What were you thinking when you got the call up for this role?

When I got offered the job I just said what I thought straight away, that I was honoured and excited but the first thing I had to do was to call my family and see how they felt about it.

The reason I left the paddock 17 years ago was because my boy had just been born and I was away all the time. I knew it wasn’t right so I walked away.

I was worried about how they would feel if I went back. They said, ‘Dad, it’s like you always say – grab the opportunities as they go by and make the most of them!’

You would know a few of the guys racing I guess, but are there any personalities in the paddock that you warmed to straight away?

I’ve known Jack [Miller] for a while and he’s so easy to talk to.

I’d never met [Danilo] Petrucci before Qatar, but he won me over straight away, very friendly. I didn’t expect him to know who I was so I went up to him and said, ‘My name’s Simon, I’m an old rider, I’ve got the commentary job…’ and he said, ‘Simon, I know who you are! I’ve been watching bike races since I was four. I watched you win!’ He’s similar to Vale and all those Italian boys. It’s the way they’re brought up I suppose – friendly and happy-go-lucky.

Another one I like is Tom Lüthi, really nice guy, an intelligent gentleman. Also his teammate Morbidelli, he’s a clever, polite fellow. They leapt out at me.

I met Marquez for the first time this trip because we were on the same plane. He’s easy to talk to. Alex Rins seems really nice also, great first impression.

And performance-wise?

The two stand-outs that I hope really do the job this year are Alex Rins and Jack Miller. They are the two that I think will pop up and do something really special. I’m hoping so because the sport needs it.

Aleix [Espargaro], when he’s at a track that doesn’t rely on pure horsepower – because the Aprilia doesn’t have that at the moment – I think he really rides that bike at 100 percent. His race runs were amazing…

Nakagami, he’s as talented as the other rookies, but he has a close connection to the factory so he will have his chance to do something special.

You came from WSBK and won in MotoGP. Do you think there can still be a successful progression from WSBK to MotoGP?

It’s really difficult to come into MotoGP because everyone is stunningly fast, but I definitely believe it’s still possible.

My view is you need at least four goes on the bike, not just one or two, no matter who you are. Johnny Rea, he should have had a better opportunity in MotoGP; who knows why he didn’t.

What I do know is how true something that Mick Doohan said to me one day is: ‘Simon, don’t worry about the money, worry about the results and the money will come.’ I say that because sometimes you have to take no money to get the job you can prove yourself in.

How did you get into bikes?

My uncle is a New Zealand champion and rode 500s in Europe, but I didn’t get to see him ride much.

But then one of my best mates taught me how to ride his dad’s farm bike when I was about 10. I didn’t shut up to my father about it for 12 months and eventually he realised it wasn’t a passing phase. Then I got hurt playing rugby. He bought me a motorbike not long after that.

I competed in local races and it went from there. When I was 15, I was offered an apprenticeship in a local bike shop alongside Brent Stephens (now Rossi’s mechanic) and shortly after got into roadbikes.

I ran out of money and took time out, but I eventually thought, I have to commit 100 per cent or not at all.

I won my first national championship and ended up going to Japan for the 8 Hour with Scott Doohan and Andrew Stroud thanks to Mr Morinaga, a Japanese motorcycle dealer. He helped Mick and Scott Doohan, Andrew Stroud, Aaron Slight and myself.

From there I went to Malaysia, the UK and then the World Championship. 

As appeared in AM CN Mag Vol 67 No 18