Yes, unlike the first two days of testing at Sepang, we have not published Hervé Poncharal's debriefing, it is not for lack of time, but quite simply because the man, although very satisfied, did not want to add much, at the risk of boring our readers.
And then, it must be admitted, the boss of the Tech3 team has too much experience not to forget that in competition, you have to know how to appreciate your pleasure when it is there, because no one knows what will happen the next day .
This sentence sums up the man's state of mind well before taking the plane back to France: "Happy people have no history, everything is going really well, our two pilots are impressive and that is really nice, because that's not always the case. »
On the other hand, we postpone his answer to a question of more general interest…
Johan spoke of fatigue in his press release. He said he had put a lot of strain on his body and so took a break on the last day, before doing his final runs. Casey Stoner had to do the same on the second day of official testing so he did not participate in the first day of private testing. Even Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo admitted that they still need to improve their physical condition. Why is this back to school so trying for organizations?
Hervé Poncharal: “I had the chance to have lunch with Johan. I asked him how much he felt that MotoGP was more complicated to manage than Moto2. He never speaks to say nothing and answered me “Yes, you feel the extra power. Obviously, you get to braking faster so your upper body and arms force more, and clearly the bike is heavier and more powerful. Yes, it's more physical than Moto2. »
You have to know that there is never a training as good as that of riding MotoGP, whether you do the gym, motocross or otherwise, nothing replaces riding a MotoGP. All these drivers had not driven since the end of November. So we had to loosen up a bit and we could see everyone having straps put on the inside of their hands to prevent blisters, whereas afterwards, during the year, it's over and you can no longer see That. There's also the fact that when you come from Europe where it's pretty cold at the moment, you arrive here and it's hot and humid, and the days are intense: the pilots don't stop much between 10 a.m. and 18 p.m. in the evening. So there is a bit of both, MotoGP and coming out of a period of inactivity which is still relatively long, all with high temperatures and on a circuit which is still very physical with these very places. fast, these changes of angle at high speed and this strong braking at the end of straight lines.
You still have to move the bike! You go from over 300 km/h to 60 km/h in a few seconds. It's clear that when you go to the side of the track, and I love going there on the winter circuits because I have a little more time than usual, you see how the guys line up the laps and how they work . And there is not a single round where they are spared! There, you understand their state better when they return to the box.
After his simulated race, Jonas came back and sat on the bike for about fifteen seconds while everyone congratulated him. And when he came down and took off his helmet, then you understand. He had given it his all, with dark circles under his eyes, sweat soaking into his leather. It's really very, very physical. »
