Benoit Paturel Interview

Still in the top 10 of the MXGP world championship a handful of times this year, Benoit Paturel finds himself in a delicate position during the off-seasons: without a ride for 2025. The association with De Baets Yamaha was in danger at the end of 2023, and Benoit had finally started the 2024 season with a lack of preparation. At the end of 2024, it was agreed that the De Baets team would stop its operations. It now appears that the team would continue in 2025; but without Benoit Paturel. We got ahold of the french rider who is waiting for one thing only: an offer to ride in 2025..

Benoit, to start with, it would be nice to give a little update on your situation in the off-season. How does it look, where are we, do we have leads?

For now, no concrete talks. Discussions yes, but nothing concrete. A strong project? neither. I hope it settles quickly, because being able to ride, I miss that. But here, for now, no more riding; I hope to be able to get back on it quickly, and make a proper winter preparation.

Last time we saw you on track was in Switzerland at Frauenfeld, you got hit by another rider on the Saturday and that forced you to withdraw from the weekend. From there, we didn’t see you at the end of the season. Why?

After Switzerland, it took me a few days to recover, but I was not injured. The team decided not to send me to Turkey, then not to China either, although it was planned. After that, I trained once or twice, and then finally they didn’t want me to go to Spain either. So the last three GP was without me, and I couldn’t finish the season properly; it’s a shame.

How does the team explain that they don’t want you to do the last GP’s of the season ?

Initially, it was to save money for the following year. In the end, it was completely wrong since the team was stopping – well it was supposed to stop. Basically, that’s the excuse.

For now, you don’t have a ride for next year. However, I understand that you remain active in the off-season, what are you doing now?

That’s right, I continue to maintain myself physically, i workout every day. I do physical sessions 2 to 3 times a day to keep fit, so it wont be too complicated when I’ll get back on a bike. It’s to try not to lose too much of the physical base, but also keep a goal in mind and tell me that a door will eventually open. It helps me stay motivated. You always have to fight, like I always did. Now the cards are not in my hands. I don’t want to stop right now, so we’re going to continue like this while remaining confident. I hope a door will open soon.

When you find yourself without a team, without a mechanic, without anything. Do you even ride anymore during the off season ? I understand you don’t even have a bike in your garage today?

That’s right. People don’t realize it, but there is a whole organization to train at this level. We don’t talk about driving your van to the track and going to ride, it would be too easy. It takes a big budget parts, but also a large stock of parts, because we ride alot during our training days. You use between 2 and 3 tires at each training, chain kits, clutches and everything that goes with it. You need a skilled mechanic by your side to be able to keep up, because we are talking about 4-5 sessions per week. We are no longer in the spirit of leisure, we are not here to have fun; it is really very fastidious. So there is also the maintenance of the motorcycle behind. It’s impossible to do a good job on your own and focus on the professional level, the MXGP level. It’s complicated to go from having everything, to having nothing. But for now, thats how it is.

It seems to me that even if you had unlimited budget, you would be running out of time as a privateer.

If I had a huge budget, I would create a structure with competent people waiting for an official team – or a good team – to have an opportunity. That, I could do if I had an unlimited budget, but today we have to think about the future and we can’t do anything either.

Jan Pancar manages to perform with his private structure. He does receive offers, but prefers to manage his own program for the time being. A privateer program like Jan, is it not in the cards for you ?

It’s a huge budget. I think Jan has a lot of private sponsors from the east, so there’s a lot of money going around. I think he’s doing very well with his father, too, even though he has had offers. In France, it is still complicated to set up your own structure to ride MXGP, especially in the current economic climate. We saw Jordi Tixier had done it a few years ago; he quickly came back to senses. To be able to make it to the GP’s as a privateer rider, it is complicated, unless you have 500,000€ in your bank account. And again, you have to be willing to put that much money into it …

There are always two versions of a story, but what is the one of Benoit Paturel, with de Baets?

Actually, I was supposed to be ridin for De Baets in 2025. That was the deal. The team was meant to continue for me. Then, they told me they were stopping, and finally I just learned that it would continue. The plan was to continue with me, and maybe another rider in EMX in 2025. So people expected me to continue with De Baets next year and in the end, I wasn’t in the team discussions.

There have been some misunderstandings over the past year. It was not very clear with the team: they stopped, then they found solutions to start again. I think if people had interest in me for next year, they did not show up because I was meant to continue with De Baets for next year.

Indeed, we hear that De Baets Yamaha would eventually continue in 2025. Surprised?

Very surprised, I was at the Supercross in Paris, and about twenty people came to me saying that it would continue, they were surprised because I was no longer in the plans. I was the first to be surprised to hear that the team was not stopping, because I was really in the initial plans. With De Baets, it was only going to continue for me and another rider originally … but apparently not. In fact, the team was meant to stop as you announced in previous weeks and now, finally, it would keep going… but without Paturel. So very surprised, very disappointed too. Even after 10 years at the GP level, we still learn every season; it’s a world that is like this. But we continue our way, each on our own.

The rides that were likely to interest you are now taken. What’s next? Will you wait for the beginning of next season and, unfortunately, wait for a rider to get injured to act as a replacement ?

Exactly, that’s part of the plan. That being said, I’m open to other proposals on other continents, in other countries. I am not closed to the MXGP project alone, but my goal is still to evolve at the highest level; it’s a certainty. If a good ride is available, I will be the first to jump on it.

Whenever we talk, you often point out that you only aim at an MXGP ride. But in the end, building a good program in Germany, Italy, GB, to ride and prepare for the future. Im guessing it’s better than doing nothing in 2025 ?

For sure. We’ll have to wait and see if doors will open for me in the future, since it has just been announced… For now I remain open to every credible offers, they are all good to consider, and good to take. We will see what comes to me. Then, the main goal as I’ve said many times, is the highest level. That’s what drives me. But in itself, a national program could be a good solution, we’ll see.

Picture this: I am a team manager. What do i need to bring to sign you for next year? What is the package that you need to bring in to sign Benoit Paturel?

It’s simple. I just need good conditions, a good equipment, a good staff, so on. Financially speaking, we must be able to make a decent living. The project has to be interesting. In fact, it is mainly the team behind you that counts most, and also the whole package: the bike, the team, the conditions, the salary. As I said, I am not closed to anything and we just have to discuss the conditions.

Today, for example, all the bikes are good, there is not a bad bike on the market. Now, it’s all the rest that will make the different: the parts budget, bike maintenance, follow-up, mechanics, that is what makes the difference at this level. That’s also why the factory teams have a big advantage over private teams, they have so many resources that it is hard to compete on these points. It is even impossible.

A project, a staff that is on the right track, that’s what we’re asking for.

Any comment on the last interview with David Luongo?

From what I read, and in the main lines, they were not ready to change anything. My opinion is that if they don’t change some things in the future, it’s going to be really scary. And it already is. When you see the number of teams that have closed, whether it’s Standing, F&H … I don’t think it’s a financial problem on their side.

So I think there’s a lot to change, especially for the private teams and private riders. But then, anyway, it’s not Benoît Paturel who will make a difference. As long as it continues like this … If the people involved, who weigh in the balance, want to make a difference, they have to get together and speak up. But I’m not the one who’s going to make a difference.

If a team wants to contact you to discuss an opportunity, how to do so ?

They can contact me directly, on my social networks. Instagram, or Facebook.

Why did you decide not to have an agent to deal with all this?

It’s a choke-breaker of a question [laughs]. Because in the past, I have not had good experiences. Well, the past is the past. I had the career that I had. Without these experiences, it might have been different. Today, I’ve been doing the GP for 10 years, I still managed to resist 10 years. I always fought, so I’m still proud. And I hope to continue at the highest level, to finish my career the best possible way.