By Christian Tiburtius

An exclusive interview with MotoGP race winner and 2010 Moto2 champio꧃n Toni Elias, who has just announced he is leaving Moto2 and will make his World Superbike debut at this weekend's Turkish round.

Elias, a grand prix rider since 2000, lookꩵs back on his racing career to date and then explains the decision to move to WSBK...

ltxcn.top:
Where are you exactly?

Toni Elias:
At home in Manresa, it's ab🍨out 20 minut🅠es away from Barcelona. I'm a Catalan.

ltxcn.top:
Why are there so man🧸y famous riders who come from that area?

Toni Elias:
There's a big tradition of motorcycling in this area, also there is a federation which encourages kids ♈when they start racing. Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Bautista, Marquez, they all came through the federation system. Also there's RACC, a motorsport club which helped promote us all in the sport and also provided a bit of sponsorship.

ltxcn.top:
Doesn't Carlos Checa also come from around there?

Toni Elias:
Yes, Carlos Checa is a good friend of mine and lives 3 minutes away from me here. Carlos actually learned to be a mechanic in my fathers shop. I've known Carlo🥃s since he was 15 and I was only a child. He quit working in our garage because he'd started in the 250 world championships.

ltxcn.top:
Apparently you're the third Elias to race 🌸motorbikes

Toni Elias:
My grandfather was a road racer li🌼ke me. He raced for Ducati a long time ago at a time w♋hen there weren't any tracks and everything was on the road like at the Isle of Man. He was also a mechanic for Ducati in my home town but unfortunately died very young.

My father was a motocros🔯s racer and was 10 times Spanish champion. My uncle was also a Spanish champion and after finishing their racing career they opened a motorbike shop and we'v🐼e still got it. I grew up there between bikes and they're in my blood.

ltxcn.top:
How did you develop you all action style?

Toni Elias:
It just came naturally. I think that🔴 people like it because they're always telling me how they enjoy seeing me almost off my bike with my knees and elbow scraping the ground.

I was always criticised by teams for it though because they would say it wasn't good because my body w꧑as totally outside the bike. They said that꧃ I didn't put enough weight on the tyres and therefore that the tyres didn't heat up and that's why I didn't have traction.

Now Marc Marquez has got a similar style though ಌand he's winning and that made me very happy because it shows that that style was not a problem. I'm happy that Marc is winnꦰing with a similar style to mine as it vindicates what I was saying. Sure we are a little bit different but our elbows are down near the ground and our backsides are also hanging off the bike.

ltxcn.top:
Is it true that Bridgestone made a particula🥂r tyre for you to suit your style?

Toni Elias:
Yes, in 2007 when I raced for Gresini and they decided to change from Michelin to Bridgestone. When we tried the Bridgestone for the first time, we said whaꦓt we were looking for and Bridgestone made the tyre to our specifications.

I used a very big front tyre, a very soft rear and꧙ wow!, that bike was incredible. The combination of the Honda and the Bridgestones in 2007 was the best bike I've ridden in my whole life because I could do what I wanted. My body was out of the bike and my elbow on the ground but we were fighting for the top spots until I broke my femur at Assen.

ltxcn.top:
And that tyre was made particularly for you?

Toni Elias:
The construction, yes. It was a little bit softer to help me. The front one wa💦s very big, now in MotoGP they use 400's and in the past the tyres were 375s or something, but at the time I was the first one to use 400s. They're a ಞlittle bit wider and that helped me.

ltxcn.top:
Does your style depend on particular tyres?

Toni Elias:
No🎐, not really. Everybody says this. For sure very stiff tyres don't help me but you can mitigate that with the frame and✤ rear suspension linkage. You can also move the bars further back so it really isn't a problem.

I usually like a soft rear and a stiff, hard front because I like 🧸to brake very late.

ltxcn.top:
What are the low and high p♚oints of your long car꧃eer?

Toni Elias:
My worst year has to be 2011. We 🌼suffered a lot and probably had all the problems you could have. I don't want to talk about that much, but when I left MotoGP, I left in seventh position and sometimes made a podium. I felt that was a great position for a satellite bike at the time. When I came back after winning Moto2, I'm fighting over the last po🌟sitions and my best result was eighth. That was very disappointing for me.

That was the year that Bridgestone made their sti🔯ffest tyre ever as the control tyre. Also we had a lot of problems in the team. Either way, that's 💖the past and I'll put that down to experience.

I've had many happy moments, like my first victory in 125s and 250s and also winning my first MotoGP race and beating Rossi - that was a beau✃tiful emotion!

But the best year has to be 2010 because I finally attained my dream of being world champion. After that nobody can take that away from me, it'll make me happy for the rest of my life. The title made up for missing outꦗ on 125 and 250 world championships in 2001 and 2003.

The whole team came together, the technicians, Moriwaki and everybody. I was also very involved in that project and could decide many🎃 things. Everything was perfect.

ltxcn.top:
Has N🌃icky Hayden thanked you for his championship?

Toni Elias:
Yes (laughs). Him and his father also. They lo🌸st a lot in Portugal when Dani [Pedrosa] took him out and it looked as if he didn't have a chance in the championship and after the race I won he thanked me for keeping his chances alive. In the last race Valentino fell and Nick🐭y won the championship by three points.

ltxcn.top:
What were your impressions of the 🐲Ducati you rode?

Toni Elias:
Everybody said that the only person who could ride the Ducati was Casey Stoner. But I would say that Capirossi, Troy Bayliss and me did OK. I don't think it's a bad bike and it has a lot of potential. I was comfortable with the bike and when we could find a good set up, I was fast. I have been able to get on𓆉to the podium on a large variety of bikes.

The thing that impressed me about the Ducati was the power, it was enormously powerful, it was like riding an animal. The thing that needed improvement though was the balance, in my opinion the balance was too much towards t🔯he front wheel. If that's the case, you can't get any traction and power without traction is uncontrollable.

ltxcn.top:
You always got solid r🍌esults but often seemed to have▨ difficulties getting a ride.

Toni Elias:
Yes, I normally got good results but I was never ta♉ken on by a factory team. That's not been easy for me but that's the pathway I've had, some people have a smooth pathway and some a rocky one but the important thing is to get what you want in the end.

ltxcn.top:
Do you keep y🌠our crew with you when you move between teams?

Toni Elias:
No, I wasn't a🅷ble to. Many other riders move with their crew but I couldn't and I think that was very important. You change teams, you change bikes and everything is new but at least you have you crew to give you continuity. When you move to a new team with a new crew, things are always very difficult.

ltxcn.top:
What do you think is holding you back this year?

Toni Elias:
🌠We're h🔜aving problems with the traction, at the moment it's very bad and we don't know why. I haven't been the only rider to have this problem, my team-mate feels the same. Dani Rivas, a rider with a totally different size and style to me has the same problem.

ltxcn.top:
How did it end with Avintia?

Toni Elias:
My relationship with Avintia has always🌃 been good and still is, but my results there haven't helped me or them.

Then last week I got a call from Aprilia with this offer to ride the Superbike and♓ I said that I would talk with my boss at Avintia to get his opꦬinion. I talked with him and he said it would be no problem for me to go to WSBK, It was mutual. He said he was happy for me to move because he knows that I was thinking of moving to WSBK in 2014

I stop riding with Avintia as of now and they have f🥀ound an Argentinian rider to take over my bike until the end of the 🌃season, I'll finish the year with Aprilia and ride the last four races with the Red Devils team in WSBK.

ltxcn.top:
So does that mean you have an offer to complete thi⭕s year and continue in 20ꦓ14 with the Red Devils team?

Toni Elias:
No, only to finish t🗹his season and then we'll see.

ltxcn.top:
The bike is being ridden by⛎ Michel Fabrizio at the moment isn't it?

Toni Elias:
I don't know exactly, but Johnny Rea just broke his leg and I think that Mi𝓰chel was going to take over Johnny's bike and after that the Red Devils team called me.

ltxcn.top:
Do you see your future in WSBK?

Toni Elias:
Probably yes. But at the moment I just want to enjoy things 🍰and see how it goes. Careerwise though it has alw༺ays been my aim to be with a factory team and if that were possible in MotoGP then I'd stay but it might be possible in WSBK.

ltxcn.top:
Have you tested a Superbike yet?

Toni Elias:
Yes, two years ago I tried the BMW Italia bike for 2 days at Misano so now I have some idea of how a superbike and the Pirelli tyres work. The bike had a lot of power, like a Mo🅘toGP bike, but also had a bit more weight.

My physical condition is very good at the moment though and I just🔯 hope it's enough to put up with 2 races in one day.

ltxcn.top:
Does that mean y🐻ou'll be on the grid in Turkey for this weekend?

Toni Elias:
Yes I will, and I will have a lot to adapt to. Luckily I have had a lot of experienc💜e in adapting and Turkey is perhaps an easier track to get to know than others. I just want to go step by step this weekend though because I've got a new bike, new team, new crew and new ch✱ampionship, but the last race is at Jerez so I'll try to push there. Maybe it all sounds a little crazy but I will do my best.

ltxcn.top:
Really looking forward to seeing you rac🌟e in Turkey.

Toni Elias:
Me too, thanks a lot.