Booth-Amos ‘finally getting somewhere’

The first round of 2019 did play out as he wished, but Tom Booth-Amos believes he is “finally getting somewhere” in terms of feeling aboard his CIP KTM Moto3 machine

The 23-year old Englishman admitted fault when crashing just six turns into his debut as a full-time world championship rider in Qatar, an incident that took out Makar Yurchenko, Jaume Masia and Ayumu Sasaki.

After some running repairs, Booth-Amos then returned to track and posted a string of respectable lap times that proved he has made considerable progress after a difficult preseason of testing.

“I think I passed six people before I managed to wipe everyone out but it was just one of them,” he told Crash.net. “It was a shame, but it was one of them. Then I went back out and my pace was better than the group on my own.

“So it’s a shame. I think we could have done a good result, maybe in the top 15. I’m actually getting somewhere, though. It’s good.

“It’s definitely getting better. I 100 percent took a step forward but now I’ve gone one back. But we’ll be all right. I’m feeling good. Finally getting somewhere with the bike and learning how to ride it. It’s just little things now.

“Just the riding style – I’ve had to change it completely. Like you wouldn’t believe. Everything. [But] I’m enjoying riding again, which is the main thing. The last year I was a bit like,’ Do I really want to do it anymore?’ But now with these guys, I’m pretty happy where I am.

“[It was a] Shame about the race but shit happens On to the next one.”

Booth-Amos also revealed he had been riding through the weekend with a broken foot. “Nobody knows about it,” he said of the injury sustained at the final preseason test of the year in Qatar. “I broke it here last week at turn 11. I high-sided there. It’s fast.”

The Englishman is no stranger to pain. A year riding a Honda for the British Talent Team in the FIM Junior World Championship was far from easy.

“It’s difficult because last year I struggled so much and my confidence dropped massively,” he told Crash.net before the season got underway. “It got to a point when I didn’t have a ride and I was ready to quit. I wasn’t going to do it this year. I had had enough.

“It was one of them when I thought, ‘Do I really want to do it?’ The time and money involved. Luckily this paid off and this is my last chance. If I don’t do well this is the end of me so I need to pull my finger out.

“I did my scaphoid at Estoril [race one last year]. I went to Valencia for the second race and did my hand. I had that operated on. We went to Le Mans the week after and then realised that one was still broke. Then I missed a couple of races and came back.

“Then I did my scaphoid again at some point – I did it twice last year! It wasn’t a great year, but it’s better now. It’s not perfect but it’ll do for now. I can deal with the pain, so it’s alright.”

Winning the 2017 British MotoStar Championship and an impressive wildcard performance at Silverstone that year (a 21^st place finish) attracted the attention of Alberto Puig, then the manager of the British Talent Team.

From signing a contract with Dorna, Booth-Amos has undergone many changes in personal life in a bid to prepare for world championship level racing.

“In 2017 as soon as I signed my contract with Dorna I moved over to Spain,” he said. “I’ve got a good sponsor – Truth Racing – that looks after me. They moved me out here and got me a house in Valencia. I moved to Girona in January this year.

“The life for motorbike racing is just so much easier over here. If you want to live in England and be a bike racer it’s impossible. You can’t train. It rains every day. I was in England for a couple of days last week. It was a waste of time. I couldn’t do anything! Definitely the life over here, it’s the place to be.

“I’ve got Joe Irving [ex-British Moto3 rider], an ex-racer, he works with me now. He lives with me, cooks my dinner. He deals with my diet and training. Then I’ve got another trainer in Barcelona that I work with.

“It’s working real good. A lot of things have changed. The main thing is every day I’m riding a bike at home, whether it’s a push bike. We’ve got a gym in my house as well. Every day we’re doing something different.

“I like to change it because I lived on my own last year and I got lazy. There’s no motivation if you’re by yourself. If you’re with someone training… Joe pushes me every day, which is great. I like working together.”

Looking toward the end of 2019, Booth-Amos is aiming to achieve consistency and point-scoring finishes in the months ahead.

“I don’t know a lot of tracks. I only know three or four. Last year I was injured so I didn’t ride all the tracks here. The first three are going to be tough for all the rookies. We know that.

“By the time we get back to Europe we should be looking for the points, especially at Jerez. I want to be in the points consistently. Then it’s contract time there! Consistency is key. Finish races and not do anything stupid.”