Photo by: Simon Cudby

Since winning the 2006 MX2 World Championship and later winning back-to-back Eastern Regional 250SX Championships with the Monster/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team in 2009 and 2010 here in the U.S., Rockstar/Husqvarna’s Christophe Pourcel has had a very different career path. In 2011 the Frenchman was strangely not picked up by a team to contest the 450SX class in Monster Energy Supercross but was signed by the MotoConcepts team to ride the 2011 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship aboard a Yamaha. That seemed doomed before it started, and after a tempestuous two-race stint with the MotoConcepts team, Christophe packed his bags and headed back to Europe to contest the MXGP World Championship series. During the 2011 and 2012 MX1 World Championships, Christophe returned to form, scoring numerous podiums and a couple overall wins, but with the #377 keeping his home in Florida, it seemed obvious this is where he wanted to end up.

RT_E2Science_Logo

Some say he was not hired in the US in 2011 due to his price tag, but if you understand what the Frenchman has been through, you may better understand why he put a large price tag on his services. While defending his 2006 MX2 World Championship, Christophe had a nearly catastrophic crash in Ireland where he fractured his sacrum and was also put in a wheelchair with paralysis. It’s an incredible story of perseverance that culminated with him winning the two Regional Supercross championships and nearly winning the AMA 250cc Motocross championships in the same years. The 2009 outdoor championship was only lost due to a DNF late in the season at Southwick, and the 2010 series was all but wrapped up before a crash and a broken shoulder at the final round ended his championship bid. After all that adversity and triumph, Christophe felt he deserved a high dollar deal in the 450 class, but the American teams felt he still had more to prove.

After contesting the 2011 and 2012 MX1 World Championships, Christophe basically retired from World Championship racing and came back to Florida, but he seemed off the map. Every once in a while we would hear he was teaching schools at his home facility in Florida or racing some local off-road stuff, but for the better part of the next year, he was retired in most of the industry’s and the fans’ minds. That was until the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicked off at Glen Helen and Christophe was on the line with the defunct Valli Motorsports team with Factory Yamaha backing. The rumors started during the middle of the 2014 Monster Energy Supercross series, but nobody knew for sure until CP showed up at the opener. By the end of the year, Christophe was the fastest qualifier in nine of the twelve races, won the 2014 Unadilla National overall and finished sixth in the 250MX Championship, but rumors that he was not gelling with his team and hard to make happy seemed to once again shy other teams away from signing him for the 2015 season.

Christophe Pourcel celebrates his second 450MX podium of 2015. Photo by: Simon Cudby
Christophe Pourcel celebrates his second 450MX podium of 2015. Photo by: Simon Cudby

Then, with the Rockstar/Husqvarna team being without their 450MX rider, Martin Davalos, due to injury for the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, they called on the best fill-in rider available: Christophe Pourcel. Unlike in 2014, Christophe did not have months to prepare, but the #377 made the best of it. Straight off the couch, Christophe finished fifth in the opening 450MX moto of the year and left Hangtown with an 8th overall. Since then, Christophe has steadily gotten better, and now nine rounds in, he has two podiums, sits fifth overall in the 450MX Championship and just announced he will be staying in the US to contest Monster Energy Supercross and the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on a 450 for the Rockstar/Husqvarna through 2017. I can’t believe it’s taken this long, but we are pumped at the prospect of seeing a prepared Christophe Pourcel on a 450 in Supercross.

After his 3rd overall at the 2015 Washougal National, we asked Christophe Pourcel some questions in the press tent. You can hear what the 26-year-old had to say about his year and the prospect of contesting SX and MX in the U.S. for the coming years below.

Christophe, first off, congratulations on the day—especially the fight you put up in moto two. It was absolutely fantastic. Why don’t you go ahead and give us your overall impression on how it was for you.

Today was good. Being on the box is always good. First moto I got a good start and I was just kind of stuck in second place. [Ryan] Dungey was kind of pushing, and I just kind of wanted to end up in second place because he was a little bit faster than me. He kind of made an aggressive pass and I tried to kind of fight back, but I think he was looking for more. He was looking for the first place. It’s good to get third in the first moto because then you know you got the chance to be on the podium for the overall. Second moto I got a bad start and you got something to fight, so it felt amazing. The bike, I think, was at its best today, and I felt good. The team has been pretty amazing, and the bike worked very good. I don’t know why, it was going good for me. I felt good on the bike and just came back to 5th, almost 4th, had a good fight. I wish I had passed him [Weston Peick], it was close.

We will not be surprised to see the #377 on the top step of the podium in Unadilla. The man knows how to go fast at "Dilla". Pjoto by: Simon Cudby
We will not be surprised to see the #377 on the top step of the podium in Unadilla. The man knows how to go fast at “Dilla”. Pjoto by: Simon Cudby

Tell us about that last lap, because it was very close at the finish line. It looked like you were pushing very hard all the way to the end. Did you know at that point that you had third overall wrapped up or were you just fighting for position?

Yeah, I did know. My race mechanic, he gave me pit board two laps ago and told me that I had the 3rd overall, so I knew this, but I had a lot of energy still. I felt good so I wanted to give a charge to go all the way to fourth for second moto and I missed just a few feet, I think two feet maybe. I knew that the rut before the waves [whoop section] was broken before the last jump, so he made a mistake and I almost got him [Peick], but it was close. I think he held me back and he was just pinning it. He’s a big boy.

 

He is a big boy. (laughs) Christophe, you’re obviously a rider whose success on a dirt bike is based a lot on your comfort on your bike, but this year you also seem to be just happy. I wrote earlier about you looking a lot happier out here now. Is that something you see as well, more appreciative of the sport as a whole?

Yeah, for sure. I step out a few times of the sport and you can see from the outside what it is. When you come back, there’s a lot of good people, there’s a lot of bad people and so you just want to be on a good team, have a good bike and, especially, have the manufacturer supporting you all the time. This year I got everything. You don’t have to worry about the team, whether they’re going to pay or not, because it’s the manufacturers who pay. You just focus on riding, and the bike is pretty amazing I think. Jason [Anderson] is doing a good job as well. I think I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

 

Last time I heard from you and talked to you, you were talking about possibly GPs, possibly AMA next year. Are you any further on the discussions for next year at all? I’d love to see you in Supercross.

Yeah. I don’t know. Everybody says I’m so good at Supercross, but I don’t feel like I’m that good. It’s just a strange feeling, you know. So we’ll see how good I can be for Supercross. My technique is good, but I haven’t been out there for a while. I’m going to stay in the U.S. for the next two years with Husky, so that’s good.

Christophe is arguably the most fluid rider in the world. It will be interesting to see a prepared CP377 in 2016. Photo by: Simon Cudby
Christophe is arguably the most fluid rider in the world. It will be interesting to see a prepared CP377 in 2016. Photo by: Simon Cudby

The next two years? So through 2017?

The next two years, yes.

 

Congratulations.

Thank you.

 

Breaking news, right here. Okay. What’s the plan then for the next couple weeks leading up to Unadilla? What do you have going on?

Just got to wait for my favorite track [Unadilla] and just love that race. I just don’t want to make any mistake out there, get good starts and try to be on the box again. I just love the track. It is pretty amazing, and we can ride fast all day so it should be good. Best track.

 

Congratulations on today. Thank you so much.

Thank you

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.