“Coming to Red Bull KTM Ajo has been a great opportunity to grow as a rider”
18/07/2023Albert Arenas talks about his first season with the team so far.
Albert Arenas joined the Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 team this season. The Spanish rider completed this first part of the year with satisfactory results and occupies twelfth position in the overall standings. During the summer break, he takes stock of his start with the team and explains his next objectives.
What has it meant for you to become part of Red Bull KTM Ajo?
“After many years in the same structure, it has been a great change and an opportunity to learn new things, and to grow as a rider and as an athlete. I am opening my mind in terms of how to approach the races. I want to get even more in sync with the team to be able to get the most out of our potential”.
How does Aki and the team’s work methodology fit with your riding and your way of working?
“From the first moment I got on the bike, I was fast. Then I had some moments when I didn’t feel good with the bike, but that made me do other things, learn from the situation and see how I could get more out of myself. I am looking at what aspects I can improve, what I can change and seeing how to understand the working method perfectly”.
How do you assess the progress made so far?
“It is clear that when you have expectations, it is more difficult? That’s one thing I’ve learned from Aki, to be cold-headed in this regard and not to set high expectations, but rather to focus more on my daily work and providing the best performance. Then everything else comes by itself. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to the summer break. I am looking forward to more races, since at the end of the first part of the season I felt much better and had managed to make a change in my mentality and riding, to be able to get more out of the team, the bike and myself”.
After this change, what aspects would you highlight as your strengths?
“I think that, in the end, we are always fast, but I can’t be completely effective yet. That’s what I’ve focused on: Using speed to really be effective. In Moto2 all the riders are very, very, very close and two tenths of a second make a big difference, especially lap after lap. I would also highlight our work and perseverance, and our will to progress”.
“With Aki I have learnt to focus on the daily work and to achieve the best performance”.
What do you have pending to improve in the races that remain after the summer?
“Something I have already begun to improve, which is a focus on consistency, lap by lap, and above all on what can I do to make a difference, what can I do differently and what I can do better. I have to be very focused on myself, corner after corner, day by day, I think that is what I want to continue doing when I return from the summer break”.
What are your goals for the coming races?
“My main objective is going to be to culminate what I have been talking about. I want to be very, very focused on this. I’m sure the results will come. I don’t want to be obsessed with wanting to be fast and achieving everything now, as I was at the beginning of the season, but I want to be more effective, a better rider and comfortable with the whole package”.
The schedule for the coming months is going to be intense and demanding. What do you think will help you to end the year in the best possible way?
“There are definitely some very demanding months coming up. The races in Asia have always been good for me and I have good memories of those tracks. They are circuits that I like and I adapt well. I think it’s also going to be key to enjoy the races; that’s going to help make all of them more intense. If you manage to enjoy yourself more on the track and with the team, it makes everything much easier”.
Finally, how is this summer break going?
“I didn’t really want to stop racing, because I was starting to pick up the pace and we had found a way to enjoy riding the bike to unlock my potential. I’ve taken a few days off, enjoying time in the sea as I love that, but now I’m back training. We are also going to have days with the team to maintain that spark for the second part of the season and prepare, as best as possible, for the end of the year”.