Company – Confined with … Claude Michy, organizer of the French Motorcycle Grand Prix –

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Confined with … Claude Michy, organizer of the French Motorcycle Grand Prix

Company - Confined with ... Claude Michy, organizer of the French Motorcycle Grand Prix -

What are the main players in the motorcycle world doing during the lockdown linked to the Covid-19 pandemic? Claude Michy, organizer of the French Motorcycle Grand Prix, spoke to Journal moto du Net.

MNC: Where are you confined ?

Claude Michy : At home with my wife, near Clermont-Ferrand.

  • MNC special file :
  • MNC special file :

MNC: How are your days going? ?

C.M. : I really don’t have a typical day because I have different activities. Those linked to the French Grand Prix of course, with a situation that changes every day and even every hour … We look at the different possibilities and it takes time to redo the schedules … I am still a shareholder of the Clermont football club, president of the Union of Professional Football Clubs (UCPF) and member of the Board of Directors of the Football League, so I have many phone meetings.

MNC: What are the dates still possible for the French GP ?

C.M. : I had one before July 15, but it fell apart with the last speech of the President of the Republic (which extends the general confinement at least until May 11, Editor’s note). I have several other possibilities but I prefer not to say more until it is final … Everyone is talking to each other and trying to find the right solutions. I don’t know if I am confident because confidence can be a weakness sometimes, but I am not worried. You have to be reasonable, think about everyone on the bike and try to find the best solution for them….

MNC: What do you miss the most ?

C.M. : I don’t feel a craving, on the contrary. This period can be a time to reflect on everything that has been around for a while and try to see other great adventures to come, perhaps in other forms. At some point the world will start again, we will have to adapt to the economy, to sanitary conditions … But I am not a diviner, I am waiting to see. The Auvergne lives in autarky! (Laughs) You have to be in tune with the situation, it is as it is and you have to deal with it. I don’t know if I am a philosopher, but this is how I feel.  

MNC: Are you afraid ?

C. M. : I am not afraid personally but I see that a whole bunch of people are in distress between those who are sick, those who disappear and affected families, those who are confined in small apartments with children … is not fear, but a feeling of helplessness in front of these people in difficult situations. I consider myself privileged, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking of others.

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

C. M. : I’m reading Mike Horn’s book "Zero Latitude". He leaves by boat along the equator and then goes to South America through the Amazon, etc. It’s a beautiful change of scenery and it shows that you should never give up! I am not films at all, it must be 45 or 50 years since I last set foot in the movies and I am unable to watch a movie on TV…

MNC: Your Favorite Motorcycle Video ?

C. M. : By chance I saw the on Canal again, which I hadn’t seen because I was working (laughs). I saw it in a very relaxed way, undisturbed, and I thought it was a great adventure. It’s thanks to the work of everyone: Dorna, all the drivers and teams, the marshals, the medical service, all the people who work at ACO, etc. In fact, this incredible puzzle of a whole lot of activities inside the GP fits together like Russian dolls and I saw the result on TV. If I hadn’t been confined, I probably would have looked at him differently. I realized that we exist because of the work of others. The aerial images are fabulous and we may have been able to bring a little pleasure to people … In general I try to see the event afterwards, but I wander around a lot and in the previous period where everyone was going fast , I did not watch the race in the same conditions. Every moment in life brings positive things, including tragic moments even if you don’t realize them in the moment. We gain experience, we make incredible encounters and it makes human beings grow. Even if there is still work …

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

C. M. : No idea, I do not ask myself the question. It will take time, everyone will try to switch on the ignition and we will see how the machine starts up again…

Interview by Eric MICHEL

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