Rui Goncalves Interview

Bike It Yamaha Cosworth rider Rui Goncalves hasn’t had his best season to date, yet despite that he is still in 11^th place in the MXGP points, and is just a handful of points off Gautier Paulin who holds down 10^th spot.

Since finishing second in the World in the 2009 MX2 championship Goncalves has moved up to the MX1/MXGP class and gone 11^th, 6^th, 10^th  and 13^th. Respectable, but he knows there is better results possible.

Goncalves has hardly been close to the top five in 2014, although last weekend at the Grand Prix of Finland the rider from Vidago, Portugal battled hard in the second moto with Kevin Strijbos, Shaun Simpson and Dean Ferris for a top three finish, just coming up short and finishing in sixth spot.

With the season nearly over Goncalves is just working hard on his results and hasn’t even thought about what his plans are for 2015. With no deal signed, and his results not where he would like them to be it’s been a tough time for the always friendly rider.

We caught up with him and asked him about his season and what he expects from the future.

Q: Rui, it hasn’t been an easy season for you has it?

Goncalves: After being second in the world in MX2 in 2009, and then the results I am getting at the moment, it isn’t even close to what I did back then. I moved up in class and the competition got bigger and sometimes I don’t know, I mean injuries didn’t help put things together for me, and to make a step higher.

Q: How tough is it to stay motivated when the results are not there?

Goncalves: My motivation and will to work to get the results is the same or more than when I was racing for a world title in 09. My motivation is always to do my best and bring home good results and that is still what I am looking for, and every day I work hard to try and achieve that. I still think I am one of the guys who has been the longest around, and with that I have a lot of experience, and I still have the motivation to make the better results happen.

Q: Last weekend you showed a little of your old self. Did you work on the bike, change some things?

Goncalves: Last weekend in Finland I was closer to my potential, although I was still a little sick from Sweden. We did some changes half way through the season and found some more stability in the bike, but changing things doesn’t happen overnight, it takes some time to get to a place where you can work from. It’s not like you change something on the bike and are two seconds faster straight away, it takes time.

Q: What else made Finland better for you?

Goncalves: Finland was a good experience. I had just done the championship in Portugal and won everything there. Then we went to Sweden and I got sick and had a fever and I was on medication all weekend and couldn’t get the results I wanted. I rested between Sweden and Finland and came into Finland much better. In Finland I still wasn’t 100%, but I gave it all I had. In the first moto we had problems with the bike, but the second moto we were close to third place at the end and I fought really hard to get in that position. Even though the season is nearly over I won’t give up and I will continue to try and get the best results.

Q: I can’t imagine what it is like for a sportsman. You have only a certain amount of time to perform and only a certain amount of years to be on top of your game. Do you think much about the future when the results are not going how you want?

Goncalves: It is tough, when you go the way I have gone. I worked for the factory KTM team and factory Honda team, and I am not in the same condition now as when I was in a factory team. It’s  a good team I am in now, but it isn’t a factory team. My motivation has never been for money, I don’t care if I get one euro or one million. My passion for the sport is so big I don’t even look at the money. Of course if you have both good money and good results that is perfect. It is frustrating, but I am so focused at the moment trying to do better, and get better results that I sometimes forget about what I have to do for next year.

Q: Would you consider making a move to something like Enduro world championship or some other form of motorcycle racing if you can’t get a ride in the MXGP series?

Goncalves: To be honest, I am open to anything, to any sport on a motorcycle. Being on a motorbike for me is a great feeling, but my passion is motocross and I believe in myself, and I think I can get some good results for myself and the people I work for.

Q: What about the next couple of months, do you like the circuits we will visit?

Goncalves: Loket is a good track, a special surface, one of the classic ones, and it’s slick, I have had good results in the past there. I am not really looking at the tracks coming up, I mean we have two new ones in Brazil and Mexico, and I just need to be ready for it, no matter what the track is like.