KAWASAKI PEOPLE: MARIA GONCALVES
11 May 2006 - Kawasaki Racing

As the manager of the Kawasaki hospitality unit in the paddock, Brazilian born Maria Goncalves is the person responsible for looking after upwards of 80 guests at every European MotoGP round.

And while the guys in the pit box often work long hours on the race bikes, it''s Maria and the hospitality staff who are at the racetrack first in the morning to prepare breakfast, and the last to leave at night once they''ve cleaned up after dinner in preparation for the following day.

Despite the long hours, Maria always has a smile and a warm welcome for visitors to the Kawasaki Racing Team hospitality unit.

Q: How long have you worked for the Kawasaki Racing Team?
A: I joined the team at the beginning of the 2003 season.

Q: How would you describe your job, and what are your main responsibilities within the team?
A: I am the hospitality manager, which means that I look after everything to do with the Kawasaki Racing Team hospitality unit when we''re away at European races. It''s quite a big job, as I have to ensure we have enough food and drink for all our guests, as well as deciding the menu with the chef ahead of each weekend. I''m also responsible for making sure we have the right number of staff and that they all know what events are planned for hospitality at each race. When the guests arrive each day, it is my job to welcome them to hospitality, look after them during their visit and ensure that they have an enjoyable day at the races with Kawasaki. I also look after our merchandise sales at the racetrack. It''s a lot of work, with some long days when we''re at the racetrack, but it''s a job I enjoy.

Q: Have you ever raced motorcycles yourself?
A: I can''t even ride a motorcycle, and I''m not sure I want to! Even going on the back of a bike as a pillion passenger scares me. The first time I met Harald Eckl was at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro in 1996, and I thought he must be completely crazy to be involved in motorcycle racing. So no, I have never raced motorcycles!

Q: What makes a good hospitality manager?
A: It is important that you are seen as friendly and approachable by the guests, many of whom will be attending a MotoGP race for the first time and may well find everything a little bit intimidating. But good organisational skills are also essential, as each weekend has to be planned in detail if everything is to run smoothly.

Q: How many guests do you cater for in hospitality each race weekend?
A: The number of guests we have varies from race to race, but on a normal weekend we cater for around 80 people, but that includes team members as well. For a big race like Sachsenring, we can have upwards of 200 people in hospitality over the course of the weekend, and that''s when the job gets really busy!

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I enjoy it when everyone is together in hospitality - the team and the guests - and everyone is enjoying themselves and the atmosphere is good.

Q: And what is the worst part of your job?
A: When we have problems on the racetrack that make the team, or people in the team, unhappy or frustrated, because we see this quite clearly in hospitality.

Q: What are your ambitions for the future?
A: To make Kawasaki hospitality the most welcoming and popular hospitality unit in the MotoGP paddock.

Q: What do you do in your spare time, away from the racetrack?
A: I like all sorts of sport, but particularly golf, and I tend to read a lot of books in my spare time. But the most important thing for me when we are away from the racetrack is spending time with my family, and my young son, Johann.

Q: Do the riders, Shinya and Randy, get special treatment in hospitality?
A: Of course, because it''s important that we keep them happy and that we make sure they get what they need to race. They need to eat at different times to everyone else, and they also need to eat what''s best for them. So they do get pampered a little bit, and we try and make the pasta they have for lunch that little bit special for them, but this is all part of the job.

Q: Who do you think is the greatest Grand Prix rider of all time, and why?
A: It has to be Valentino Rossi, for a lot of reasons. He is just so fast on any bike he rides and he truly is the big star of MotoGP.

Q: Who is the man to beat in this year''s MotoGP World Championship?
A: I want to say either Shinya or Randy will be the rider to beat this year, obviously. But, I guess in reality, Valentino is still the man.

Q: You race all over the world, but can you name the capital city of Japan?
A: Yes, it''s Tokyo.

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