How do you react to becoming a MotoGP Legend?!
I was in the U.S. and I had a call from the Dorna press office in Spain at 4am and I was wondering ‘what the hell do they want from me?’ I was with the family and staying with friends in Southern California. So I replied to the WhatsApp call from outside at 5am and went into the car to turn the heater on because it was frickin’ freezing. The Dorna Press Officer Ignacio said the board had decided to make me a MotoGP Legend. I needed a bit more time to let it sink in. I went back into the house and my son Dakota was awake and asked why I went outside. I said to him “you’re now looking at a legend!” and he – in a jokey family-sort-of-way – just rolled his eyes. I was told it would be at Austin and I knew it would be a very special weekend, and it turned out to be much more than I expected in terms of what I felt and the emotions. There are two types: world champions and those that have to really earn that status in many different ways. I looked up the definition in several dictionaries. What does it mean? Is it fictitious? Is it a figure alive or past? I watched all the other ones – Kenny, Eddie, Kenny Jnr and I decided to wing it.