Bayle talks MXGP, Honda and Villopoto
One of the most talented motorcyclists will return to the sport full-time in 2015, Jean Michel Bayle (FIM and AMA champion and former MotoGP rider) will share his experience and knowledge with the HRC Honda World Motocross team. It is no secret that the 45-year-old Frenchman was an important key in getting MXGP star Gautier Paulin to return to the brand with which he made his international breakthrough in 2007.
Bayle has appeared in the MXGP paddock several times over the past two years for the brand's off-road launch segment. The bond with Honda (with whom he won his four FIM and AMA titles) now grows even stronger through his role as Sporting Manager for the team in the paddock during the GP campaign. “I already had good contacts with Honda and I was already working on many things with Honda France in recent years,” he explains the background to his new role. “I was already in the Honda family with the motorsports part and there was a good opportunity to bring Gautier to the team and that also brought me closer to the team. It wasn't a black or white decision, but something we built.
“Certainly all traveling is not always the easiest thing to share, but we have a goal and challenge and I have a goal in my life and I want to go for it. I feel what I do and what I also want to do,” he added.
Bayle is no longer very familiar with the MXGP because he left in the early 1990s to conquer America and therefore has a different view of the championship. “It all looks good. I have visited some Grand Prix in recent years and the circuits and races were beautiful,” he says. “You can change a lot of things in motocross, but for me the sport has still remained the same. You have good drivers and a good team. You need this to work well and hard and that's what I like about it. So I don't look too much around to see what's going on out there.”
Ryan Villopoto's participation in the MXGP in 2015 and the presence of Bayle means some prestigious names in the paddock. For Bayle and for many people, the fact that Villopoto will try in the Grand Prix is very positive. “It's great and also good to have strong opponents. I would also like to see this happen to Villopoto. I made the move from Europe to America a few years ago. So I'm glad it's reversed now and I think it's also good for the sport. It won't be easy for him... but don't think it will be that difficult either.”
Bayle's job is to focus on the performance of both Paulin and Bobryshev on the CRF450RW. “I think Paulin knows how to ride the bike well enough, but like any rider he can improve a bit here and there. I am therefore happy to help him take his next step towards becoming world champion. He has the capabilities to do that.”
“Evgeny is also a strong rider,” he says. “The last few years have been difficult for him mentally and physically, but fortunately Honda is giving him another chance to show what potential he still has. My goal is to help him and show that Honda was right.”
Bayle will be surrounded by the best riders in the motocross world during the Qatar Grand Prix next year in February. What does he think about the possibility that one of these top riders will make the move to the asphalt as he did in the mid-nineties?
“It's something you don't decide in one day,” he says. “When I first rode a motorcycle, my first goal was to go road racing. But at that time I could only ride and train with the dirt bike and I did so well that I continued to do it. I won championships, got factory equipment and then immediately came that world title with Honda. I worked through my goals, but road racing still stuck in my head. As soon as my ambitions in motocross were achieved, I made the switch. It is definitely something that you want to do if you are bored, because it is very difficult and dangerous too. I would be happy if someone tried it, but it is and remains a very difficult challenge.”
Text: Adam Wheeler – OTOR
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