YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL FOCUSES ON CHAMPIONSHIP WIN AT BOL D’OR

It was fantastic to get a podium at Suzuka. Without Gregg, we didn’t know how the rider strategy would pan out. Initially, the plan was not to use Albert as he hadn’t had any time on the team bike before the official sessions. However, after Cocoro’s second stint, Albert came out to help and give us some rest.

All my stints were relatively trouble-free and I tried to avoid taking any risks around traffic. I took a ride-through penalty due to a small mistake made during refuelling, but the team’s strategy got us the podium. It was a great result considering all the wildcard teams that took part. I’m proud and happy with our performance at that track in that temperature. It all ran smoothly.

I recently stayed with Gregg at his place in France helping him out with his 2Ride business. With Gregg still injured, and his business partner unavailable, I stepped in as a pilot. You take pillion riders out on race bikes – for Gregg a Suzuki GSX-R obviously – and give them a brilliant experience out on track. It was great fun and a quite different way of riding with the extra weight on the back! Other than that, I’ve been keeping busy at home with coaching days, training, cycling and spending time with the family.

I’ve now completed three races of four this year and I’m super-motivated to finish the job at Bol d’Or. It’s the track where I probably have the most EWC experience and finished second there in 2022. I’m fully aware of the circuit and the conditions. It’ll be a case of getting dialled in with the Suzuki during the test days. It will be an important weekend. We’ll be back to the usual rider strategy and our package has proved to be strong at Paul Ricard. I’m looking forward to riding in the dark again and hope for a good clean race.

Even though I was sidelined due to my wrist injury, I was fully involved with the team while they were out at Suzuka. We were communicating throughout, talking about settings, race plans, etc, they kept me fully informed, and the support has been brilliant. I was happy to see how it worked out in Japan. They completed the job perfectly and picked up solid championship points. I thought Cocoro was on great form starting and finishing the race in front of his home crowd. It was also amusing seeing a full size cut out of myself in the team photos!

I’m healing quickly now. My wrist has been much better since the pins were taken out on the 1st of August. I’ve been doing a lot of physio and exercises and it’s all going in the right direction. I could probably ride now but I want the wrist to be 100 per cent right first, with everything back to normal, so I’m waiting until the 2nd of September when I’ll do a track day on my GSX-R1000R. It will be my first time riding a bike since the testing accident and I’m really looking forward to it.

I enjoyed spending time with Dan and training together in early August. I’ve been working hard with my 2Ride Bapteme Moto Experience but obviously haven’t been able to do any actual riding. I was grateful that he could help and think it was good for him to discover a different way of riding fast with pillions.

Moving on to Bol d’Or … it’s always at back of my mind. I was thinking about it before Suzuka, and always want to be as fully prepared as possible. There is so much – the different aspects, settings, strategies, the track and getting my mind tuned in ready to hit race week.

There’s no private testing before the final round so for the three regular team riders – Dan, Etienne and myself, together with Cocoro of course, it will all come down to testing during race week.

We know we are strong at this track. The speed and corners, etc, seem to suit our bike and we can be quite comfortable on track. Having said that, there are often difficulties to overcome, and we can never be complacent. I’m looking forward to getting back with the team, we all get on really well. Our aim is clearly to get the championship title back. We have got capacity to get there and do it. As always, we’ll need a little luck but performance-wise we will be up there.

Obviously, Suzuka was different for me as I was part of the Team SUZUKI CN CHALLENGE – a Suzuki factory initiative. It was a fantastic experience. I discovered a new team during June’s tests, and I felt that we connected very well. The GSX-R1000R was similar to our regular bike but with some different features such as bio fuel, tires with recycled parts, brakes with environmentally conscious materials, etc. All these things changed the feel of the Suzuki, and I needed to change my riding style. The SUZUKI CN CHALLENGE bike is just at the beginning of development. We showed how we can be fast with it and, with all the data taken at Suzuka, the team now know which way to work.

When Sahara San, Suzuki’s Project Leader, asked me if I was interested to be part of the project, I hesitated a lot because I knew the potential of our Yoshimura SERT Motul bike, and we have been fighting for victory at each race. However, Sahara San was very insistent and had a lot of trust in me. I decided to accept the challenge and it’s something I don’t regret at all.

After Suzuka I took some time off to be with my little family and we enjoyed a week’s holiday in Crete, Greece. But then it was back to prepare for the final race at Bol d’Or – the most important of the season!

I’m ready to be back in the team and work with Gregg, Dan, Cocoro and all the crew to get the title. The Circuit Paul Ricard is one of my favourite tracks, it is so beautiful, and I have a lot of good memories from racing there. We’re just six points off the leading team and there will be pressure, but good pressure as we won last year, and our bike is really competitive. I’m naturally calm and just need to focus on my riding and take pleasure from it.

I’m most looking forward to getting out and riding the first lap of the circuit. We have changed a lot of things compared to last year and we are faster on each track. We were fast last year but, this year, we will be even faster!

Having been a reserve rider for the team, it was an honour to be able to participate as a race rider at the Suzuka 8-Hours. There was pressure as we were leading the championship by one point, however, I understood the flow of the team’s race and my job with the team and so I concentrated on doing it without making any mistakes.

I knew that either Dan or I would be responsible for the start. I had practiced in training beforehand so that I could get a good start and find my race pace. I did four stints. The first three were very hot and difficult, however, the temperature dropped in the last stint and I was able to push and ride as well as I could.

As Albert ran in the middle of the race, I ended up taking the chequered flag – this wasn’t the original plan. I knew we would be able to move up to third place due to the difference in the number of pit stops. However, when we received a ride-through penalty, the gap opened up and the battle for third place became uncertain. I decided that all I could do was just go on the offensive. I had the championship in the back of my mind – third is better than fourth, but a crash would be terrible. When our rival came out of the pits in front of me and the battle for third started, I was able to calmly assess everything and proceed. After I passed him, I couldn’t calm down until I pulled at least 20 seconds. After that I gradually slowed my pace. As I approached the last corner, the atmosphere was different and I realised that this was the end. I was relieved and happy at the same time. I think everyone was happy that I finally achieved a great result at Suzuka in front of my family and fans who have supported me for so long. I want to say thank you to everyone.

With the regular riders back, I won’t have a specific role at Bol d’Or but, as always, I’ll continue to do everything I can to help the team. Reserve riders also have to qualify, so I will do my best to get a good time. And, if there is anything we need to test in that time, I will do it for the team. I won’t sleep during the 24 hours of the race as I prefer to be available to help and also observe the team staff and riders. It’s a privilege to be a reserve rider. I take what I learn and apply it when I race.

Of course, we want race victory and to become EWC Champion again. I’ve been working hard with the team all season to achieve that. Unfortunately, we lost the points lead at Suzuka, but six points is not a big gap and, if we do what we have to do, I think we can turn it around, so we’ll do our best.

It was a very exciting feeling when I was asked to ride at Suzuka with Yoshimura SERT Motul, it was also surprising. I think all riders want to experience riding at this famous event at least once in a lifetime. I was proud to have been invited to join this team and enjoy the opportunity.

Flying out to Japan was a bit of mess as it was a tight turnaround to prepare for everything and my arrival was delayed, so I couldn’t arrive in time for the pre-race tests. However, I was super focussed and fully committed on my job and, as soon as I arrived on the Wednesday night, I felt at home with all the people in the team.

The team bike was nice to ride straightaway. I received good instructions from everyone, and my team-mates quickly helped me to adapt to all situations. The whole job was so smooth – obviously I had to understand the bike, the tyres, try to understand fuel management, tyre grip in the really hot conditions, and so many other factors but, it was a great experience to do it with Yoshimura SERT Motul. The relationship with the whole crew was brilliant from the beginning.

The plan was clear in that the team wasn’t going to make any crazy decisions. Suzuka was very important, and they weren’t going to risk anything with someone who had never raced EWC before. Obviously, as a racer, I wanted to be out on the track, but my target was to do everything I could to support the team. I had nothing to prove. With that mentality it was the right way to make positive steps, and it gave me the chance to do an actual race stint and help them get the best result possible. I was happy with how it went. It was a nice experience to be in a team, rather than a single rider team.

I now need to focus on the second part of the Moto2 season and my championship but, I did enjoy EWC.

Looking ahead to the Bol d’Or … I’m super excited for the team. I knew that at Suzuka they were fighting for the championship, and I feel like I am a little part of them. I will fully support them and hope they can put in a really strong performance and achieve their goal!