Photography by Andrew Wheeler, automotophoto.com
Last year’s horrific testing crash at Road Atlanta has not slowed factory Honda rider Miguel Duhamel. He has recovered from his injuries, regained his fitness and qualified on the front row for the 67th running of the Daytona 200. The race is a one-off Formula Xtreme appearance for Duhamel and teammate and pole-sitter Neil Hodgson. After Daytona, the pair will concentrate solely on the new CBR1000RR Superbike. I spoke with Duhamel following qualifying for the 200.
Let’s begin with the crash at Road Atlanta. What happened?
“The tire overheated and the bike just fell from underneath me. Look, I’m smart enough not to try to crash at the worst corner in America. I was extremely lucky. I had a punctured lung, four broken ribs, a lacerated liver and an injury to my ankle. I’m still limping, but that’s the only negative. Everything else is fine.”
Given the severity of your injuries, did you consider retiring?
“I think that question is overrated and unfair. If you think about it, it’s one of the nastiest things you can ask someone. It’s like standing next to someone’s bed and asking, ‘When are you going to die? You were supposed to be dead two months ago!’ This is not our pastime. This is what we do. This is who we are. We race motorcycles.
“All the great athletes in history have always been pressured. ‘You’re not playing as well as you used to play. When are you going to retire?’ Why not just cheer for the guy and let him have fun? If a company is willing to hire him and as long as he’s not a detriment to the team, then it shouldn’t be a problem.”
American Honda built FX bikes for you and Neil to race exclusively in the Daytona 200. Did you play a role in that decision? Did you say, “Hey, I’d really like a chance to win my sixth 200?”
“No, I didn’t have any say. I race for Honda. I try to race as hard as I can in all the classes they give me, and I am thankful that I’m able to do that. Honda knows the tradition of the Daytona 200. Some people have tried to tarnish the race. I think it’s one of the greatest races in the world. Right now, everyone wants to know who got pole for the 200. As safe as the track is now, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be as it was in the good old days when all the European guys used to come over here and try to mix it up.”
You haven’t had a lot of development time with the new CBR1000RR. What is your assessment of the bike at this stage?
“I had a pre-production chassis, so I didn’t take my testing too seriously. This is the first time I’ve gotten the ‘official’ chassis, which is a bit better and it shows. I was almost 2 seconds slower than Neil during winter testing. Here, I’m faster than Neil. I’m not the best qualifier, unfortunately, but as far as a racebike, I think we have something I can work with. The bike is super-fast. We have enough power to be competitive; we just need to get around the corners a little better.”
Traction control gets a lot of attention. How important are electronics in racing?
“Electronics are a double-edged sword. They make the bikes easier to ride. Now, a lot of riders are wide-open through the corners. The computer gives out power in the way it feels is best. We had a late start with all that. Suzuki had a year head start on everyone. They took advantage of a rule that they knew could not be policed because of the language in the rulebook. But that’s racing.
“My success rate it would seem was quite a bit higher without traction control. So I’d probably like to like to go back to old-fashioned throttle control by the rider. For most of my career, I’ve been able to ‘save’ the tires and have a strong bike at the end of the race. On a fast lap, guys might perform pretty much the same. But over race distance, it wouldn’t be the same.”
