Last weekend, the second round of the American MotoAmerica championship was held in Road Atlanta, Georgia .
Two of our pilots, Sylvain Barrier (who unfortunately was seriously injured during this round) and Valentine Debise faced their competitors from across the Atlantic, the first in Superbike, the second in SuperSport.
We follow the second in particular after having worked with him for years in Grands Prix and even having managed one of his seasons in the French FSBK championship.
You can also find here all his reports from his American adventure within the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki team which we are happy to report in preview.
See his entire 2016 season
See the first round 2017
After starting his 2017 season by participating in the Daytona 200 (see here), Valentin Debise was therefore in Texas to do battle, on the handlebars of his Suzuki, with his two eternal enemy brothers on the handlebars of their Yamahas: we take the same ones, and we start again!
And we also start again with the very detailed stories of Valentin... especially when it ends with a victory and command of the championship!
Valentine Debise: “It's nice to come home to France after winning with the feeling of a job well done, and to see the joy of the people around me and of you, who follow me. I knew it was going to be hard, but that I had my chances of performing on this circuit. Last year, I adapted quickly, and I got closer to the fastest without being able to keep up with the pace during the two races. After the Austin race, I was lucky enough to be able to ride for an hour on Monday morning. I confirmed the settings that I had in mind for some time, and did a race simulation with the soft rear tire which held the race distance well in the cold conditions (for those who remember my bad choice tire shop in Austin).
From the first laps of the wheels on Friday, I knew it was going to be a good weekend. The bike behaved well with medium or soft tires. I didn't even touch a click on the bike. I always felt like I could do better by just changing my driving on a few turns. I like that feeling when the result comes from what I do on the bike, not from the settings. I pushed as much as I could, trying to be as consistent as possible. I took the time to try different “overtaking” trajectories to prepare for my races. During qualifying, I only changed the final gear ratio to be a little better in the straight, and above all not to exceed the peak power of my bike in the long return straight (longer than in Austin for example ). I manage to ride within 1 tenth of the track record and take pole position; my first in America!
My mechanics were quite nervous on the starting grid. It was fine for me, I like being alone at the front, not seeing the other drivers. I feel freer to run. The race is on, I keep the lead and from the first turn, I try to escape. I manage to open a small gap, but at the end of the straight the two Yamaha boys are at my butt. I continue to push, the next lap I shift into the straight to take away their slipstream but nothing happens, they show their wheels again. After 6 laps, the tires are a little harder to manage, even if we manage to keep the same speed. I feel like this is the moment where I will manage to escape when the red flag comes out because a competitor fell (his bike remained on the track). When stopping, we decide to add pressure to the rear tire. The race is restarted for 8 laps. I'm getting off to the best start. I tell myself that with the worn tires, I will make a difference. Only one pilot manages to hang on behind me. I lead every lap, but I can't get a fast pace. Adding pressure to my tire doesn't help, and ultimately, it's my first mistake. The second is having wanted to lead at all costs to widen a gap that I never managed to create. He overtakes me on the last lap, when I didn't really expect it. So I stay behind to follow him and overtake him when braking after the straight. I made a mistake in the first chicane of the circuit, I lost 4 tenths. I manage to catch them before the straight line. I come out feeling good, clinging to him. But nothing helps: I lose 2 bike lengths in the straight, and I'm too far away to try anything. I still manage to put it back together. I position myself well to quickly come out of the chicane to get next to him when accelerating and overtake him in the last downhill turn. He must have known me for a long time... What he does is he goes through the first corner of the chicane quickly, and the second one he doesn't accelerate, which stalls me. I'm surprised and I have no choice but to cut the gas too, which stops me in my tracks. I'm too far away again and he crosses the line first with a tenth lead. He got me!
In the warm-up of the second race, I set the best time again with tires that have more than the race distance, against my competitors on new tires (I don't know why...) We moved the position of the rear wheel back to give me a little more stability to help me be more consistent during this race.
This time I start in the lead like in the first round, but I only focus on my turns, and not where they are behind me. Several times, they overtake me, but I go back in front of the next corner or a few corners after, to continue to set a faster pace. We arrive at the latecomers halfway through the race. I'm fighting hard to be in front at this point. We always have an advantage in being the first to arrive at them, it's easier to overtake and, perhaps, win the race by taking advantage of that. This year, they finally seem decided to respect the blue flags (obligation for the slower driver to withdraw from the trajectory to let the faster driver(s) who arrive pass) which is a good thing. I especially don't want to get overtaken on the penultimate lap, like Saturday. So I take defensive trajectories, but nothing helps: he overtakes me again on the return straight.
Plan B… He brakes late and closes his line in the first corner. Okay, I do the opposite. I brake early, go wide and position myself to get out quickly. It works pretty well, my bike slips a little, I raise it a little more to keep the speed. I widen and reach his level just as he changes direction to go around the next bend. I “force” the passage a little, but it’s still correct. In the enfilade, I pass slowly to block it, then I continue the sequence quickly to open a small gap before the return straight so as not to get caught again. I have a few tenths ahead, and I stick to the left. He overtakes me anyway and swerves when braking to block me. I change trajectory, he shifts again, so I do the same. My front wheel starts to bounce, and I have trouble slowing down. I manage to pass him but I widen a little. I try as best I can to quickly change my angle to block him. I came out well, all the same. I touch the curb, my wheel slips and it destabilizes the bike. I stand in the middle of the track to brake and block him, then I position myself (in a way, I copy his technique). He didn't try anything, he was a little too far away. I cross the line 1st, my heart on the verge of a heart attack. LOL
And at the same time, I take the lead in the championship!
No pressure, the important thing is to continue working in a positive way, and to keep your head on track.
Next race in two weeks in Virginia…
Peace! »
