MotoGP: Hervé Poncharal and the first virtual race this afternoon

To not stay on its rather gloomy light on the current situation in MotoGP, we continued our interview with Hervé Poncharal by addressing the theme of the first virtual race which will be broadcast this afternoon, and which, we already know, will not remain a unique experience…

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Hervé Poncharal, will you watch the virtual race which will be broadcast?

Hervé Poncharal : “yes, I will watch it, even if I must admit that I will be 63 years old on April 10 and that I am not a huge fan of eSports. Of course, the dexterity of e-athletes amazes me and, in a way, they are athletes because there is commitment, training and preparation. I followed the championship last year, and we found the same reactions of joy or disappointment as our MotoGP riders when they win or when they lose. So yes, I will watch it, especially since my two drivers are part of it and I know that Fabio Quartararo, with whom we are relatively close, trains a lot for it and is crazy about it. So we will see if for this first race of 2020, he will manage to win his first Grand Prix in MotoGP, even virtually. All that makes it going to be super interesting and most MotoGP riders are fans of eSports and practice a lot. For them, it's more than a hobby, it's a passion, and when we see the involvement people like Fabio have in playing this, there will be a real challenge and no one will want to lose. »

Will Guy Coulon supervise the technical adjustments of Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona?

“(Laughs) so if I consider myself a dinosaur, Guy is a super dinosaur! Honestly, I don't even know if he's going to watch the race because he's not into eSports and, at the moment, to be honest, he's confined to his garage repairing old motorcycles that are of a a time when eSports wasn't even a project! »

Have you had discussions with your pilots on this subject?

“No, they just told me they were going to do it but they know that, both with Guy and with me, they don't have much to learn from us because, in our eyes, they are Martians. Obviously, we want them to perform well but I don't know their level in eSports. Miguel is a little, quote, wiser than some and I see him playing this less than some younger drivers. As for Iker, I don't really know. But I think it's a good idea and I hope all you MotoGP fans watch this and enjoy. Of course, we know very well that it is a stopgap and that it will never replace a real race, but as I have already said, nature abhors a vacuum and it is a good way to have fun to all MotoGP fans who are today, like everyone else, confined to their homes. In these conditions, it's obviously a nice thing and, if it is well received, it is likely that there will be sequels to all this. Given that the next race will be in a more or less distant future that we have absolutely no control over, we will have to find ideas and there are not 36 of them. And not only in MotoGP because all sports are at the same time. same brand. We are all sad, we are all missing, like lions in a cage, and I think that all the fans who follow MotoGP are also all like lions in a cage. We receive a lot of messages telling us “courage!” Hold fast ! We miss you ! We want to see races! ", so in relation to all these people, who are after all our heart, we do our best to keep them attentive and give them what we can give them. But unfortunately, we can't give them much, and being all confined, what can we give them other than e-pleasure? »

Of the forty or so people who make up the Tech3 team, is everyone in good physical condition?

" Yes yes ! Thanks for asking, but everyone is fine. Everyone respects confinement and stays in their homes. It is important ! Of course we want to go out because it's the time when the sunny days arrive and we can ride a motorbike on magnificent little roads with nature waking up, but those who don't respect the instructions of confinement are imbeciles. Everyone is frustrated but what we want is for it to happen as quickly as possible, and if everyone plays the game, if everyone is up to the challenge that presents itself to us, we can all get together and share our passions as soon as possible. In the meantime, we take care of ourselves and those we love by staying confined. »