The former GP125 World Champion in 2008 and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 8 Hours of Oschersleben, 8 Hours of Slovakia & Bol d'Or 2017 will be entered this season in the World Endurance Championship and World Supersport with the GMT94.
This interview with Mike Di Meglio #63 was produced with questions asked by group members News & Reviews from MotoGP Consultants! on Facebook and reproduced with their consent.
– Mike, What are your goals for your first season in Mondial-Supersport?
“The objective will be to be competitive and be able to fight for podiums during my first season in the category. I have a team around me who are very motivated by this challenge and who are already working hard to give me the means to achieve it.
I will take my first spin with the bike I will use this season during tests planned for the end of January in Portimao. We will know better where we stand against the drivers who know the category.”
– Given that you will be riding a Yamaha and that you will not be present at all the races of the season, if the opportunity presented itself, would you agree to “help” another Yamaha rider if he needed it for the championship?
“We play sport and compete above all else. I want to concentrate on my riding, fine-tuning my bike and being as competitive as possible.”
– How will you manage the transitions between 600 and 1000?
“I think the easiest transition will be from R6 to R1. The opposite will perhaps be less simple because driving the 600 requires a greater speed when going through curves. In any case, having such a comprehensive program cannot be a handicap”
– Will you have support from Yamaha Japan or Yamaha Europe on your R6 Supersport?
“Our bike will not be an official machine but Christophe (Guyot) has very good relations with Yamaha and I have no concerns about the quality of the equipment that will be made available to me this year.
Supersport motorcycles are rather simple thanks to technical regulations which limit preparation, which makes it possible to reduce the gap between the machines which ultimately receive few developments during the season.
– Would you like to return to the Moto2 category if the results are there? Or move to Mondial-Superbike?
“I had fun in the GP. I won a world title there. I had a blast in Endurance, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Bol d'Or as well as Germany and Slovakia. The Supersport project is awesome. Now that we're here, I don't want to think about anything else and focus on being competitive there as soon as possible. »
– Does it make you happy to be back in a speed world championship?
" Of course ! Joining the Mondial-Supersport makes me all the more happy as I had already considered joining this category in the past but it could not be done for various reasons.
I really like riding the 600 and I was already training with a Yamaha R6 during my Moto2 seasons.
– If after the first 3 races you find yourself leading the Supersport world championship, are you going to do the 24 hours of Le Mans or the 4th Supersport Round which are competing dates?
“Our priority is Endurance and it is therefore certain that I will not be present at the Round of the Netherlands which takes place the same weekend as the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The 8 Hours of Slovakia & Oschlerseben compete for dates with the Mondial Supersport but the EWC calendar can still change.
I was not the 2017 world endurance champion with my teammates and my main goal this season is therefore to win the world title with them! ".
– Why did you choose an entry in Supersport rather than Superbike or Superstock knowing that you perform on the endurance Yamaha R1?
“Christophe's plan was to enter the Supersport category, the technical regulations of which make it easier to be competitive than in Superbike”
– Are you going to wear your favorite number 63 or the number 94 of the GMT94 for your Supersport season?
“I will wear the number 94, it is a strong identity in our sport and I am proud to be able to wear it! ".
