DBR’s answer to Fireman Sam – JP O’Connell – bumps into Buildbase Honda’s flying Frenchman Nico Aubin as he gets ready for the British SX series…
DBR: Nicholas, you’re over here testing the Honda CRF250 that you will be contesting the British Supercross championship on. What are your initial thoughts on the bike?
NA: “I was riding KTM this year and now I’ve made the switch to Honda. The bike is really easy to ride, it’s fun. I’ve been riding a 450 until two weeks ago but the 250 seems really good and I get a lot of pleasure riding it.”
DBR: You will be riding the 250 in both the MX1 and MX2 class at the SX – do you think the 250 is going to have enough grunt to beat the bigger bikes?
NA: “I haven’t ridden supercross for a long time but I hope it will be! The bike is smaller and is real fun to ride so we’ll have to see. The track is really small here so I don’t need the bigger bike, I think the lap times will be the same for the 250 and the 450 except for maybe the start. It will depend on how long the start straight is. I think with the good engine that we have that we will be competitive with the 450s.”
DBR: Once the SX series has finished will you be parking up the 250 and getting out on the 450 in readiness for the outdoor series?
NA: “I think the supercross series finishes in February so we will stay focussed on the 250 until then. I think the plan will be that in the run up to the last supercross race we will continue riding only the 250 during the week and then we will start on the 450 ready for the outdoors.”
DBR: Do you know which series you will be contesting this year?
NA: “We will be riding MX1 in the British championships and the Red Bull Pro Nationals and they will be the big goals for the team.”
DBR: Will you be riding at any GPs?
NA: “Yeah, for sure, I think we will be doing nine of them as well as any European Red Bull rounds that are possible. It’s a long season for us I think – if I compare it to last season it’s going to be good because I like to ride the bike, it’s my life, so to ride the bike every weekend, especially here in England is great. The tracks here are always really nice, every British GP I’ve ridden has been really fun – the track was really good every time.”
DBR: So you’re looking forward to the new challenges you face this season?
NA: “I’m not old for sure – I am only 23 – but I have been doing the GPs for seven years, seven years I have been riding the French championships on the same tracks so to come here and ride these tracks it is like brand new for me, it’s different, it’s very exciting and I feel younger, you know?”
DBR: So goals for this year are to be British and Red Bull Pro National Champion?
NA: “Yeah for sure we want to win both of those championships, the Red Bull and the British. Also the supercross. That’s the goal with Dave and when we go to the GPs we want to be at the front for sure.”
