Tanel Leok is on edge!
During the preseason it is often difficult to estimate pilots. You have riders who are not yet in shape, who are hiding or struggling with their new bike. There are also standouts of whom everyone wonders whether they will last an entire season. Two-time junior world champion Tanel Leok (LS Motors-Honda) is not exactly the next best thing, but the Estonian has raised quite a few eyebrows in recent weeks. The Estonian Express has won several poles and has already won a series Mantova. In Hawkstone Park Tanel went even further because he was the fastest MX1 rider in a strong field of participants. With more than 42 seconds ahead of De Reuver, Leok won the first heat and finally won the Superfinal. So it's high time to get the sympathetic Estonian in front of the microphone.
At the beginning of the season you were often fast, is that typical for you?
Tanel Leok: “I don't know, but this season I feel very strong indeed. I feel good in the team, all nice people to work with and the engine suits me. You also notice that during the matches, I think. In addition, I have just had a great winter. I have worked hard in recent months and the collaboration with Marnicq Bervoets is also paying off.”
Bervoets draws up your training schedules, but he is also your coach?
Tanel Leok: “Indeed and that works great. In his own way, Marnicq keeps the pressure off, and he also has so much experience. He regularly says something that makes you think. You let it sink in for a moment and then you start working on it because what he says is correct. Bervoets is a great support for me.”
During the season you have been living in Belgium for years, did you know Marnicq before you came to LS?
Tanel Leok: “Yes, of course, but not in the way I know him now. Marnicq was also one of those riders I looked up to. I still remember the first time I saw him live in action, which was during the German GP in Gaildorf. At that time I looked up to all the factory riders of course. Only later did I realize that Bervoets has a very special track record.”
You handled the conversion from the Yamaha to the Honda without any problems, reportedly you really wanted to be on the same page yourself?
Tanel Leok: "What can I say? (laughs) I've always been a big Honda fan! When I was on an 80cc it was always with a Honda. I don't know why, but I have a soft spot for Honda. That feeling is there all over again now. It's hard to explain exactly what the difference is... I do know that I really like the CRF450. In terms of handling and attitude it is super good, I immediately felt at home on the LS Honda. Even when I tested the bike for the first time, before I signed my contract!”
You will be driving number 40 again this season. That was the song with which you made waves in 2004, your first season in MX1 with Motovision-Suzuki. Why did you choose that song?
Tanel Leok: “Because the number 7 was no longer available! That was what Barragan had chosen. I'm not really into 'career numbers'. I was seventh in the World Championship last year, normally I would have to drive with the number 7. This works best for people who come to the cross for the first time. Hey, there's someone driving with a low number, that must be a good one. You have to earn that number, you have to work hard for it.”
Next weekend you will ride in Gallarate Internationals of Italy where you defend your Italian title, is that important?
Tanel Leok: “Every title you win is important, at least for me. Because I ride to win, whether in Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium or Italy! Of course the World Cup is the most important thing, but I always do my best. My speed in the first two laps (Montevarchi and Castiglione del Lago) was good, but I had some bad luck. In Montevarchi I got tape between my rear wheel when I was leading and in Castiglione I had to leave the race in the first heat because we had a problem with the fuel pump... I am now fourth in the standings after Philippaerts, Guarneri and Coppins. It won't be easy, but I'll keep fighting for it!”
Most people know Gallarate from the GP in 2005, what do you think of that track?
Tanel Leok: “I think it's a nice circuit. They've made some changes so I'm curious to see what they look like. In Gallarate it is sometimes difficult to overtake, so the start becomes even more important. Although that shouldn't be a problem, because lately I've often been in the lead!”
Photos credit: CDS, Ray Archer
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