Leon Camier Rides For Nicky Hayden In MotoGP Debut

With Nicky Hayden having undergone an operation to address the ongoing issue with his right wrist, Leon Camier is riding as teammate to Hiroshi Aoyama on the Honda RCV1000R for at least the Indianapolis and Czech Republic rounds. Camier, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday, was originally set to start the season with IodaRacing Project until sponsorship fell through.

Leon, how do you feel about making your MotoGP debut at Indy?

“It’s all quite exciting! The biggest thing is just to learn. I don’t think there’s any expectation, it’s just about learning. I’m very much in at the deep end; the team, bike, tires and brakes are all new and I don’t know the track either. So it’s quite a challenge, to be honest.”

How did the Aspar ride come about?

“After I lost the Ioda ride, I rode for BMW in World Superbikes after Sylvain Barrier hurt himself. I had a few races with them which were really good. As that ended, I got a phone call from Aspar to see what the situation was because they knew there was a problem with Nicky’s wrist. Basically, I had to be on call in case Nicky couldn’t ride. He decided to have his operation and then I was called in.”

Should Nicky Hayden not be ready to return after Brno, you may find yourself competing in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone...

“To be honest, that would be a dream come true for me. Not to wish any misfortune upon Nicky, though, because I know from being in exactly the same position as him that it is not a nice feeling to have someone else coming in and taking your ride, even if it is only temporary. I know that in the whole paddock Nicky is regarded as a legend in MotoGP, so I wouldn’t wish anything bad upon him, but of course I would love to ride in my home Grand Prix."

Do you think your Aspar rides will have a bearing on what happens next year?

“I’m sure if I jumped on and started beating Marquez, then I might have a chance of a ride in MotoGP next year [laughs]! Realistically, you never know. If everything goes well, then maybe something could happen, but I’m not expecting any miracles.”

Are you talking with any MotoGP teams about a ride for 2015?

“There have been discussions about some things but for now we have to wait and see. Everything is really early days and it’s all very open for now.”