Some may have thought he was going to slow down. Even that he was beginning to prepare his exit. Nay! Although having appointed a team manager this winter to support him in the person of Nicolas Goyon, chief mechanic until then, Hervé Poncharal, at 65, still leads the destiny of Tech3 tirelessly, or almost. “I don’t lift my foot”insists the emblematic boss of the Var team, also president of the IRTA (International Racing Team Association). “The proof, I’m talking to you by phone from Portugal where I arrived on March 8. After the MotoGP tests, the Moto3 tests and the Grand Prix chained here, in Portimao, we will head straight for the next two races, Argentina and the United States, i.e. six non-stop weeks away from Bormes-les-Mimosas.” Not really a start to the season in pre-retirement mode… Just before the start of the queen category, this weekend on the Lusitanian toboggan, the hyperactive boss takes the time to talk about the alliance with the Spanish firm GasGas, member of the KTM family whose red dress dresses the RC16 entrusted to the ghost Pol Espargaro and the rookie Augusto Fernandez. Hoping that the moult gives birth to a better tomorrow, just to forget the painful exercise 2022 as soon as possible…
Hervé, Tech3 changes color and pilots but no machine. Can we talk about a new beginning?
No, because we are in continuity. Let’s say Tech3 negotiates a turn. We are no longer KTM’s B team. From now on, there are two clearly identified official structures: KTM Factory and us, GasGas Factory. Each has its own marketing department, its own communication department. While remaining in the Pierer Mobility group, one enjoys greater autonomy. And we convey the image of a booming brand that enjoys a strong love rating. It is rewarding.
Pol Espargaro, 18th, and Augusto Fernandez, 21st, did not sparkle during the final dress rehearsal in Portimao. What’s wrong?
The main problem is the grip on the maximum angle. Our riders, like those of KTM (Brad Binder 9e, Jack Miller 17e, ndlr) waste time when it’s going strong. They feel the bike badly, turn wider than expected, sometimes. And then the rear wheel slips when accelerating because of the lack of grip.
Are you worried?
After the very positive tests in Valencia (fin 2022) and in Sepang (in February), I’m not hiding from you that we’re a bit on the receiving end. Engineers rack their brains to find a way out. There is no danger in delay but we would have liked to see the new RC16 closer to its best rivals. The atypical, unique profile of this Portuguese track, super hilly, with more or less unfavorable slopes, trapper braking, hardly suits our package. We bet that things will go better afterwards in Argentina and the United States, on quite different tracks.
Precisely, what is the objective: to do better or much better than in 2022?
Much better! Without wanting to sound pretentious. Pol announced the color as soon as his return among us was made official: “I wanna be the captain!” (“I want to be the captain”). Understand that he wants to finish ahead of the two neighbors of the KTM team. It promises a big fight between Binder, Miller and him. Without a low blow because these three get along well. They share their feelings. Healthy emulation. Nice attitude. Everyone wants to pull the machines of the Pierer Mobility group to the top. And on the Tech3 side, we want to put our touch of red on the board. Red GasGas! Brighter than the Ducati red…
The 2023 calendar includes 21 deadlines. With the introduction of the sprint race on Saturday, that’s 42 starts! Have we reached the ceiling?
Yes, that’s the big max! I spoke about it several times with all the people concerned, promoter, manufacturers, teams… The peak was set at 22 races per season before the integration of the “sprint race”. Today, it is impossible to do more. The 2022 season has already been very trying for organizations. After six weeks non-stop overseas, from Japan to Malaysia via Thailand and Australia, the paddock was sticking its tongue out. We ended up exhausted. Be aware: with these new driving aids grafted onto the machines, intervention times are constantly increasing. In a short time, we have just gone from simple to double. The mechanics work hard, more and more. Man has his limits. Going beyond them is heading for disaster. Human error in the garage can cause drama on the track.
For or against the sprint race?
For! I think spectators, viewers, sponsors and GP organizers are excited about this change. On Saturday, it’s better to watch a real scavenger battle than an FP4 (fourth free practice session) boring to death, right? A word of advice: turn on the TV on Saturday at 4 p.m. Don’t miss the start and turn 1. It’s going to be hot! Over 9 or 10 laps, neither the tires nor the petrol are managed. Zero strategy. Thoroughly from start to finish. If the format in force until then worked well, there was a demand for evolution, modernization. I am in favor of everything that allows MotoGP to progress, to move forward. Because whoever does not move forward, as they say…
Why not test this concept on a few rounds, like F1, before generalizing it?
La Dorna also manages the WorldSBK (Superbike World Championship) where sprint racing exists and has been running smoothly since 2019. So they don’t dive into the unknown. They know what they are doing. And then they absolutely want to treat every round the same. In their eyes, no Grand Prix is more important than another. No jealousy among the organizers: the sprint race is for everyone or for no one. I agree with them.
Yamaha has lost its satellite team, keeping only the two official machines on the starting grid in 2023. Surprised?
Not at all, no! At the end of 2018, Tech3 left Yamaha because our visions of the partnership between a factory and its satellite team diverged. Considering the long road traveled together (since 1999), I hoped to obtain something other than a one-year contract in order to ensure a certain sustainability for the company. When the opportunity to join KTM presented itself, I did not hesitate. Same thing for Razlan Razali (the first boss of Fabio Quartararo in MotoGP, partner of the Iwata firm since 2019). During 2022, Yamaha offers him a one-year extension as he wants to strengthen the establishment of his structure. Result: the RNF team chooses to ally with Aprilia. Normal. On the Italian side, the deal covers three years and its pilots (Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez) are recruited by the factory. There is no photo. It is the law of the market. Supply and demand…
To conclude, how do you see the race for the title? Who can dethrone Francesco Bagnaia?
During the final dress rehearsal, two days long, “Pecco” was so impressively easy. He performed fabulous racing simulations. A demonstration that strikes the spirits, necessarily. Bagnaia has the most successful technical package, the most efficient. He knows how to get the quintessence of his Ducati. In short, the big favorite is him. One certainty: with 42 races to negotiate, the regularity factor will weigh even heavier. Aprilia riders (Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales) appear to be serious outsiders. But in my eyes, only the other two leaders in the paddock pose a serious threat. Fabio (Quarterly) raised the bar in extremis on a track in Portimao that he loves (3e). He has fangs that scratch the asphalt like never before. As for Mark (Marquez)he’s a 6th-power MotoGP champion, he knows the way… So we can’t rule him out, even if the Honda suffers from the comparison.
