ENG // MotoRC 6 – Champion

The final race came right after my team had dissolved. Luckily, thanks to the live TV coverage and the fact that I was a main contender in all the races, private sponsors helped me finish the season. I was leading the championship by just 8 points. I could let my main opponent pass me, but in order to be crowned champion I needed to finish just after him, to not let anybody between us. I figured he would need a strategy and I wouldn’t risk anything. I really wanted to take the title. I would conserve my energy and attack the first place in the second half of the race.

To sum it all up, I didn’t really need anything. At one point in the race, Cătălin Cazacu had an electrical problem with his bike. I was informed on the pit board of the difference and lap times. I was almost 45 seconds in front of him. I realized it would be impossible for Cătălin to recover the difference I had gained in the championship. I still had around 7 laps to the finish line when I suddenly felt all the vibrations the bike would transmit to my body. I eased the pace and just enjoyed the feeling during the final laps.

I won the title!

My season was built on 5 pole positions and 2 wins. I had a difficult time here and there. But I always tried to learn something and adapt. Overall, even the races that I lost helped me win the championship.

I was also lucky that the switch to Yamaha R1 exploited my strengths in great fashion. I had so much feeling in the corners and carried so much speed that it gave me great confidence. After only 2 races, I knew that on the flowing part of the track nobody would be able to attack me. So I just did my thing, loved the corners and the bike loved me back. I wouldn’t be able to finish this series without acknowledging that my R1 gave me a refreshed perspective about riding. I am smiling again, regardless of the result.

I want to say a big thank you to everybody (friends and sponsors) who helped me achieve this. You are all part of it!

The time spent and the work that I did with my friends from France helped me not only to win, but also to change my mindset. I really feel I adapted to all the situations – behind the scenes and on-track – in a manner that I couldn’t have imagined before. I feel that all I did in the 2015-2018 seasons was to prepare and wait for this moment. A moment meant to show me that I’m once again ready to move forward to greater things.

And we started working towards those greater things right after we finished this championship.