Currently sat 55 points behind leader Antonio Cairoli in the 2012 MX1 World Championship, we caught up the Belgian rider Clement Desalle before the 13th round at Matterley Basin, UK, to talk about his season so far, the future and the origins of his nickname…
Over the last three years, you have finished in the top 3 in the MX1 GP Championships. Right now, you are just a thirty points behind Cairoli. Do you reckon that 2012 will be your year?
I’ll do my best and I’m looking really positive in the front to try to get the best results possible.
How did it feel to pick up your first double victory earlier in the year at Uddevalla?
It was a good feeling, not only of the results but also because my riding was really good!
After controlling much of 2011 season, your shoulder injury in Belgium meant the championship was snatched from you. How did that feel?
It’s a real bad feeling because I wanted to finish the season on the best level possible without injury.
How do you like to spend your time when you aren’t riding motocross?
I like to train for MX with different kind of sports, like running, cycling, swimming, and racketball. I like to have fun in my 4X4 with friends, pass time with my dogs (animals are the best!). Plus, I like to ride Enduro with friends and my dad during the winter.
Do you think that you would consider racing Motocross over in the States?
Yes, I wouldn’t put this option out of my head. But for me, MX is not only the sport, you know? I want to feel good in the life out of motocross too.
You’ve been nicknamed the ‘MX Panda’. How come? Do you love bamboo?
My nickname came because I love to eat! It was in 2002 and I was with friends in the Futuroscope (a park in France) and they told me about a documentary about the panda and it said that pandas eat 14 hours in a day. It started from there!
Alongside the new addition this year, the 2013 calendar also features a new track in Thailand. What are your views on the new tracks and the championship reaching new parts of the world?
Honestly, I think it’s more about business than the riders. When you see the condition of some tracks we ride, I’ve had more fun on some practice tracks! I mean, it should be okay to ride in parts of the world like this, but the track should be really good. They should be more prepared for it!
Do you think that teams having to go further afield for racing will have any negative affect on championships? There is plenty of speculation as to why there were fewer competitors in Russia, for example…
I can’t really answer of this question because I don’t know how the teams work. We pay for so many things, it’s normal that some say no. Russia for example, it was really not cool to see only 21 riders on the entry list and 14 riders at the gate. What’s this mean for a World Championship?
What does it mean to you to be part of Fox Racing’s team of athletes?
It’s really good! The people I’ve met are really nice and I really like the design of Fox gear and sportswear!
