The evolution of Clement Desalle

The first time I ever interviewed Clement Desalle was on top of the Rockstar Energy station at the German GP in 2011. Before that point I had only heard less than flattering advice on how to approach an interview with the Belgian. In all honesty I thought the interview went pretty well, he answered my questions politely and sat still long enough to record the interview we needed, but his mind was clearly elsewhere, perhaps on the upcoming races but most certainly not on the people there to interview him, it was exactly what I had been told to expect and was part and parcel of getting answers from the reluctant star.

Fast forward to 2015 and my latest sit down with him at the Grand Prix of Patagonia, Argentina and he was a different man. Chatty, relaxed and happy, if not eager, to engage in conversation with me and the crew before the interview began, his only slight complaint was the roasting lamb on the open fire nearby, as a happy owner of a gaggle of goats the charring meat in his field of view wasn’t his number one choice of location, but nonetheless he gave a candid and responsive interview which you can see here.

Since then he has held on to the red plate through the South American races and the slick conditions of Trentino with a level of consistency and muted intensity that has been exhilarating to watch, off the back of that his podium and post race interviews have also been more chirpy and upbeat, especially when thanking the guys looking after his cherished golden Labrador.

Despite this new found joie de vivre Desalle is still a fairly guarded man so, on the Saturday after qualifying in Valkenswaard, MXGP Mag sat down with the man who has overseen 90% of Desalle’s time in MXGP, Rockstar Energy Suzuki team manager, and motocross legend in his own right, Sylvain Geboers, to get the inside scoop on what makes up the Clement Desalle of 2015.

To read the interview, click HERE.