SuperBikePlanet.com Interview:
Sir Carl Fogarty

by Dean Adams
June 17, 2000

King Carl on the top of the podium in '99

Q. So what is the current prognosis? You'll be back this year, next year?

A. The way it looks now, next year. This year looks very very unlikely. There's probably a one per cent chance out of a hundred of coming back this year. It's just a slow healing injury I guess.

Q. If it has shown anything, your crash has certainly shown the true value of a great rider, would you agree?

A. (laughs) I'd agree with that, yeah.

The championship looks very very lost at the moment. It seems to need somebody, the one guy that dominates, and when that guy is out the whole series just seems to get lost and a bit confused. It throws a lot of surprises up, and catches out some guys. Maybe they lose concentration and the guys that I expected to dominate are making mistakes, like we saw today with Edwards crashing in SuperPole. Very strange.

Q. There is a story around that you hate needles. Is that true?

A. That's right, I don't like needles. I've never had a bad experience with needles or an injection, it's just that I don't like ... I don't mind being thumped over the head with a mallet, but I hate being stuck with a horrible pin-like thing.

Q. We're looking at the final chapters in your racing career. Do you look forward to retirement?

A. Absolutely. At the moment it seems strange answering that question, but last year in the heat of it all, when I was under a lot of pressure, the demand on me was just unbearable at times. I didn't seem to have a moment to myself. Every time I would come out of the back of the truck ... there's people who want me, you know? I remember thinking then 'God, I'm really looking forward to retiring and doing the quiet life at home'. Just getting away from it, for sure. While I'm still capable of winning I should carry on doing it, but ...

Q. If the job was just riding, would it extend your career by a few seasons?

A. I think so, yeah. If it was just a case of turning up and riding the bike, that'd be great for me. But there are so many things that I have to do now. I understand (that it's part of the job) but it's hard. I really do like my own space. I like to be at home, and there are so many things I have to do, television, radio, press, appearances, stuff for sponsors. Over the last winter I never seemed to be at home and I was really in demand everywhere, every minute.

Q. On the other side of it, what do you think it will be like the first time you sit on your couch at home and watch a World Superbike race knowing there is no chance you'll be racing again?

A. From my perspective now, it's not a worry. I don't watch racing on television anyway, I find it boring to watch. I don't think I've watched a race on television in the last two years. Okay, it's not boring, but it's something that I do, so I want to switch off and get away from racing when I watch television. I want to relax when I watch television and if I watch racing, I get myself all worked up again. I get all hyped up thinking about it, so I never watch it and won't.

Q. What are your earliest racing memories, being at the track with your father, George?

A. Very early I can remember being at the Isle of Man TT. It's the one memory I have because I've spent two weeks there every year for most of my life. Ever since I was born, really. I guess that's the one memory I have, of going racing with my dad at the Isle.

Q. Your dad was teamed with Mike Hailwood when he made his comeback on the Ducati. Do you remember Hailwood at all?

A. Just barely. I can remember him being there, being teamed with my dad in 1978 and 1979. I was about eleven or twelve years old then and was around the paddock, so I vaguely remember him.

Q. Being British, Hailwood must be an almost mythical figure to you.

A. Actually, no. Not really. It's strange, I think that you tend to idolize people from your youth, your heroes of that time; and for me it was always Kenny Roberts. Hailwood was a long while before my time so it's hard to idolize somebody I didn't really see race.

Q. You're the son of a great racer, you're a great racer, you don't have any sons as yet but if you did would you want them to race?

A. I wouldn't want him to, no. It'd be very much left to him and if I could help I would. And if he didn't want to do it, that'd be fine.

Q. Were you pushed into racing by your father?

A. No, no, in fact the complete opposite really. I wish now that they had pushed me into it a bit more. I didn't get into it until I figured out that I wanted to do it, and I think that if my dad would have pushed me into it a bit earlier, things would have been different.

Q. You're going to miss the WSC race at Laguna Seca, but you're probably not going to miss riding there are you?

A. (laughs) It's not my favorite track. I've always said that I don't like the track and it doesn't suit my style or the bike. You don't have to carry any corner speed around there; it's all about stopping and starting. That's not my style, so I always struggle there. So, no, I won't be missing it.

Q. But Brands, you'll miss that?

A. Well, again. it's not my favorite track, but I'll miss not being there for the fans. When they have a crowd of 100,000 turn up to see me, it's incredible, I love the atmosphere. I'll miss not being there for sure.

Q. Your favorite circuit?

A. Assen.

Q. Others?

A. Well, I like Assen and tolerate the rest really. I only like Assen. Donington is okay.

Q. Least favorite?

A. Laguna Seca.

Q. A lot of riders when it gets late in their career they retire and then do one off rides. Eddie Lawson did, Kenny Roberts ... will you?

A. I hope not. It's very very doubtful. It's hard to say, but thinking about it now, there's no way. I hope not though. If I do something like that, I hope somebody kills me (laughs). I don't want to be doing things like that, once you've stopped you should stay stopped. Once I quit I'll be at the very top and there won't be any silly comebacks or riding around on some classic bike.

Q. How did you react when you saw the cover of Motorcycle News in England after Donington where it read "Who Needs Foggy?" when Hodgson won?

A. (long pause) It didn't seem to bother me really. They've done that to me so much, so many times, ... that's what they do, the build you up and tear you down. They always kick me down again. But yeah, that cover I guess upset A LOT of people, it riled up a lot of people.

The people at MCN apologized and said people took it the wrong way, and I even had a letter from the Editor within three days, him apologizing and trying to explain the meaning of it. It didn't bother me. They got it wrong and they must have got a lot of calls from people because getting a letter off the Editor of MCN is very very rare.

They've given me some shit in the past though. This deal they apologized and upset a lot of people and .. I guess that's life.

It's the British press. For me, generally I have been very very lucky with them. I think that's because motorcycle racing is one of the biggest sports in England. And with me being world champion it's always been good press to have. But they can be very very nasty. Especially with the top soccer stars, they're very evil.

ENDS