France had been waiting since 1949 to have its first motorcycle speed world champion in the premier category, but it learned the lessons and intends to capitalize on the success of Fabio Quartararo, crowned Sunday at the GP of Emilia-Romagna. “
Off-road, we are envied. In speed, we envy Italy and Spain
”, notes the other Frenchman in MotoGP, Johann Zarco, currently 5th in the championship and crowned in Moto2 in 2015 and 2016. Before the era of Italians and Spaniards, started in In the 2000s, the premier category “
was reserved for Americans and then Australians
” in the 1980s and 90s, at the time of the 500cc, goes back the specialist journalist Michel Turco. "
They were much more difficult motorcycles to ride. Those who dominated had not run in the lower cylinders (like the Europeans, Editor's note) but came from categories with a more violent piloting. So there were no French but not really Europeans either. Some Italians (Marco Lucchinelli, Franco Uncini, Editor's note) and Spaniards (Alex Crivillé, Editor's note) because they had a larger tank.
"
Patrick Pons or Michel Rougerie, authors of several World Cup podiums, could have been one, if they had not been killed on the track in the early 1980s. “
MotoGP (which replaced the 500 cm3 in 2002, Editor's note) has changed the game
, ”continues Turco. “
In terms of driving, it was easier for the riders who had gone through the small categories (125 and 250 cm3, which became Moto2 and Moto3, Editor's note) to access the queen class.
"In 2000, Olivier Jacque won the title in 250 cm3 but moving to the higher category was not convincing"
because he was injured, because it was too complicated.
".
Régis Laconi, the last winner of a GP in the elite before Quartararo (in 1999), or Randy de Puniet have similar trajectories.
The Italians (Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi) and the Spaniards (Sete Gibernau, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez) take the lead.
To see the French shine, we have to wait for Zarco (11 podiums and 6 pole positions) from 2017 and especially Quartararo (20 podiums including 8 wins, 15 pole) from 2019. Our neighbors have "
the attraction for discipline and the pool of pilots
”, France is more of a motocross nation, Turco analyzes.
Read also Olivier Jacque: "If Quartararo makes the right choices, he will have a great career"
Moreover, Zarco (31 years old) and Quartararo (22 years old) - whose presence at the top during the same period is the fruit of chance - made their classes outside France, the first in Italy (under the leadership of of his former French manager Laurent Fellon), the second in Spain. This is because the speed industry in France is neither as structured nor as competitive as in these countries or as the French motocross industry. What regrets Christian Sarron, 250cc world champion in 1984, who confided to Le Figaro: "
Fabio is absolutely not a product of the French motorcycle school since unfortunately, in our country, we don't really have any grand prix structures, or very few. While Spain is truly a country in love with motorcycles, if only at the level of the general public. Suddenly, all French pilots who aspire to a career must, at one time or another, go to their ranges there, at least to train in winter because there are many circuits that are available through more attractive prices than in France. In addition, all the major teams present in MotoGP have a detection structure in Spain. They all have courses to prepare and train young people, which is not the case in France. And this is the
one of his courses that Fabio followed. "
The French Motorcycling Federation wants to change gears
This will change: the French Motorcycling Federation (FFM) presented in October a restructuring project for initiation to the high level. “
The desire is thanks to our champions that young people have it. Our job is to put in place the structures
”, pleads its president Sébastien Poirier. "
Our objective is to prevent the little ones from going abroad before entering the European Championship and to ensure that they arrive there with a good level
", he already explained to AFP in March. . This is all the more important given that only one other tricolor is currently playing in the world championship: Lorenzo Fellon in Moto3. It remains to be confirmed whether, as Poirier hopes,Zarco and Quartararo will "
bring the motorcycle out of its midst
To expand our pool of aspiring champions. “
Will the fact that we have these two French people encourage young people to ride more motorcycles? I'm not sure,
”asks Turco. "
If it lasts a few years, the sector can be built more easily with two locomotives
", believes Zarco, "
sponsor
" of the FFM project. In an expensive sport, the question of money will also be crucial. “
The difference with Spain and Italy is also that they have sponsors, an industrial sector that participates
», Recalls the president of the FFM.
In France, it will take more than the promoter of the French GP, Claude Michy, than the Tech3 team of Hervé Poncharal (engaged in MotoGP and Moto3) or than the only other French team, Alain Bronec's CIP. (in Moto3), to offer outlets.
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