Desalle is looking forward to the bike and is not afraid of Villopoto…
For Rockstar Suzuki rider Clement Desalle, it is only a matter of weeks before he can get back on the bike. A new check-up is planned for his treated wrist on November 4 and we hope to receive a positive answer. The winner of four Grand Prix's was no longer on the bike during the Czech Grand Prix in Loket at the end of July. He then had to give up in frustration with a fracture in the wrist of the scaphoid bone. Desalle has already started cycling and winter preparation again and he hopes to receive a redeeming answer from the specialists.
“My wrist feels good and we are following the plan without any problem,” he says. “I started mountain biking at a leisurely pace last week, but I still miss the strength and flexibility in the wrist. But I hope to get the green light from the doctor to be able to drive again within a few days.”
“I'm going to try the enduro bike first and then slowly work my way towards the motocross circuit,” he added. “It doesn't make much sense to rush into it full throttle from the start. It has been a long time since I last rode and I want to concentrate on that now.”
Desalle has already mapped out a schedule for the offseason. First at a Portuguese 'boot camp' with the entire Suzuki team at the end of December and then to California for a few weeks to train with the motorcycle. The last time the 25-year-old Desalle went to the United States was during the Grand Prix season in 2011, when he won three of the first six races that year. “I have a friend with a house there and I went there in 2011 to do the preparation, but I was unlucky because I got sick as soon as I got there,” he says. “Even though the weather there will normally be good, I still have to rely on my friend's knowledge to find good training circuits. I asked Sylvain (Geboers, Rockstar Energie Suzuki world MXGP Team Manager) if I could get a training bike during the time I was there. The team is also going to send me a bike, so that's great.”
Desalle was one of Antonio Cairoli's most consistent challengers for the world title in the premier class of motocross and was one of only five riders to win a Grand Prix in 2014. As of his sixth year with Suzuki, he has gone to all Expectations to be one of the favorites again together with Gautier Paulin, Max Nagl and Jeremy van Horebeek. But we also asked him for a prediction on how AMA champion Ryan Villopoto will fare against the best MXGP riders. “I won't say he will win, but I also don't want to say he will have a hard time...honestly, we won't know until the first races have been completed and then a lot of things might have happened already.” opinion on this. “He is certainly a good driver, but I am not afraid of it. For me it's just a good guy joining the MXGP. I think the most important thing is to focus on yourself and not look too much to the other side to see what the other guys are doing.”
“I think he will have to adapt to some circuits and that won't be that easy,” Desalle added.
Text Adam Wheeler – OTOR Magazine
Photo: CDS / Bavo Swijgers
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