Matt Phillips Talks EWC

As the 2013 Enduro Junior World Champion, Australia’s Matt Phillips, was leaving the Parc Ferme at the GP of Portugal, he offered up his first impressions on racing in the Senior class of the 2014 Enduro World Championship (EWC). From four races, Phillips has landed on the E3 podium four times – a feat that’s never been achieved by a former Junior rider in their rookie season. 

Matthew, again, you have led the race for two laps but you failed to hold onto the lead…

MP: I’m really disappointed to finish third today, but I’ll have plenty of time to train and change some details on the bike. It is imperative to go in the mountains and on various special tests typed Xtreme to train because this is where I lost the first place… My times are very good in the Cross Country tests and the Enduro tests but I need to improve and have more confidence in myself in the Xtremes in order to get stronger for the next Grand Prix.

What do you think of your first races in the Senior category?

Not bad! There really is a very big level of skill and to make mistakes is prohibited; we must always be 100%! It will really be a very tough season. I want that first win so I’ll work harder during training to be able to pick it up; maybe in Greece!

How do you feel about your 300cc two-stroke?

Pretty good! I will have a lot of tests to do now because we didn’t have time to change anything between the first two rounds. But now we have three weeks and I think the team is satisfied with my results so it’s rather nice!

Do you think you can beat Ivan Cervantes?

I definitely need to improve in order to become faster in the Xtreme tests. In the Xtreme, he won between 10 and 15 seconds over me in each lap. He is never afraid to push the limits on this type of special test and this is where he makes the difference. He really has excellent skills. He was impressive during the two weekends and we can’t remove the fact that he really runs very fast and he is physically and mentally very strong. He will be hard to beat, but not impossible!