A YOUNG ENGLISHMAN ON THE SXV
27 April 2006 - Aprilia

Thierry Van den Bosch’s wasn’t the only new entry to team Aprilia Supermoto

In the Noale racing department, surrounding a young, hopeful rider with three expert riders (the likes of VDB, Giraudo, and Bolley) was taken into account. For this reason, they decided to take on the English Christian Iddon. A youngster who turned 21 last January 7th with a prankster air, the courage of a lion, and is someone who has much to gain from an enviable supermotard education.
He approached the racing world at an early age, starting with the mini-cross. First for fun, then came the regional and national races in Great Britain. He was too impetuous and this trait on the mini-cross tracks led his parents to make him quit, also due to the many injuries that incapacitated him. Yet Christian always felt the call of the races, to the point that he decided to compete in the supermotard. At first it was only a few tests. Then, seeing the encouraging times on the stopwatch, he decided to make his return to racing. His debut in the supermotard came in 2002, a year in which he competed in national and international 650 races. During the same year, he was spotlighted as the youngest rider to have qualified for the European Championships. In 2003, he earned the title of “Rookie of the Year” in the International S1 Championships. A year later, he climbed atop the international S2 podium in the Czech Republic Gp. In 2005, he decided to return to the superior class, the S1, and obtained brilliant results. He was crowned the British champion and finished in 6th place in the S1 worlds. He is now docked with Aprilia, well aware of the opportunity he has been given, being an official Sxv 5.5 rider. “The team is fantastic – he affirmed enthusiastically – I am surrounded by so many people who are indulging my every need. The motorcycle, being a bi-cylinder, is profoundly different than what I have driven in the past. Its power is surprising. It’s only natural that I need to get used to it since I raced very little. It’s very hands-on. You need to ride it fluently, even change the trajectory and the settings when entering into and exiting from curves”.

How do you evaluate the entry of Aprilia in a charismatic championship such as the VBD?
“I think it is a good thing for me to have a teacher such as VDB in the same team because he is certainly a rider of reference. I am sure that his great competence will help the team develop the motorcycle even more. The same goes for Giraudo and Bolley, who gained a lot of experience with this motorcycle. In practice they witnessed his birth and have continued to follow its evolution.”

The 2006 worlds will begin in just a few days. With what type of spirit will you approach the first race of this new cycle of your career?
“I am very enthusiastic and especially motivated because I have been taken in by a great team. I am aware of the fact that I can obtain good results, especially since I have the right motorcycle for the job.”

What do you do in the moments preceding a race?
“I have to stay calm for an hour before the start of the race in order to get into the right mindset. I listen to a bit of music while I think about the takeoff, going over every meter of the track in my head.”

Are you superstitious?
“Yes, very. I have a series of lucky rites that have to do with my pre-race dressing. I always put on my boots in the same way, respecting the same sequence, first right, then left. I cross myself once before the race, once again in the starting grid, and once more before takeoff. It may seem stupid or of little consequence, but these things are important to me. They don’t make a difference on the level of my results but they help me to relax and find the right concentration in a race atmosphere.”

www.aprilia.com

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