After the sudden end of the season due to the Coronavirus, Teodor KABAKCHIEV (BG – KTM) learnt he was Junior World Champion via the FIM & ABC Com official press release… We had to have a chat with the Bulgarian about his season and this title!

Hello Teodor, for sure, not the end of season we were all expecting for but… what was your feeling when you knew that you were Junior World Champion?
Teodor KABAKCHIEV: “Hello! To be honest I would prefer to feel the title win on the track with my team than in my house but the situation is as it is and we all need to adapt fast. For sure it is a moment that I have dreamed for. I always knew and believed deep inside me that I could win the Junior World title. Everything seemed to work in my way towards the end of the season and I fought hard for it.”

You’re becoming the first Bulgarian to ever win a World title… Making history of your country!
T.K: “It is a proud moment as you said not only for me but for my country. I am happy that I had the opportunity to live this experience and share it with my nation. The Bulgarian fans were making great atmosphere in the races so I have a huge respect to them and appreciate their support. This is the perfect present for them!”

Coming into the first race in Poland, were you expecting to fight for the title?
T.K: “I expected to do it but I was not sure if it would happen this year or the next one. So after I won the second heat in Poland I saw that I could do it and continued working harder.”

“The key is to have mind endurance, the ability to hold the pressure!”

Then, Germany was very difficult for you, after this race, did you thought you could still come back and win the title?
T.K: “The round in Germany was a tough one for sure. I had a technical problem with my rear shock in the first heat – it exploded, so I barely made it to the finish. After that I raced with a friend’s standard rear shock and it was pretty hard for me as I am heavier than the average rider. For sure I was unhappy with how the race went but I knew that I was capable of doing more. About the title, I never bothered my brain. I like to focus on the process rather than the result. I knew that if I put in the work and energy in training and racing the results will come sooner or later.”

It seems that from Spain, something was clicking in your riding style… Did you work on something special?
T.K: “Nothing special. I just kept putting hours into training and being consistent and that’s it. My body and brain adapted to the pace in the trainings and I could bring the same pace to the races.”

The fight has been so great with HENTSCHEL and CULLINS, it was so far the tightest fight for the Junior title ever… Who was the toughest challenger between the two?
T.K: “Yeah, everyone is tough. CULLINS was fast, HENTSCHEL was consistent. We are talking about World championship, so everyone wants to be up front and win. I respect every racer. But I think the key in our class is to be fast, consistent and have mind endurance, the ability to hold the pressure without doing mistakes. I believe I have it.”

Now, what’s the plan for the future as you will be fighting with the big guns of the Prestige Class?
T.K: “This would be a step up. It will be a new beginning for me, so I hope I have the opportunity to make good pre-season preparation and fight with the big boys. It is hard to make plans at the moment because every day the situation changes, we don’t know if the upcoming races will be held, if the sponsors will continue to support us as worldwide the economy changes. So let’s hope everything comes together and be back to normal so we – racers can continue to do what we love!”