Tech3 team manager Herve Poncharal talks the 2017 MotoGP effort, working with Motul and their new riders for this season: Jonas Folger and Johann Zarco

Tech3 Team Manager - Herve Poncharal

Tech3 Team Manager – Herve Poncharal

Motul and Tech3 represent French know-how at the highest level of motorcycle racing. Is it important?

Yes, and even if we live in a global world in which the notion of nationality tends to disappear, I am proud of our French know-how. I have always highlighted the French side of Team Tech3. We are the only French team competing in MotoGP and we have Motul by our side, the most renowned French lubricant supplier, and the most recognized in the top echelons of the motorsports industry, especially in MotoGP. We often hear about the ‘French touch’. I believe Motul and Tech3 contribute to adding value to this ‘French touch’, in MotoGP of course, but also on a broader scale in the entire motorsports industry. Motul is one of the few French companies involved in MotoGP, both as a partner and as an investor, and I am very proud they are partnering with Tech3. Today, MotoGP is like Formula 1 for motorcycles.

How would you describe the partnership between Motul and Tech3?

Above all, we have successfully developed a deep and sincere bond. We share a genuine and rare partnership in a world where, too often, we are looking for more instead of looking for the best. Motul is Tech3’s oldest partner, and we work together in perfect harmony. It would be very difficult for me to go racing with another partner, as Motul is part of the team’s family. Since 1999, we have also worked continuously with Yamaha, and Motul is a very important partner for Yamaha as well, both on a commercial and technical level. Today, all the developments made on the Yamaha M1 engines in MotoGP are exclusively with Motul experimental lubricants. For Tech3, this partnership is precious, unique, and we wish to preserve it as long as possible, if not always.

28 years of partnership between Motul and Tech3. How would you explain such long cooperation at this top level of racing?

Tech3 needs technical and financial partners to function at the highest levels of racing. Without partners, we would not exist and compete in the bike industry. With Motul, we have found an exceptional technical partner with whom we can discuss strategies, giving us an advantage over our competitors. Aside from the financial partnership, our points of view match up, and we share a similar way of approaching events, and on the future of racing. I am very pleased with this long-standing cooperation, and I certainly hope to never have to end this deeply humane partnership which we have built together.

Tech3 Motul Jonas Folger MotoGP

Jonas Folger – MotoGP

What are the challenges for the Motul-Tech3 partnership in 2017?

We have two new riders for 2017 who have almost never run on a MotoGP bike, Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger. A Moto2 has about 120 BHP, a MotoGP has 270 BHP; the way to ride it is quite different so the first challenge will be to help them learn quickly to be the fastest possible. They have a big task ahead of them, but are so talented that I am already sure they’ll have great results. From the technical side, the base is close to last year and we keep the same ECU and stick with Michelin tires. Our engineers have also made a great job together with Motul technical experts during the winter break to run our engine at its best. I’m confident that this will help us to be faster.

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