He’s having a blast, the “Guinters”! His lucky star currently shines in the “luck” box, and he has at his disposal one of the best motorcycles in the world in the most prestigious category, with a large team at his disposal. If he had signed for anyone other than Suzuki in British Superbike, this would never have happened. After his national Grand Prix at Le Mans, here is the continuation of Sylvain's adventures, this week on one of the most beautiful circuits in the world.
At Le Mans, for your first Grand Prix on the Suzuki, you finished over 28 laps 18 seconds behind your teammate Andrea Iannone, 13 seconds behind the two official KTMs and 11 seconds behind the only factory Aprilia classified. Your best lap in the race was 0.6 behind Iannone, 1 second behind Jorge Lorenzo. It was impressive for someone who hasn't had a MotoGP season since 2008. Were you satisfied with your performance?
“I am happy with the Le Mans weekend, especially with the conditions. Friday morning, it was half wet, and on rain tires. In the afternoon it was completely soaked. On Saturday morning, we again had a half-wet track. So we didn't have clear practice sessions to be able to build the rhythm.
“For qualifying, I found the rhythm straight away on the slicks, but overall the conditions weren't perfect to build for the weekend.
“In the race, I started cautiously, because I wanted to finish first. At the end of the race I gradually improved my times, achieving my best time on the penultimate lap. We built the Grand Prix well, so in terms of performance I was happy.
“In the blink of an eye, scoring a point after so many years away from GPs was positive too. This return to Le Mans really made me happy. It's true that I would have liked to fight better with other drivers, but it wasn't easy at all. I was generally satisfied with the weekend, and also with the feeling with the tires which are very different from what I have experienced in recent years in Superbike. So overall a very positive weekend.
You finished fifth in the Italian GP in 2003 in 250, on an Aprilia from the Campetella team. You competed twice in the Italian GP in MotoGP, in 2007 with a Yamaha Tech 3 and in 2008 with a Ducati from the Alice Team entered by Luis d'Antin. Do you think these experiences will be useful to you for this weekend?
“Yes, because it was a long time ago, but the circuit has not changed. It remains a basis, for which I retain memories and reflexes. I remember 2007 very well. That year, there was a big battle throughout the race with my Tech 3 teammate Makoto Tamada and with Olivier Jacque on the Kawasaki. We had been fighting throughout the race.
“The 250s and MotoGP can only be useful because Mugello is a very technical circuit, very complicated, with lots of climbs, descents and very fast curves. It is a very different track from that of Le Mans. The experience will therefore be useful to me, even if I will have to refresh my memory a little because if the circuit has not changed, the MotoGP and the tires are different. But the fact that I already have the base, that I have already raced on this circuit will be something positive.
Sylvain at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix with Luis d'Antin (whose name, of French origin, is pronounced " dantin " and no " dantine ") and Toni Elias. Guintoli finished eleventh and Elias twelfth.
Do you like the layout of the Mugello circuit?
“Mugello is a superb circuit, which I have always liked. Its route is magnificent, hilly, with many very technical turns and elevation changes. It's a circuit which has a very good rhythm, where the bike must maintain a lot of speed. Coming back to Mugello is going to be a highlight, with a speed on the straight of around 350 km/h.
Exactly 354,9 km/h, for Iannone on the Ducati last year.
" (laugh) It's starting to happen quickly!
How is the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello different from the others?
“The route itself has a lot of character. There is also a great atmosphere in Italy, with lots of people and many Italian drivers. The atmosphere is impressive, but the most important thing is the layout. It’s a real drivers’ circuit. »
Photos © Suzuki and motogp.com
