Q&A with Tom Houseworth, Crew Chief for Ben Spies
- From: TRS Media | Published: June 30th, 2009 - 9:18 am
Tom Houseworth has worked as Crew Chief for Ben Spies for several years in AMA and moved over with the American rider to take on the World Superbike Championship with the Yamaha World Superbike Team.
For some fans the title Crew Chief is a little mysterious, could you define exactly what your role entails?
A – The number one priority is making sure the bike is set up for Ben. It’s also to make sure the technicians are working in the right direction to make sure the bike is ready on time of course, I make sure they know what needs to be done before the next session, whether it’s a qualifying session, a free practice or a race. I choose the tires with Ben, I work directly with the suspension technician to make sure the set up is working and also work with the data acquisition guys. Basically working with everyone on the team and the whole thing is driven towards the set up of the motorcycle and the bottom line is to make sure Ben is comfortable. I try to get the most out of all the guys for the best results.
How long have you been involved in motorsport racing? Is this your first time working with a Yamaha Team?
A – At the end of this year it’ll be 26 years, I’ve worked with a Yamaha team before in 1994, And then moved in-house with Yamaha USA from 1997 to 2001.
Have you ever wanted to be on the other side and be the rider?
A – No, I learned pretty much straight away in my early days on a tricycle that I couldn’t lean the thing over, I was pretty much a ground magnet with anything on two wheels. I’ve been technical side from day one.
This is your first year in World Superbike, how is it different for you from AMA?
A – The World SBK championship seems to be more organized, all the sessions tend to start on time and they seem to really stick to the schedule. Overall it’s not that much different, I make sure the bike is right for the rider, and do practice, qualifying and race sessions. I guess the big difference is you’re traveling the world, most of the races are much further away and of course the food is better!
How are you finding living in Europe? Is the culture very different for you?
A – It’s fun, it’s definitely a little bit of a culture shock at first, whether we do things better or worse in the US I can’t say. I’ve got pretty much 40 years experience in the US and it’s my first time in Europe. It’s definitely eye opening and they do a lot of things a little bit differently, it seems very open and friendly, especially the people. They do a lot more walking over there and the roads are narrower and the drivings kinda crazy and it’s really fun. I came home for the Salt Lake City race and the pizza was too thick and the coffee was too big. I like it, it’s fun, there’s obviously nothing like home but if you’ve never been to Europe and you get the chance you need to check it out.
You’re both working with the new R1 this year which is a pretty special machine being MotoGP derived, what are your feelings about the bike and its potential?
A – We’re into the seventh race now, the Yamaha team has the bike developed pretty good, we’re kind of at the point where we have to race now, there’s still things coming in for us to test, new radiators and other bits but for the most part the bike is developed. It’s been pretty good for such a short amount of time. Obviously there’s more potential there, we’re always looking for more power and there’s always room for some more acceleration. We’re still learning the cross plane crankshaft and how it works, I think we’re going to get even more bottom end and mid range out of it soon.
What are the biggest challenges working with a brand new bike in its first year of racing?
A – The challenges are simple, trying to get more torque off the corners and getting as much acceleration as possible. It handles very well, there’s not too much room for improvement at this point, we would need to develop new parts to make it even better. Right now the package is very complete and we’re just fine tuning it.
If not a Crew Chief in Motorsport, what would you be?
A – Some people think this would be very boring but I would be in physics, a physicist. I’m really into astrophysics, I’m into space and time space and how the world works, how the universe works around us. It’s kind of a deep thing but it gets my mind going. Astro photography is where it’s at. I’m actually building an observatory hosting site in New Mexico with my wife!
You are new to the Yamaha Team this year, how are you finding them?
A – The team’s great, better than I could ever have expected. Sometimes you can come into a team and as a new guy people can be stand-offish because you have so many personalities but these guys are great. They have been excellent since day one on both sides of the garage, Sykes’s guys and Ben’s guys, they’re all on an even keel and very open for suggestions, it’s been great.
If you could be Crew Chief for any rider at any point in the history of motorcycle racing, who would you choose and why?
A – It would have to be Eddy Lawson. I don’t know him personally, just some chance meetings but watching him working and his demeanour he shows publicly, he reminds me of Ben. When I was growing up he was the guy we rooted for, I believe he won a championship on the Yamaha. Steady Eddy Lawson.
Away from the race track what do you do to relax?
A – I play fantasy sports. The US is big into sports, basketball and baseball and then there’s fantasy sports which makes you an armchair quarterback or a pitcher. It’s kind of weird but a lot of people are into it. My wife’s into that too, we’re actually pretty competitive so if there’s a football game on we have to watch separate TVs! You sign up and get into a league and make a live draft before a game, sometimes you only get 30 seconds to pick your players, so you fill out your roster and then you have the results of their games and score points from their results. It’s very complicated now and it’s really got quite crazy as you have to really study to win, obviously I’m pretty competitive so I spend a lot of time driving people nuts. I have to have the internet everywhere I am so I can sign up for my teams! It’s only stick and ball or football though, I never bet on motorcycles!
Race day is usually a highly pressurized situation, do you stay calm and cool, if so how!
A – The secret for me is years of experience. I used to be the biggest wreck out there, I had a crew chief years ago when I was coming up who told me there’s nothing you can do when the green light goes out, because I was mess for quite a few races. Once he told me that and I realized I changed a lot. For the race the rider knows what he’s doing, we’ve spent the weekend getting the bike set up, so when the race starts it’s in Ben’s hands. I try to keep extra calm to help Ben’s mum out too, that’s her son out there on the track so she can get extra wound up so I balance us out.
Having done seven rounds now, which race has been your favourite and why?
A – That’s a tough one, so far they’ve all been good except two! I guess I like the first race at Assen, Ben dropped back to third, we had some small issues with the bike and we didn’t think we could have the speed in the middle of the race and it looked like Haga and Haslam were going to leave. Somehow our bike became better and the race came back to us, Haga became a little slower on the transitions and Ben could see and he was able to do it and get back in there. Phillip Island was close for that first win in the second race, but winning that second race in Assen has to be it for me. Watching Ben do his thing so well was pretty impressive.
Which circuit this year do you think is going to be the most difficult for you and why?
A – South Africa! We tested there, but at the race I just couldn’t get the bike set up right. Ben was riding hard and came out of his seat a little bit there, we ended up having to settle for third and just couldn’t get the bike to work for us. I’m not sure about the tracks we’re going to as they’re all new again.
What are you predictions for the end of the season? Who do you think is on top and who’s following!
A – I’m not predicting anything! We have seven Superpoles and seven race wins, let’s see what happens, you’re not sucking me into that question!
-Yamaha World
