This is the first year for the ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki racing team on the BSB circuit, they are the UK's only officially supported team of Kawasaki Motors UK. Team owner Nick Morgan has a long involvement in racing, stretching back to 1982. Up until 1989 Nick raced himself and then did the Manx GP between 1991-1994 netting a couple of fourth places. For the last 10 years, MSS Discovery have been linked with Kawasaki. Legend Jack Valentine, was also brought in very recently for his great experience in racing and to manage the race team.
As well as the 13-round BSB series this year, the MSS Discovery Team has taken part in the North West 200 race and the 100th Isle of Man TT races with racing veteran Michael Rutter and former Supersport champion Stuart Easton. Here is a Q&A session with Nick Morgan, Team owner and Jack Valentine, Race Team Manager...
How do you think things have gone so far this year? Nick Morgan: “I think we’re fairly pleased with how things have gone so far this year, although I have to temper that by saying we want better results – we’re always going to say that, as we want to win! The Superbike class with Michael has been a new adventure for us and it’s been a difficult one and one which the team has adapted to well.”
Has the jump up to Superbikes been difficult? Nick Morgan: “That’s an understatement! Yes, it has. Remember we weren’t even going Superbike racing until just after Christmas: that’s when the wheels were put in motion for us to get onto the Bennetts British Superbike grid. I think for the sort of bike we’ve now got, we’ve come a long way. That’s in part thanks to the hard-work of the team and the experience from people like Michael Rutter and Jack Valentine. People may shrug their shoulders at some of our results, but the reality of it is that we’re not a big, mega-bucks team. We’re running on a budget of around £800,000, where our competitors: such as Crescent Rizla Suzuki, HM Plant Honda Racing and Airwaves Ducati are on around double that.”
So is the move up to the Superbike class is effectively a long-term plan? Nick Morgan: “I think it has to be. You can’t simply come into this class and win, not unless you’ve got a large and already assembled infrastructure and ‘factory’ relationship with a major manufacturer. This is our first year and it’s a year where we’re basically doing our best to improve race-by-race and form relationships – be it with team sponsors, riders, Kawasaki Motors UK and suppliers, so that we can get as good a foundation as possible for 2008 and beyond. That’s the aim.”
There are highs and lows in any year, what are yours?
Nick Morgan: “I think to take a podium at the North West 200 in only our fifth ever Superbike race was a highlight. Netting seventh at the first round of the season on the Superbike at Brands Hatch was also nice. Michael getting hurt at Snetterton was a low point, but then seeing just how well Stuart could go on the ZX-10R was nice to see. Ups and downs are part of racing. You live for the ups and try and forget the downs as quickly as possible! Oh, and the weather’s been pretty rubbish, too!”
So did Stuart impress when subbing for Michael? Nick Morgan: “Most definitely. The two race weekends he had on both bikes were very busy ones for him, but I think he acquitted himself very well indeed. I think he’s still young enough to get on a Superbike and do the business. With Michael I think it’s important to say that he hasn’t lost any of his edge at all. He’s still capable of doing the business and it’s up to us as a team to give him the machinery to do just that.”
And how has the Supersport season gone so far?
Nick Morgan: “It’s been a little frustrating as obviously this is the class we know well and we know how to build a good Supersport bike. In Stuart Easton we have a class rider and ex-champ. He knows how to win races and when everything’s right, people don’t get to see which way he goes. Our issue with the bike has been a slight lack of drive off the corners, which we’ve been working on a lot recently with increased dyno work. Also, Stuart has issues with qualifying tyres. It seems that there’s almost too much grip, as it changes the way the bike feels for him, making it harder for him to get a good time. That said Stuart and the team have worked had to get the Ninja ZX-6R working very well on race set-up and race Dunlop tyres. We’ve been pretty unlucky not to get onto the podium so far, so with the last three rounds at tracks Stuart likes and ones that the ZX-6R should suit a little more than the previous tight and twisty tracks, we’re confident of getting the rostrums that bike, rider and team deserve.”
What are you looking for from the last few races of the season?
Nick Morgan: “The team has made a major investment in the adoption of a WSB-spec engine package. It shows our sponsors, Kawasaki Motors UK, the fans and the rest of the paddock that we’re taking it seriously and we want to succeed in the toughest domestic Superbike championship in the world. As I’ve said, we want to use 2007 as a foundation for the future, so hopefully with the new engines and other technical developments coming along for our Ninja ZX-10Rs, a few more improved results would give us the springboard that we need. It would also liven up the championship a bit if we could – given a little luck – get amongst the big boys and be battling for the odd podium.”
Jack Valentine, Race Team Manager
What have you brought to the ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki team? Jack Valentine: “Apart from a fair few years of experience, I like to think I have brought some new motivation to the team. I’ve stood back and had a look at what’s been going on and pointed out a few of the areas that needed improving. I do have to add that they are a first-rate team, but looking at things from another point of view always helps.”
Have there been any major problems? Jack Valentine: “Not really, but the major headache for me has been the distance between me and the team HQ! I’m very much a ‘hands-on’ type of person, but I’m in the north of England and the team is in Essex, meaning that I can’t be there all the time to make things happen. I like to keep my eyes on things really. It’s been difficult coming into the job in middle of the year, because as we get closer towards the end of the season that’s when budgets get tighter meaning that sometimes you can’t push as hard as you would like to. From a personal point of view I could give more time to the team, as at the moment I’m just on tickover, but I’m simply restricted by the distance from the team.”
What position do you want the team to be in when you come to the end of your contract with them at the close of the season?
Jack Valentine: “I see my job as helping to move the team forward so they’re in a good position for 2008 and beyond. I want the team to get to a position where everything is perfect for the riders so that it’s just down to the guy on board the thing to do the business. That’s what a rider wants: complete faith in the machine they’ve got so they know it’s down to them. Attention to detail in the garage pays dividends out on track. That’s how good teams win races and ultimately championships. It’s also good for rider confidence, which is essential. If you have a disgruntled rider, you can forget it. They are the final link in the chain, and if everything else is in place, then they know they’ve got a good bike underneath them so it’s up to them. So if we can get there and enjoy some good results in the last three rounds, they’ll be set for the future. That’s what I want to help them achieve.”
Just how tough is it to come straight into a competitive series like BSB with a new Superbike team? Jack Valentine: “It’s very, very difficult, even if you’re going in with a lot of enthusiasm and humour like the MSS Discovery boys have. Airwaves Ducati came in and won it in 2005, but not from nothing: the team infrastructure was still there from previous years, they had proven bikes with data from the Xerox factory squad. Look at other teams and you can see it doesn’t happen overnight: The Rizla Suzuki squad took time to make the GSX-R1000 into a winner. Paul Bird’s taken a few seasons to get the Stobart Fireblade competitive – even the factory Honda Racing HM Plant team took years to win the title. Winning comes hard in this game.
It has to be planned out. You need to look at the budget, see what you can spend, map out a testing programme have a line of progression for the team, bikes and overall performance and set yourself targets to test this. That’s what you have to go through, that’s why I want to give the team a good base from which to work from. And then at the end of the year this cycle has to continue. You can’t put your feet up in October and then wake up in January: it’s a continual cycle. With new models coming through in 2008, Nick needs to push to get the new bike in the workshop so early. I know this from my World Superbike experience. Yamaha had their new R1 in the workshops in August, many months before journalists get to test the bike at the end of the year or the start of the next one. Suspension suppliers, brake suppliers, everyone needs to get the dimensions early so they can make parts ready for early testing. It’s so cut-and-thrust nowawadays.”
Has the ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki team caught up with the other teams despite their late start?
Jack Valentine: “No. We’re still playing catch-up but I think in the last four rounds we can prove what the team can do as a Superbike team and hopefully that should provide a solid base for team to progress. Remember, even at this late stage of the season we’re ploughing money into our bikes with development on both the engine and chassis front. Some teams have been running the same bikes for two years in succession. It takes a proven package to win the championship – just look at the factory Honda team and that’s despite all their money! Basically I want to see Michael Rutter back up there where he belongs.”
And what of the 600 and Stuart Easton? Jack Valentine: “He’s another quality rider is Stuart: a proven champion. Our results on the 600 should have been better, but luck hasn’t been on our side. Again though, we’re not sitting back with development of the Ninja ZX-6R and we’ve got a number of improvements coming in time for the end of the month at Cadwell Park. The engine management system, which is coming on-line, should give us a wider range of adjustment for the fuelling. After that it’s up to Stuart to ride the bike as hard as he can and get the results that we all deserve.”
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