Valentin Guillod interview

Standing Construct Yamaha rider Valentin Guillod is a very special young man. Watching him it seems he just loves being in the heat of a battle. Still rather young and inexperienced, but very motivated to be the best he can be. Now second in the MX2 championship the Swiss rider continues to learn and improve. We talked to him after the GP of France.

Q: Despite the crashes in the second moto in France you still looked really good. Are you happy with how you rode?

Guillod: You know it was a good weekend until the second moto in the first lap. I was feeling good the whole weekend, from Saturday morning, pole position was good, then Sunday I felt good and confident.

Q: That first moto was really exciting, can you explain how it went for you?

Guillod: First moto I didn’t have a great start, but we got to the front and had a great battle with Tixier and Herlings. It was nice to race like this and we made a great show for the crowd. Two or three laps to go Jeffrey passed me, he had a better line and it was nice to finish second for the championship.

Q: That second moto you still fought hard despite the crashes and you obviously wanted to get as many points as possible.

Guillod: Second moto I made a better start, I was sixth or seventh, but in the first step-up Tixier and Tonkov touched each other and they slowed, I was full gas and I didn’t want to jump on them so I went to the left and somebody jumped on me. In my head I didn’t want to stop, so I took the bike, everything was bent, but I thought lets go for one points, then the front brake didn’t work and it was ok, so I started angry and I crashed again, then I said come on, go for one point and then I got back to 13^th place, which was ok. After the moto I felt my foot, the right foot, it was painful, but I was riding and it was ok, I felt it, but I kept riding.

Q: You’re fortunate that you had a weekend free between France and Italy aren’t you?

Guillod: We had a long spell before Maggiora, so it should be ok. I like Maggiora, we will see how I feel.

Q: Watching you it seems you are having so much fun on the bike. How does it feel for you?

Guillod: I really enjoy riding the bike. When I am riding in battles it is awesome, and you can hear the fans it is great. I felt good after Spain, we worked hard to get the good match with the bike and my style and from that moment it has been good.

Q: A lot of Swiss flag in France and I guess it will be the same in Maggiora?

Guillod: A lot of my friends were in France, it is just 80 kilometers from my home town and a lot of friends came to that race, it was really cool for me. Italy is also close, so I hope it’s the same.