Published in Superbike Magazine Dec. 1999
Jamie’s been through the grinder this year and no mistake. In a candid interview with Suzi, he talks about his future, his past, and about those comments from his friend Carl Fogarty. Will the real James Whitham please step forward...
It’s been a punishing year for Jamie Whitham. As one of Britain’s best-loved sportsmen started the season without a ride, the offer of the Modenas GP saddle looked like a dream come true – and then it soured into something of a nightmare. Recovering at home in Huddersfield with a shattered pelvis and with longterm girlfriend Andrea ever-present, it was a reflective Jim Whitham who talked to Suzi that dayWhat a bizarre year it’s been!
It has been, very bizarre.
Looking back to the start of the season, what were your thoughts being without a full-time ride?
Well I could have had a couple of rides, but I felt that the choice was to come back to British Superbikes or race in America. I didn’t want to race in the States because the money wasn’t as good as the figures being bandied about. Plus, my roots are here and I like living here.
I don’t mind travelling for a World Championship but I didn’t want to do a lot of travelling in the USA, and Andrea didn’t want to go across so it would have been a commuting thing for her.
My other ride was in Britain.
I knew the Championship would be difficult this year and I decided that the bike wasn’t as competitive as some of the other bikes out there. I’m not saying I was afraid, I know I can run with those boys, but I didn’t want to ride a non-competitive bike in the series.
It wasn’t a big gamble, I wasn’t turning down anything that would make me rich.
But I did want the other manufacturers to know that
I was there and available for a ride if they wanted me.
But were you disappointed, did you feel that you deserved a World Superbike ride?
Yes I did. By the end of 1998
I was going proper quick on the GSX-R750. We were very competitive. I thought, if they’d kept it going from 1998 with those results, then for sure in 1999 I’d have been bang on it.
I was thinking, even if the three years with Harris are up, the new team will want me. I was the only person who’d done anything on the Suzuki. I was really annoyed.
I can’t say I’d have done a better job than Chile, because he’s been fantastic. I could have beaten him early in the season because he was nowhere. From mid-season on he’s been very quick, but all season I could have been miles in front of Fujiwara. I feel that I deserved a spot more than he did. But you can’t hold a gun to somebody’s head and tell them to give you a bike. I’d hate to ride for a team that didn’t want me.
Earlier this year, there was some criticism of you stating that you didn’t get the ride because you weren’t good enough. Did that hit you hard?
Criticism doesn’t bother me at all. The problem was whom it came from – Carl Fogarty. It bothers me when it comes from someone who you don’t expect to say something like that, even if it is true. Or even if you know that he believes that, you just don’t say that about your mates. That’s what annoyed me. It was who it came from, not what he actually said.
So you were more annoyed with Carl than hurt?
It just wasn’t constructive, it was a case of Carl making himself look good by making me look not so good. We all know how good he is, he doesn’t have to say it. He’s brutally honest and sometimes he says what he doesn’t have to say.
I like him, so it was hard to accept unconstructive criticism. If people say stuff to me about Carl I try to defend him. He’s one of the best riders in the world. That gives him the right to say what the hell he wants, but he can’t expect that person to then be best mates with him.
You’ve been honest and blunt over the years in your SuperBike column. Do you think sometimes a little too much so? Have you ever upset team managers from the manufacturers, saying things they may not want to hear?
Quite possibly manufacturers, where I haven’t really thought what I’m saying. I’ve never said anything knowingly untrue but I have said true things that I probably shouldn’t have. But the other side to that coin is that I’ve never been in a team that didn’t like me. Take Modenas, I didn’t win any GPs or do anything spectacular on that bike, but they all liked me. I’m not being big-headed, they did! But just because you’re good at something, it doesn’t give you the right to be an arsehole. People say about Carl, “yeah, it’s because he’s like that, he’s as fast as he is.” Bollocks. He’s good on a bike because he’s good on a bike, not because he’s an arsehole off the bike.
Modenas usually have riders who are two seconds off the pace and they’ll say, “this bike is shit.
I am the best rider in the world and this bike is not letting me be that.” I’m not like that, if something is my fault I’ll say it. Some riders have to think they’re the best in the world to win, but I’m just not like that. Yes, believe in yourself, but not to the point of being blinkered.
After winning the Supersport ride at Donington, what were your feelings on the offer of the Modenas ride?
Me and Rob discussed it and thought it was a good idea. You never know what will happen –
I could have been a Grand Prix star! Chances are at this time of my career, it wasn’t going to happen. So now I know after I’ve knocked myself around for six months it hasn’t happened. But you can’t look back and wonder, “what if...”
You seemed unusually shy at Jerez, how do you think the GP paddock environment differs from that of World Superbikes?
At first I definitely felt like an outsider. On first impression it wasn’t as friendly or laid back.
A little cliquey, but then I really enjoyed it. People accept you and you become part of the fixtures. If I had any chance of getting on that bike and getting some good results I’d love to ride it again. But I had my chance, I’d love to see them get a good rider, some results, they deserve it because they are a cracking team.
Some find Kenny Roberts a tough nut to crack, you didn’t have a problem. Did he have a soft spot for Yorkshire humour?I think so! We did a lot of laughing, he’s just nuts. Meeting Kenny was something else. I mean, he’s a childhood hero, a living legend. He has a larger-than-life presence, we hit it off straight away. At Jerez we all went out and we had this red wine, it was more like industrial chemical cleaner. We were all sick, I embarrassed myself by standing on the table and announcing my love for Kenny...
No testing must have been a nightmare, especially on a bike that needed so much development.
Yeah, it was an uphill scenario. I’d never been to half of the circuits, had no testing and I’d only ridden a 500 twice, about seven years ago. So it was a big learning curve. What bugged me about the bike was going round in 10th, thinking I could do it all day, then falling off. Pushing too hard is one thing, but three times I fell off and I didn’t know why. They are difficult bikes to ride and I found it as difficult as anyone.
What about your crash at Brno that did this to your pelvis and blew the bike up?
I landed awkwardly, then rolled over and realised it was my pelvis. The most painful thing was more of a mental one, not knowing what damage I’d done.
I was with Andrea, and we could hear your screams
It hurt like fuck every time they moved me.
But you proved you were a die-hard romantic. You torched the track, seriously injured yourself, played havoc with satellite feed time and just as your helicopter took off you called to me and said “look after Andrea...”
Obviously I’d had a bang on the head.
Now you’re on the mend, but did you consider that this could be the end of your career?
When I first did it I thought, I don’t need this shit. That was the first time in 15 years of racing I thought that. But when it stops hurting you forget how bad the pain was. For a couple of days I was thinking, am I bothered about racing again? I had to get it into my head that I was, I had to decide. By the time I got back to my own surroundings I was okay about it all again.
So you’re racing into the Millennium?
Can’t do anything else.
Bikes not cars?
Well I’d love to do more with cars, it’s great fun. But I’m looking at Supersport, British and WSB, though to be honest my chances of WSB are not good. I’ve done it before and did alright, but they always go with the younger guy.
You didn’t mention Modenas.
Well they need a good GP rider for sure, but they don’t have the money to attract one. Maybe a young rider, who can learn, then they can bring him on.
Like who?
Chris Walker, though he’s actually 45 years old!
If you could ride any bike, for any team, in any series, which would you choose?
The Modenas V-4. I’d love to be 25 years old and go and ride it, crack it and get it right. They’re a mega team.
(To Andrea) Andrea, you’ve been with James forever. How do you deal with the uncertain lifestyle?
I don’t panic, what can I do anyway? I really want him to get a ride and do well, he deserves it, but I don’t worry about it. At the beginning of this year I did think, what’s going to happen? Am I going to have to get a job? I’d only be able to get a cleaning job or something...
You’ve got engaged, so will you be walking down the aisle soon?
(Andrea) He can’t even walk!
(Jamie) I don’t know, it’s never really bothered us.
(Andrea) Not you. It didn’t bother me until my mum died, then I did think I would like to get married, but I’m not going to persuade someone to marry me if they don’t want to.
(Jamie) We got engaged, what more do you want?
(Andrea) Only because you couldn’t think of a better birthday present!
(Jamie) You know that’s not true, have I ever let you down?
(Andrea) Yes, marriage!
(Jamie) Well anything else, I’ve seen you right. What would you rather have, the life we’ve had, or getting married and me working in a fookin’ biscuit factory?
(Andrea) Why change your job just because you get married
(Jamie) You’re trying to trap me into marriage
(Andrea) I wouldn’t trap you into owt, you can piss off!
(Jamie) And that’s official...
QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS
Favorite underpants? Brass Monkey
Favourite Band? Po Boys, Pulp
Worst Band? Po Boys, Steps, Boyzone, Five, S Club 7
Tastiest Women? Sarah Greene in Blue Peter, Jenny Mcarthy
Favourite Race Bike? Yamaha YZF 750
Favourite Road Bike? Suzuki Bandit 1200
Worst Hangover? Jerez 99
Superhero? Steve McQueen in the Great Escape.