Campeonato del Mundo MXGP

Viewpoint: Jacky Martens

“The confidence is completely gone.”

Published

7 years ago

March 31, 2017

James Burfield

What has been up with Conrad Mewse? Well, we have the answer. Following some mediocre showings at the first three rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship, where he only managed to acquire six points, Mewse has been told to take some time off and regroup ahead of a return to competition. Jacky Martens, the team manager on the MX2 portion of Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing, spoke to us exclusively earlier today.

MX Vice: The big news today, the Friday before the MXGP of Leon, is that Conrad Mewse isn’t actually here. It is pretty obvious why, as the results just have not been there. From your perspective though, what went into the decision to bench him?

Jacky Martens: At the end of the season last year he was tired, so we gave him some time off. We did testing at the end of September until the middle of October, then he had a break of three weeks. Everything went very well; he had good speed and everything. He then went home to have some rest before we started in December, as we always do in the wintertime. Everything went well. We were happy with everything, testing went well and he did good physical training with Rasmus Jorgensen. He had a good feeling with it, so everything was just perfect. It looked alright.

We had the first race in LaCapelle and he showed very good speed; his skills were good. He was third or fourth I think. Everything went very well, so from our side we thought that he was ready for the season. We went to the first GP in Qatar and immediately he was very stiff and scared, so we asked what was wrong. He said that everything was good, the bike was nice and the team was good. The only thing that we were worried about was why he was not the Conrad that we know.

Site-Conrad-Mewse-3 — Conrad Mewse has garnered six points through three rounds.
Husqvarna Motorcycles

We then had Indonesia and, after twenty minutes, he pulled out. Luckily I was in the pit lane, because I sent him back out. I asked what he was doing and he said he didn’t like the track, so I sent him back out. When he pulled out he was like thirteenth, but now he was seventeenth. That cost him four points. Argentina was after that and, again, it was not the Conrad that we know. I could see that he was scared.

For me, I started to be scared. It looked dangerous! He was trying hard, but nothing was going well. We spoke together with the team and Conrad, where he said that the confidence is completely gone. When he is in Belgium he feels really good and when he is around the base or in England he feels really good. We decided to give him some rest and let him find himself in his life.

Yeah, I don’t know why or how. It has happened. We decided that he should not go to Mexico, because I am scared to watch him whilst he is racing. If something happens over here then it is not good, you don’t want to have it. That is why we decided. The next race is Italy and we now have like four weeks off. He is still practicing and following the schedule of Rasmus, so I hope he can find himself and is coming alright.

Site-Conrad-Mewse-1 — Mewse has spent a lot of his life in the spotlight.
Husqvarna Motorcycles

He is not tired again, like the end of last year then? It is not that he has a virus or anything like that?

No, nothing! I don’t know. The people around him were a little bit like ‘he trained too hard’ and stuff like this. I don’t like this. We have built so many young riders up and the other two are doing very well. Everyone then started to be involved, as we are a factory team. We need results! We are not going to push him so much that it makes him scared or anything. We have given him the time off to go to a, how do you say, sports…

Psychiatrist?

Yeah – that is it. I hope that for Italy he will be back.

You have a contract with him through the end of 2018. Are you worried at all that he’ll never shake this confidence thing and this might be him forever?

I don’t know. We know that, I don’t know how to say in English, he was scared, but now the interest for racing is maybe lost. I don’t know exactly what is going on now. For sure, we need results. We have given him the positive [energy] from our side that we believe in him until the last minute. I don’t want him to have an accident, because he is pushing outside to do better. He is a kid, eh? First, I don’t want to speak too much. Everything was perfect until LaCapelle and afterwards we don’t know what is going on.

Site-Conrad-Mewse-2 — Mewse has two weeks to rest, regroup and prepare for round four.
Husqvarna Motorcycles

If he comes back in Italy and hasn’t gotten any better, what would you do? Tell him to take more time off? Would you ever consider terminating his contract or are you behind him?

No, no, no. You know, there has to be a reason. I have never stopped during the season with one rider. When there is a problem, it has to be serious.

This is not serious enough yet though, because we have only had three rounds?

Exactly. We want to keep him, because he has potential. But, for some reason, it is lost. For us there is no intention to stop, but it just depends on how everything goes and works out. I hope that in Italy he is back where we want him.

Finally, would you ever consider putting him back in EMX250 for a year? Do you think that would help?

No. He said to us that when he is out of England and does not have that home feeling, he closes himself. That is the reason. Every top rider has had this moment once. When you make the step from junior onto national to international and then to the FIM Motocross World Championship, you have this feeling that is like, ‘Woah’.

Conrad even dealt with this during his first year in EMX125, right?

He has said that when he started on the 125, he started to get this feeling that he has now. We hope that he can solve it. We are an honest team and there is not one hair on my head that says we should quit, because he has had some difficult moments. All of the young riders that we bring have one difficult moment, but then grow up to be good riders. We believe in him and there has to be a serious reason for us to change our mind.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: Husqvarna Motorcycles

Up Next

Injury Update: Chihiro Notsuka

Don't Miss

Fantasy Insight: GP of Leon

Campeonato del Mundo MXGP

Insight into Cairoli’s decision to join Ducati from Lorenzo Resta

Listen now.

Published

8 hours ago

December 7, 2023

Edward Stratmann

Fascinating insight into Antonio Cairoli’s decision to join Ducati from the great Lorenzo Resta.

Lead Image: Antonio Cairoli / Ducati

Love what we do? Please read this article as we try to raise £30,000.

Support MX Vice on Ko-fi

Campeonato del Mundo MXGP

JK Racing Yamaha signs Isak Gifting for the 2024 MXGP season

See here.

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2023

Edward Stratmann

JK Racing Yamaha will head into the 2024 season with a full line-up to compete in the MXGP World Championship as well as the EMX125 class with a combination of experienced riders and promising newcomers.

Words: Press Release | Lead Image: JK Racing

Isak Gifting will lead the way as he’ll compete the whole FIM Motocross World Championship making his debut in MXGP class, alongside Gifting will be Anton Nagy with YZ bLU cRU Masterclass winner Giorgio Orlando and Manuel Iacopi.

JK Racing Yamaha, managed by Riccardo and Giuliano Boschi, is committed to success for the 2024 season.

Love what we do? Please read this article as we try to raise £30,000.

Support MX Vice on Ko-fi

Australian Motocross

Stat Attack: Top Threes of 2023

Read now.

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2023

Edward Stratmann

As we look towards the 2024 season, MX Vice and Paul Pearcy have joined forces again to deliver some quality statistics, as we’ll be running through the top 10 in each championship across 2023 (MXGP, MX2, 450, 250 – AMA Supercross, SMX and Outdoors and Australian Supercross). Here are all the riders that secured 3rd in their respective title races.

MX2

3) Simon Laengenfelder

1st in Timed Practice: 5; Trentino, Agueda, Lommel, Uddevalla, Afyonkarahisar
Qualifying Race Wins: 5; Trentino, Vantaa, Afyonkarahisar, Maggiora, Matterley Basin (2nd most wins in class)
Qualifying Race Podiums: 13; out of 16 attempts (81% podium rate in qualifying races, best percentage in class)
Qualifying Race Laps Led: 57; (2nd best in class)
Race Podiums: 18; 3rd most in class
Race Wins: 8; 2nd most in class
GP Podiums: 9; 3rd most in class
GP Wins: 2; 1-1 at Intu Xanadu, Uddevalla
Race Laps Led: 141; (21% of total laps, 2nd most in class)

Averages

Timed Practice: 3.187; Best in class
Qualifying Race Finishes: 2.875; Best in Class
Qualifying Race First Lap Position: 3.562; Best in Class
Qualifying Race Points: 131; Most in Class
Race Finishes: 3.375 in Race 1(Best in Class), 3.875 in Race 2(3rd best in class)
GP Overalls: 3.5; 2nd best in class
Race First Lap Position: 4.968; 3rd best in class
Race Points: 321 from Race 1(2nd most in class), 303 from Race 2(4th best in class), Total of 624

Series Points: 755

MXGP

3) Jeremy Seewer

1st in Timed Practice: 1; Frauenfeld
Qualifying Race Podiums: 6; Intu Xanadu, Villars Sous Ecot, Teutschenthal, Sumbawa, Loket, Uddevalla
Qualifying Race Laps Led: 2
Race Podiums: 15
Race Wins: 2; Race 1 at Villars Sous Ecot, Race 2 at Uddevalla
GP Podiums: 7
GP Wins: 3; Villars Sous Ecot, Uddevalla, Maggiora
Race Laps Led: 62; (9% of total laps)

Averages

Timed Practice: 4.421; 4th best in class
Qualifying Race Finishes: 6.778
Qualifying Race First Lap Position: 5.222; 4th best in class
Qualifying Race Points: 105; 4th best in class
Race Finishes: 6.157 in Race 1, 4.157 in Race 2(3rd best in class)
GP Overalls: 4.684; 3rd best in class
Race First Lap Position: 6.842
Race Points: 310 from Race 1, 344 from Race 2, Total of 654 (3rd most in class)

Series Points: 759

250 West Coast Supercross

3) Levi Kitchen

Heat Race Podiums: 4
Heat Race Wins: 3; Seattle, Denver, Salt lake City
Heat Race Laps Led: 26
Main Event Podiums: 4; Anaheim 2, Glendale, Denver, Salt Lake City
Main Event Win: 1; Anaheim 2
Main Event Laps Led: 20; (11% of total laps)

Averages

Qualifying: 5th
Heat Race Finishes: 2.857; 3rd best in class
Heat Race First Lap Position: 5th
Main Event Finishes: 6.556
Main Event First Lap Position: 7.253

Series Points: 156

250 East Supercross

3) Max Anstie

1st in Qualifying: 1; Houston
Heat Race Podiums: 3; Houston, Indy, Nashville
Heat Race Laps Led: 3
Main Event Podiums: 4; Houston, Tampa, Daytona, East Rutherford
Main Event Win: 1; East Rutherford
Main Event Laps Led: 14; (8% of total laps)

Averages

Qualifying: 4.7
Heat Race Finishes: 4.667
Heat Race First Lap Position: 5.333
Main Event Finishes: 5.7; 4th best in class
Main Event First Lap Position: 4.741; 2nd best in class

Series Points: 182

450 Supercross

3) Cooper Webb

Heat Race Podiums: 7
Heat Race Wins: 2; Seattle, Atlanta
Heat Race Laps Led: 19
Main Event Podiums: 9
Main Event Wins: 2; Tampa, Arlington
Main Event Laps Led: 17; (3% of total laps)

Averages

Qualifying: 6.133
Heat Race Finishes: 4.5
Heat Race First Lap Position: 4.181
Main Event Finishes: 2.785; 2nd best in class
Main Event First Lap Position: 4.307; 3rd best in class

Series Points: 304

250 American Outdoors

3) Jo Shimoda

Moto Podiums: 10
Moto Wins: 3; Moto 2 at Southwick, 1-1 at Ironman
Overall Podiums: 4; Southwick, Millville, Budds Creek, Ironman
Overall Wins: 1; Ironman
Moto Laps Led: 53

Averages

Qualifying: 6.363
Moto Finishes: 4.636 in Moto 1, 4.545 in Moto 2(2nd best in class)
Overall Finishes: 4.454 (3rd best in class)
Moto First Lap Position: 6.545

Series Points: 393

450 American Outdoors

3) Aaron Plessinger

Moto Podiums: 5; Moto 1 at Hangtown, Moto 2 at Thunder Valley, Moto 2 at Washougal, Moto 2 at Budds Creek, Moto 2 at Ironman
Overall Podiums: 3; Thunder Valley, Budds Creek, Ironman
Moto Laps Led: 7; 3rd most in class

Averages