With two good riders like Jules Cluzel and Corentin Perolari, Yamahas that can be described as the best bikes in the category, and a team of legendary technicians, the GMT94 looked great at the start of the season against the most brilliant Supersport teams.
After six tests, Jules cluzel (who is racing for the first season in this team) occupies third place in the provisional general classification of the World Championship and Corentin Perolari the nineth.
Christophe, Jules finished second in the inaugural event in Australia, then he won in Thailand, before experiencing a slight decline in results. For what ?
“There was in fact a drop in speed in Aragón because the settings used in Thailand were not suitable. We looked for solutions, but we only understood after the race what was not working. Assen then was a good race. Jules took the lead and it was a racing event that kept him from the podium, or even from victory. Raffaele de Rosa took him with him and Jules found himself far away. He achieved the best time in the race shortly before the finish, and it was only Lucas Mahias – also in full recovery – who took it back from him. Jules finished less than a second behind the winner, with the only regret that there was not one more lap.”
“At Imola, Jules was very strong. He dominated all the practice sessions, with the exception of qualifying, which he still finished on the front row. He was leading the race when he had a first neutral problem, then a second which caused Lucas Mahias to hit him.
“In Jerez in FP2 a fall cost us time and confidence, but we were able to find the adjustments during the warm-up to allow Jules to fight for the podium.”
Corentin Perolari's best results were two sixth places in Aragon and Assen. He thus equaled his best result of 2018 obtained in Argentina. He, like you, hoped for better. What was missing for him to enter the top 5?
“The level this year has tightened up a lot at the top. The two “Bardahl” dominate for the moment. They are very fast. Between the best race time in Jerez in 2017 and this year, there is more than a second! Both in qualifying and in the race. And they are the same bikes, so it really all comes down to settings, electronics, engine preparation, etc. Corentin necessarily suffers from the fact that there are more very good competitors at the front than there were last year.”
“Especially Corentin is really unlucky. In Australia, he started last row due to a rear tire pressure problem. In Thailand he crashes into a motorbike and goes motocross, ending up far away. In Aragon we were off base for Jules, and therefore also for Corentin. In Assen, he came across the oil left by Mahias during qualifying. He goes far away, very crumpled. Then he was injured during the next race at Imola. In Jerez, he was hit by Mahias. Race Direction asked us if we wanted to continue, but we said no. First of all, in principle. Especially since he apologized for it. It was also the least we could do since we were the cause of his fall in Assen.”
“Here is basically our assessment for Corentin of whom we are very happy with the ninth place, but he was a little disappointed that he was not able to pass the eighth (Viñales) who finished 0.3 in front of him. But with his collarbone and his two falls, he was a little less hot than usual.”
Jules had a superb race at Jerez, securing third place, one second behind the winner, despite a crash in Superpole? How has Cluzel progressed so well compared to the previous three races?
“It wasn’t easy. We realized that the others had made further progress. We thought we would arrive with the very good level we had at Imola; But once we reached Jerez it was a bit of a cold shower. We were far away in FP1 and FP2, with the addition of a fall (Editor's note: from Corentin Perolari) which wasted our time.
“We asked ourselves the question of having a more constant bike over the duration of the race. We researched a lot, then by modifying the electronics, the clutch and the gearing quite radically, Alex our engineer, and the team did a great job. We still have important details to improve in terms of electronics and the clutch. But we put our finger on the problem in Jerez. We just missed one more session. We would have gone into the race with one more tooth on the transmission ring gear and would have been penalized a little less when accelerating.”
“In Aragón we weren't in the match when we arrived, and not much more in the race. In Jerez, we found solutions, we got very close, Jules still took the lead of the race for a moment. He had a great race. He's there ".
What is missing to beat Randy Krummenacher and Federico Caricasulo, who are great clients?
“Yes, they are great customers. But Jules too. And everyone agrees that the Yamaha Bardahls have something extra. They found something that allows them to have quite astonishing consistency over the duration of the race. And we don't understand how in qualifying they suddenly manage to put out a time that we don't expect.”
“If you take the times of FP1, FP2 and FP3 at Imola, it's disturbing: Jules is half a second faster on every lap, all the time. But we didn't have the best time in any of these three sessions because on the very last lap, there was always one of the two Bardahl drivers, who came to stay behind us by half a second or almost! It gets back to normal in the race, but they are always a little faster at the end. Their two advantages are qualifying and aggressive finishes. In Jerez, they pushed hard for the last 6 or 7 laps and no one followed. Except Jules who finished 3 tenths behind Krummenacher. It proves that we have also progressed at this level, even if it is not yet enough.”
Do you have the same Yamahas?
“The basis is the same. The electronics are the same, as are the suspensions. In the engine, everyone is free to work on the cylinder head and camshafts. This still remains restrictive and the differences cannot be enormous at this level.”
“I think the observers were impressed by the Phillip Island race where we had a less efficient engine version. We got knocked out on the straight, which affected everyone a bit. However, we reacted immediately because we had the right engine “in our pocket”. We didn't dare to ride the most efficient version because we hadn't driven with it and we didn't imagine such a difference. Jules finished second in Australia, but 6 seconds behind Krummenacher. En Thailand, nWe built this engine that we had in our luggage and Jules won.”
“We have convictions, but not certainties. This is why Grégory, my engine specialist, and Bruno, the Yamaha engine specialist, continue to work on the engine level, even if I am not sure that this is where the difference will be made. But 3 or 4 additional horses at mid-range would not displease Jules and Corentin and we are doing everything to find them. In terms of chassis and tires, the experience of Sébastien and Benoit allows me to be confident, even if they also work non-stop at this level. Working on electronics seems essential to me. We all have the same (box, harness) but you make a motorcycle more or less efficient depending on the values you put in your box. We have an engineer who is young, because we are investing in the future and he gives off an energy that will soon help us make a difference. We will surely find the trick, or tricks, more soon.”
Changing gears to the right on a prototype racing motorcycle (like MotoGP) poses no problem, but is the same true for a category reserved for production motorcycles?
“Yes, that’s a problem. And this is the problem that we encountered at Imola because this circuit with chicanes highlighted the fragility of our settings. When we installed the system, it worked very well and Jules made few mistakes. So, as the tests on the circuit progressed, we modified the position of the footrests and the selector so that they adapted to Jules' style and as all the drivers and all the teams do. Coming back from Imola, we spent some time on the bench changing gears. We realized that there is only one driving position and one size and one position of the selector to properly lock the gearbox. We asked Jules to adapt to it. After a day at Carole, it was done. Jules got used to it well, without complaining, and he had zero dead spots in Jerez. His only handicap is that he cannot have the position he prefers ».
Photos © GMT94 Yamaha
