Leon Camier was announced recently as moving to MotoGP for the 2014 season racing with IODA Racing Project in the open class.

Camier is delighted to be making the move to the premier bike racing series as he will be racing on Aprilia bikes which was a major draw for the Andorra based racer who hails from Ashford.

Speaking to Kent Sports News, Leon said: “It is really exciting news, I have known for quite a while before Christmas that we had been talking about a deal. Looking at the situation and deciding what sort of bikes they were going to run and seeing if they could put the money together for the Aprilia deal, it has all been really exciting.”

The fact that the IODA guys will be running Aprilia machines for next season makes a massive difference for Leon and how competitive he can be.

He added: “It makes a massive difference, as in any form of motorsport the bike is absolutely crucial. The team that I have around me working with me is also a major factor, I have the guys around me that helped me win the British Superbike Championship in 2009 and were with me for the last two years at Suzuki.

“I have my Crew Chief and my Chief Mechanic which is really good news. The situation they had at the team last season was all new engines and chassis and that wasn’t as appealing to me as the Aprilia option was.

“We don’t know how competitive the Aprilia is going to be compared to the new Yamaha and the Honda’s but hopefully it will be good. There are some upgrades coming through the year and it will be interesting to see how competitive the bike is straight away.”

Leon will be competing against some big names in MotoGP and this means that there will be less pressure on him to perform from the off.

“The field is phenomenally good and that is why the equipment is so important because it is not like in other Championships when you came make up a bit of the time. The bike has to be absolutely perfect.

“In the last test of the year, Espargaro was on the Aprilia all year and got on a year old factory Yamaha and was instantly less than a second a tenth slower than Valentino Rossi. It just goes to show how important the bike is, if you have a bike that is capable of doing them sort of lap times then you can do it.

“I am just looking to put in a good performance on the Aprilia and hopefully that will lead to bigger things really.”

The fact that Leon already has established relationships with his Crew Chief and Chief Mechanic means he can concentrate on the bikes development.

He said: “The working relationship we have is obviously very good, they know what I want from the bike and also having that continuity from Suzuki is really important. It makes me that bit more relaxed when I go into the team, we already know how each other works and it does make the step a bit easier for sure.

“It all comes down to how the bike is and how competitive we can be straight away. Obviously I have got a lot to learn in terms of tyres and different brakes, apparently the tyres are the hardest thing to get your head around.

“A lot of people say it takes a year for you to figure them out, and then there are new tracks as well. There is a lot to learn but we will just have to see how it goes. Literally we will turn up to the track and ride it on a scooter the day before so we know where we are going, I will try and watch videos and learn roughly the lines and then I will just get out on track and figure it out from there.”

“It is a little bit daunting when you think you are learning the track and it will be the best riders straight on world record pace from the start. You have got to start off strong and if you get on with the bike well and everything else is working well it is not that hard to learn the tracks.”

There won’t be too much time for Leon to get used to the bike before the season gets underway in Qatar on Match 23rd as he explains.

“We go to Malaysia for three days at the end of February and then there is a test in Qatar ten days after that and then we race in Qatar towards the end of March.

“I am really excited to get racing now, there is not a lot of expectation from our side everything for me is new with Aprilia being new to the team as well. Yamaha and Honda now also have bikes in the open class.

“I am definitely excited to get started and to keep improving that is my aim for the year. If I get the chance to mix it up with the Honda’s that will be really good and you never know what might happen, a track might suit us more than somewhere else and we could be really strong.

“I am pumped and to be in MotoGP is a big deal but I am just keen to get results I don’t care where I race as long as I am competitive.”