WSBK – Jules Cluzel: there will be a show at WSSP 2016! – Interview with Jules Cluzel

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Jules Cluzel: there will be a show in WSSP 2016 !

WSBK - Jules Cluzel: there will be a show at WSSP 2016! - Interview with Jules Cluzel

The 2016 World Supersport season promises to be an exciting one due to the change of regulations and the many drivers who claim victory. To understand the ins and outs of WSSP 2016, Site interviewed Jules Cluzel. Interview.

Interview with Jules Cluzel

Site: First question, obvious but crucial, how are you? How is your leg ?
Jules Cluzel: It’s going well, I’m doing another week of intensive rehabilitation in Girona (Spain). We force on the ankle about 8 hours a day, between physiotherapist and gym. This is no fun, but it is necessary to try to get back on the bike 100% as quickly as possible..

MNC: You will be ready for the first race scheduled for the end of February in Australia ?
J. C.: I hope. I think so, in any case we do everything for. I want to be able to resume my training as soon as possible and be ready for the first tests which are scheduled for January. I returned to sport for a few weeks, but I have not returned to my normal rhythm. I still spend a lot, a lot of time recovering from my injury. I would have liked to have done a little cross-country and motorcycling this winter, but I will avoid the time that everything consolidates to 100%.

"What we will feel on the handlebars is the absence of traction control"

MNC: The FIM and Dorna have announced that preparations for World Supersport motorcycles will be limited from next season. What do you know about the main changes ?
J. C.: The main change concerns electronics, which will have to be standard. We will no longer have traction control. Otherwise, it seems to me that there will not be much difference in terms of chassis and engine..

MNC: In your opinion, what consequences will these modifications have on the behavior and performance of your MV Agusta F3? ?
J. C.: We don’t really know yet, it’s too early to tell. We did tests in 2016 configuration and it turned out moderately because we lacked a bit of development. I think once the bike is adjusted the difference will be minimal. Sofuoglu and Jacobsen tested in Jerez as well, but I believe they were not in a new configuration. We will especially have to wait for the practice of the first race at Phillip Island.

But what we will feel on the handlebars is the lack of traction control. He helped us well over a race and in tricky conditions. Suddenly, there will be a lot more going on than before. Will have to do with (or rather without, Editor’s note!) and it may be complicated … Personally, I’m not very satisfied because I think it goes against our security. But it will be more spectacular, and that’s what people like too.

MNC: Do you think you have to adapt your management, especially in terms of gas management? ?
J. C.: I admit that I enjoyed the traction control. It was assistance that went well with my style. Now I managed to ride without the last few tries when I really had no room for error. I have adapted myself. In general, I adapt quickly and I am not afraid.

MNC: MV Agusta’s racing department will be based on the Forward Racing structure from 2016. Will your team change ?
J. C.: No, it won’t change much for me because I keep overall the same team. I keep my chief mechanic especially, which is very important because this will be our third year together !

MNC: Now let’s talk about your opponents … For the fourth time, Kenan Sofuoglu is the "number one" in the category. How do you explain his dominance in WSSP? Why didn’t he break into Superbike and Moto2 ?
J. C.: I don’t agree, people don’t consider him to be successful in Moto2. Okay, he didn’t become world champion, but I remember that he was immediately in front of his two freelance posts altogether. He was in a fight for the podium! We expected a lot of him, but I think he had a lot of family issues that held him back. He still raced for the podium, he even made one (second in, Editor’s note). Kenan is a great pilot, fast and difficult in brawls. He did not confirm in Moto2, he could have tried his luck again but he preferred to return to Supersport. I am fighting against a rider who could have been regularly on the podium in Moto2. I know because like him, I rode in both categories. I’m glad he’s my opponent.

"Humanly, Kenan is a good guy who unfortunately went through very hard times"

MNC: You didn’t have much luck in 2015 between your injury and your mechanical problems at the start of the season. When he came to see you at the hospital after the Jerez race, Kenan admitted that you deserved the title. His visit and his words touched you ?
J. C.: (Laughs) It’s not that I wasn’t very lucky … I wasn’t at all! It’s true that you can provoke luck, but there really was nothing I could do about it. Regarding his visit, it was really the big surprise, I did not expect it at all. But he’s like that, rather generous. Talking with him did me good because at that precise moment, I had limited morale: I had given a lot to get back to the championship and I had made no mistakes before this fall. I think Kenan realized that, the work I had done, the bad luck I had endured, and he came to tell me. It did me good to have this recognition.

MNC: Your great Turkish rival has experienced a terrible tragedy with the loss of his very young son. If the pilot is sometimes criticized on the track because of his too muscular maneuvers, the man, for his part, commands respect, no ?
J. C.: It’s clear. I have always respected Kenan very much. He never really messed with me … We did have a few complicated passes, but humanly, he’s a good guy. Unfortunately, he went through very hard times in his life. We talked about it briefly in the hospital, but it is never easy to broach these subjects because we are totally powerless. There is great mutual respect between us, it’s important. Next year we will ride in the same category again, and we will continue to fight with heart !

MNC: And you won’t be alone! PJ Jacobsen had a remarkable 2015 season, especially after his stint with Honda Core. In 2016, he will still be driving a CBR600RR supported by Core, but prepared by the prestigious Ten Kate team. First American driver to win a WSSP race, do you think he could become the first champion ?
J. C.: It has to do with the new regulations. He’s not the most dangerous man over the whole season, but you never know … As you say, he had a good end to the season. But there are races, of the Qatar type, where I thought he would win hands down with his bike which, it must be admitted, is going strong. Instead, it looks to me like he finished 5th (). So ultimately I don’t know … He is a pilot that should not be taken lightly, but he is not the only one…

"We must beware of everyone, not to underestimate any opponent!"

MNC: Precisely, Kyle Smith won the last 2015 event in Qatar on the Honda Ten Kate. He stays on CBR too but goes to your former employer, Simon Buckmaster. Can the Briton aim for the title with the PTR team next year ?
J. C.: I believe less. Kyle Smith will be an opponent in a few races, that’s for sure, but for the title we still have to see. I say that but you have to beware of everyone, not to underestimate any opponent! I also think that there will be a big, big fight and a big level ahead. There are five or six other pilots on the list.

MNC: Some will also ride on MV Agusta, such as Nico Terol who replaced you during the last three races in 2015 and has visibly taken a liking to WSSP and F3, or Roberto Rolfo who is also trying to return to F3. . It must also be gratifying for you, to see the MV arouse so much interest! But it’s also double-edged…
J. C.: Ah well, for sure I made them all dream a little (laughs). It must be said that the MV is a very good machine. She’s hard to tame, but I have a style that goes well with it. We saw that Terol rode well with it but we have to see how it will go in another team.

"Krummenacher will progress quickly with the help of Kenan"

MNC: Lorenzo Zanetti will be your teammate again next year. Do you have the same feedback, the same comments on the bike? Can the development of F3 be done easily ?
J. C.: Yeah, yeah, that makes it easier, but frankly, it doesn’t do much for me. It’s rather me who helps him, who makes him progress, but good for me. Next year, the team is restructured, the rules also change unfortunately…

MNC: Kenan Sofuoglu will have a new teammate: Randy Krummenacher who arrives, like you, from Moto 2. You know this little Swiss boy ?
J. C.: No not good. I know he’s done some decent things in Moto2 like being consistently in the Top 10 in this category which is good! However, I don’t know what his bike and his team were worth. He will be an opponent to watch because he is a very good driver, he will have a very good machine, and he will progress quickly with the help of Kenan.

MNC: Lucas Mahias is our second French representative. After crushing the French SSP Championship in 2014, he was constrained last year by his change of team during the year. In 2016, he will compete for the full season on a Yamaha R6 that he knows perfectly well and which has always performed very well in the World. He will send big (landais) !
J. C.: He will be a formidable opponent, especially since he has already ridden in the 2016 configuration. He is already ready and his machine is really very good: lately, the R6 has won the title every time a good team has it. engaged! Lucas is also a very good driver, who now knows all the circuits.

"Lucas Mahias will be a formidable opponent, especially since he has already ridden in the 2016 configuration"

MNC: Beautiful duels in perspective !
J. C.: I hope for France and the fans, it’s always good to see two French pilots fighting in front.

MNC: Despite the failure of the Evo subcategory in WSBK, the organizers decided to drop the STK600 and make it part of the WSSP championship. The young pilots will therefore join you during the European events. What do you think of this decision ?
J. C.: I don’t know, we’ll see what happens! This year, the organizers have revised everything: the Stock, the Supersport, even the schedules (read). We’re going to have the Superpole, it’s interesting for us, it might even be televised. Afterwards, personally, I don’t know. There are some thinking heads that have thought about all of this and I hope it will be a good thing for the category. I think there will be a show! There will be a good ten to fight for victory, even the title of world champion, which has rarely been seen in Supersport..

"We will be a good ten to fight for the victory, even the title of world champion"

MNC: WSBK World Champion Jonathan Rea is taking English Supersport Champion Kyle Ride to WSSP next year. You are still young and 100% focused on your career, but do you also have an eye on the French championship? ?
J. C.: Yes, I try to watch but it’s not easy because I have a lot to do during the season.

MNC: The new Supersport regulations must allow pilots of national championships to participate in their WSBK event. Are there any little Frenchies to whom you would like to assign a wildcard for Magny-Cours 2016 ?
J. C.: Unfortunately no because I did not follow enough last year. But I can’t wait to ride there with them, after missing the 2015 French event !

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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