Exclusive with Clement Desalle

‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ and if the grass isn’t greener then at least for the MX Panda, Clement Desalle, everything else is.

Finally, after a ton of speculation, it has been confirmed that Monster Energy Kawasaki has re-loaded their MXGP championship guns with one of the biggest title threats, Clement Desalle. Desalle, at the ripe age of 26 years old, has been one of the most consistent forces in the premier class for the last six years.

At 19 years old, 2009, two years after his debut in MX1, now named MXGP, the Belgian finished third in the championship and in that same season claimed his first two grand prix victories. The following season, 2010, he finished second behind none other than the eight-time FIM Motocross World Champion Antonio Cairoli.

In the years that followed, he dropped back to third in 2011 due to an injury forcing him out of three rounds, but then bounced back for two silver medals in 2012 and 2013. Meanwhile, 2014 and ’15 weren’t the best seasons for the man who is on a quest for the gold plate; both saw him withdraw from the championship prematurely due to a broken scaphoid in ’14 and an urgent need for shoulder stabilization surgery in ‘15.

Untimely injuries may have hindered Desalle’s results over the last couple of years but that has only made him hungrier for the title. Combine that hunger with a team that is yearning for a world title, having not had one in the premier class since the legend Stefan Everts won in 1995, and Christophe Pourcel in MX2 back in 2006, then you have a massive force to be reckoned with.

We caught up with the MX Panda who has been in America for the last two months riding and training.

Click HERE to read the interview.