This is the longest period I will have missed off the bike through injury but to be honest I will make the most of it to regain some motivation and enthusiasm.
I pushed myself really hard in 2001 and 2002 and lost some desire for MX. I was even ready to stop at the start of the season. I hope this distance will be good for my mind and set me up strongly for the next three or four years.
When you get hurt you suddenly see the lifestyle you had before and the dissatisfaction doesn’t seem that important! I guess the low points really do make you appreciate what you had. This will be a long five months and I hope that the new physical and mental condition will make a powerful combination.
I will be a little behind in terms of my riding and speed for the pre-season but I hope my renewed enthusiasm will pull me through quickly.
Q: What was your take on the season up until Gaildorf and your recollection just after the crash?
MP: This was the toughest year ever. Mentally, I was not in good shape. I was crashing a lot, we had problems with the bikes, we had to do a lot of testing and I just did not want to race. When you come to the track and you are not in the frame of mind to compete then the whole process becomes difficult.
It was a real shame that the only time in the whole season where I felt great and really happy was at Gaildorf. We took the 2003 and 2002 bikes and I was relieved to get back on the old motorcycle, which I felt was better for the challenge this year because we had so many dry circuits where the track preparation was bad. I had trained differently after Lierop and felt really pumped for Gaildorf. I was having fun on the bike and my times in Chrono were good. My motivation was up and we were ready to go, I knew that I could win two from the last three races and the Championship was not totally gone.
