After losing the last world endurance title in the very last minutes of the Suzuka 8H, the members of the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team were all the more discomfited as it was also the last race of Dominique Méliand, the "leader" and the emblematic figure of SERT for 50 years.
Ten times World Endurance Champion, still with SERT, Vincent Philippe has reached a turning point in his career. In an interview that he kindly granted us, his point of view was unequivocal “ We must take advantage of this change at the level of the SERT Management to evolve towards modernism and dynamism. » Vincent, are you satisfied with the new organization?
“The two days of testing went really well. There are obviously new faces, as promised, a lot of good individuals. Afterwards, the difficulty in endurance is always to create this mayonnaise, these links between each position, so that it makes a very strong team. »
“The surprises were positive, especially with the support of the Japanese, including Yoshimura and people from MotoGP, to train this new team to become a professional team. This support is important because it highlights the involvement of the Japanese. There are good foundations for doing something good. »
Have there been many departures in the wake of the “Chef”, among permanent employees and among volunteers (very important in terms of endurance)?
“There is almost no one left from the old SERT. Everyone has deserted a little, because it is true that these last three years have been very trying. It weighed in the balance. The wear and tear was difficult to bear and broke up this team. »
“So when you no longer have your leader, your “guru”, it ends and that’s normal. Some permanent staff could have stayed, but the recent atmosphere has encouraged them to leave. So there are lots of new people who have experience. »
“There were really a lot of people in the box – which I didn’t expect. Damien Saulnier* was afraid of the event because it happened very late. Now everyone must find their place, feel at home, and there must be a hierarchy so that tomorrow things flow naturally. »
*The new head of SERT
The finish of the Suzuka 8 Hours was incredible, both for the victory and the fall of the leader Johnny Rea in the last 5 minutes, than with the breakdown of your engine just before, when you had the world title in your pocket. How did you experience these incredible moments?
“Honestly, I wish I didn’t talk about it because…”
Okay, you don't have to.
“I think it’s one of the worst memories of my career. Losing a World Champion title and a year's work in the last five minutes is unheard of. »
“It took me a while to absorb the defeat and disappointment. At home, I was quite execrable for several days, even weeks, then time did its job and now the holidays have done me a lot of good. »
“So new adventure, new faces, it’s refreshing, it almost feels good. I'm moving forward, even if it will remain one of the biggest defeats of my career. »
“You told us about your most formidable adversaries last year. What are they for this season?
“Frankly, they’re the same (laughs)! We saw last season that it was very complicated to win a race. On the other hand, we are still capable of winning a Championship. »
“The bike has been good all year, except in Japan where it was not a fundamental problem, but an electronic malfunction which caused the engine to break. So we are very confident about our future results. »
“But our adversaries have not regressed and on the contrary they are moving forward. In endurance competition between tire manufacturers is very developed. Our opponents remain the same, they are the brands equipped with tires from a Japanese brand* that I will not mention. Kawasaki was World Champion with Pirelli, but also watch out for the arrival of Michelin, which does not yet provide top teams to win races. »
*(Editor's note: Bridgestone for FCC TSR, YART, but also KRT only at the Suzuka 8 Hour).
“Our bike hasn't evolved, but not against the newcomers to the team who have good ideas and don't retreat into comfort. There we tested things during these two days that we had never tried. »
“Leaving our comfort zone will perhaps (?) be the right solution to evolve with the bike and the Dunlops. It took us a while to understand this bike, especially the electronics. »
“All these new faces and the Japanese will try to help us get out of this zone where we were to explore new things and take steps to seek victories. »
" This is not obvious. I have no certainty. We saw during these Bol d'Or tests that it went very quickly. But there will be 24-hour races, where we know that there are a lot of breakages (falls, driver errors, machines subjected to severe tests). »
“We have a card to play. Winning is a different story, but so many things happen that it's rarely the same person who wins, so you can always dream. We have to believe in our chances. »
What do you think of the arrival of the BMW factory and the departure of the #111 Honda?
“The BMW is very fast. The withdrawal of the 111 is regrettable because it means two fewer places for the drivers. »
Photos © Davis Reygondeau for FIM EWC
