Nestling in the dust of a Suzuki Swift rally, Vijay Pattni speaks to racing driver and MotoGP star Loris Capirossi on cars, crashes, and giving his fans what they really want…

Loris settles down and brushes back his hair.

“I’ll tell you an embarrassing story”, Loris says, wiping the sweat from his brow as he emerges from his Suzuki Swift Sport rally car.

“I was driving in Italy with a friend at the Mugello circuit. It was a promotion for Ferrari.

“At Mugello, there are two really fast corners, and my co-pilot leans over and says, ‘Loris, you know, I always take these two corners at full throttle.’”

Loris shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

“So I say ‘ok’…and moments later I’m sliding around on the grass!”

Loris laughs out loud and his voice booms with enthusiasm. “It was really embarrassing”, he laughs in his thick Italian accent, “because I had to walk back to the Ferrari pits and tell them their brand new Ferrari 575 was stuck in a wall!”

Keep your helmet on

Loris’ enthusiasm is infectious, and he speaks with the confidant drawl of a man who knows what he likes.

From his early beginnings in motorbike racing – “I started racing bikes when I was just four years old” – to his debut in the 2008 Suzuki Swift Sport Cup, which saw the former MotoGP rider claim 3rd position in his first ever rally at this level.

And he was keen to demonstrate his rallying credentials to me, ramping up the rally-spec Suzuki Swift – standard expect for a stripped interior – and kicking up mud and stone.

Smiling as he narrowly avoids the strewn tyres, Loris coaxes the supermini into a massive powerslide and handbrake turn into a 180-degree spin.

“You have to be very careful”, Loris explains, looking at me while he rockets the Suzuki through the muddy slalom course. “As soon as you lift off the throttle you need to be careful because it gets tricky.”

There is no doubt – Loris is a bona-fide ‘wheels man’.

But that hasn’t stopped fans from requesting more than just his autograph…

“It’s weird because after all these years of racing, I’ve had all kinds of strange requests. Some people just wanted my bike, others asked for my leathers, my helmet…many many strange things.”

Capirossi (pictured right) explains his amazing career, which has seen him conquer some of the world’s toughest tarmac.

“Next year, next season, I’ll have seen 20 seasons as world champion, two seasons as Italian champion, and one season as European champion.”

And his enthusiasm for motors isn’t just on the racing circuit – the man has owned two of the world’s most sought after Ferraris.

“I’ve owned some nice cars in the past”, he says, in a quiet, dignified manner. In fact, he speaks about his past garage in such a low-key way you half expect him to admit he owned a Vauxhall Corsa.

“I used to own a Ferrari F40 and a Ferrari F430”, he rattles off, his thick Italian accent barely whispering.

Toy Story

“I have a massive passion for cars”, he explains, gesturing with his hands. “On a day-to-day basis, I drive a Suzuki Grand Vitara, because it’s easy to use around Monaco, my home city.”

“I also have one good car”, Loris says, quietly. “I own a Porsche Carrera GT”.

As I splutter over my notes, Loris just smiles, and reinforces it in my disbelief. “Yes, yes I own one. I own this beautiful car.

“I’ve had it for a couple of years.

“I’ve had the Ferraris in the past, but the Carrera GT is the most fun to drive. It’s a big car, and the torque from the engine is amazing. You can drive it like a toy – astonishing!

“I’m also a big fan of classic cars – I own two ‘hot-rods’, one from 1971 and one from 1974, and I modified them myself with help from my brother who also has a big passion for cars.

“I also have quite a few bikes, including a couple of trial bikes, a couple of motocross bikes, and a Suzuki GXSR1000.”

Superman?

Phew.

But on the subject of bikes, Loris reveals he is human after all, and confesses his Kryptonite. “I have to admit whenever I’m riding as a passenger I’m always a little scared. I prefer to ride motorbikes on my own.

“Normally I’m quite slow on the roads, because of traffic, it can get quite dangerous.”

A smile lights up Loris’ face as he continues…

“But sometimes on the track, in a car, I love going over the limits. I have to step back and say, ‘ok Loris, stop’. At that speed when you damage something, the damage is BIG.”

Lewis Hamilton

Loris’ enthusiasm for all things motoring bubbles over when we get to the topic of a certain Mr Lewis Hamilton.

Offering up an expletive to describe Lewis’ last race at Brazil, Loris has nothing but love for the British champ.

“It was a really…interesting last race!”

Jumping up and down, Loris’ excitement echoes the heart-in-mouth sentiments of the nation in those thumping last minutes.

“I can’t believe in the last minutes of the race there was big confusion, and just three corners to the end, I was thinking Lewis is going to lose the championship.

“And then I saw Glock and then…wow! It was a REALLY amazing race.

“I think he deserves to win. He made an amazing season last year, and he had a good season this year. He was fighting a lot with Massa. But looking back on the whole season, I think Massa was more unlucky than Hamilton.

“But it is good to see an Englishman win the world championship.”

Speaking of Hamilton...

For more information on Suzuki and Loris in the Swift Sport Cup, visit http://www.suzuki4.co.uk/ and http://www.swiftsportcup.co.uk/.

What cars are we driving in January? Find out on the Auto Trader Blog

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