Dominator with Ryan Villopoto, Team Kawasaki Monster Energy did not have the same success with its new star Eli Tomac in Supercross.With three outdoor titles since this Sunday, multiple victories in SX since 2016, it is pretty but still insufficient to calm the ardor of tireless men in green led by Dan Fahie.Back in depth on the philosophy of a winning team ...
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Dan Fahie's arrival as senior manager of Racing of Team Kawasaki Monster Energy coincided with the incredible domination of Ryan Villopoto.Between 2011 and 2014, the Greens garnered 4 SX 450 titles and 2 outdoor tracks in a row, bringing the Total of the Team to 12 450 championships over the last 20 years!A harvest that will stop temporarily with the early departure of RV2 and the arrival of Davi Millsaps.Eli Tomac's signature will be decisive for the return of KX-F to the foreground.By bringing back to Team Three places of SX vice-champion and three outdoor titles, Tomac allows the brand to bounce back, without however completely satisfying the hopes placed in him ... After having failed against Cooper Webb in Las Vegas, Eli TomacTaken his revenge in motocross.He signed for two new years at Kawasaki.What give your team time to work even harder ...
Dan Fahie alongside Tomac has a lot to do with the success of Kawa with Villopoto © ODV
Unique organization
Because faced with the perpetual evolution of sport, teams, Kawasaki in mind, can never rest on winning recipes.As Dan Fahie points out, "since 2011, athletes have been different, technology has evolved, communication is more important, and Kawasaki's involvement with competition is stronger than ever.It puts increased pressure… »Over the years, daily tasks in the team have become more and more serious.An evolution that goes in the right direction since it allows you to develop better machines, but which also makes competition more expensive: “20 years ago», recalls Dan, “A guy could land with his little van and hisMotorcycle prepared and hope to win a race.Today is just unthinkable.That time is over and will not come back.If you do not have a factory handlebars, if you are alone in front of an experienced group, you cannot win."To ensure that this team of professionals is effective, the organization of the team must be clearly structured.At Kawasaki, we can even speak of partitions since each driver has his own technical team, supervised by a dedicated workshop manager.Theo Lockwood thus takes care of Joey Savatgy and his mechanic Justin Shanie, while following the departure of Mike Williamson, Dan Fahie himself manages Eli Tomac and his regular mechanic Brian Kranz.These are the people who can be seen under the Kawasaki awning on racing days, but to which the KHI engineers must be added and engineers from Showa and Kayaba.It is starting to make a serious team and we understand better why the private people cannot compete ... For his part, Dan has a provisional double cap, but most of his work consists above all in making the link between the team and thehead quarter."I am responsible for making plans, to present them to group officials, to obtain the funds that allow us to run in good conditions," he explains."We make long -term forecasts that we talk about with the president of the company.Our sums currently preparing the 2023-2024 season… »
Dominator in outdoor, Tomac would like to do the same in SX © ODV
Plan, this consists in detecting young talents, if possible within the amateur team Green, to integrate them within the Pro Circuit team before possibly making them a place under the awning of the team team.But the places are expensive because there are only two 450 handlebars and a star pilot, Eli Tomac, who signed to stay.Joey Savatgy, who went from PC to Kawasaki Monster Energy, followed the green sector until its end.His good results in SX have exceeded the team's expectations, to the point of seeing Joey devoted "Rookie of the Year" by the AMA."He had never done shopping in 450," comments Dan, "he found himself on a motorcycle under development, and despite this, he managed to qualify for the best pilots in the world andrespect.He has established a reputation as a hard to cook, and he did a great job this year.We couldn't ask him more! »The integration of Joey into the team was done without problem, and the fact that Savatgy helped Tomac win the million dollars at the Monster Cup 2018 certainly helped."Eli and Joey get along well," admits their team manager."They are not friends, but that's not what they are asked.We want them to be polite, and as they have respect for each other, it goes well."So there's a question of obliging the two Kawa pilots to train together, as KTM does with Aldon Baker does.Everyone therefore has their coach and rolls on their side, a strategy that according to Fahie, corresponds to the personality of Tomac: “What they do at Baker, with Musquin, Cooper, Anderson and Osborne rolling together, this implies a lot of compromisefrom pilots.Of course, this common training pushes them to give the best of themselves and pulls them up, and one might think that it is the way to follow for everyone and that training alone in their corner isa disadvantage.But it all depends on the personality of the pilots.We know all these people who absolutely want to beat the one with whom they are, whether it is playing darts, making a game of billiards or keeping your breathing underwater ... this is the case for someChampions, but not Eli.He is not trying to be the center of attention.He needs to have a program, to work hard and to do his best on shopping day.Training with others during the week to beat them at all costs, it does not correspond to your mentality.We see him on the podium elsewhere: as soon as the cameras are no longer pointed at him, he stops smiling because for him, it's over.He goes to his motorhome talk with his parents, and he is happy to share it with them.It is not that he defends himself from showing his emotions to the public, it is just that he does not want to be in the spotlight.»
Communication and data
With pilots with such different characters from one year to the next, you have to know how to adapt and find the means to communicate with the pilots is the key to success. “Ce n’est pas propre à un team», explique Dan."As soon as there are two people who seek to communicate, the same difficulties appear.We all have a different language, even if we speak the same language!There is a lot of interpretation to do in a relationship, whatever it is and a word used in a certain context can have a different meaning.We apply the same logic with our pilots and we try to interpret what they mean exactly, beyond the words used.» L’acquisition de données, popularisée ces dernières années dans tous les teams, semblerait rendre ces aller-retours entre ingénieurs, team managers et pilotes un peu superflus.But this is not at all the case, quite the contrary.The numbers displayed on the computers screen do not say why a pilot cannot turn. “Lorsqu’ils rentrent sous l’auvent et nous confient leurs impressions», explique le chef d’ailier de Tomac, “on essaie de récupérer un maximum d’informations brutes.We consider that the pilot is right about his feelings, but that it is the responsibility of analyzing the situation and finding solutions.If a pilot cannot turn, he is not told that it is his fault.We are looking in data concerning suspensions, hunting angles, the engine response.We have little time to do this between the tests so you have to know what we are looking for.These are not gross digital data but correspondence between data.When you have an idea, you submit it to the pilot.If it doesn't work, we get back to work on the next test session.If it works, you have to remember the interpretation that was done to go faster the next time you hear the same thing.»
If the KX-F 2018 gave full satisfaction, the team has spent a good part of the winter and the start of the SX season to develop the KX-F 450 model 2019.According to Dan, this is not a waste of time: "We wanted to improve the existing motorcycle.We lacked a spring fork or an electric starter for example.But the simple addition of a starter implies a profound modification of the motorcycle: new cars, new centering of the masses ... The pilots roll every day, and if we change the aluminum screws for titanium they notice it, when it does notnot see.Suffice to say that with a brand new model, it takes time to adapt, and we also need time to understand how to help them.It is a process of normal evolution and it suits me because if you lose a little time, it allows you to take great steps forward.» Avec des pilotes aussi sensibles au moindre changement, il est évident que les séances de testing pourraient s’éterniser au point de compromettre l’entraînement.This is why Kawasaki sometimes calls on pilots dedicated to testing, as was the case last year with Tyler Bowers.During the development phases, the test pilot will help the team understand how each modification affects the behavior of the machine."It is a question of defining the sensitivity of the motorcycle to the changes that can be made, whether it be tires or special parts, and know what are the settings that are really sensitive.The Rider test tries almost everything and postpones the difference in terms of feeling.In this way, when one of our pilots issues the same opinions on a session, we know what elements it relates and how to react.For example, it doesn’t matter if Eli doesn’t like the way Bowers set the motorcycle, as long as we know how to help Eli once he gave us his.It is not up to the pilot to adapt to the motorcycle.An athlete at the top of its form will go as quickly as the motorcycle allows it, then it will reach the limit.It is then to give us a remedy, so that the pilot can go even faster and reach a new limit.It is an infinite cycle, a permanent evolution.Last year, Tyler worked a lot with Joey and I think this is one of the reasons why Savatgy was able to adapt so quickly to the motorcycle.» Aujourd’hui, si la KTM SX-F sert d’étalon en terme de légèreté, Dan considère que la KX domine en terme de feeling : “C’est une moto sur laquelle on ressent énormément les choses.When Eli went up for the first time on the serial model, this is the first thing he noticed, and it matters a lot for us.Our clutch for example has the touch of a cable clutch, very progressive, while it is hydraulic.We managed to have a natural feeling that makes the motorcycle easy to pilot.»
Manage pressure
But the motocross is not just a technical sport.It is also a sport where the mind plays an important role.In addition to having possible frustrations with the settings or the results in the race, the pilots must manage the pressure of the media and the fans, undergo the routine of an exhausting training ... with the premature departures of Villopoto and Dungey or more recentlyStewart's revelations explaining that he can no longer bear the pressure to have to win at all costs, there is another challenge for a prestigious team accustomed to dominating. Pour Dan Fahie, la pression peut toutefois surgir là où on ne l’attend pas : “Si James Stewart a été si exceptionnel,» argumente-t-il, “c’est parce ce qu’il s’est appliqué à lui-même une énorme pression.He was demanding with himself.All the great champions react in the same way.They only win races to satisfy their own thirst to defeat, not to obey those around them.The pressure comes from the inside, and that's why it is so tiring.And of course, there are other circumstances that can influence the results: the way of thinking evolves, the body can change and drop you, we get older ... But in the end, it is this constant pressureathlete.If we take former Presidents of the United States, whether Obama, Bush or Clinton, we can see that after 8 years at the White House they have aged twenty-five years ...'is not at the same level of importance as presidential function, but for these athletes, it is the same thing.Our role is of course to help them, knowing when to release the pressure if they find it difficult to endure it or when, on the contrary, add it if they have better results under pressure.It is up to us to understand how each driver works and build a program according to their needs.» Ce programme peut prendre un moment à se mettre en place, car acquérir cette connaissance intime des pilotes prend souvent plusieurs années. C’est une des raisons pour laquelle le team n’a pas hésité à signer Tomac pour encore plusieurs saisons, ou à prendre Savatgy qui vient de la filière “green» et connaissait déjà toutes les personnes du team.It is also a logical decision in terms of marketing, fans quickly associating the pilots and the brand, which benefits the two parties.
Reste qu’avec tout ce travail de préparation, ces efforts, cette volonté et ce talent, les verts n’ont remporté “que» le titre outdoor.The supercross, the most prestigious and most coveted title, continues to escape them.Dan does not see it as inevitable, but does not explain it either: "The only thing I know is that we do our best.There is no difference in the way we work during the SX season and the months of outdoor.We apply the same methods, the same ideas, use the same pieces.I don't know why it worked so well in MX so far. J’aimerai le savoir, vraiment…» Du côté d’Eli, beaucoup de choses ont changé récemment, à commencer par le fait qu’il ne vit plus avec ses parents mais avec son amie.Which does not make it easier on a daily basis."Eli is one of those rare pilots who have the potential to win each race on which they line up.He expects to win and, when this is not the case, he will ask us for accounts.I never get angry with a pilot who blames me for not having won, because I know that it is the result that was expected.When our pilots do not win, our job is to find solutions, not to criticize athletes.Kawasaki bosses have the same attitude.They have invested a lot of money in the program and expect results.If they don't have them, they ask us to explain to us.But they don't want to hear an apology.They want to know how we are going to improve things.»
This humility in the face of the pilots and this permanent questioning could have broken more than one team.But whether it is Brian Kranz, faithful mechanic of tomac or Dan Fahie, we feel on the contrary the same pride and the same excitement of having Eli by their side for another seasons.The fact that he gives everything he has on the track seems to galvanize his troops, which for their side without counting to ensure the best possible material."Each fiber of his body is used to win on a cross bike, and that is what he is working.From our point of view, it's great, and that's what we can ask for better. C’est ce que j’apprends à mes enfants», conclut Dan Fahie."No one can ever blame you for giving your maximum.»
By Olivier de Vaulx
