Suzi Perry: why the Jerez GP means so much

MotoGP riders’ and viewers’ favourite Suzi Perry will be back in action at Jerez this weekend 10 weeks after being rushed to hospital for a life-saving operation. Here she explains exclusively to www.motorcyclenews.com why the timing of her return the the MotoGP frontline couldn’t be better…

• Suzi Perry thanks MCN readers for their support

“In the words of a rider I am at around 75%, but that’s good enough for me! I am so excited to be going to Jerez this weekend for many reasons. Obviously there’s the racing and the drama of the paddock but also over the years I’ve made many, many friends whom I have dearly missed.

“People like Katie Baines who looks after Vale and Jorge’s press, Julian Ryder, the BBC Team who have been so understanding, JT and his manager Roger Burnett, Birty or Matt Birt as you would know him, Gavin Emmett, Briggsy, Jeremy and all of Vale’s gang, my Irta friends, dorna and in fact all of the press room, the riders and the entire paddock!

“It was 12 years ago that I stepped into the world of GP, in Jerez on my birthday to make a show for Sky. I had very little help and had to wander around the garages collecting interviews – you were allowed to do such a thing then (well I think you were!). I met Mick Doohan that way and he was a big source of inspiration for me – he gave me a great interview and over the years has continued to do so. Other interviews I bagged that day included Biaggi, Criville, Checa, Capirossi, Barros, Roberts and a young rider called Valentino Rossi. It was a great birthday, and 12 years later a return to Jerez will be the best birthday gift.   

“I may not be at full force but I can’t wait to get back on the grid and hopefully tell the story once more. I have been continuously warmed and surprised by the level of support from MCN readers, so once again a big thankyou and as Vale would say, ‘I am verry ‘appy!’”