Meeting with Etienne Masson during the test session organized by Johann Zarco in Cartagena, who reflects on his experience in E.W.C. and that 2025 title missed by one point.
We conclude our series of interviews conducted in Cartagena, as part of the track day organized by Johann zarco due to a Etienne MassonA well-known figure in Endurance racing, the Frenchman is a four-time World Champion and has a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as at the Bol d'Or.
Having returned to the Yoshimura SERT team in 2023 after riding there from 2015 to 2020, he approaches this new season with the goal of adding a fifth title to his record with the team.
Hello Etienne. You had a rollercoaster 2025 season, with Yoshimura SERT ultimately missing out on the title by a single point. Can you look back on the races and tell us about your experience this year?
The 2025 season got off to a very bad start with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where we completely missed the mark. We couldn't navigate the tricky sections of the track and we crashed six times during the race. We persevered and still managed to finish in sixth place.
Then at Spa, the conditions were again a bit mixed. We weren't comfortable at all in those conditions. We opted for a somewhat unusual setup and we knew that if it rained, it wouldn't really work in our favor, and that's pretty much what happened. We finished fourth and we clearly weren't where we should have been.
Then I raced at Suzuka with the CN Challenge, Suzuki's factory bike. Everything was going really well; we got off to a great start in qualifying. During the race, we were fourth until my teammate crashed. We weren't rewarded with the result, but we had a fantastic week. Suzuki was very happy with our performance, which was a good sign.
At the Bol d'Or, however, we knew we had a chance in the championship, so we had to be flawless. That's what we did; we took all the points we could. In qualifying, we took pole position, we scored all the intermediate points, and we won. We couldn't have done any better.
We were just one point short of the title. It's a shame because, naturally, we weren't rewarded for all the effort we put in. But given how we started the season, I think we can be quite satisfied with what we achieved. I think this year will be something else entirely because we learned a lot last year. Now it's up to us to use those lessons so we don't repeat them this year.
So, the goal in 2026 is the title?
Of course, with the Yoshimura, it's still difficult to think about anything else. That's what we're there for. Now, we have to use the experience we've gained over all these years and not repeat the mistakes we made last year.
Will the line-up remain the same?
Everything remains the same. Gregg Black and Dan Linfoot are continuing with me, as is Cocoro Atsum, our Japanese development rider, who will be the fourth rider. That's going to be one of our strengths because we know each other perfectly. I think we complement each other quite well too. Now we know the bike perfectly. There might be one or two modifications compared to last year, but I think having very few changes compared to the others will be our biggest advantage.
You are now 37 years old. How do you envision the future, what are your goals?
Naturally, I'm trying to prepare for the future with some activities alongside my racing career. But on the other hand, I'm completely satisfied with my situation as a rider. I think performance-wise, things are still going well. At the Bol d'Or, I set the lap record, and in the race, things were going pretty well, just like in the other races.
Now, we also need to be objective and stay focused, continuing to prepare well because with our experience, we also know what we need to do, what works, and what might work less well. So, we shouldn't waste energy doing things that are very energy-intensive.
I'm trying to extend my career as long as possible. I have one year left on my contract with Yoshimura until 2026. We haven't started talking about 2027 and 2028 yet, but I want to continue. After that, we'll see what the team wants to do. I'm not too worried because the performance is there, and the chemistry is great too. Everything is perfect with the other riders and the team, so we'll see. For now, it's not on the agenda.
There's also the CN Challenge project, which might want to invest a bit more in endurance racing as well, so we'll see what happens. But in any case, I don't plan to stop anytime soon.
When you look back, are there things you would do differently, things you would like to say to the young Etienne of that time if you could?
It's funny because we were just talking about this with Nico, our chief mechanic, and also with Johann [Zarco]. We were talking about mental coaches. When I arrived at SERT in 2015, so ten years ago, I think I was perhaps a bit young, but above all, I wasn't ready to handle the pressure they were putting on me, especially in a team where everyone had been working together for 30 years. I think it would have been good to have some support to get on the bike with a bit more composure. But I don't regret it because at the time, it wasn't very common to work with mental coaches.
It's definitely a recent addition.
Yes, exactly. And even more so in motorcycling. That's perhaps the only thing I would change. Maybe also a little more physical preparation, more focused on what we do ourselves, because back then, we did just about anything and everything that would get us a bit of exercise. Now, I know what works to keep me ready for 24 hours. So, that's perhaps the only thing I would change. But for everything else, I don't regret a thing.
