Long and short of it, I needed new motivation. I really believed I could fight for the world championship, like I proved to myself this year. Deep down inside, I always knew I needed a factory bike to do that. Every season I would go away and re-motivate myself. I came back with more determination and even better prepared, but the package remained the same. The ten Kate team did an incredible job to develop the bike. Every season we had some minor upgrades. But those upgrades cost a lot of money, especially for a private team. And it wasn’t enough. We focused on our strengths and were able to capitalize. We led the championship after a double win at Imola and finished third overall. To split the factory Aprilias and Kawasakis and finish in front of both Ducatis was a great season. We were so happy. 
I had been speaking with Kawasaki over the last few years. It was like they were dangling a carrot in front of me, but if I ever got close to the carrot, there never really was a job. When there was an option to come here, I decided, “Okay, let’s make this happen.” I signed the new contract with a few races to go last season. It was the best-kept secret for a few months. People started to understand when Honda began talking to new riders. After I signed the contract, I was in regular contact with [crew chief] Pere Riba and the mechanics. When I went to Aragon for the first test, I felt like I was hanging out with my buddies, not the first day at school. They love racing, and we had an amazing bond from the start. We won our first race at Phillip Island. A double win in Thailand, one-two at Aragon, a double win at Imola. That’s where we did the damage in the championship—the first five or six races—and it was because of that bond we created so early and the structure of the winter test. 
From my experience with Honda, I learned to accept what package you have and try to make the best of it. In the past, the manufacturers had the luxury of shaving some weight off the crankshaft. At Honda, we always used a standard crank. When I arrived at Kawasaki, I had to ride a completely different bike. The cockpit was completely different. The riding position was different. The geometries were different. The power character was different. The crankshaft is a bit heavier than in the past, but this is not a negative; it’s a different character. The nature of the power is a little softer and that improved tire life. We set some lap records this year in the last laps of races. I’m super happy where I am right now in my life. To go to MotoGP would throw big challenges at me. I get my motivation from winning and standing on the podium, and if I didn’t have that opportunity, I would struggle mentally. Superbike presents me with the challenge to at least fight for wins. 
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