Fred Jousseaume: Hi Jordan, will you provide us with a short introduction for those who do not know you.
Jordan Curvalle: Hello, my name is Jordan Curvalle, I am 27 years old, I recently started my third racing season and this is my second on the Sherco 250. This year presents a new challenge for me since I am racing in the Spanish league.
FJ: This is your second season on the Sherco Se2.5i-F, how do you like the bike ?
JC: : The first season we started off with a blank sheet of paper with Philippe and Alain Lionel, in mid season we decided to freeze the bike design and finish the season as it was, because it is difficult to race each time with a different setup which was the case in early 2009. At the end of the season, we went right to work and we did a lot of testing in October and November. I can now say that we believe that we know what works and what we still need to work on in order to make the necessary changes to see real improvement in the design.
FJ: This year you are competing in the Spanish Championship in E1, why ?
JC: With the addition of Fabien to the team, it did not make sense to have two riders of the official mark competing in the same national championship, Mark had the idea to boost the Spanish market and suggested I do the Spanish league, I found that very exciting so here I am.
FJ: What are your hopes after 4 races ?
JC: All championships have their own qualities, and the championship of Spain has its own, the stages are different than what you can find in France, more battered, and atypical. Since the start of the season I have always placed on the podium, I am currently locked into second place behind Victor Guerrero. The racing is already very fast worldwide, but it is even more so in Spain and he happens to be able to beat riders like Cervantes in scratch races. I still have two races left and hope to at least maintain my second place position.
FJ: What about the world championship ?
JC: The start of the season went very well for me, I was always very consistent and placed in the top 10. The races in Poland / Slovakia did not go so well because of a physical problem, but I am nevertheless in 9th place in the provisional standings and only a few points out of 8th place.
FJ: A quick note to the readers of Sherco News.
JC:I would like to thank all my sponsors who have supported me this season and all my fans.
After the disappointment of the Hell's Gate where the public allowed Dougie Lampkin the victory over Graham Jarvis, the Romaniacs allowed Graham to flaunt all of his fighting spirit.
The first day, which was run in extremely difficult conditions, saw Graham Jarvis take a 40 minute lead over the second place Birch and a 1 hour 23 minutes lead over the third place Lettenbichler. Unfortunately a mechanical problem would cost him two hours of penalties on the second day.
But Graham Jarvis would not admit defeat. After the race, he was only 28 minutes and 41 seconds behind the winner, Chris Birch.
Although not the luster of a victory, Graham Jarvis fought a great race at the controls the Sherco Se3.0i-F.
Fred Jousseaume: Hello David, after a Dakar that was both beautiful and dramatic (a great beginning and a thunderous "beast" of a crash) and half way through the rally season you are leading the championship in the 450 class, how do you feel today ?
David Casteu: Today all of the races are hotly contested. Aprilia, BMW, KTM etc. all arrive in force. For the first year of existence of a true World Rally Championship team, after three titles of vice-champion, to be ahead with the Sherco feels really great.
In addition to Dakar there are five championship races on the schedule. We do a great job of development. It is not easy, but it is one of the pleasures of working with a "small" manufacturer rather than working with one the big teams from KTM, BMW etc.
FJ: And how is your injury ?
DC: My injury still causes me great pain, especially with the heat.
But for the Dakar I am in full possession of my physical abilities.
FJ: The 450 class is getting more competitive, how would you compare Sherco to some of the other competitors. What is your impression ?
DC: It is important not to fall asleep. Marc Teissier, the Sherco boss and Didier Tirard understand. The Dakar is a global showcase in which they want Sherco to shine.
BMW, KTM, Yamaha, Aprilia are all investing a lot and have been involved for several years. We only have one year racing the Sherco, in that year we have garnered a lot of experience, the bike is really the focal point.
FJ: You have spoken very highly of the rally Estoril / Portimao / Marrakesh do you think this test should be included in the World Championship in addition to five already existing ?
DC: It is an extremely well organized rally. From every point of view, range, environment, security ... the Portuguese have given it a lot of substance. This rally should be at the World Championships next year.
FJ: What is your next rally ?
DC: We are leaving soon for Brazil for the "Rally of Sertoes"
FJ: How do you prepare ?
DC: A rally like this has to be prepared for well in advance. We will ride a month before with a gasoline / alcohol similar to what is found there. This rally is very long, 6000 km, 9 days of racing. We have developed a motorcycle specifically for this rally and we will also have the latest engine and chassis.
FJ: You have extended your agreements with the ATI in Nice, could you tell us more ?
DC: The ATI (Automotive Training Institute) in Nice, with the support of the region, the city of Nice and the ICC has decided to continue with the team Casteu based on their experience in the Dakar last year. This year 20 students are involved in the project. The industry body will be integrated into the project through Frank Carbone who will bring his carbon fiber experience to the team. We have also planned sessions during which students will visit the Sherco factory, participate in trials and even make a bivouac.
The experience of last year has been a real success for us, and the students that we took to Dakar remained in the program. Alexander deals with motorcycle training, he is also with me during the tests and non-championship races. He also has the responsibility of keeping spare parts available
FJ: A quick note to subscribers of ShercoNews
DC: We are participating in a fabulous adventure. A championship is not won by one person. The whole team must be involved. Many people have worked very hard and given their time freely to make this dream come true. I want to share this adventure with all these people and also all those people who love Sherco.
To the " Palau Blau Grana" of Barcelona, Roberto Dueñas, 2m19,pivot of FCB from 1996 till 2005 and Albert Cabestany exchanged their working tools.
Sherco prepares actively a ST6.0 XXXXXXL Size for his future rider.
With the sport season in full swing, Sherco brought together several members of the Sherco Academy programme in La Seu d’Urgell as part of the action plan aimed at helping young riders. This help includes economic aid, advice and training days directed by Lluís Gallach, ex-champion of Spain and currently Albert Cabestany’s right-hand man in competitions at the highest level.
Taking advantage of the fact that the majority of riders were on their way to the European Championships in Andorra, this first get-together was held in La Seu d’Urgell (Lleida), where, over an intense working day, young riders took the opportunity to improve their riding skills under Gallach’s watchful eye and with the cooperation of Daniel del Valle, ex-world trials champion and assistant to Toni Bou.
The day began with a brief session of technical checks and tuning of the machines before the dynamic session got under way. This session took the form of an overview of the basic tasks to be performed on the bike before any event, whether it be training or competition, and involved checking aspects such as the greasing of moving parts, positioning of controls, tyre pressure, adjusting suspension, etc..
Lluís Gallach outlined the work programmed for the day, with the whole morning being devoted to practical exercises on the motorbike, such as balancing, positioning, approach to obstacles, transitions, resources,emergencies, etc.
After performing each exercise, Lluís Gallach gave each participant advice on how to rectify or improve each action, thereby enabling them to make steady progress in overcoming increasingly difficult obstacles. In the afternoon participants in this first Sherco Academy training day carried out a simulated trial, with marked areas and scoring, where they were able to apply the lessons learned in the morning session.
Lluís Gallach expressed his satisfaction with the student's progress: “The most important thing for them is their desire to learn. In some cases we have only corrected small concepts and the improvement has been noticeable. Sometimes there were small details that they considered unimportant, and we have managed to make them realise that these also count, and even more so when the results are
positive in practice”.
The Officiel Team In The Catalonian "Endurades" Championship
Le whole team
Albert Cardona
Ramon Quer
Andalousian Enduro Championship
May 29,in Antas, engaged in the "SeniorA" championship, The number 10 Davis Garcia ends 6th and the number 5 Salvador Mata ends 8th. In the "Senior C" championship, Carlos Ortiz number 426 ends 6th.
Speed Hill Climbs in Gattières - France
Julien Dat
Julien Giauffret
Julien Dat
Julien Giauffret
Julien Dat (# 211) ends 8th and Julien Giauffret (# 213) 13th in class 3. The are member of the MOTOCLAN team, Sherco dealer in Nice (06)
