Xavi Fores has taken the MotoAmerica paddock by storm since arriving in the Supersport championship. We caught up with him at Laguna Seca to find out if life really is taking a turn for the better in America
Photography by Brian J Nelson
Xavi Forés is a very content man. The 37-year-old from the costal Spanish city of Valencia has rewritten the record books since arriving in the MotoAmerica Supersport Championship, taking every win on offer bar the non-championship Daytona 200 in March.
Forés is a man who can count experience in nearly every major racing championship, from the MotoGP and WorldSBK paddocks to British Superbike, the EWC, CEV and German Championships, and now MotoAmerica.
We caught up with him at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca to see how he’s adapting to life in America, his thoughts on MotoAmerica and the surprising way he wants to finish his career.
How’s life in America?
It’s been good. I’m enjoying it a lot because with the speed and results from racing, I feel comfortable here in America. The people are treating me quite well. This is always nice, because when you are far from home, most of the time you are alone. It feels great to have that support from the people.
How did the ride come about? You were in MotoE last year and World Endurance.
Honestly, the last couple of years I was struggling a little bit. I was not enjoying racing. When I accepted the MotoE deal, I was not happy about that. I never wanted to race in MotoE, but it was the only thing I had on my hands, and I had to accept it.
But I was always close to Ducati. I was always trying to figure out where I could race in the future, like WorldSBK or here. By the end of the season, I did the last three races with the Barney team in WorldSBK. There was a seat for me or for Danilo. When the team decided to bring Danilo, I put in contact here with the team. They offered me the chance to stay in Supersport.
To be honest, initially it was not my first choice because I was a long-time racing on superbikes, but I said, why not? Maybe it’s a good option to learn the tracks, to try to win the championship, and then I can have a future there in America for the rest of my career. So, I accepted the challenge and for sure I think it was the best choice I had. I’m enjoying it so much. The supersport class is good fun, especially discovering new tracks with this team.
As you say, it is a step back from racing WorldSBK, but you get the enjoyment back into your racing.
In terms of visibility and in terms of media impact, maybe the World Championship is better, but in terms of agreements for the riders, the stability and so on, this championship is always growing. It’s getting better and better. The treatment the riders have here is good. The proof is like Loris Baz came here, and Toni Elias was here for a while. So, this means that the MotoAmerica series is giving us the possibility to enjoy this championship and to have good opportunities here.
Do you see more interest coming from Europe?
Yeah. I am the only European rider now in the Supersport class. I think also in the Superbike. So being inside Ducati with the Italian fans and the Spanish fans is good. So, for us, me especially, being the unique Spanish rider now in this series, is also good because the people are following me from Spain, and even in Italy and so on. It’s a good vibe. I am happy about that because in the end, the people are following me on the series. It’s good for me, good for the series.
You’re moving here in August?
That’s the plan, because now the baby is three months. Then we will be waiting for the passport. The plan is to come before Pittsburgh and stay here until the end of the season.
Where are you going to live?
I don’t know yet. Maybe close to the team in Pennsylvania. They have a house. They have the facility for me for training, bikes and everything. So, the easiest way for me will be that.
How are your thoughts on the Panigale V2? You obviously gel with it very well.
For sure, I’m happy. I always felt, even in the past, I was super strong and comfortable on the V2. When I was in the Spanish championship, I won the title. Then in Germany I won the title. Then I moved to superbike with the same V2. I did podiums in superbike and was fighting often for the top-five in the World Superbike for three years in a row. The confidence I always had with that bike was great.
So, when I jumped on this bike for the first time, I felt very familiar. I know what we have to do on the bike in terms of improving in some areas. The biggest proof was this weekend [Laguna Seca] because yesterday the bike was not feeling really good. I was sixth and then during the afternoon and the night we worked a lot on the bike. This morning I had a very good feeling again on the bike, but unfortunately, I had a crash with a slow rider, and I couldn’t finish the session. But the bike now is working well, so this means that the confidence I have with the bike is very high.
What were your thoughts on racing at Daytona?
I was enjoying a lot the experience. I was good on the outfield [banking], but in the end my biggest problem was in the infield. The bike was out of the setup. We had a lot of electrical issues all weekend. In the race, after three laps, I had to retire. On the warmup before the race, I was leading the session, and I had electrical issues again. The time I spent on the track, I was in the top 10 all the time, not far from the top riders. But unfortunately, I had not much experience. But hopefully I will talk to the team to go again next year. I would like to try to win that race.
What are your thoughts on Road America, Road Atlanta? You’ve raced Road Atlanta before. Those tracks are very different to European circuits.
When I accepted this challenge, everyone was telling me, “Be careful with the tracks, they’re dangerous. The tracks are not like European ones.” But honestly, I was coming from BSB where the tracks are crazy.
So, at the moment, the tracks we rode, I felt super good and quite safe. Road America with the new pavement is really nice. I enjoyed racing there a lot. The Ridge was super nice for me. I was enjoying my laps there. Barber is nice. Road Atlanta is the one I knew from the past, and this one. So, the rest of the circuits are new, but for the moment, the experience has been really positive. As the circuit experiences and safety, I feel okay.
Is the plan to get to Superbike for next year?
That’s my target. I need to talk to the team and understand their plans as well. I don’t know what they’re going to do because Josh [Herrin] is doing well in the Superbike. I don’t know if they want to run two bikes or one bike. I’m focused now on winning the championship as soon as I can, and then we will see what happens. For sure, it’s my target. When I accepted this challenge, it was for that. Try to win this championship and then a step. Honestly, I would like to finish my career on Baggers.
Baggers? I wasn’t expecting that.
Yeah. I’m passionate! I love racing. Whatever it is, I love racing. The other day in social media, some guys were writing about how Superbike is taking the top-class riders into the National Championship, it is not fair. Everyone has a right to race whatever they want. So, as much as I have the opportunity for racing and enjoying the bike, I’m going to race. I don’t care where. If it’s MotoGP or if it’s the Italian Championship, I don’t care. I like racing. I enjoy racing. It’s my passion. So, when I came here and I saw the Baggers for the first time, and looking at how they fast go… Kyle Wyman was faster than me yesterday! I said, “why not try this?” It’s a new challenge in terms of future because I would like to stay for a few years here in America, discovering new things. If I can bring my wife and my baby here and we have jobs here and I’m racing and enjoying, what’s the reason to come back to Europe? So, that’s my plan.
It’s different to Danilo Petrucci and Loris Baz who wanted to get back to Europe.
Me, no. That’s not my plan. For sure, every year I have any options, better or worse, but any options to go to WorldSBK, I’m not accepting because unfortunately now in World Superbike, if you are not in a factory team, it’s so hard to stay in the top 10.
What I want to do is enjoy my time racing, winning, going on the podium, fighting for victories. This is what MotoAmerica brings to me. I was talking with Paolo Ciabatti [Ducati Corse Sporting Director] and I said, “Paolo, finally I am enjoying racing.” The last two or three years were a nightmare for me. This is what I want. As far as I keep enjoying and having fun, I’m going to race.
It’s nice that you want to stay. I thought Danilo [Petrucci] was going to stay.
[He didn’t like] the tracks, the series. He was all the time thinking that it was an amateur championship, which is not true. I can assure to you that in Europe there are no better championships. There it is quite equal. They are top-class riders, and they want to stay in the World Championship, but you have to understand when is your time to stay in the championship and when is your time to go away from the World Championship. So, once you start to understand that, it makes everything easier.
How has the support been from Ducati in Italy to come here? They’re backing this project a lot?
Yeah. You can see Paolo Ciabatti is here. They are supporting a lot this team because the American market is huge for the brand. So, they have a big interest for winning here. The proof was they sent here Danilo last year. They tried hard to keep him for this year. That’s a good option for me, because having the manufacturer involved here and giving us the best solution for the bike, it’s something you have to enjoy and to give your best.
Are the bikes built here or are they built in Italy?
They’re built in Italy. Some guys from the team went to Italy, built the bikes, and then they shipped them over. So, this means the factory is involved. It’s the same as they do in the British championship. The Ducati team there is like factory. They have a couple of guys from the factory working there. Same as here. This is good. As long as you will build a nice structure and you are committed to have a nicer result and good riders, Ducati will give you that.
For so many years, Ducati never had anything here and it’s just a little bit more, a little bit more.
The main thing for them is to have a good structure, a good team, with a good budget, with a good image to stay in the national championship. They don’t want a small team where they are not able to manage the situation. As long as they find good teams, like World Endurance, in the past in the German championship where I was racing, they were big teams and Ducati was helping them. It’s the same situation here. We have to get that support from Ducati.
The Man at the Top
The Warhorse HSBK team needs friends in high places to make the wheels spin, and nothing ever gets the green light in terms of Ducati’s international racing programs unless it comes from Paolo Ciabatti. We caught up with him briefly to discuss the MotoAmerica program.
This Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC program has been a slow but steady building process for a few years; how has it been from Ducati’s point of view?
Kyle [Wyman] actually started the program as a privateer and we tried to support him, technically. It was basically started with two production V4Rs, and it was more of a Superstock class kind of bike. We did a good job, but then it was the end of 2020.
Actually, Eldorado Ferracci approached me about the possibility of Ducati New York and waiting to do something. So, we managed to send one of our development superbikes to the States and did the last two rounds with Lorenzo Zanetti, who was our test rider. He was always on the podium, winning in Indianapolis.
So then one year later, the following year, they [Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC] decided to continue. It was like a kind of test event to see how they felt the bike could do in the US, and then they contracted Loris [Baz]. Last year was Danilo [Petrucci] and this year is Josh [Herrin].
In the meantime, last year we started a very successful program in Supersport, with the Panigale V2, because of the new generation of rules in WorldSSP and also here. And this year we are very, very happy. The team has grown also in terms of staff and technical competence, which is good. World Supersport so far has been the perfect season, and we won Daytona 200 with Josh which was very important.
The Superbike we had here this year is a ’23 factory superbike. The team required two bikes from us, and we built them to the WorldSBK spec with the small differences that we need for MotoAmerica. So, we’re happy. The team is doing good. I think Bobby [Shek, team manager] and the De Naples [Ducati NYC owners] family are doing a critical job, and having Eldorado Ferracci is important who, despite turning 86 recently, he is one of the brightest and more passionate people I ever met in my life. It’s a gift to have him with the team.
Just how important is the American market to Ducati?
In the past, it was either Italy or the United States where had been the biggest market. Sometimes Italy, next year United States. I would say it is similar in size and obviously both are important. Italy is obviously Ducati, we are based there. We can manage directly the distribution and the network. But the United States is the second largest market for Ducati, and we have a lot of potential.
Is the plan to have two Superbikes on the grid next year?
I think it’s honestly complicated, in terms of budget. I think it might be easier to see two Supersports next year, but Superbike is up to the team. I think we’re still looking together with the team to strengthen the technical side of it, but I think a second superbike next year will be maybe too much. Too early.
Are there any possibilities for privateers to be part of a sub-program within Ducati? Like, if a guy goes and buys a V4 R to race in MotoAmerica, is there a way that they could be a satellite operation for Ducati?
We spoke about this also with Bobby and the De Naples family. Obviously, we would like to see more Ducatis on the grid. It is true that our bike has a very advanced electronic package. Obviously to manage that package, you need someone with a special expertise. We do not have so many people that could do the job because everybody is so busy with World Superbike, MotoGP, the development team and so on. So the main obstacle would be to have a bike which is potentially capable of being on the podium and winning races, but without the right people especially to manage the electronics, it would be a challenge.CN
Click here to read the Xavi Forés Interview in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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