We talked with Steve prior to last weekend's Oschersleben round.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: I know you never expected things to be easy in Europe Steve but what strikes you as the most significant difference to what riding in Australia required ?
Steve: In Australia we never race a full race weekend. It takes a while to mentally and physically adjust yourself to the two 25 lap races. In Australia the Ducati team and myself had a lot of experience racing at the different circuits, here everything is new. I am working with a new team, having to learn circuits whilst testing new Pirelli tyres.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: Do you know if Pirelli and the DFX Team are happy with you and more importantly what do you think 2002 is going to bring for Steve Martin ?
Steve: Pirelli and Dfx are already talking to me for the 2002 season. I think they are both happy with the results achieved. Dfx last year scored 1 point between two riders so I am doing better than they are used to. I haven't signed yet but I hope I will be in Europe for sure.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: Are you happy with the commitment to the project by Pirelli and the performance of the new tyres ? Where are the Pirelli tyres good and where do they struggle ?
Steve: The commitment from Pirelli has been enormous. We started the year riding on street tyres and now every meeting I can test up to five tyres a day sometimes. I feel we have closed the gap on the Dunlops and the Michelins, I would say at the moment the Pirelli slicks are better than what 99 percent of the privateers can get. That is amazing for a first season.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: It seems that you have been in the top ten a few times ahead of many factory bikes during Friday qualifying only to slip back on Saturday, why do you think this is ?
Steve: We always struggle in the races. We don't have years of data to look at like other manufacturers. Pirelli has some good soft tyres that aren't capable of race distance yet. These allow me some good laps. It is frustrating but I'm sure by next year the tyres will be a lot better.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: Is Pirelli going to step up the effort next year and do you know which teams they will supply or whether you will be in a two rider team ?
Steve: I know that there will still be only one official Pirelli team in the WSBK with two riders and better spec bikes for next year.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: How do you think your bike compares with the machines that Troy Bayliss and Ben Bostrom ride ? What about to the bikes used by Broc Parkes and Marty Craggill ?
Steve: The Ducatis of Brock and Marty's are the same as mine. Bayliss, Bostrom and Xaus have the new Testastretta engined bikes which I hope we will have next year.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: I understand that yourself and Sandra pretty much live in your camper and travel around in it. So what are the most amazing sites in Europe you have visited from a non bike perspective ?
Steve: We base ourself in Italy most of the time which we have really enjoyed. The people are very hospitable and the food is great. It would be easy to get drawn into doing the tourist thing, but I am in Europe to race motorbikes so it is important that I continue to train and keep fit. We often take a couple of extra days returning to Italy after the race meeting and spend the time doing the tourist thing then. But the best thing really has been the experience of living in another country.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: What about the tracks, as in which one was the easiest to learn and which one was really hard to figure out ?
Steve: The track where we had our best chance was Lausitz. As it was a new circuit, it put both the riders and the tyre manufactures on an even pegging. Unfortunately our rubber for the race wasn't the best choice, but we have learnt valuable lessons for next year. Brands Hatch was probably the most difficult to learn as there are a lot of blind corners and its not very forgiving if you fall off. The SuperBikes raced their twice last year alone, I was really up against it.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: Do you catch up with any of the other Aussies that are in Europe from time to time ?
Steve: I see most of the riders at the track and chat. The biggest surprise has been the amount of people I have run into on holiday who have come to the races and called in to say hello.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: What advice would you give to any of the young guys who are maybe thinking of heading to Europe, as in what will they find hard that they maybe could work on before they get there ?
Steve: Probably the hardest thing is to learn new circuits and work with new people, especially if there is a language barrier. Take your time get a good grounding and learn as much about bike set up as possible.

MCNEWS.COM.AU: Thanks for talking with us Steve and we hope you all the best for the remainder of the season and in to next year.
Steve: Thanks for catching up its been great chatting and I hope to speak with you another time soon.