Form Aussie 600 class rider Aiden Wagner is a little over a week away from a dream wildcard debut in the Moto2 class with the Marc VDS team. CycleOnline.com.au speaks to Wagner about his recent trip to Spain to test the bike and his hopes for his home race.

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Thanks for speaking to us Aiden. Tell us about the trip to Spain, the test and the progress you made on what must have been a very different bike for you to ride?

We went over to the Aragon GP and were taken in by the team and watched and learned about how things worked that weekend. The test was the following day, the Monday. We did the seven-hour drive down to Almeria and tested there for the day. The test itself was short-lived, due to the rain, just after lunch, but it was really good to get some track time and the chance to learn the bike. I was really grateful that the team could have me over. The bike really is so different from anything we ride here in Australia. The chassis, being so stiff, you really have to push it to get feel out of it. Once you start sliding and pushing it, it really comes to life. The power-to-weight ratio is another big factor. The motor itself isn’t overly fast, as it’s kept to spec, like all the times, but just the overall product – the braking, the clutch, how it revs so smooth – these were just great things to learn. Showing up at Phillip Island and jumping on it would have taken me a day just to get my head around these things. At least now I have that experience and at the GP we can start working on lap times.

Did you feel by the end of it that you had a better handle and level of confidence on it?

We worked in well with the team and got along well. It was really good. I started pushing it there towards the end there, just before the storm, and I would have liked to have the rest of the day there to throw some tyres on and go a bit harder to see what we could get out of it. It was Tito Rabat’s test bike, so it was fully setup for him, so if we had the chance there it would have been good to make a few changes and try them out. I rode it exactly how he has the bike, and just worked from there. My main focus was getting the laps in and just getting that confidence.

What was the main factor that you found yourself having to adjust to?

The change of direction. If you’re on the left side of the tyre, for example, and you need to go to full right lean angle, just how quickly the bike will pick itself up from being full lean to left, to full lean to right. It really throws itself from side to side really quick, so much faster than any bike I’ve ever ridden before.

Did the team have a big presence at the test and were any of the riders on hand?

It was just me on track on the Monday and Tito came down and was looking on from the sidelines and talking with the team. Me and him had a couple of conversations about the bike, about the track, and about how to ride these things. Obviously that was a bit difficult with the language barrier there, but it was just really good having him there because he was relaying things back to the team as I was going around.

How do you keep in contact and keeping working in with the team in this period between the test and the actual race?

We’re keeping in contact over email and Facebook, that’s probably the easiest way. They get into the Island on Tuesday or Wednesday next week, and I’m there on Monday, so I’ll be there when the team arrives and I’ll get the chance to meet them all again and see how they’re all going. In that regards it has been really good, the team has been so welcoming and helpful. They had us in all weekend at the GP and had us up in the hospitality area which was great. They really looked after us. To go to the other side of the world and be looked after by such good and genuine people was a great experience.

Have you changed anything in terms of your physical training since being given the wildcard opportunity?

I’ve been training flat out since I got word that I could have been in as a wildcard. I’ve been training hard – cardio, high-rep stuff, endurance training and a lot of dirt track practice on the dirt bike. I’ve been working hard sun up to sun down. I’m trying to lose a few kilos as well, being that all of these riders are such small jockeys and they’re so light. The power-to-weight ratio is important on these things, so that will help. The race will be long, not like we’re used to, so the fitness element is very important.

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What are your expectations for the race?

We’ve been in contact with the team and have been talking about this ourselves as well, because it is something we’ve never done before. We know the field of riders are the best in the world, it’s a very tough field. For instance, when we were there at Aragon, the qualifying from first to 17th was covered by 0.7 of a second. That shows you how on the limit these guys are. To get top 25 in your first Moto2 race is a big milestone. I’m aiming for that and if I can go better than that, then so be it. I want to impress the team as much as I can. The reason for that being Michael Bartholemy, the team manager, he’s had previous success running Australian riders in past years and in different teams. He’s given me a crack and hopefully it could be a start of a long-term relationship. I’m really looking for sponsorship still as it’s such a late thing, we haven’t had much time. If we can get the right people backing us then maybe we can jump in for the Malaysian round as well, the weekend after. That’s the plan anyway, depending on how we go.

The last 18 months have seen your career come along in leaps and bounds; it really seems like you are 100 percent committed to a future in road racing. Has anything in particular clicked or changed for you?

I’ve known since I was a little fella that I wanted to race. The first time I ever went and watched a GP I had this feeling that this is what I had to do to. That is all I wanted to do, and that had to be my job. So ever since then I’ve been working at it. Like you say, the last 18 months I’ve been pushing as much as I can, training as hard as I can. The change of teams has been a really good thing for me. Stewart [Winton] came with me to Spain, and he was learning all the 2D Data System that they use, because he’ll be my data guy at Phillip Island as the team’s data guy is obviously busy with the main guys trying to win a championship. Working with Stewart has been a huge help as well. We’ve been making good progress and good contacts and that’s what you need to do to move forward.

And the World Supersport wildcard plans are still on the cards?

That’s definitely still on the cards. Myself and Stewart have only been talking about that this morning, he’s been sending me photos of the motor build. We’re going to race that next year and we’ll see what we can do there as well. It’s going to be really good to race on the world stage against the best and get an understanding of the competition for that event as well.

Thanks for the chat Aiden, and good luck. If there are any potential sponsors out there, are you still working on opportunities for the GP?

Sponsorship is what makes the racing world go around. We’re just really working hard to get some good partners on board and hopefully impress them. Any support we can get is appreciated even at this late stage. We’re with the best team out there and I’ll be fighting as hard as I can for a result.