Jamie Hacking sat on Laguna's pit wall with Ben Spies and watched MotoGP mechanics warm-up engines. We spoke to him between ear-splitting blasts. image by dean adams

When a rider dives towards the apex of his late 30s, if he hasn't made a Grand Prix start then he probably won't. Flying in the face of that conventional wisdom is Jamie Hacking who is 37 years old and will be making his first GP start Sunday at Laguna Seca. Hacking is replacing injured American MotoGP rider John Hopkins. SuperBikePlanet.com talked to him today.

Q If someone had told you at Daytona that you'd be racing MotoGP in July, what would you have said?

A Bullsh*t. And the truth of the matter is, if my teammate wouldn't have got knocked off his bike in Barber, I wouldn't be sitting here right now riding this bike. I'd probably never get the opportunity to do this.

Q You tested the MotoGP bike in Japan but first can you talk about the process of getting on the bike, of finding out it was possible it might happen, it was going to happen, testing the bike, etc.?

A It was definitely - we'd been kind of pushing the issue, earlier towards the beginning of the season, just trying to get a ride on the bike. Just actually getting on it. I want to ride it. Just to see what it's all about. I hear all this hype, this and that. I wanted to get on the bike at Valencia at the end of the year and ride it. So that was kind of floating around in the air before everything started going down, before Rog even got hurt, and before John got hurt. So I think when I was pushing and trying to get the issue rolling, I think everything just fell into place. The next thing I know, I was called up and told I was going to be leaving Sunday - and this was on Thursday - and we were going to Japan to go test for two days. Things happened really fast. I went there and tested, and we had a really good test, and got along with the bike right away. I want to enjoy it, and have fun.

Q Is it an awakening experience when you get on a MotoGP bike for the first time.

A Yeah. You would think - I was expecting a big power hit and this and that. It's nothing like that. The power's really smooth. The bike - the way you ride these bikes are nothing even comparable to the way you ride our AMA Superbikes. This bike here, you ride it like a proper race bike. Our Superbikes, you ride them like they're angry street bikes. Basically, that's how I can word it. To ride this was a big eye-opening, big shock. It took a while to get the hang of it.

Q Electronic rider aids... are they a difficult thing to get your brain around?

A It's hard. It's hard--not only just whacking the bike open and having the electronics control the bike, but just the braking area. Using no throttle and no clutch, and just getting used to that. I would say that the electronics, opening the throttle up, is - I didn't really - after riding 600s for so many years, it's pretty much how you ride them. It seemed like my 600 riding style would adapt really - it wasn't too much of a shock, the wide-open throttle as soon as you could get to it. Power just comes on so smooth, it enables you to do that. Like I said, riding 600s for so long, that's the kind of riding style I adapted to. Now I'm trying to get away from that, riding the Superbike, because you just can't do that. Now I'm having to go back to what I was used to.

Q Carbon brakes? What were they like? Had you used them previously?

A Never even set foot on a set of carbon brakes. Ben had obviously talked to me. He got on the bike a few times before I even got around to getting on it. He warned me of, obviously, the great amount of stopping power they have, and how they come on. I was shocked. I was definitely shocked. It took me two days, and I think at the end of the day, I still wasn't 100% used to them, but getting there.

Q Expectations for the weekend?

A My expectations are just to finish the race, that's the main goal. Then after that, obviously, Rog put in a very good ride last year, and if I can match or beat his result, that would be good. The main thing is just to finish the race and get some good data for the Kawasaki team.

Q Is Laguna a strong track for you?

A Definitely. I've won a lot of 600 races here, and ran up front in many Superbike races. I know the place really well. I always enjoyed Laguna Seca, and I feel like it's a good place for me to make my debut.

Q Two laps to go and Ben Spies is in front of you. What are you going to be thinking?

A You guys are just too much with this "who's going to beat each other?" The goal is not to beat Ben. The goal is just to go out here and put in a good result. If me and Ben end up having to be on this racetrack and race together, I think we'll have more enjoyment out of that than who beats each other. The results will take care of themselves, and whoever finishes in front of each other, I don't think it's going to matter. I think the whole point of it for me is, this is a once-in-a-lifetime shot for me, and it's not about going out and beating Ben Spies. It's about going out here and putting in a good result for Kawasaki and having a good time.