Sorry, Kio, but that’s not good enough. You’ve raced in Britain for three years now, and you should have learnt enough of the lingo to put on a better show at a major media occasion. Apparently you
do chatter in reasonable English, but only to close associates: before the microphone you play shy.
But in motorcycle racing in 2007, that doesn’t deliver. Honda, the sponsors, the media, the fans – all feel let down by Kio’s inability to let us know who he really is. Imagine if
Valentino Rossi had never learnt English: we would capture only a shadow of the man’s wit and charisma if we got all his words filtered through an interpreter, and MotoGP would be getting a fraction of its current global media coverage.
My message to Kio is not a
Daily Mail-esque rant against foreigners. It applies equally to young British riders. They all chant the same mantra:
I want to be world champion in MotoGP. Kids, if you’re serious, start learning Spanish or Italian - preferably both - tomorrow. MotoGP has a Latin heart: Italy and Spain produce many of its champions, teams and sponsors.
So imagine that you’re on a short-list of riders for a major Spanish-influenced MotoGP team, but you speak only English. Apparently
Tele Cinco, Spain’s biggest TV channel, doesn’t do interviews via interpreters with anyone who doesn’t speak Spanish - and that includes figures such as
Michael Schumacher. Despite his lowly results, however, the German MotoGP rider Alex Hoffman, who rides for Luis d’Antin’s Madrid-based Pramac Ducati squad, does get camera time, because he can conduct himself in Spanish.
So picture yourself with the potential to get on a MotoGP podium –
and the ability to talk about in Spanish. Or Italian. Or both. You’ll blow their minds, and it could be that critical difference that gets you the job.
