Company – Confined with … Jean-Marc Deletang, motorcycle dealership manager and race director at the FFM – Used HONDA KAWASAKI YAMAHA

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Confined with … Jean-Marc Deletang, manager of motorcycle dealerships and race director at the FFM

Company - Confined with ... Jean-Marc Deletang, motorcycle dealership manager and race director at the FFM - Used HONDA KAWASAKI YAMAHA

What are the main players in the motorcycle world doing during the lockdown linked to the Covid-19 pandemic? Jean-Marc Deletang, manager of Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha motorcycle dealerships, race director at the FFM and founder of the motorcycle rental company Envie2rouler.com, spoke to the Journal moto du Net.

MNC: Where are you confined ?

Jean-Marc Deletang : At the beginning of the confinement I stayed at home with my wife and my children, because they decided to confine themselves with us. From the start, we set up assistance at my points of sale so as not to penalize our customers who needed their motorcycles to get around (I am the manager of Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha dealerships in Indre-et-Loire and the Loir-et-Cher. Then I returned to the Tours store on March 24 because sales of original parts on the internet exploded, requiring the establishment of a special organization with the help of my collaborators.

  • MNC special file :
  • MNC special file :

MNC: How are your days going? ?

J.-M. D. : I get up every day at 6:20 a.m. to be at the store at 8 a.m., because I travel 80 km to get there (as often as possible with my motorbike!) And I return in the evening between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. These are pretty intense days. If I come home at 8 p.m., I cycle for an hour on a home trainer (I am more than 800 km away since the start of confinement)! You have to keep your alertness and I remember what JCO often said to me: from excess comfort is born laziness! I also take care of my motorcycle rental company throughout France and I am very involved in the life of the FFM. For 5 years I have been the race director for all the events of the French SBK championship and all the international events (MotoGP, 24H Motos du Mans, Bol d’Or and WSBK). It’s really an activity that I like a lot because I put all my pilot experience acquired during 15 years of racing at the service of the FFM.

MNC: What do you miss the most? The least ?

J.-M. D. : Freedom of movement … You don’t realize this when it becomes forbidden, but I’m lucky to be able to make my trips on a motorcycle to get to the store, so that makes me feel good. I miss the work in race direction because we have not resumed the championships. Not seeing my pilots, my marshals, my FFM teams with whom I usually work is starting to seem long to me. We had a lot of subjects we wanted to work on and we will have to wait for the situation to settle down to put them in place. And then see my clients, my daily collaborators, my friends, etc. What I don’t miss, strangely, is my busy schedule. I appreciate this calm and the fact of enjoying my family more, my home, taking the time to reflect and develop activities.

MNC: What are you afraid of ?

J.-M. D. : Fear does not avoid danger and I am worried because I do not know how the activity will start again. I have about thirty employees who have worked alongside me for 20 years, some of which are dealerships to make profitable, I have invested a lot in my new motorcycle rental company envy2rouler and we have no visibility on the future, because this pandemic is far from being under control for the moment. Once the containment is over, how are we going to behave? I don’t know … Are we all going to get sick? Nothing is certain. We are in VFR mode: we pilot on sight! But one thing is certain: nothing will be the same.

MNC: A book, a film, a series, a record to recommend ?

J.-M. D. : I am currently reading Napoleon’s memoirs, I find it fascinating because I really like this period in the history of France. I don’t watch series, I prefer to watch a good movie to forget what is worrying us at the moment. I love Audiard films, I always have a good time to relax. When I work I also like to put on music like David Gilmour, Renaud or ACDC, it depends on my mood.

MNC: Your Favorite Motorcycle Video ?

J.-M. D. : I admire the pilots who do it! They are real warriors and what Julien Toniutti achieved during this race (editor’s note) is very strong. A few years ago I had the chance to dine with Giacomo Agostini at his home in Bergamo and he spent the evening telling us about his races on this track, with the success that we know him. It was fantastic ! We can all measure the risks that the pilots take on this legendary event. I had the chance to go there as a spectator with Motul and the atmosphere was downright amazing! I will go back for sure !

MNC: The first thing you will do at the end of the lockdown ?

J.-M. D. : I have a lot of things to do ! An off-road motorcycle outing with my son, finding my daughter, going for a long bike trip with my sporty friends to find the scents of nature, enjoying my friends that I have not seen for too long and why not go to the seaside on a motorbike with my wife … simply live and enjoy every moment !

Interview by Eric MICHEL

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