Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Herve Poncharal has been a MotoGP team manager for a long time, but he's never faced this 🦂situation before.

Just over a week before the start of testing, Jonas Folger - the rider Poncharal had believed in for years, signed before fellow rookie 🔴star Johann Zarco and celebrated a second place with last season - informed the Frenchman that he was withdrawing from the 2018 season.

Folger has been absent since severe fatigue problems came to a head on theꦚ eve of last October's Japanese Grand Prix. But all the information since suggested the young German's health was back on track and he would be ready to return for pre-season testing.

Then came the shock phone call.

wuqian0821.com spoke to Poncharal du☂ring the Sepang test, where Yonny Hernandez was called up to ride Folge🌺r's bikes as the difficult search for a full-time replacement continues…

wuqian0821.com:

Herve, it's been quite a start to the year…

Herve Poncharal:

Life is always full of surprises. Sometimes it's a good surprise, positive. Sometimes itౠ's unpleasant. And this time was certainly a big shock.

When we came here for the private test at the end of November, the guys on the '94' 🥀side of the garage were telling the Michelin staff and Yamaha engineers, 'The last four ꦇraces we had three different riders. Nozane, Parkes and van der Mark. It's been not easy. Thank god Jonas is recovering and we're going to have a very exciting 2018. Hopefully we're going to fight again for podiums'.

So everybody left here in November with a big smile on their face, receiving very positive news f𒈔rom Jonas.

wuqian0821.com:

From Jonas directly?

Herve Poncharal:

Mainly his management but al𓂃so from Jonas. Not so often, but from both.

wuqian0821.com:

And he was telling you, 'I'm getting bette𓂃r, I feel strong'?

Herve Poncharal:

Yes. We even received some reports from some institute that was taking care💖 [of him] and everything was very positive. So until a week before flying to Sepang everything was looking very promising an🌸d everyone was very excited.

wuqian0821.com:

You had no idea of what was about to happen?

Herve Poncharal:

No. Everything we were receiving was following the plan: It was good to give Jonas some months to fully recover, and now we thought he's f𒐪ully recovered. But there are always things in life that are 🐼unexpected. When people get married they say and they mean 'until death do us part', but it doesn't always work out that way.

wuqian0821.com:

But in all your years as a team manager, have you ever been in this kind of si꧃tuation?

Herve Poncharal:

No, it's never happened. But in a way I have to s🐭ay that I really respect Jonas' decision. Because Jonas is still very young. Jonas is unbelievable g💃ifted and talented. And he finally reached his dream, which any young rider has; to be a MotoGP rider.

And he was fast. He was on the podium for his home grand prix and﷽ we all knew that was not a coincidence. Nobody crashed in front of hiꦡm.

To✅ give up all of this. Everything you've been working for, pushing and dreaming of most of your life. Not knowing if you are ever going to come back and what are you going to do with the rest of your life at the age of 24. You have to have big balls to make the decision he made.

I've had some riders in the past and I've spoken with other team managers and crew chiefs, who told me tꦜhat some riders were not really ready to return but they still came back because this was their life, their job and the results were not fantastic.

So very often it's the team, the sജponsor or the factory that haꦚs to say to the rider, 'enough'.

But to have a rider that has everything; a contract signed, a good bike and salary, ready to build on last year and having seen what his team-mate did… Jonas knew, and I think he still knows, he can fight his team-mate. So you hav꧅e to be strong in a way, to take this decision.

Some people told me, 'aren't you angry that h꧑e informed you so late?' For sure it would have been much better to know three months before. But I believe, although I don't really know what is happening inside his head, that he ✱was trying to convince himself that he was going to come back and that he was ready.

I still have some text messages where he is telling me, 'I'm strong, I'm ready, I'm going to come back'. I honestly think that was how he was f🌟eeling. But my own personal feeling, and it is only a feeling, is the closer the💦 date of his return was coming maybe the more he was feeling… I don’t know if it's stress or pressure.

One thing is quite sure - and again I also spoke with som🐠e ex-team managers that worked with him in the past in different classes - from my experience in 2017, quite often the week before the race I would talk to his cousin, who is also his assistant, and he would tell me, 'last Sunday he was sick and wasn't sure he could ride this week'.

I was thinking, 'why is he always sick?' Because I thꦚought it was𝔍 a cold or flu.

But okay, we can talk about Folger forever and we're not going to change anything. I'm not ﷺa doctor and I don't really know what he has, because we read so many things during the winter that I was sometimes🐈 a bit sceptical.

I don't know if anybody really knows what's going on. What is the reality😼. All I can say is t🅠hat I could see sometimes Jonas was having difficulty to cope with pressure and stress.

And on the other side of our garage with Johann we had the complete opposite. Johann is like a stone! Nothing can touch him. Th🎃e more pressure you give him the happier he is, and it is quite often an extra boost for him.

During the pre-season tests last year Jonas was quite often slightly faster than Johann. No pressu🤡re. As soon as we arrived in 🦩Qatar, FP1 and FP2, things changed.

On the starting grid in Qatar for their very first MotoGP race we had a few drops of rain. Joha𒆙nn was sitting on the bike, on the second row. I was looking at him and he was really calm. Unbelievable. And I could see Jonas, three or four times he went back to th🔴e pits, I asked where he was going and was told 'he's not feeling good'…

wuqian0821.com:

The bottom line is that you ar𒈔e nܫow in a difficult situation…

Herve Poncharal:

Sure I am in a difficult situation now. It's not easy because I sold my programme to Yamaha and my sponsors with Zarco-Folger. Now I've got to re-discuss everything. I have to find a re☂placement rider, which is very difficult at the moment because nobody is available at the level of Jonas.

You can spend, as I did, days an𒉰d nights going through every list. We know what you need to be a top MotoGP rider and there is nobody. So this is difficult for me and for the🐬 team.

But what I am most sorry and sad💯 about is ℱfor Jonas.

Because I believe this guy could have been incredibly strong and I wanted to give him the opportunity to show the world this talent. And I am s🎉ad because nobody really understands the level of Jonas Folger.

Some people say, 'Sachsenring was a one-off'.🌄 No, Sachsenring is Jonas. And if hꦉe had the bike ready when he pitted in the Czech Republic he would have finished second. Or first. Michelin have all the data.

So it wꦯas not just luck what happened aಌt the Sachsenring. Not at all. This is his potential.

I don’t know if he will ever come back. He had the balls to call me and say, 'Herve ꦛI can't race in 2018'. I told him - and it was important to tell him - 'Jonas, you understand that if you don't r🀅ace in 2018 maybe you will never race again in MotoGP?'

He said, 'I know'.

This is something you have to respect.

wuqian0821.com:

It sound𝓡s like more of a mental 🎃thing than a physical thing?

Herve Poncharal:

For me the body is absolutely okay. Which is good news. But you always worry - when you are that young and have been riding all your life - what is he going to do now to have fun ♛and replace the adrenaline that you have here? I don't know.

I wish him luck. That's all I can do.

wuqian0821.com:

Now you have to try and find someone else and, as you say there are no easy ♑choices. Would you prefer a young person or an e🐷xperienced rider?

Herve Poncharal:

Yamaha have got two guys with the mission to win the championship; Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales. Okay, Zarco can do very well, but he's not yet a title contender. In our position, we are mo🔯re like a junior team.

So what's the point to take an old, established rider? And when I say ﷽established, retired 🌟basically.

I hate to say this because maybe it's what we will have to do in the end, bu✃t the worst feeling is to think you are here to fill a space on the grid and nothing more. Especially after the season we had last year. You can imagine that for us, especially for the crew, it’s a lot of work and when you know that there is not much hope… It's difficult. They will do it because they 🔯are all professionals, but it's not the same.

Also, I don't want to say, but 2018 is the last year for everything in MotoGP. Almost everybody has a contract ending this year, not only for riders but also with my Yamaha contract, with Monster, Black & Decker… all the guys that are with me, everything is enꦚding in 2018.

So clearly it's a very important year and if you do what w꧑e did in 2017, this is the best way to help the negotiations to prepare for 2019 and 2020. I don't know what's goiꦕng to happen in 2018, but 'rider two' will for sure not be fighting for the top positions. Doesn't matter who it will be.

If ever Johann is not having an easy year, compared to last y💟ear, it could hurt the company quite a lot. But there's not a lot we can do.

wuqian0821.com:

Of those in Moto2 not unde🎶r contr💃act at the moment, there are guys like Cortese, Aegerter…

Herve Poncharal:

Aegerter is 50-50. He is not 100% free.

wuqian0821.com:

If he does become available, Aegeꦓrter is perhaps the most successful candidate - seven podiums, one - almost two - race wins, plus some big bike experience at Suzuka…

Herve Poncharal:

But the MotoGP class is special. You can't compare to the Suzuka 8 Hours. This guy [point🍒s to Nakasuga on track] has won the 8 Hours three times in a row.

B🔯ut ideally, yes, we🥃 would take a young Moto2 rider.

wuqian0821.com:

And if Xavi Vier🀅ge hadn’t made his decision to leave at the end of last year…

Herve Poncharal:

It would have been the dream scenario - and so easy. But you can talk forever about wha🦩t might have been. We'll see.

wuqian0821.com:

Do you have a deadli♛ne to make a decision, by the Thailꦚand test?

Herve Poncharal:

If you take somebody to the Qatar race without any testing…🦹 Okay it's a possibility, but clearly not the best way. Already Luthi compared to the others - he missed the November tests and it's difficult. It will come for him but it shows that you don't jump oꦑn a MotoGP bike and go fast, unless you are Zarco and Folger.

wuqian0821.com:

Would Yamaha like to put a Japanese guy on th🦩e bike?

Herve Poncharal:

No. There is no Japanese guy.

wuqian0821.com:

Not Nozane?

Herve Poncharal:

No, already last year when he did Motegi - before he injured his hand - we asked him, 'are you inte♓rested to also do Phillip Island?' And he said, 'no, Japan only'. He's not willing and Yamaha is not pushing.

wuqian0821.com:

How has Yonny got on this w🐟eek, what are his chances of being on the bike at the next test?

Herve Poncharal:

I don't know. All I have to say is that Yonny 🦹did quite well for me. If you compare, he is two-seconds from Lorenzo and half-a-second from, let's say, some real MotoGP riders. So he's done an okay job. It's a long time since he was on a MotoGP bike. And he's a really nice guy. You are not here to have a friend, you are here to have a rider, but for me still it's important.

I want to thank Yonny for what he has done here. I don't know what's going to be the outcome, but I'm glad we gave him the opportuni🤡ty here.

wuqian0821.com:

Are Monster interested in an American rider?

Herve Poncharal:

Righಞt now, I am trying to find the best all-round solution… for sure, behind racing there is a lot of marketing and this is important. But when people say, 'this guy is here because he is Spanish, Italian, German, French', 𓄧for me I'm sorry to say but most of the time this is complete bullshit.

Marquez is here not because he is Spanish, but because he is the fastest. He's Spanish and the promoter is Spanish, but so what? As I've said to y༒ou many times in the past, if there is a Polish rider tomorrow, for 🐻example, who has the talent to beat Marquez on a regular basis he would have a full factory bike.

The nationality doesn't matter as much as people think because at the end of the day what any sponsor wants is to have visibility. If you have a nationality that is representing a very important market for you sponsor but this guy꧃ is last at every race, how good is that going to be for your market?

So I think sometimes people are a bitಌ short-sighted. The only way to give r☂eal value to your sponsors is to be doing what Zarco did last year. Zarco gave to Monster, Yamaha, Black & Decker, Motul, all our partners, a lot and they didn't really care where he was from.

I would hate to take someone🐬 just for their nationality. Of course, if you one day have the best rider who is also representing the biggest market of🌃 your sponsor, this is an ideal world! But it doesn't happen very often.

Your question was about Monster and I t🍸hink Monster is quite well established in the USA, so is it more interesting for them to be strong where they are already strong or to open some new markets?

I don't know. But before talking about marketing I want to talk about sport and have a guy on the bike who is going to give us something to cheer about. But, without being pessimisti♓c, it will be difficult.

wuqian0821.com:

Folger was also the only German rider in MotoGP…

Herve Poncharal:

But he was not here because he was German. He was here because he was fast🐠. He could have been from any nationality.

I have also to say one thing and this is really official, when I read all the bullshit I read - this drives me crazy: Dorna, n💟ever ever, told me 'you have to take this rider because he is from this nationality and it will help us for Televဣision'.

Everyone has the freedom to do what they want and, again, if the nationality matches it's a perfect scenario. But I read so often like, 'he'sཧ here because he's Spanish, Dorna must have pushed for him'. Bullshit.

Anyway, people will t❀hink I'm paid to say that. I'm not asking anyone to believe me. But I'm free 🍸to say that and I'm saying it because it's the truth.

Also, MotoGP is already very strong in Spain, already has four ♋races in Spain, already has sponsors like Movistar and Repsol. What would be the point to support Spain even more? They are a World Championship, not a Spanish Championship.

So if you think, th✃ere is more interest to haveꦛ different nationalities.

wuqian0821.com:

Th♑at was what I meant by Folger being the only German✨…

Herve Poncharal:

Dorna never pushed. I signed Folಞger because I thought he was the guy I wanted and the best choice I could do.

wuqian0821.com:

There is no chance of taking an extreme approach ꦿand rotating through several different riders this season, as happened at the end of last year.

Herve Poncharal:

First, I think it's not the best way to work and 🐻who would accept only doing three 🐬races?

wuqian0821.com:

It's a very competitive bike…

Herve Poncharal:

Yeah, but some of guys ♓might still be two laps behind.

wuqian0821.com:

What about if van der Mark and Lowes did some races between thꦕeir WorldSBK duties?

Herve Poncharal:

It's not th🌸e right way, because you are going to disturb their championship. The bike and tyres are completely different. What about if they crash a✱nd are hurt?

You have to respect the contracts. I think for Yamaha - talkingꦏ about these two guys – WorldSBK is a very important programme. They have invested a lot and it looks like the bike is now more and more competitive. The WorldSBK programme is to support one of their iconic b🌼ikes, the R1.

So why would they do that? And I never asked them to do th🦂at.

I think 𝓰at the end of the day just because you are facing a tough situation doesn't mean you should give your problem to somebody else. You have to respect everybody.

wuqian0821.com:

It seems you have♒ also had calls from riders that do h𒆙ave contracts?

Herve Poncharal:

Yeah, but one of the things is I like honour and honesty in life. And when you sign a document, a contract, and you engage yourself - from the team point of view or the rider – for one or two years, you've agreed. And if ever during tꦛhat time there is a better opportunity, still you have signed.

I𝓰 would prefer to have a slower rider, but someone who is free of a contract and we can work without a🌃ny polemics.

wuqian0821.com:

At least you have Johann on the oth🔯er side, looking strong going into his second year…

Herve Poncharal:

We are very happy to have that, but the team is a💖 two-rider team. I have to take care of the guys working on the other side also. As I said, I sold my programme to my sponsors as two riders. It's not easy. I will find something!

wuqian0821.com:

There are surely a lot of people th꧂at want to ride that bike?

Herve Poncharal:

Honestly, if you see what I receive sometimes… Some guy that is not yet finishing in the top ten in Superstock 600 telling me, 'if you don't take me,꧑ you are stupid'.

And if you say to these guys, 'this is MotoGP...' they think you are so pretentious. So it's very difficult to answer in a polite wa🍒y, because they really insist.

Footnote:

Later, at the end of the test, Sepang staff said there might be "some interesting news" in the next few days… fuelling rumours that local star Hafizh Syahrin has joined the list of riders in contention for the Tech 3 seat.

The popular Malaysian, 23, has a contract to race for the Sepang Circuit team in Moto2 this season. But Sepang has long sought a local star in the premier-class to raise its already high race attendance to the next level and are sure to do all they can to support a MotoGP chance for Syahrin, who claimed two podiums during the last six Moto2 races.

In a video clip , (Thursday), Poncharal tells a local fan: 

"We know Malaysia loves MotoGP and, believe me, one day there will be a Malaysian rider in MotoGP. And maybe there will be a Malaysian rider in MotoGP with Tech 3. Let's work on that, continue to support us and maybe good news will be coming soon..."

The Thailand test takes place from February 16-18.