There will be many of us on Saturday at noon wishing all the competitors of the 43rd 24 Heures Motos du Mans a good race, with a special thought for the boss of the Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar Team, Gilles Stafler, who will watch the tricolor flag be lowered by Dominique Méliand to give the start of the great Le Mans classic.
Reigning World Champion, with David Checa, Erwan Nigon and Jérémy Guarnoni, Gilles Stafler received the tiles on the head one after the other, firstly with the overall health situation, then the abandonment in the middle of the season of Pirelli, fortunately replaced by Michelin, and now a heart attack which forces him not to leave his hospital room.
Gilles, first of all we wish you a good recovery. Would you like to explain your current medical situation to us?
“I had a heart problem on July 25 when I had a heart attack in the morning. I had already had pain the night before, but I wasn't too afraid because I didn't think that was it. »
“And then finally, on Saturday morning, there was a state of emergency, so I was evacuated by helicopter to make things go faster. When I arrived in Toulon, they did tests on me and they tried to unblock an artery, but they were unsuccessful. So they gave up at first. »
“They then put me on a fluidizer in an intensive unit. They had decided that the following Thursday they were going to put a stent in me. In the end, it didn't happen on Thursday, but the day before, on Wednesday. »
“At that time I had a problem on the operating table. There it was a little critical, so they stopped everything. They couldn't place the stent. »
“So back to the intensive unit. And then, on Thursday morning, when they did an ultrasound of my heart, they noticed that I had a leaking ventricle. But it still leaked profusely. So in the emergency, they didn't even take me down to the operating room (they didn't have time), and in the room they put a drain under my sternum to go into the pericardium, which is where envelope of the heart, and over two and a half days, they removed 850 cm3, because in fact that was what was compressing my heart. »
“It’s been better since then. I still stayed 15 days in the hospital, including 9 in the intensive unit. So I lost a lot of weight and lost muscle mass (I was already not very fat!). Then I spent 9 days at home, waiting for there to be space in a rehabilitation center in Hyères, near Toulon. I've been there for 9 days and I'm getting back on track. »
“I have already gained muscle mass, but the problem I actually have is ejection. The pump which must return the blood is active at 30%, the objective of which is to make it return at least 50 to 60%. I continue to work to recover as much as possible. »
How did you organize yourself for the 24 Heures Motos, to stay in contact with your team, to talk to this or that member of your team?
“Actually at first, I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to worry anyone. Only my chief mechanic who works with me knew, and then my engine engineer because we have known each other for a long time. »
“Last Monday, I had to make a decision. The doctors told me “ out of the question of leaving the center. You stay here for three weeks. No question of going to the circuit, no stress, nothing at all.” »
“My wife has been operational for a long time. In fact, it’s my motorist who will take my place behind the screens. And then we will manage it by phone, remotely. »
“But the doctors still warned me that I had to take it easy because I must not add stress since it is completely harmful to me. »
“But I have complete confidence in my team. We've all been working together for a long time. I know they will get the job done. »
Happy 24 Hours, Gilles, and see you Monday!
Photos above: dated 2020 (Michelin)
Photos below: dated 2019 (Pirelli)
here is provisional list of entrants and provisional schedules.
Photos © Kawasaki
