident complicated everything. I’m still feeling the effects of that injury now, as I can’t go running and feel pain when I make certain movements. It’s a slow recovery, slower than I thought, as the injury was not limited to the calf bone but also the muscles and tendons, which need a lot of time to heal”.

Do you expect a tough final weekend?

“It depends on how I’m feeling and on the track laout. Generally, I suffer a lot at circuits with many changes of direction. I’m an amateur through the left-handers right now (he laughs), but have less trouble with the right-handers. Here at Misano most of the turns are to the right, so I can hope for the best.”

Torres: "We riders must set an example"

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A new category champion will be crowned this weekend. How do you see the battle between Aegerter and Granado?

“Dominique’s in great shape, but if I have to bet on one of the two, I’d say Eric, as he’s had a cleaner season. Aegerter’s had some amazing races but then in others there was some behaviour that I didn’t appreciate as a professional rider”.

What did you think of his behaviour in Supersport at Most?

“I think they should have suspended his licence until the end of the season. A rider can’t do things like that. Dominique, like us all, has to set an example to youngsters. The most serious aspect is that the ambulance that was dealing with him could have been needed at another point of the track, but it wouldn’t have been available as a result of his actions. That was bad. I’m sure Dominique isn’t a bad person, though I don’t know him well, but as a world championship rider he really set a bad example, and he deserved a certain level of punishment”.

The Energica era is almost at an end. How do you think the bike has developed over the last three years?

“Now we have a lighter engine than we had before, which makes for a lighter bike of course, but generally speaking the bike has remained the same. I didn’t notice any real differences from one year to the next in terms of the bike, while the tyres improved a lot, particularly the rain solutions”.

What are your plans for 2023?

“I’d like to stay in this championship and with this team (Pons), while also competing in either the Spanish series or Endurance. It was a mistake to only do MotoE this year. Returning to WorldSBK isn’t an option, at least for me.”

Translated by Heather Watson

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