The Moto3 world champion, David Alonsoattended OKDIARIO at the Barcelona-Catalonia circuit in the run-up to the Solidario MotoGP Barcelona GP. Before arriving at the Montmeló road, the driver of the The Aspar team He was in Algemesí with Aspar cleaning the streets of the Valencian city. Even though he had to train, David thought of Valencia. He says that as soon as his parents finished work, he went straight to Valencia to help those affected by DANA.
In addition, Alonso revealed to this newspaper that received a message from James Rodríguez to congratulate you on the World Cup. The Colombian footballer congratulated the first Colombian rider to be world motorcycling champion. David was born in Madrid, but races under the Colombian flag for his mother. In addition, this weekend he has the opportunity to beat Marc Márquez’s 13 victories, but he does not want to win for that or for his personal ego, but “for Valencia”. Concerning the MotoGP title, David Alonso is betting on Martín this year and on Márquez in 2025.
Question.- I had planned to do this interview in Valencia, but the DANA tragedy forced us to do it in Barcelona… How did you feel when you learned what happened in Valencia?
Answer.- Finally we were far away, in Malaysia, and we realize it, but we are a little disconnected. Even if you want to, even if you see it on the news, you’re a little disconnected. Everything has taken a back seat to the sporting issue.
Q.- When you returned to Valencia, you did not hesitate to go and help…
A.- Yes, I am very connected with Valencia. First of all, for the team, which is Valencian. Since I was little, I went to Valencia very often to train and spent a lot of time there. After confinement, I spent it there. I didn’t spend it with my parents or my family. I spent it with a family from there, from Valencia, because they caught me training there. So I stayed there because they locked us up and I got caught in Valencia. And I spent a lot of time in Valencia, so I’m kind of connected and when I came back from Malaysia and I was in Madrid training, preparing for the Barcelona race, the bike, that… I wasn’t doing a good workout, but since I wasn’t feeling well, I didn’t want to train there, but rather go and help. So when my parents finished work on Friday, I went there, a little lost. It was the only thing I wanted to do that week.
Q.- Physically, you were training, but in your head you only thought about going to help, right?
A.- Yes yes. Since I had the opportunity to go there, I wanted to go there.
Q.- Were you very impressed to see it in person?
A.- Yes, I was impressed by the fact that at the end it looks like there was a war and everything is full of mud, cars, people who lost everything… And like everything has changed from one day to the next. Seeing it in person is more impressive.
Q.- What is impressive is that his ID card indicates that he is 18 years old, but you showed an inappropriate maturity for a boy of his age…
A.- Since the age of 11, when I more or less entered the Aspar Academy, I have been working with adults. It helps you mature a little faster by working with people older than you. I was always like the kid in class at everything. In the motorcycle categories too. I always arrived and there were elderly people. I learned, because in the end when you’re little you learn and then you try to listen a lot to what those who have already been there tell you.
Q.- Malaysia’s victory was a historic victory because it equaled Márquez’s 13th, but it was perhaps a little bitter due to the situation experienced in Valencia. Was it the bitterest victory of your career?
A.- Well, when we were preparing for the celebrations, which was Australian Saturday, I would bandage my head in the evening for the celebration. When I want to dance, I do it to enjoy the moment and because I feel it and it comes to me, but at that moment I didn’t want to celebrate anything, I just wanted to carry the flag of Valencia, whether it is won or not, and return home as soon as possible to help Valencia. So let’s say it was a very, very zen victory. It was the victory for which I was the most confident because I took away all the importance of the race and Valencia had all the importance. So I left with the mentality of good, I have to go out and do my job, do the 20 laps of the race, not deviate from my game plan or my race strategy and that’s it, cross the line. arrived and I’m I’m going to go home. With the situation in Valencia, I took a lot of importance out of the race. It felt like a victory, not bitter, but very calm and as if the important thing was not the victory or the record, but something much deeper like what happened in Valencia. The reason was deeper, deeper than the other victories.
Q.- In fact, you offered the price of victory to those affected by DANA
A.- Yes, I donated the win bonus to the team GoFundMe. I have to donate it today because I haven’t been able to do it yet because I was waiting for them to give me the green light and I’m going to donate it today.
Q.- He surpassed Rossi in Thailand and this GP Solidarity can surpass Márquez’s 13 victories.
A.- It would be very good, but I have to try a little not to do it for the ego of wanting to be the best, but to do it for, for example, Valencia or for all the members of the team who leave behind their family. come work with me. Do it for all of them and don’t look for it, but show up and look for a good weekend, working for that win. But if it has to come, it will come. And I just worry about doing everything I can this weekend, being professional and having a professional weekend so I can have more opportunities.
Q.- I go back a little further, to a special moment for you, Japan. How did you feel crossing the finish line and seeing that you were world champion?
A.- When I crossed the finish line, I couldn’t believe it. Because there was a funny anecdote with the painting that they didn’t take away from me. I didn’t believe it when they told me I was world champion, I asked the drivers and I said “but am I world champion?” And they said, “Yes.” And with my teammate, I asked him again “but am I world champion?” and he said “yes”. I asked him five or six times because you wouldn’t believe it. It was a bit of a feeling, after crossing the finish line, the celebration, the celebration in the dressing room, on the podium, the interviews, everything… it was like you couldn’t believe it or couldn’t believe it. not realize it, be aware of what you have accomplished. And then you were like in a cloud and I remember I was walking around like when you go there at 4:00, like you’re like levitating, you’re not even walking anymore. You go a bit like that, you go a bit like in a cloud of flow, like all flow and all happiness, but without being very conscious of what you have done. That was kind of the feeling I had. And then later, at home, we realize it. We start to assimilate a little, but at that moment that’s the feeling I had.
Q.- After winning, the hall of champions was waiting for you in the pit lane: Quartararo, Bagnaia, Márquez, Martín… they all came out to congratulate you. Is it impressive that great champions like them come out of their box to congratulate you?
A.- What I liked most about my victory in the World Championship was this image of arriving at the paddock, at the pitlane and seeing how everyone was waiting to greet me. Everyone, drivers, mechanics from different categories and seeing how happy so many people were for the World Championship. Seeing how happy this Sunday everyone was with what they had accomplished touched me a lot and it’s one of the things I loved the most, being able to see so many people happy for the Coupe du World.
Q.- I understand that you had great advisors like Márquez and Martín at your side, what advice did they give you?
A.- Well yes, they tried to tell me there, especially when I was playing in the World Cup, I asked them a lot. Everyone gave me their personal experience. Martín explained to me how he developed his race strategy of waiting until the last five laps, and I did exactly as he told me. Márquez told me later that at the beginning it was going to be very tense and that I shouldn’t be nervous because that was normal. Give me time, because little by little I would feel better during the race. So, well, I’m always grateful to get that advice from each of them and listen to it.
Q.- And next year, in Moto2, do you think you can fight for the World Championship?
A.- No. If so, welcome. But next year I think it’s not just about fighting for a World Cup, it’s about fighting for the training process and training in the category. Because when I fought, which was this year, I started in Qatar and I really knew it, but we don’t know if we’re going to win it or not, but I knew I was going to fight, but because I had some basics of riding, how to go, how to move around the category. I could fight because I had the tools. But I can’t say that I will be able to fight next year in Moto2 if I haven’t even got on the bike. A process is necessary.
Q.- You said in an interview that if you win in Moto2 in 2025, in 2026 you have the possibility of moving to MotoGP. It’s true ?
A.- Well, I don’t know. We’ll never know until it happens. Yes, several MotoGP brands have knocked on my door but you’ll never know until it happens. The approach we have is to do two years in Moto2. If this happens, we will see how this will be offered and what options are available. Even though this is a Moto2 category in which I wouldn’t mind repeating the year like what Zarco did, winning and staying again. Because it is a category that does not harm you for MotoGP. On the contrary, it benefits you. This gives you a sort of school for later launching into MotoGP.
Q.- After the year you’ve had, I’m sure a MotoGP team has already knocked on your door… Have you received many offers?
A.- Yes yes. Well, there are no more offers, but they have been fixed. In the end, even though they are up there in MotoGP, they try to be attentive and let you know a little bit that it’s very good to know that good work is being done and that you have to continue, because if you keep working, you can get there. It’s not so much that they put a contract on the table, but rather that they pay attention to it.
Q.- Did they even offer you to skip Moto2 and go straight to MotoG?
A.- No, no, because that’s not in our plans either.
Q.- Regarding the MotoGP World Championship, who do you think will win, Martín or Bagnaia?
A.- Martine.
Q.- Why?
A.- Martín because Bagnaia depends on Martín to win and Martín depends on himself.
Q.- Do you think Márquez can win the title next year?
A.- Yes, I have a lot of confidence in him.
Q.- Would you bet right now that Márquez will win the title next year?
A.- Yes, it would be incredible for the MotoGP championship.
Q.- Have you received any special compliments from a famous person that you perhaps didn’t expect or that made you very excited?
A.- Yes, from Colombia, James Rodríguez.
Q.- That would shock you…
A.- Yes, yes, it shocked me.
