It’s all change for VRT as after running the official KTM EMX250 team for one year, they have decided to make the move to Yamaha. The team will be running official Yamaha machinery with a very strong rider line up to take on the EMX250 series with the Reisulis Brothers and Ivano van Erp.
Kevin Frelaud from DailyMX caught up with the VRT team owner, Mickael Vrignon to discuss the switch and was kind enough to send us the interview for publication.
Mickael; I would like to come back to the 2022 season where you had Brunet, Braceras and Guyon. At the time, I think you already had help from KTM?
Vrignon: In fact, I had already had help from KTM for 6 years. With KTM France at the beginning, and then with Austria afterwards. The year when Tom Guyon was French champion, European vice-champion and 125 world vice-champion – 2019 – we had direct assistance from Austria. We had equipment and a few parts.
Becoming an official team, what has that changed in concrete terms for 2023?
Vrignon: Basically, we had semi-factory engines, the riders were signed directly with the KTM factory and we had a little more help with parts and equipment. We had Ferruccio Zanchi who was based in Italy and he was coached by Jacky Vimond. Pierre Alexandre Renet took care of Marc-Antoine here in France.
What conclusions can we draw from this 2023 season? It was a first season as an official KTM team for VRT.
Vrignon: We made a big change last year with the structure. We had to try to organize ourselves a little better, we had cleaner hospitality at the races, we better organized our trucks, our servants, we put in a workshop manager… We structured everything like a Factory team in fact. Pierre Alexandre Renet also took on his role as coach and it worked well. It must be said that we also had good riders, so the results arrived very quickly.
When you do a European 250 season, we know that it is a development category and that the riders don’t stay very long. Did you expect Ferruccio & Marc-Antoine to only stay for a year?
Vrignon: Originally, Marc-Antoine and Ferruccio were planned for two years with us but inevitably, and given the results they brought back, they had to leave at the end of the first season. I’m quite happy because Marc-Antoine is going to a Factory team and Ferruccio should go to another official team normally. It’s quite a good thing, it means that the job was done correctly with us. For us, that’s even the goal. This is what I proposed to KTM; we are here to prepare young people for the brand and help them develop.
How was this rapprochement with KTM made in 2023?
Vrignon: At the time, since I had been working with KTM for a long time and Tom (Guyon) had had good results, I contacted them. We were on the same wavelength and from year to year, we discussed a little more to see what more we could do, we proposed things to them; I saw a bit of what was happening at Yamaha on the other side and the idea was to do the same with them.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but did we expect KTM to reward us a little more following this great European 250 season?
Vrignon: This is a complicated subject to approach. Today I can say that this change was not originally planned. Normally, we had a contract until 2024 with KTM. This brand change was my wish.
And finally, how did it happen with Yamaha? We thought it was going to be done with JWR and shortly before the nations, we heard that it was VRT which was going to take over the contract with Hutten.
Vrignon: I knew that there was a place available at Yamaha to be an official team for the Europe 250 series and this place interested me. Today, I know that we are a serious team in the Europe 250. This year, it was between us and Hutten; we were the only two teams really structured to be able to claim the title. Knowing that Hutten was taking over Yamaha’s MX2 program, there was only VRT on the list and I made sure to talk to the right people at the right time.
What made you decide to go to Yamaha, rather than stay with KTM?
Vrignon: Theis too, it’s a bit complicated [laughs]. It is especially at the level of human relations. At Yamaha, there are people with whom I get along well; there is Loic (Le Foll) who I have known for years. We were riding motorcycles together at the time, and it’s only two hours from my house; There are many things that made me make this decision. At Yamaha, it is well structured with the Europe 125 via MJC, the Europe 250, the world MX2 and the world MXGP with separate entities. When you go into the paddock, it’s clean, the four teams are well identified, everything is aligned. It’s been like this for years and there’s loyalty; Loic Le Foll has been there for around ten years. That’s what interested me the most for the future, especially since they have motorcycles that work very hard. A few years ago, this wasn’t really the case but today, they have real racing bikes and they have set up 4 official teams: it’s not quite the same within other brands .
I had the opportunity to do an interview with Tim Mathys from Standing Construct. He said that being a Factory team was above all a lot of constraints. Do you share this observation?
Vrignon: No, not necessarily. Today, being a factory team necessarily means being accountable because you work for a brand and no longer for yourself. If you are asked to do development, you do development. If you’re asked to do marketing at some point, you have to do marketing. It becomes a business and you have to run it like a business.
My goal, from next year, is to see Pierre-Alexandre take the place of full-time team manager to manage the team from A to Z. I will be present as owner of team to organize the structure, spend time with the partners, lend a hand in the workshop if necessary but I want Pela to manage. Today, without partners, no team. I would like to be able to spend more time with my customers, my suppliers, my partners, and bring them into this world of motorcycling, explain to them how it works and to do that, I need time.
Keeping Pierre-Alexandre Renet, was that one of your requirements to go to Yamaha?
Vrignon: Yes. Anyway, I didn’t want to do anything without him; I had a contract that lasted another year with Pela. Today, we get along well and I have confidence in him; I know he’s serious. Why break that? It wasn’t easy because Pela spent almost his entire career within the Austrian group, but he liked this new challenge. The young people we will have for next year are holding their own: the two Reisulis brothers and also Ivano Van Erp; They are still very good riders. This structure at Yamaha has been in place for years, and we see that it works. They win European championship titles almost every year. Today, the crux of the matter remains winning races. Next year, Loic Le Foll is also bringing back three youngsters, they won’t break everything in the first year but within two years, I’m sure they will be ahead. Given that Loic and his structure are not far away, that we have Pierre Alexandre here, the idea is also to be able to all sit around the table and observe the young people to find good riders to join MJC to see them, in the future, come to us.
Did you discuss the program implemented at Yamaha with Loic? Is this also what led you to sign with them for 2024 & 2025?
Vrignon: Yes. We are quite close and we were able to talk at length. He explained to me how it worked at Yamaha, and I was able to explain to him how it worked on the other side. Naturally, I wanted to seize this opportunity.
What changes will this require within the VRT team? There will be foreign pilots: they will be based in France, VRT will be based elsewhere?
Vrignon: We will have the competition workshop which will still be based in Sables d’Olonne (France), and we will also have a workshop in Holland, a new site. There will be the engine manufacturers in Holland and the riders will come to Holland once, to France once, to Pela once, to Spain or Sardinia during the winter depending on our program, etc. The idea is also to train with Hutten and the official MX2 riders as much as possible, so that there is significant emulation. For us, it will require us to change a few small things, but apart from repainting the trucks, changing the decor of the semi-trailer… It’s still aesthetics and a little organization. Having a second building in Holland will help us.
Did you manage to keep your staff for next season?
Vrignon: I kept my teams. We strengthened our staff via Yamaha with engine builders, people who already know Yamaha well because I have never had a Yamaha team. The last time I had a Yamaha was back when I was still riding on sand. Otherwise, we are supported by Yamaha for the transition.
There is no French Elite MX2 planned for your riders in 2024?
Vrignon: No. Today, we are going to do preparation races but it is Pierre Alexandre who will decide if we do the opening round of the Frence Elite, if we do Lacapelle-Marival, if we do the opening of the Italian championship. I saw the calendar and I think that between July and August, there is not much so between two Europeans, maybe we will do a few MX2 GP races like this year with Marc-Antoine. Everything really depends on the needs that the riders will have, on the nature of the events that will be included in the program. We adapt our planning according to Europe; our priority is to go for the title in Europe.
Janis, Karlis and Ivano, are these riders that you already followed a little? We have the impression that this new association happened quickly, and that you quickly found yourself with 3 new riders…
Vrignon: I was able to meet little Van Erp a little, he was with Loic Le Foll before. I have already met the Van Erp family even if I have never talked more than that with them. The Reisulis brothers, I meet them like that in the paddock but I don’t know them personally. We’re going to meet all these little people soon and chat with everyone. We talked quite a bit with the coaches, the agents… The young people want a motorcycle that works and can go to training; at that age they don’t ask too many questions.
The Reisulis brothers are based in Latvia, they have a mechanic there. You know, winter passes quickly, it’s already mid-October. Mid-November, we’re going to try to get them to ride with us for 3 weeks, then they’ll go home before coming back to ride with us for a bit around the Christmas period. In January, we will do 3 weeks/1 month in Sardinia or Spain; it will depend on the weather, the conditions, the testing to be planned. Everything is falling into place as we speak; we have a lot of video meetings to organize in the coming weeks, a lot of planning, preparation and organization. The goal is to do this as best as possible.
For you who want to manage everything that is sponsors & organization, you also find yourself having to manage a change of brand, to build a new shop in Holland, to integrate new staff, and to develop riders living in Latvia, in the the Netherlands…
Vrignon: This is why Pierre Alexandre will take on the role of team manager, he will work on all of this 100%. It’s no longer the same for me. I also have one of my old mechanics coming back – Scott. He’s been to the USA, he’s worked in Factory teams, he worked at Fantic last year so he knows the Yamaha well since it’s the same bike. Today, I surrounded myself with people who had experience. In fact, it’s like my masons in my company. Today, I’m not there holding their hands when they have to put up concrete blocks; they know how to do without me. I tell them to go build a house in a certain place, and they will build it. A team is run like any business; you have to organize yourself, discuss, find time because everything cannot be put in place in five minutes. I’m not worried, whether the bike is blue or orange, you have to do the same thing.
Hutten Metaal did the job with European titles with Benistant (2020), Elzinga (2022) and Bonacorsi (2023). Your role will be to bring back the title next year, not to come third…
Vrignon: It’s certain, the goal next year will be to bring back a title but with our three young riders, there is enormous potential and I have no doubt about their abilities. When you line up three, it’s not the same thing either.
Janis was impressive at the nations on the 250…
Vrignon: Yes, and be careful because you should know that he had only ridden the bike three times before. He didn’t have time to ride, to do testing and he arrived at the nations like that at the age of 15. It’s promising, I think he’s a future champion. Now it’s like everything; you will have to take the time to get to know him, to prepare a motorcycle correctly for him. We saw this year what he was capable of doing… You just have to look at the last round of the year in England, you can see that he is a very determined boy. Behind him, things were still going quite a bit, but he was going very, very fast.
You started the VRT adventure in 2016. How do you view the progress made with your structure in recent years? Few French structures have been able to obtain factory support and win races.
Vrignon: I think I got there because I also knew how to take risks. Today for example, I am changing brands. A lot of people would have said “no, no, we’re here and we’re moving on”. I wanted to change, I wanted to go to Yamaha. It was also a new challenge. In life, if you don’t take on new challenges, if you always stay comfortable, you no longer have that adrenaline that you were initially looking for. When I see the team’s journey since the beginning, I tell myself that I invested when it was necessary to invest. I took risks, I hired people and that’s why I’m where I am today. Anyone can do it, but you have to dare.
Years ago, I hired a coordinator, a coach, a manager, a workshop foreman, I built a building, I bought a semi-trailer. I invested a lot of money to get here and today the goal is to win the races. I love this competition and it’s only what motivates me. My pleasure is not to look good in the paddock when I go for a walk; I want to win races.
In the medium to long term. Is it always young people who are the objective where you would eventually aim to move up to the world level?
Vrignon: No, I don’t claim to be able to compete in the world financially. The budgets are much larger at the world level and the work we do with young people suits me well. You should know that it’s already a lot of work. 15 races per year between EMX events and the off-season is already quite a lot. We will already be doing this for a few years and we will discuss it again later but for the moment, it is not on the program. Me, I want to do the long term with Yamaha and follow the movement, that is to say do what MJC did, what Kemea did, what Hutten did.
Before I heard that VRT was moving to Yamaha, I heard that Cas Valk was destined to end up at VRT KTM in 2024. Can you comment?
Vrignon: Yes, it was planned like that. We had pushed with KTM for him to sign; and we signed him with KTM. We were supposed to do the 2024 season together but suddenly… [laughs]. I made the decision to change direction at the last moment and it didn’t happen. I know Cas went to Shaun Simpson, I knew he had a fallback there; It’s a shame but that’s how it is. Cas Valk is a very good rider and in 2024, we will finally have to fight against the boy we found for our team [laughs].
Interview: Kevin Frelaud/DailyMX
Main image: MX July
