And second half
This is the interview i did with Liam Shubert from Alice team
Interview with Liam Shubert from Alice Ducati Team
The road to the paddock
The paddock at the Motor Grand Prix is like the promised land. Only the most fortunate are allowed to see what is happening behind the facade of these races.
Set up with a lot of checkpoints and security guards, you really have an idea of how popular and great this sport is. If you do not have one of theprestigious
paddock passes, you will not get in. There are no exceptions, so the best thing, is to have your contacts in order.
The company which I went to Brno with had received about 10 paddock passes, to be shared between 600 people. One need not be good at math to see that it is near impossible, and requires very good planning.
I was fortunately allowed to borrow one of them on Friday, and set course towards the paddock.
First stop, the electronic checkpoint, where my pass was scanned to check that it was a real paddock pass, and then into the area. The paddock is like an ant-hill, team workers, riders on scooters and civil are all around. It is important to keep track of where you go if you want to avoid being hit by Jorge Lorenzo, or one of the other riders on their scooters.
I took the direct path of Alice Ducati Team's pit, where I knew I could find Liam Shubert, which I have met before. Liam works as responsible for inventory and spare parts for Alice team.
After a bit of waiting he came out of his trailer and I spoke briefly with him and asked if he had time for an interview. He asked me to come back a little later, so I could eat lunch with him in Alice hospitality unit.
I then went around the paddock, said hi to some different riders and ended up by Valentino Rossi camper, where a lot of fans were waiting for their idol. However, I chose to go further, it appeared to intrusive to participate in. Went down to Redbull Rookies hospitality and spoke a bit with the young riders on their next race.
The time had come to return to Alice's pit, on my way back came Valentino and his friend Uccio on the scooter, said hello to them and went further.
By the pit I waited a while untill Liam was finished with his work and then we went over to Hospitality area, first they would not let me in because my paddock pass did not work for this area, but when Liam guaranteed that he would follow me out again they said okay.
Alice's hospitallity is well equipped with comfortable sofas, eating area and an opulent buffet. We took some food, sat down and began the interview.
Who is Liam Shubert
Liam is originally from Hawaii. Earlier, he was Harley Davidson mechanic and even produced his own motorcycles. He has an absolutely incredible passion for his work, and can describe and talk about motorcycles with such a conviction and interest that even a person who is not interested in this sport will be fascinated. It shines very clear through that he loves his work. He takes good time to answer questions, and is extremely well-considered in his answers.
Life as an employee in the motogp
How did you end up in this industry?
"I have always been quite crazy about motorcycles, and began to go to races. The trick to get into this industry is to be seen, to know a lot people on the paddock. You will not be employed on the basis of your resume, it happens almost never. But by presenting yourself in person and show that you are sincerely interested, you can get a foot inside. The attitude here is that if you are willing to give everything you have, then the skills you need will come in time. One can always be taught up to perform the job. "
How life in the motogp?
"It's a different life in several aspects. I come from USA, so it means that I am very much away from my family and friends. There is often a long time where I will not see them, it is difficult to plan anything because I am always on the move. Family life is almost impossible; we work very much, and must always be available to the employer. One day I can be at the beach and the next in the process of work, because they called after me. It is not always fun, and really something you have to have in its deliberations. Are we willing to sacrifice a big part of your life for this. "
"It is a very tough business in which there is no room for error. If you make a mistake you are out. We are all employed on a 1-year contract, so you are not automatically guaranteed to be reinstated the following season. I knew a guy who worked here, in the start of the year under the practice he made a mistake that made the motorcycle waste a little oil on the track. This resulted in the other rider to crash. The rest of the year he did his job perfectly, but when the season was over his contract was not renewed. There is just no room for mistakes "
"Personally, I wish I could be in this business the rest of my life, it's fun, exciting and challenging. We are not getting rich, I earned more money when I work as a mechanic for Harley Davidson, but the experiences and the intensity clearly outweigh this. "
When do you have free time?
"We are working very much, especially during race weekends. Often, we have to get up early because we live in a hotel in a nearby town. So our day starts at any times. 6 am in the morning and ending perhaps at. 8 pm. If one of the motorcycles have been involved in a crash, and it has a lot of damage, we might work all night to get it ready for the next day. It's just something you have to do you cannot look at the clock and say, 'So, I was of at 6 pm., so I have to go ", You stay the work is finalised, no matter the hour"
"We have about 6 weeks holiday between November and December, but usually I'm only having 2 weeks because there are a lot of work to be obtained. I have to order spare parts, perhaps should I participate in some workshops at the factory or fix something logistics work. The aim is to be as active as possible in this industry, always be available. Hard work will be rewarded, but we must fight to work our way up through the classes, and show we have a sincere interest in our team. "
We go into detail
What do you think is the best in the motogp?
"It is the best machines, that is what I think is the best. You learn a lot of interesting people to know and will have a special bond to your teammates. "
What are the main factors for a good race?
"The tyres, if you do not have any good tyres, which have a good grip on the track you’re lost. It is the alpha omega that the tyres are of high standard, they help to determine how fast you can run and how well we can run in corners. "
What is the best about the Ducati?
What I think is best is the chassis, engine and the advanced electronics. We have come a long way in the development and it gives us the advantage that we now have the fastest motorcycle on the track "
Does Casey Stoner any influence on the development of his Ducati?
"Not directly, I would say. Our engineers will present the opportunities and changes which they think is best for the motorcycle. He tests them, but in the end, it is the engineer who decides. Casey is a very focused rider with great confidence. He is on when he is rides. There is no smooth transition when he is out, it is "on / off" all the way through. He relies entirely on electronics. Even when Ducatien are lively under him, he gives full gas and knows that the tractioncontrol will keep the motorcycle on the track. Valentino Rossi is learning to run more by this method, earlier, he was a little more cautious, but he is becoming better at it. "
Interview with Liam Shubert from Alice Ducati Team
The road to the paddock
The paddock at the Motor Grand Prix is like the promised land. Only the most fortunate are allowed to see what is happening behind the facade of these races.
Set up with a lot of checkpoints and security guards, you really have an idea of how popular and great this sport is. If you do not have one of theprestigious
paddock passes, you will not get in. There are no exceptions, so the best thing, is to have your contacts in order.
The company which I went to Brno with had received about 10 paddock passes, to be shared between 600 people. One need not be good at math to see that it is near impossible, and requires very good planning.
I was fortunately allowed to borrow one of them on Friday, and set course towards the paddock.
First stop, the electronic checkpoint, where my pass was scanned to check that it was a real paddock pass, and then into the area. The paddock is like an ant-hill, team workers, riders on scooters and civil are all around. It is important to keep track of where you go if you want to avoid being hit by Jorge Lorenzo, or one of the other riders on their scooters.
I took the direct path of Alice Ducati Team's pit, where I knew I could find Liam Shubert, which I have met before. Liam works as responsible for inventory and spare parts for Alice team.
After a bit of waiting he came out of his trailer and I spoke briefly with him and asked if he had time for an interview. He asked me to come back a little later, so I could eat lunch with him in Alice hospitality unit.
I then went around the paddock, said hi to some different riders and ended up by Valentino Rossi camper, where a lot of fans were waiting for their idol. However, I chose to go further, it appeared to intrusive to participate in. Went down to Redbull Rookies hospitality and spoke a bit with the young riders on their next race.
The time had come to return to Alice's pit, on my way back came Valentino and his friend Uccio on the scooter, said hello to them and went further.
By the pit I waited a while untill Liam was finished with his work and then we went over to Hospitality area, first they would not let me in because my paddock pass did not work for this area, but when Liam guaranteed that he would follow me out again they said okay.
Alice's hospitallity is well equipped with comfortable sofas, eating area and an opulent buffet. We took some food, sat down and began the interview.
Who is Liam Shubert
Liam is originally from Hawaii. Earlier, he was Harley Davidson mechanic and even produced his own motorcycles. He has an absolutely incredible passion for his work, and can describe and talk about motorcycles with such a conviction and interest that even a person who is not interested in this sport will be fascinated. It shines very clear through that he loves his work. He takes good time to answer questions, and is extremely well-considered in his answers.
Life as an employee in the motogp
How did you end up in this industry?
"I have always been quite crazy about motorcycles, and began to go to races. The trick to get into this industry is to be seen, to know a lot people on the paddock. You will not be employed on the basis of your resume, it happens almost never. But by presenting yourself in person and show that you are sincerely interested, you can get a foot inside. The attitude here is that if you are willing to give everything you have, then the skills you need will come in time. One can always be taught up to perform the job. "
How life in the motogp?
"It's a different life in several aspects. I come from USA, so it means that I am very much away from my family and friends. There is often a long time where I will not see them, it is difficult to plan anything because I am always on the move. Family life is almost impossible; we work very much, and must always be available to the employer. One day I can be at the beach and the next in the process of work, because they called after me. It is not always fun, and really something you have to have in its deliberations. Are we willing to sacrifice a big part of your life for this. "
"It is a very tough business in which there is no room for error. If you make a mistake you are out. We are all employed on a 1-year contract, so you are not automatically guaranteed to be reinstated the following season. I knew a guy who worked here, in the start of the year under the practice he made a mistake that made the motorcycle waste a little oil on the track. This resulted in the other rider to crash. The rest of the year he did his job perfectly, but when the season was over his contract was not renewed. There is just no room for mistakes "
"Personally, I wish I could be in this business the rest of my life, it's fun, exciting and challenging. We are not getting rich, I earned more money when I work as a mechanic for Harley Davidson, but the experiences and the intensity clearly outweigh this. "
When do you have free time?
"We are working very much, especially during race weekends. Often, we have to get up early because we live in a hotel in a nearby town. So our day starts at any times. 6 am in the morning and ending perhaps at. 8 pm. If one of the motorcycles have been involved in a crash, and it has a lot of damage, we might work all night to get it ready for the next day. It's just something you have to do you cannot look at the clock and say, 'So, I was of at 6 pm., so I have to go ", You stay the work is finalised, no matter the hour"
"We have about 6 weeks holiday between November and December, but usually I'm only having 2 weeks because there are a lot of work to be obtained. I have to order spare parts, perhaps should I participate in some workshops at the factory or fix something logistics work. The aim is to be as active as possible in this industry, always be available. Hard work will be rewarded, but we must fight to work our way up through the classes, and show we have a sincere interest in our team. "
We go into detail
What do you think is the best in the motogp?
"It is the best machines, that is what I think is the best. You learn a lot of interesting people to know and will have a special bond to your teammates. "
What are the main factors for a good race?
"The tyres, if you do not have any good tyres, which have a good grip on the track you’re lost. It is the alpha omega that the tyres are of high standard, they help to determine how fast you can run and how well we can run in corners. "
What is the best about the Ducati?
What I think is best is the chassis, engine and the advanced electronics. We have come a long way in the development and it gives us the advantage that we now have the fastest motorcycle on the track "
Does Casey Stoner any influence on the development of his Ducati?
"Not directly, I would say. Our engineers will present the opportunities and changes which they think is best for the motorcycle. He tests them, but in the end, it is the engineer who decides. Casey is a very focused rider with great confidence. He is on when he is rides. There is no smooth transition when he is out, it is "on / off" all the way through. He relies entirely on electronics. Even when Ducatien are lively under him, he gives full gas and knows that the tractioncontrol will keep the motorcycle on the track. Valentino Rossi is learning to run more by this method, earlier, he was a little more cautious, but he is becoming better at it. "
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Recent Blog Entries by Tjuggi
- And the interview with our very own Simone (04.11.2008)
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- third part (21.08.2008)
- And second half (21.08.2008)
- First half of my article in brno (21.08.2008)
