Vince Bereni on KRT's fantastic 2021
One of the most important shifts of this mid-season is the switch of Kawasaki's MXGP team to a new structure. From January 1, MX Esca will transfer the torch to Ice One Racing. Nevertheless, the KRT of owner Thierry Chizat Suzzoni and team manager Vince Bereni said goodbye in a beautiful way.
After all, KX450 figurehead Romain Febvre remained in the running for the MXGP title until the end. After his rookie world title in 2015, the Frenchman finally reached his best level again. Bittersweet, is the least you can say about the 2022 season for Kawasaki Racing Team and Febvre.
In their last year in this guise for the team from Schijndel, RF3 was only five points short of Jeffrey Herlings! The decision that Kawasaki would switch shoulders for 2022 was already made this summer. Owner Suzzoni had taken over the official Kawasaki team after the death of the legendary Jan De Groot.
The best year ever
MX Esca will not be present in the World Cup paddock for 2022. However, there is a chance that the team will return because it is associated with Triumph. “We were so unlucky this year, the challenge we took on was the biggest of my career,” said team manager Vincent Bereni.
“When the news came out (that Kawasaki was ending the partnership) it was a slap in the face for us. Then you face the challenge of motivating your troops. I think we 'won' in many areas this year. With this team we have formed a close-knit family. We spent a lot of time together; really in the spirit of the late Jan de Groot.”
“You don't get a good bike overnight and you have to compete against the powerhouses in this paddock,” Vince explains. “Everyone knows HRC Honda. Yamaha is a very strong manufacturer. I worked for KTM myself, so I know what they are like and they have grown enormously. We are actually small boys here, so you have to work hard for it. Since December 2020, it has been eighteen hours a day. We had to do what we had to do.
[Former] drivers such as Clément Desalle and Julien Lieber have also made their contribution. With Julien we had a lot of problems with his coupling and we worked many hours on that. We have also worked intensively with Cément to implement and improve new ideas. Then someone like Romain comes in with a different way of driving. Collecting all that data and making the mix is not that easy.”
“I will never mince words about what competition is all about,” said Bereni, sharply commenting on Kawasaki's approach. “You have people in charge at Kawasaki who know nothing about it. That is the reality.”
The 2021 was a great farewell for MX ECSA in Kawasaki green. Febvre achieved ten podium places and won no fewer than six heats. “The bike was already competitive last year and we also finished 2020 strongly,” Bereni notes. “If Romain is happy, then he is happy! He is very strict with himself and also with the engine. It was therefore our job to find those small details that could take him further. We took a lot of notes last year and just kept building up and then we put everything on the table in the winter. We continued to work during the season.”
Different riders, different riding styles
Kawasaki previously took GP victories in the MXGP with Gautier Paulin, Clément Desalle and Ryan Villopoto. Never before has it competed for the world title until the end.
Bereni herself joined in 2015. The year in which Ryan Villopoto made his much-discussed switch to MXGP. The French-American technician became a key figure in the evolution of the KX450F. The latest generation was launched three years ago, an engine that both Desalle and Febvre could use well.
“Clément (Desalle) and Romain (Febvre) were completely different! They really had completely different styles,” he laughs when asked to compare the Belgian and the Frenchman. “When you have a guy like Clement who drives almost 4000 rpm, you need a different engine. I call Romain a 'traction control man' because his control of the throttle is great. It can beat any electronics! There are riders who have a feel and feel for the bike and Romain is one of them; it can make the difference if the engine is not the best. His dedication, his work and his style make the difference.”
Bereni was full of praise for Febvre, who is now joining the Ice One structure thanks to a new two-year deal direct with Kawasaki. Romain will now be joined by former training partner Ben Watson as a teammate. “Febvre knows what he wants and he doesn't have the technical questions that make some other riders hesitate,” he says.
“He won't worry about clicking here or there. He puts his trust in you. Some changes were risky. In Arco I sweated for a few laps; we finished the moto and luckily there were still some studs on a tire with a very soft compound! He was willing to do that to go for the title and that's great. We gambled together and that's cool, that's fun.”
Tekst: Adam Wheeler & Tom Jacobs
Photos: Kawasaki Racing, Pascal Haudiquert, CDS, archive
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