Charlie Cox is pretty much a household name to viewers of motorsport in the UK, having been the familiar voice of MotoGP, World Superbikes and Touring Cars on British television over the years, and he currently forms part of the BBC’s key MotoGP commentary partnership with Steve Parrish.
Formerly a racer on 4 wheels himself, he always brings an unmistakable mix of enthusiasm, knowledge, honesty and humour to the races.
We were fortunate enough to catch up with him in the commentary box at Donington during the recent British GP weekend for a chat about him, the sport, the riders and whether MotoGP commentator is possibly the best job in the world…
Commentator on MotoGP… Top job, right? Is there actually ANY downside to it at all?
It IS a good job certainly. Definitely better than a proper job! The travel is the real grind – that’s the bit that’s really debilitating. it’s great when you get to the races. Sometimes, like here at Donington, you have to get up at silly-o-clock to beat the traffic getting in, but that’s okay – it’s just the travel. And it’s okay for us compared to the riders – they have to go from week to week to week, and if anything goes wrong it’s a nightmare.
So, yeah – for me – I get bored with all the travel but I love going to all the races; wouldn’t want to miss that.
So even if it’s not a great season it’s still fun to do?
Oh yeah. Even the last two years which were pretty ordinary, at the start of the year you’re still wanting to see who’s going to go well and who’s not – even if the race on the day’s not great, and then later in the season who’s going where, who’s going to ride what… so there’s always that interest off the track as well as on.
And “later in the season” is getting earlier each year isn’t it?
Oh yeah definitely. It’s worse than football. It’s ridiculous.
What’s the art to commentating on MotoGP?
You can be a real bore at commentating if you chuck too many facts at the problem. You have to remember who you’re commentating for – who you’re talking to – as well. Here on the BBC is pretty mainstream, and it’s a pretty broad audience that you get – and they’re not all big motorport fans, or bike fans. Half the audience, or more, is probably serendipitous – they’ll just bump into it, so you’ve got to explain “the red bike”, “the green bike”, “the blue bike”… which is what I do. You’ve got to try and get a balance between those things. You’ve got to try not to repeat yourself. And you’ve got to try and talk to people that don’t know anything about it all without insulting the intelligence of those that do. I think that’s the challenge of doing it for the BBC. But me, I just try and have a good time within those constraints.
Here we are at Donington for the last time; are you sad to say goodbye to it?
I’m a huge Silverstone fan because I’m a member of the BRDC – and it’s “our track” and so that’s great. But yes, I do think it’s a great shame. Donington’s a great circuit. It’s a great circuit to race on – I’ve raced on it in cars, and it’s wonderful. And I think it’s a circuit that really lends itself very well to bike racing. It’s got elevation changes and it’s really fast and flowing, and it’s got enough overtaking spots to make it interesting. So, yeah – it’s a great loss. But I think Silverstone usually puts on a pretty good show.
Do you think fans will warm to Silverstone pretty quickly then?
I hope so. I used to commentate there on Superbikes in the past and we all seemed to like it a lot there.
Are you enjoying the current season in the top class? It seems a lot more exciting than last year for instance…?
Oh yeah. Absolutely. Last year was as dull as ditchwater; though happily the one tyre rule seems to have fiixed it up a bit – but the last couple of years we had some shocking races, Stoner just disappearing off into the distance… I mean I really admire him but it’s no fun having anybody just disappear off into the distance is it.
The first two years of 800s were pretty ordinary – pretty hard work – but this year has been great.
Despite being a commentator who has to retain a degree of objectivity, do you have favourite riders?
Yeah, you do have to remain objective – but as we do it for the BBC only (rather than a world feed) – it allows us to be a bit more partisan and more personal. So – yep, I’m a bit pro Toseland because it’s nice to see the local boy get up there, and he’s had difficult times. But yes, there are others. You can’t NOT admire Rossi. You can’t not have a sneaking admiration for Lorenzo – although my admiration will never match his own!
I, and others I know, have definitely really warmed to him (Lorenzo). Was it last year – and all the accidents – that made the big change in him? Gave him more humility, made him seem a nicer guy?
I think so. I think it did make him more human, and more humble, and it did make him better. And on other riders again, Stoner’s a star, Colin Edwards I like very much, and Nicky Hayden is arguably the most amiable chap in the paddock – so they’re the guys I like. And then, yeah, there’s the “sneaking admiration” ones too! But basically none of them are horrible and high-handed. That’s just not been my experience.
Are you enjoying the current Rossi / Lorenzo rivalry?
Oh yeah, it’s fantastic. And it does two things… firstly it makes for a great championship but it has also provided us with the best racing that Rossi’s ever done. Rossi’s never been so good. So like him or hate him, Lorenzo’s already helped get more out of the old ‘GOAT’ (Greatest Of All Time) than we’ve ever seen.
What do you reckon to the 125s and 250s?
Oh, I always watch them – I never miss a race and very rarely ever miss a practice session.
Do you have any standout riders in 125 or 250?
Yeah… Simoncelli is extraordinary isn’t he. He’s most likely to win and most likely to crash… You pick the order…! Bautista is extraordinarily even – he’s a real percentage player, and he’s a had a bit of bad luck, such as running into the back of Aoyama at Assen – so it’s been difficult for him, but I do think he’s good. And Aoyama himself is somebody to watch, because it’s very interesting to have a very competitive, hard-racing Japanese rider.
Some people may also remember you as being more associated with 4 wheels… do you miss racing much?
No… No I don’t. When I stopped racing at the end of 2001 it was time. I’d really enjoyed those years, that decade or so racing in Britain; it had been kind to me. But I’d always watched the bikes; I’d always been very interested in them since back in Australia – Wayne Gardner won and that got everybody interested, then of course the Doohan years in the nineties – even though I was here in the UK… I’d had enough of racing when I stopped and it was timely to switch to bikes. And it’s served me very well.
When you had your big crash at Thruxton back in 1995, was that the beginning of the end for your racing career? What it hard to come back from a crash like that?
I was never quite the same. I “dropped my computer”…! My brainbox was never quite the same… It took me a couple of years to get over bouts of problems with my balance. Balance isn’t as important in cars as it is with bikes but it’s still important so I struggled.
As well as balance, did it do anything to your confidence too?
Oh no, no – I think I spun just as much afterwards as I did before! So I was obviously pushing hard! The main problem was being nervous about being able to do it again; because in international racing they sign you off until Professor Sid Watkins signs you back on again as being allowed to race, and that took a year. It was certainly the end of the ascendency.
And finally a couple of simple and probably obvious questions to wind up with…
Favourite bike or manufacturer?
I’m a Ducati man. I ride an 888 Superbike – an old Fogarty replica. And so I’m always rooting for Ducati. And they’re also a “little” company up against all the big Japanese manufacturers.
And your favourite circuit? Is there a truly brilliant one for bikes?
Yeah – Phillip Island. I would say that, wouldn’t I? It’s astounding. Really. It’s got everything – it’s a great track to race on… it just keeps coming at you.
It does look fantastic – and it looks like you go through these beautiful curves and then you’re just looking at the end of the world…?
Yeah, it is! That’s right. 50 feet this way and you’re looking at a couple of hundred foot cliff and there’s nothing between you and the Antarctic. And it’s got a great vibe. And just as a track, it’s so fast and it seems so narrow when you’re on it. The riders all love it.
And lastly, your favourite rider of all time?
That has to be Rossi – in terms of both his ability and his showmanship. It has to be Rossi.
With many thanks to Charlie and Caroline Cox.
In the blink of an eye the deluge of Qatar has already become just a mere anecdote and we have already passed the middle of the 2009 championship where the smaller classes have had nine races thus far. At the moment this season does not give more time to breathe than this week and the next one, after that comes the second part, possibly the most demanding one. MotoGP and 125cc have both outstanding leaders at the moment, but the 250cc class is another deal, none of the four big riders wants to lose the last title of 250cc as it is known. Alvaro Baptist continues to be closely involved in the title fight, but he knows that he will have to fight for the medal until the end.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the Dutch TT of 1984, when Jorge Martínez “Aspar” took on the role of team manager Derbi but still showed his qualities as a rider by taking his first ever victory in the 80cc class. The man he had to beat was none other than local favourite Hans Spaan, which only made his final-lap win even more exciting. Afterwards Ángel Nieto told him: “No matter how many races you have won, savour this moment because you will never forget it.” Four world titles and no fewer than 36 victories later, the ‘Aspar’ who lined up on the grid in Argentina was an entirely different man to that 21-year-old who came of age ten years earlier at ‘The Cathedral’. Ready to race his notoriously difficult Yamaha and with more than one Japanese job at stake, the veteran made a final corner pass on Ueda to secure the final victory of his stellar career. Today Jorge Martínez “Aspar” celebrates again, having watched his team take their 200th podium no long ago he is now left to reflect on a century of victories. His own 37 wins as a rider have been complimented by another 63 as the leader of the Aspar Team, now a standard-bearing organisation within the MotoGP paddock. The circuit was Donington and the rider lucky enough to take the milestone victory and forever form part of the glorious Jorge Martínez “Aspar” story was Julián Simón. Faubel made his mark with seven wins, Elías and Porto with six each, Fonsi with five and his cousin Pablo with the only victory of his career; each has contributed to the Aspar Team’s winning pedigree. However, it has been without doubt Álvaro Bautista, the team’s leading light in the 250cc class, who has been the main heir to Jorge’s legacy, taking sixteen victories so far in “Aspar” colours.
Despite rainfall on the Donington Park circuit, the 250cc British Grand Prix was almost a dry affair. Declared wet by Race Direction, the choice of tyres became crucial for the latest round of the series. All riders went for wets, which rapidly began to slide as the conditions cleared up. Hiroshi Aoyama had taken the early lead, and had enough of an advantage to break away and hold on to the gap between himself and Álvaro Bautista. Some riders came in to change to slicks, but none were able to trouble the leaders due to losing a lap in passing through the pits.
“It seems that after three years we are finally able to achieve our dream of presenting a MotoGP project. It’s been three years of fighting and looking for the best option and, after sounding out various factories, we have finally reached an agreement with Ducati,” declared Aspar at the British track. “I hope that this will be a fruitful arrangement that will continue in the long term. In theory we will have one rider in 2010, with the idea being to expand to two in 2011.”
After a rain-hit first practice yesterday thankfully the sun shone at Donington today and the qualifying session for the 250cc class took place in dry conditions. With an 80% chance of more rain predicted for tomorrow, there could be a few surprises despite the domination of four riders today. The lap times were tight at the top and in the end it was the Spaniard Hector Barberá who clinched the final pole position on offer at the legendary circuit before it makes way on the calendar for Silverstone in 2010.
