Deciphering Clement Desalle

Second, third, second and second; 24 year old Clement Desalle has been Tony Cairoli's chief threat for MXGP glory for the past four years. The private and forthright Belgian has suffered with injury (broken shoulder in 2011) and personal problems (two family bereavements in 2012) but week-in week-out seems to offer the Sicilian his toughest test. This was glaringly obvious back at the start of Cairoli's four-title run with KTM in 2010 when the Suzuki man won three of the first five GPs and then in the past month where he again beat the champion at three events in a row.

You won't find Desalle on any social media channel and while he represents a solid part of the future of MXGP he is almost a type of racer that belongs firmly in the past; preferring to let his speed and results do the talking and is reluctant to play the commercial and PR game. Desalle is educated and respectful but also shy of the spotlight and the fuss it brings; which means he can come across as not being everybody's cup of tea. On the bike he is formidable; a good starter and not shy to show his front wheel to anybody...to the extent of a close-up perspective. His potential has been shown repeatedly and not just in MX1 as his positive speed in fleeting appearances in the AMA Pro National Championship (two this season) has delivered podium results and raised more than a few eyebrows.

If Desalle is having fun on the works RM-Z450, then he is uncatchable. The same level of enjoyment away from Grands Prix means being with his animals, on a Superbike lapping nearby Spa Francorchamps or riding enduro with friends through tight woodlands close to his home that he shares with German girlfriend Andrea in the Wallonie region of the country.

I believe the first time that I thought I might be good as a motocrosser was when I first had the chance to do GPs!

"I had done some German Supercross meetings but got injured after just four races. The Kurz team gave me a proposal to go to the world championship in MX1 and I was surprised because I was still so young. Even though I was injured I was excited and I thought it was a crazy opportunity; my first contract. At that time you still had to get on the entry list for a Grand Prix and if you didn't qualify then it was difficult to get back on the list for the next one. There was a lot of pressure for the first few GPs in 2006. I was on the list in Zolder but was only 32nd, so the first reserve and I didn't make it for the next race. I was second reserve again at Bellpuig in Spain but I actually went out for the second moto and that was my first taste of Grand Prix. It was so nice to go to the gate for the first time. Only one year ago I had been watching those guys on TV."

When I look back now I'm happy I left school with a qualification.

"I said to my parents that I didn't mind staying there until I was 18 but I didn't want to study more or go to university. There was a time when I wanted to be a fighter jet pilot and I laugh a little bit at that now with my girlfriend. It was a bit of a fantasy but if you have the character to want to make things happen, then it's possible."

I didn't feel like I was missing out on the parties and stuff.

"I was pretty single-minded in wanting to get out of school and get home to ride or practice. I wanted to get better. I guess being an athlete it is a completely different life compared to a normal person. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to party and live a different way but I don't regret at all what I chose. I love my life and my sport. I was having too much fun on the bike as a youngster to see any other way."

I have a lot of respect for my Dad and he knows me much better than anyone in the sport.

"I also listen to what other people say, especially in my team, but with him I have a short cut. Sometimes I know what he will say just with a look. I would say he has to calm me down more than kick my ass! I always want to do more and sometimes it can be too much. My Mum is always positive and that is a good thing; a good balance. If I have a bad day or bad result then she can always find a way to spin it positively. My Dad not so much and we are both more like 'ah s***' whereas my Mum will say 'it's not so bad, you are in one piece and you know the result will be better next time'. It is really good and important I have the both of them.

My Dad always had a bike in the garage or around somewhere.

"It was from there that I started to like them and bicycles and things with motors. My parents did not have a lot of money; like most families they were pushing to own a home and live a comfortable life. When I was 10 I still hadn't done any racing. I was travelling with my Dad and family to some events he was making and then he started to work with a few guys, looking after their bikes and training, not only at the weekend but also during the week and working as a group. There were just two guys and they were racing in France. I was following the group when I could and when I wasn't in school. I would be playing or doing my own thing but I could see and hear what my Dad was saying and what they were doing. It was my Dad's job and I enjoyed a lot being there and having fun."

I think my parents had a lot of stress when I was riding but it turned out OK.

"We were always racing in France because my Dad found that 'GP style' of practicing on Saturday and racing Sunday was useful. My parents were strict about the school. I could see kids in France who had stopped school and were riding at a young age but I wasn't allowed to do that and was told that school was important. It made things difficult because sometimes we'd have to travel long distances in a short time for races. Until I was 12 and 13 I didn't complete a championship. My dad just took me to select races to pick up experience. The results did not matter, but my exam results did!"

I used to always say to my Dad that I liked a lot of power on the bike and being able to control it.

"I was 13 or 14 and already starting to ride with the 450 for fun. I would come home from school and take that bike into the small woods close to my house. In the summer when it was lighter in the evenings I used to take a lot of pleasure from getting in the trees with that 450. Some weeks I rode every day on really small and technical tracks. If you saw that place then you would say it is impossible to ride with a 450 but I learnt a lot there. I still get out at that place sometimes. I used to say to Dad 'if you can ride fast there then you can do it anywhere' you had to be so careful with the bumps and the trees. When I got on the big bike then I really started to improve quickly. I was a good rider on a 125 and a 250 but not really one where you'd say 'he'll break out of the group'. I was in the European Championship and riding for a small Belgian team. I had the chance to get on the four-strokes and I progressed at European level until I got my first major podium. It was at Sevlievo in Bulgaria actually in 2005. I was third. The offer from Kurz was good but meant the big bike, the 250 two-stroke and then the 450."

I don't have a problem with journalists and I know it is a part of my job.

"I think it is about having a level of respect for each other and sometimes I don't feel that. It is like some guys expect to do what they want with you. You have to answer when they want and then they can write what they want! Sometimes it is a bad moment for me to talk and sometimes I just don't have the time at that particular moment. If anyone wants an interview and we sort it out before then it's fine. I also have a problem with saying something and then my words not being correctly used. I've had problems with that in the past with a Belgian journalist. Reporters can write what they want in their stories and can paint a bad picture of somebody when they are not really like that. I know I can be angry sometimes at the races, and I can look it! But I am angry with myself and the situation. And maybe that's not the best time to speak with me. In the beginning I don't think my level of English helped. In 2006 I didn't speak one word of English and it was not easy to come from a small village and school and suddenly have to talk to press. For a few years now there has been this bad rumour that I don't get along with the press. It is like a bad joke."

When I get injured my head is working a lot and mentally times like that are not easy.

"Some people can keep very positive and think 'in three months I will be back' but I'm not like that. I try to do different stuff to keep occupied, to recover and not think too much. I don't think I'm one of those riders who picks up a lot of injuries, speaking comparatively. Let's see...I broke my foot before coming to GPs but from the world championship I dislocated one shoulder and broke the other one. One finger open, some stretched stuff. I don't feel like an old man yet! In 2011 when Bobryshev landed on my back in that Belgian Championship race I really had the sensation of how important your back is for your whole body. Your back is like a big machine with many parts with muscles and ligaments and it takes time to return to normal."

I had a good run in the GPs recently. I just wanted to win and needed to win.

"It was like I was tired of waiting! All the time it is the same guy winning [Cairoli]. I mean he is the guy to beat but it was good to win again. I had bad luck in Italy and found myself in a position where I waiting for a turnaround. It came in Germany in that hot first moto and unfortunately he won the second and then Loket came up. I appreciate Loket because it is like an old school track with some modern parts and jumps. The start is really important there; this is good-and-not-good because if you don't get away then it is hard to win the GP but it went well for me this year so I like it!

People still ask about the Finnish GP and the battle with Searle.

"OK, the move was a little bit overly aggressive but at the same time it is not like I tried to kill him. I just signed the paper [warning from the FIM] in Finland and went away. During the week before the German GP I was thinking about it and I was not really OK with the decision. Nobody saw it at the time and it isn't on the video but beforehand he passed me - no problem - and I passed him back and then he went back on me with a lot of aggression. I thought 's***, that was a lot of contact'. We fought again and he went off the track and then we came to the corner where we touched. Like I said to the FIM if he really wanted then he could have closed the gas. What I didn't really like were his comments on the internet about payback. He wanted to chat about it on the gate in Germany and it wasn't a good time because it was just a few minutes before the qualification heat but I said to him that I didn't mean for him to crash. It is true that on the video I looked behind me after we'd touched but that was just to check if he was still there because on the next corner he might have wanted to put me out! Anyway everybody has their own style. It is an old story and I put it out of my mind."

Since the second part of the season my starts have been better and I am bit more confident with that.

"I changed my technique a little bit and doing those races in America also helped. To try something new at the GPs can be a bit scary because if it doesn't work out then you can lose so much. In America the level was very high but I didn't really have anything to lose and there were no repercussions for the championship. The guys there are really fast."

We were really serious about going to America in 2014.

"I spoke with Andrea and my parents and we looked at the options. I'm not the type of guy who will make a snap decision without a plan. I wouldn't just go and take it day-by-day. I had a good contact and phone conversations and I was ready at one moment to go. I was looking at the team and the money was also important because you still need to live. Finally we didn't really get to the next stage of having a contract on paper. My main goal is to be happy and enjoy my riding and it is not just about the money but to go there would have meant taking a pretty big loss. I lost some sleep thinking about it and the move was also the subject of dinner conversations. When I came back from the USA in the summer we went straight to Ernee for the GP! The track was not good and I was more motivated then to go to the AMA but after a while you weigh things up. Finally we found a good way to continue in GPs. My team are a really good group of people that work very hard to give the best to the rider. I am conscious of all the good things I have around me."

Do I feel like I have time to become World Champion?

"In a way yes. If the chance comes then I will take it but I think I still have some years in front of me. If I could take it now then I would. I don't want to put pressure with a time frame because a championship is about luck also. It is a mechanical sport and there are many factors that have to come together. Some people win a lot, but never win the championship like Bervoets and Coppins. I'm happy because I have my girl, two goats and my dog. I have what I need. Yeah I have won the last few GPs but the championship is the goal."


I do think you need a strong character to reach the top. I say what I think. I will not tell you 'yellow' when I am thinking 'blue' and maybe that is not so appreciated.
Second, third, second and second; 24 year old Clement Desalle has been Tony Cairoli's chief threat for MXGP glory for the past four years. The private and forthright Belgian has suffered with injury (broken shoulder in 2011) and personal problems (two family bereavements in 2012) but week-in week-out seems to offer the Sicilian his toughest test. This was glaringly obvious back at the start of Cairoli's four-title run with KTM in 2010 when the Suzuki man won three of the first five GPs and then in the past month where he again beat the champion at three events in a row.

You won't find Desalle on any social media channel and while he represents a solid part of the future of MXGP he is almost a type of racer that belongs firmly in the past; preferring to let his speed and results do the talking and is reluctant to play the commercial and PR game. Desalle is educated and respectful but also shy of the spotlight and the fuss it brings; which means he can come across as not being everybody's cup of tea. On the bike he is formidable; a good starter and not shy to show his front wheel to anybody...to the extent of a close-up perspective. His potential has been shown repeatedly and not just in MX1 as his positive speed in fleeting appearances in the AMA Pro National Championship (two this season) has delivered podium results and raised more than a few eyebrows.

If Desalle is having fun on the works RM-Z450, then he is uncatchable. The same level of enjoyment away from Grands Prix means being with his animals, on a Superbike lapping nearby Spa Francorchamps or riding enduro with friends through tight woodlands close to his home that he shares with German girlfriend Andrea in the Wallonie region of the country.

I believe the first time that I thought I might be good as a motocrosser was when I first had the chance to do GPs!

"I had done some German Supercross meetings but got injured after just four races. The Kurz team gave me a proposal to go to the world championship in MX1 and I was surprised because I was still so young. Even though I was injured I was excited and I thought it was a crazy opportunity; my first contract. At that time you still had to get on the entry list for a Grand Prix and if you didn't qualify then it was difficult to get back on the list for the next one. There was a lot of pressure for the first few GPs in 2006. I was on the list in Zolder but was only 32nd, so the first reserve and I didn't make it for the next race. I was second reserve again at Bellpuig in Spain but I actually went out for the second moto and that was my first taste of Grand Prix. It was so nice to go to the gate for the first time. Only one year ago I had been watching those guys on TV."

When I look back now I'm happy I left school with a qualification.

"I said to my parents that I didn't mind staying there until I was 18 but I didn't want to study more or go to university. There was a time when I wanted to be a fighter jet pilot and I laugh a little bit at that now with my girlfriend. It was a bit of a fantasy but if you have the character to want to make things happen, then it's possible."

I didn't feel like I was missing out on the parties and stuff.

"I was pretty single-minded in wanting to get out of school and get home to ride or practice. I wanted to get better. I guess being an athlete it is a completely different life compared to a normal person. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to party and live a different way but I don't regret at all what I chose. I love my life and my sport. I was having too much fun on the bike as a youngster to see any other way."

I have a lot of respect for my Dad and he knows me much better than anyone in the sport.

"I also listen to what other people say, especially in my team, but with him I have a short cut. Sometimes I know what he will say just with a look. I would say he has to calm me down more than kick my ass! I always want to do more and sometimes it can be too much. My Mum is always positive and that is a good thing; a good balance. If I have a bad day or bad result then she can always find a way to spin it positively. My Dad not so much and we are both more like 'ah s***' whereas my Mum will say 'it's not so bad, you are in one piece and you know the result will be better next time'. It is really good and important I have the both of them.

My Dad always had a bike in the garage or around somewhere.

"It was from there that I started to like them and bicycles and things with motors. My parents did not have a lot of money; like most families they were pushing to own a home and live a comfortable life. When I was 10 I still hadn't done any racing. I was travelling with my Dad and family to some events he was making and then he started to work with a few guys, looking after their bikes and training, not only at the weekend but also during the week and working as a group. There were just two guys and they were racing in France. I was following the group when I could and when I wasn't in school. I would be playing or doing my own thing but I could see and hear what my Dad was saying and what they were doing. It was my Dad's job and I enjoyed a lot being there and having fun."

I think my parents had a lot of stress when I was riding but it turned out OK.

"We were always racing in France because my Dad found that 'GP style' of practicing on Saturday and racing Sunday was useful. My parents were strict about the school. I could see kids in France who had stopped school and were riding at a young age but I wasn't allowed to do that and was told that school was important. It made things difficult because sometimes we'd have to travel long distances in a short time for races. Until I was 12 and 13 I didn't complete a championship. My dad just took me to select races to pick up experience. The results did not matter, but my exam results did!"

I used to always say to my Dad that I liked a lot of power on the bike and being able to control it.

"I was 13 or 14 and already starting to ride with the 450 for fun. I would come home from school and take that bike into the small woods close to my house. In the summer when it was lighter in the evenings I used to take a lot of pleasure from getting in the trees with that 450. Some weeks I rode every day on really small and technical tracks. If you saw that place then you would say it is impossible to ride with a 450 but I learnt a lot there. I still get out at that place sometimes. I used to say to Dad 'if you can ride fast there then you can do it anywhere' you had to be so careful with the bumps and the trees. When I got on the big bike then I really started to improve quickly. I was a good rider on a 125 and a 250 but not really one where you'd say 'he'll break out of the group'. I was in the European Championship and riding for a small Belgian team. I had the chance to get on the four-strokes and I progressed at European level until I got my first major podium. It was at Sevlievo in Bulgaria actually in 2005. I was third. The offer from Kurz was good but meant the big bike, the 250 two-stroke and then the 450."

I don't have a problem with journalists and I know it is a part of my job.

"I think it is about having a level of respect for each other and sometimes I don't feel that. It is like some guys expect to do what they want with you. You have to answer when they want and then they can write what they want! Sometimes it is a bad moment for me to talk and sometimes I just don't have the time at that particular moment. If anyone wants an interview and we sort it out before then it's fine. I also have a problem with saying something and then my words not being correctly used. I've had problems with that in the past with a Belgian journalist. Reporters can write what they want in their stories and can paint a bad picture of somebody when they are not really like that. I know I can be angry sometimes at the races, and I can look it! But I am angry with myself and the situation. And maybe that's not the best time to speak with me. In the beginning I don't think my level of English helped. In 2006 I didn't speak one word of English and it was not easy to come from a small village and school and suddenly have to talk to press. For a few years now there has been this bad rumour that I don't get along with the press. It is like a bad joke."

When I get injured my head is working a lot and mentally times like that are not easy.

"Some people can keep very positive and think 'in three months I will be back' but I'm not like that. I try to do different stuff to keep occupied, to recover and not think too much. I don't think I'm one of those riders who picks up a lot of injuries, speaking comparatively. Let's see...I broke my foot before coming to GPs but from the world championship I dislocated one shoulder and broke the other one. One finger open, some stretched stuff. I don't feel like an old man yet! In 2011 when Bobryshev landed on my back in that Belgian Championship race I really had the sensation of how important your back is for your whole body. Your back is like a big machine with many parts with muscles and ligaments and it takes time to return to normal."

I had a good run in the GPs recently. I just wanted to win and needed to win.

"It was like I was tired of waiting! All the time it is the same guy winning [Cairoli]. I mean he is the guy to beat but it was good to win again. I had bad luck in Italy and found myself in a position where I waiting for a turnaround. It came in Germany in that hot first moto and unfortunately he won the second and then Loket came up. I appreciate Loket because it is like an old school track with some modern parts and jumps. The start is really important there; this is good-and-not-good because if you don't get away then it is hard to win the GP but it went well for me this year so I like it!

People still ask about the Finnish GP and the battle with Searle.

"OK, the move was a little bit overly aggressive but at the same time it is not like I tried to kill him. I just signed the paper [warning from the FIM] in Finland and went away. During the week before the German GP I was thinking about it and I was not really OK with the decision. Nobody saw it at the time and it isn't on the video but beforehand he passed me - no problem - and I passed him back and then he went back on me with a lot of aggression. I thought 's***, that was a lot of contact'. We fought again and he went off the track and then we came to the corner where we touched. Like I said to the FIM if he really wanted then he could have closed the gas. What I didn't really like were his comments on the internet about payback. He wanted to chat about it on the gate in Germany and it wasn't a good time because it was just a few minutes before the qualification heat but I said to him that I didn't mean for him to crash. It is true that on the video I looked behind me after we'd touched but that was just to check if he was still there because on the next corner he might have wanted to put me out! Anyway everybody has their own style. It is an old story and I put it out of my mind."

Since the second part of the season my starts have been better and I am bit more confident with that.

"I changed my technique a little bit and doing those races in America also helped. To try something new at the GPs can be a bit scary because if it doesn't work out then you can lose so much. In America the level was very high but I didn't really have anything to lose and there were no repercussions for the championship. The guys there are really fast."

We were really serious about going to America in 2014.

"I spoke with Andrea and my parents and we looked at the options. I'm not the type of guy who will make a snap decision without a plan. I wouldn't just go and take it day-by-day. I had a good contact and phone conversations and I was ready at one moment to go. I was looking at the team and the money was also important because you still need to live. Finally we didn't really get to the next stage of having a contract on paper. My main goal is to be happy and enjoy my riding and it is not just about the money but to go there would have meant taking a pretty big loss. I lost some sleep thinking about it and the move was also the subject of dinner conversations. When I came back from the USA in the summer we went straight to Ernee for the GP! The track was not good and I was more motivated then to go to the AMA but after a while you weigh things up. Finally we found a good way to continue in GPs. My team are a really good group of people that work very hard to give the best to the rider. I am conscious of all the good things I have around me."

Do I feel like I have time to become World Champion?

"In a way yes. If the chance comes then I will take it but I think I still have some years in front of me. If I could take it now then I would. I don't want to put pressure with a time frame because a championship is about luck also. It is a mechanical sport and there are many factors that have to come together. Some people win a lot, but never win the championship like Bervoets and Coppins. I'm happy because I have my girl, two goats and my dog. I have what I need. Yeah I have won the last few GPs but the championship is the goal."

I do think you need a strong character to reach the top. I say what I think. I will not tell you 'yellow' when I am thinking 'blue' and maybe that is not so appreciated.


Desalle at Lierop - courtesy of Suzuki Racing - Ray Archer image.