After making a few videos to entertain himself, have fun and pass the time, “Guinters” became one of the pillars of YouTube in the field of motor sports by creating his own channel which broadcasts, in French and English, these exciting little videos that we regularly have pleasure to introduce you.
The 2014 Superbike World Champion was invited by the famous show Top Gear, which is all the more an honor as motorbikes are very rarely discussed there. Sylvain thus presented the genesis of his original project.
“It was last winter, we were bored at home. It's always too cold to go riding, so for a few months we sit around watching curling, thinking about motorcycles and all that. I thought it would be interesting to start making videos” explained Sylvain to Top Gear.
Then our original Drômois, born June 29, 1982 in Montélimar, launched into the video comparison between road motorcycles and MotoGP machines. “The initial idea was to draw parallels between the world of MotoGP and the real world. So I had the idea of taking a road bike to a track, because actually, I just wanted to experience that too. And Donington Park is only half an hour from my house! »
“Take a car in a similar comparison and to start with something competitive, it's going to cost at least $100. Even then, if you compare with Formula 000, it's a world apart. Any lightweight racing car has aerodynamics that you can't compare to that of a road car, it's just pointless. I did a few laps with fast cars and the tires didn't hold up, and then there's the weight, it doesn't feel good. While the motorcycles are really close. »
“There is almost no difference in aerodynamics, except for the wings of a GP bike. And some of the street bikes have over 200 hp. In GP you get just under 300hp, but on two wheels the power is limited. And 200 horsepower on any type of motorcycle is actually a lot. »
“The main thing with a motorcycle is the weight/power ratio. Then, it's the tires that make the difference. But that's all. The rest is just details, a few seconds here and there, but not a huge difference like you'd get with cars. »
“I'm still doing a few races, but I'm really enjoying the tests. You work on all fronts: developing the engine, the chassis, the brakes, the aerodynamics. There are all kinds of aspects. »
“Most of the tests are performance tests, which is really good, because it means you can go full speed and as fast as you can. When you do a full championship, you go from one race to the next and you are always absolutely 100% focused on your performance, whereas the approach with the test team is different. A little more relaxed. »
“When you race, the only thing that's fun is when you win. But here you learn to appreciate the different aspects of racing and riding the motorcycle. When you race, the only pleasure you get is winning, really...”
Sylvain has competed in numerous circuit racing disciplines, with endurance racing, British Superbikes, MotoGP and World Superbikes on his CV, with the Frenchman being World Champion in the latter in 2014. So there are any gaps that he would like to fill?
“I thought about road racing… for about five minutes!” I did a parade ride on the Isle of Man with the roads closed. It was supposed to be a parade lap, with other guys from World Superbikes, all on standard bikes. »
“It was supposed to be a spin and fun, but it turned into real fun. I was beside myself, because I didn't know the track at all. The feeling you get when taking a tour of the Isle of Man is incomparable, the adrenaline rush is incredible. So when we got home, I said to myself “actually that's good, maybe I should start looking”. But my wife said no straight away…”
And what about the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans? “I would like to experience it at some point. Everyone who's done it says it's something special. It's more of an endurance race than the eight-hour events I've done, because you can't maintain a sprint pace for 24 hours without proper sleep. So maybe one day, why not? »
“The French love it. I don't know the exact proportion but there are a lot of French people who do the 24 Hours, it's a French thing. So it must be somewhere in my DNA! »
Photos © Suzuki
