Xavi Fores’ very late entry onto the WorldSBK grid at Estoril, as a replacement for injured GoEleven rider Philipp Öttl, was straightforward enough as he was already there commentating for Spanish TV.
The old WorldSBK and BSB stager was, however, not planning to ride hence his cousin made a mad all-night dash from Valencia to Estoril, to let Xavi pass scrutineering before taking to the circuit in FP1.
“He was driving all night,” Fores said on Sunday. “He arrived at 06:00 in the morning. 07:00 we were here to do some checks. 09:00 I was at the track. It was crazy, but I enjoyed a lot!”
In finishing eleventh, ninth and tenth, he demonstrated that he is still a strong rider, especially when you consider he had not ridden this WorldSBK bike before, and had almost no practice - just FP3 then go.
“It was my very first time on the V4 Superbike spec,” Fores confirmed. “I never tried before. Even if I do endurance, it’s not the same bike. I felt quite good on the bike. The first session I did with a full setup of Philipp, to see how the bike was reacting and to know the bike. Then session by session I start to build the bike a little bit more for me.
“On the race one I did a good job. I was not so strong on the start, but my pace was not really bad. So, I was coming from the back and finishing in the top ten on both races. It was nice and unexpected a little bit, to be honest.”
Öttl will have an operation on his collarbone to try and ride at Misano, but Fores is ready to go again if required.
“It doesn’t depend on me,” he explained. “It depends on if Philipp is ready to race or not. He’s going to do surgery on Tuesday, so hopefully he’s going to be ready for Misano. But in case he’s not ready, I will be available for that.”
After the GoEleven Team has proved to be able to win races in the recent past, and Öttl has been as high as seventh in his rookie year, maybe this is the best bike he has ridden in WorldSBK?
“There are some very strong points, such as engine power,” he explained. “The engine power is quite strong. Especially today I was fighting with the BMWs, with Scott Redding, and also their bikes are fast on the straight. Something that I would like to improve, especially for my riding style, is the stability in braking. I don't think it’s the strongest bike for braking or stopping the bike. You can see Alvaro is not braking massively strong, like for example Johnny or Toprak, but he can enjoy the strongest points of the bike.
“It’s one of the best bikes, to be honest. It’s a very strong bike. I am not Superman! If you are not on a good bike, you cannot do this kind of result, especially being two years out of the paddock.”
Fores was irritated when he lost his regular place in WorldSBK despite some great times in the privater Barni Ducati squad. A year on a Puccetti Kawasaki was difficult on a bike that few outside the factory KRT squad could manage top results on, but the 36-year-old has found any potential return barred by newer, younger riders. He would love to come back to WorldSBK, it seems.
“Of course, there is something that I am always pushing to the team. I talk a lot with Barni. We have a very nice relationship. I am always telling to him, I’m not old. I’m still feeling strong. You could see the races from yesterday and today, the second part of the race was the strongest point of me. So, I think if I could have a good bike and working properly on my bike, on my style, I can still be very strong. But, unfortunately, there are no bikes. The team GoEleven guys gave me an amazing opportunity to show the people that I’m still on the base, but this is something that I believe in myself. So, there is something that is not in my hands. If there are no bikes, I cannot do anything.”
He continued, “To be fair, when I lost my place in the World Superbike I was quite angry with myself and also with things involving the championship, because I felt quite strong. I was losing the place doing podiums at the end of the ’18 season. So, there was something that it was not in my hands and I was very disappointed in that.
“Then I had to move to BSB, but I was knowing in myself that that was not my place to stay. I was always believing that my place was here in WorldSBK. But now more than in the past you can see that if you don’t have a factory bike or a proper bike, it is not that easy like in the past to stay in the pack. There are only two or three good private teams, like GoEleven, Barni, or maybe the second team of BMW who can be in the pack, or maybe Yamaha junior team. Unfortunately, they are looking for young riders. It’s always being more difficult for me to find a place. Now I’m enjoying doing different things. If I’m called for this kind of situation, always I’m ready.”
