At the end of the annual press conference held last Thursday in Paris by Mr. Jacques Bolle, president of the French Motorcycling Federation, the site's special correspondent MotoGP.com was able to ask him four additional questions, the answers to which we report here.
What assessment do you make of the 2017 season for French riders in MotoGP™?
Jacques Bolle: “What must be highlighted is obviously the excellent performance of Johann Zarco who finally puts the motorcycle at the forefront of the major non-specialized media. I regularly cite the example of the first event in Qatar which Johann led over several laps. Moments after the race, late in the evening, I received a call from a well-known radio station asking for my commentary. This has never happened to me before in my career as president, despite having won two Moto2™ titles. This demonstrates that the mainstream media are first and foremost interested in speed and, in particular, MotoGP™. »
Next year, France will not have any representatives in Moto3™, how do you plan to remedy this to feed the pool of young talents?
“There are no French riders in Moto3™, that’s a fact and an observation. However, we have two in the intermediate category. For our part, we have put in place a formula whose objective is to give young drivers a start and this can happen very quickly. Today, we can very well imagine that a very talented driver that no one knows will enter the Grand Prix in the next three years, it is entirely possible. We are aware that this is more difficult in MotoGP™, because it requires enormous resources. The Federation intervenes a lot in motocross, because the costs are more modest, but we invest a lot in MotoGP™, having notably supported, alongside Claude Michy, promoter of the French Grand Prix, Loris Baz's season. »
To what extent does the FFM support French drivers?
“We support all drivers who, in our eyes, can go far. We believe in Loris and we are convinced that he will have an excellent season in WorldSBK. For Johann, the question obviously does not even arise. In Moto2™, I think Jules Danilo and Fabio Quartararo will be able to surprise us. We help all drivers who are involved in an international level championship. They are all eligible. On the other hand, when it comes to a national championship, like in France or Spain, drivers are not eligible. »
We are witnessing the creation of numerous initiatives, such as schools, all over Europe. What about France?
“For example, we support the initiative led by Laurent Fellon and Johann Zarco with the Z&F Grand Prix School, a school which aims to train the young talents of tomorrow. We are ready to support any action that seems interesting to us for the future of French motorcycle sport. We also supported that of Thierry Capela when he launched the Objectif Grand Prix sector with pre-Moto3s. Unfortunately, we can't do everything. We are therefore very favorable to the creation and development of other sectors which are set up outside the Federation. The more sectors there are, the more we will be able to count on French pilots at the highest level. If they want us to support them, we are there. »
Source: MotoGP.com
