During the registration of teams for the 2018 World Championship, the Swiss team racing under the Garage Plus Interwetten colors this year was refused registration by Jesko Raffin for lack of driving skills by the committee Selection.
After winning the CEV Moto2 in 2014, Raffin competed in 18 GPs in 2015 scoring 0 points, then he finished twenty-fifth in 2016 with 14, and this year he is in nineteenth position with 26 before the last GP. Its results are not extraordinary, but clearly better, underline the Swiss, than those of Xavier Simeon (16 points) or Isaac Vinales (14). Next year, the Swiss team will count on Sam Lowes et Iker Lecuona.
Since the decision for 2018 was made, Jesko has finished in fourth place in Australia. “This result shows that I am fast, that I am in the game. At the start of the season I was also fast, in qualifying in Argentina I was fifth for example, and in Misano I finished ninth.”
In Australia, as Jesko pointed out to
Speedweek. com, “We were consistently fast, wet or dry, it didn't matter. And that, of course, gives me the confidence to prove to everyone that it's not just one race a year that goes really well, but that I'm generally fast. »
“For me, this decision is the end of my career. Everything my parents invested was ultimately for nothing. I started running when I was six, so 15 years ago. Of course, at some point my parents had to stop because it was expensive. My manager Marco Rodrigo has supported me financially since the start of my international career. It costs roughly the same amount for all drivers to come to the World Championship. I guess the figure is between 500 and 000 million euros. Maybe even more, I don't know. »
“I never think about money. You really have to concentrate on driving. After all, it's the World Championship, you don't have time to think about anything else. »
Photo © Garage Plus Interwetten
Source: Günther Wiesinger for speedweek. com
