It will come as no surprise to you to say that the team MotoGP Tech3 d'Hervé Poncharal et Guy Coulon is currently writing a pivotal chapter in its history with the arrival of, among others, Gunther Steiner et Richard ColemanAnd as privileged observers, not to report on it would be to fail to give due importance to this major event for the greatest French motorcycle racing team.
So finding the right balance between confidentiality and information will certainly not be easy, but throughout the winter, and perhaps even after, we will live and try to make you experience this transition which is shaking up the landscape of French MotoGP.
We consider it our duty as a media outlet, but above all as enthusiasts who have always received an incredible welcome from the entire Tech3 team, at every level.
So, rather than mention the dozens of names we should thank, let's just say "A huge thank you to Tech3!" And so let us embark on this narrative, without really knowing where to begin, since we have had the chance to share Tech3's story over the last decade…
After the moving celebration on Saturday eveningwe were able to collect the words ofHervé Poncharal Sunday, before he prepares for his final event of the weekend, the official ceremony that closes the 2025 season.
Richard Coleman, the future Director of the Tech3 structure, of which we have already traced the route, was present in Valencia, including at some of these festivities, and we were lucky enough to be able to ask him our questions.
Discreet, approachable and modest in his role as an observer, the man is nonetheless remarkably Cartesian and very skillful…
🎤 Richard Coleman, qWhat did you know about MotoGP before agreeing to become Director of Tech3?
Richard Coleman: « (Laughs) To be brutally honest, very little. But the MotoGP adventure came from Günther (Steiner). He and I were looking at a deal with Haas F1, working with a large American investment fund. We were very close, but ultimately Gene (Haas) decided he didn't want to sell part of the team. That was in 2023, and at the end of 2023, Günther and Gene parted ways.
Around April 2024, Günther and I were talking, and he told me about MotoGP: “Maybe we could watch MotoGP together.” I answered him : “But, Günther, we know nothing about MotoGP!” But, all joking aside, we love sport, and we were practically certain Liberty Media was going to come in. And even if Liberty hadn't, we felt that, given the way global sport is evolving, there aren't that many world championships that one person can own. Whether it's the current owners or new owners, even without Liberty, there would very likely be an investment phase. So we felt it was the right time to enter MotoGP.
We then explored the possibilities with the Ezpeleta family. There were probably a hundred other people doing the same thing, but we presented our vision: who we were, what Günther and I wanted to do, and how we envisioned things. The Ezpeleta family were incredibly supportive. We also spoke with another team, but we couldn't reach an agreement, even though we dedicated a lot of time to it.
Then, we probably had our first conversation with Hervé (Poncharal) in Austin this year, so in April. Initially, Hervé was very clear: “No, I don’t want to sell, I’m not for sale.”
Then, as the exchanges progressed, and as Günther and Hervé forged a good relationship, it began to make more and more sense to Hervé, for many reasons.
Finally, we obviously reached an agreement to buy the team. We announced it in Barcelona, and it was important for Hervé to finish the season. So we agreed that the contracts would be signed, but that he would continue to manage the team until the end of the year, and that I would take over from January.
So yes, first of all, I'm English. Secondly, I come from four-wheeled motorsport. So I didn't really know what kind of reception I'd get from the team. But in the end, I'm a competitor, they're competitors, and they've been extremely welcoming. That's why I came to Barcelona, Misano, Malaysia, Portugal, and here: because I want to observe, I want to learn, and I'm approaching this mission with a lot of humility.
I want to help these people achieve more. It's a very good team, and I want to help it become a great team. That's the task ahead of me. I have to get everyone on board, and so far, they've been very open, very welcoming, and very generous with their time. They all love and respect Hervé enormously, but I think they now see an opportunity to take things to the next level. And that's precisely the plan.
(I.e. Okay. So before, let's say… considering this opportunity, you weren't really watching MotoGP races?
"So yes, I watched MotoGP races on television, and I went to attend a few Grands Prix, but it's not like I followed MotoGP every weekend or watched every race on TV.
However, for almost two years now, I've watched absolutely every race. I've listened to podcast after podcast, I've read the newspapers, I talk to a lot of people. I have a very good relationship with the Ezpeletas; I speak to them every week. And Günther and I are very close: we probably talk about MotoGP six days a week! So, little by little, my level of knowledge has perhaps gone from 1% to… 5%. And I approach all of this with complete humility.
But there's also something else I've noticed about MotoGP: it's a bit like a "Galapagos economy." That is to say, it's long been a world apart. Many people in this paddock have been there for a very, very long time, and what the paddock has achieved is incredible—not just the Ezpeleta family, but all the teams and everyone involved.
That said, one could also suggest that a little fresh blood, some new ideas and a different perspective might not be a bad thing either.
So there are certain topics I discuss with the team, and I ask, “Why are we doing this?”Because I'm in a learning phase, an observation phase. And they reply to me,
“We do it this way for such and such a reason.”
And then I thought to myself: “Ah, why didn’t I think of that? It’s obvious, now I understand.”
And then, from time to time, there's a topic where I ask:
“Why do we do things this way?”
And the response I receive is, “Because we’ve always done it this way.”
And then I say: “Okay, but that’s no reason. Let’s sit down and talk about it.”
So, you know, I approach all of this with complete humility, but I'm also a very logical person. I strongly believe in fundamental principles when it comes to deciding whether a way of working is the right one or whether it can be improved, and that's what we're examining together.
But ultimately, we're not going to arrive by pushing big buttons or pulling big levers. It will take time. But perhaps a fresh perspective isn't a bad thing either. So I hope it works.
To be continued tomorrow…
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