Talking point: Moreau to America – the right decision?
Andy McKinstry: I am not one bit surprised that Brian Moreau has decided to make the jump to America for the 2020 season after he got the opportunity to sign with the Troy Lee Designs KTM. The French rider always dreamed of going to America to race Supercross so it would have been a shock if he turned the deal down.
Is it the right decision? Had he not have crashed so much this year I’d have probably said yes but during his rookie MX2 World Championship season he just crashed too much. Yes, he’s a rookie and these things can happen but I feel Moreau simply crashed too much.
When it comes to crashes, Motocross can be a bit more forgiving than Supercross so I hope for his sake he can cut down on the crashes. I feel like another year in the MX2 World Championship would have been perfect for Moreau to improve on his weaknesses from this year and then make the jump to America in 2021 when he’d be a better rider. Although having said that, who knows if the same TLD KTM offer would still be there at the end of 2020.
When it comes to speed and technique, that shouldn’t be an issue for Moreau but his results really didn’t reflect his speed this year. He had the speed quite easily for a number of top ten results in MX2 at least but only had a handful of top ten moto results despite his speed which is quite disappointing.
One thing that will help Moreau is having fellow French rider, Marvin Musquin on the factory KTM team for tips and some help along the way.
Moreau also only has a two year deal so he’s under a bit of pressure for good results so he can stay around for the 2022 season. If not he might need to think about a return to the World Championship so it’s a shame he couldn’t have secured a longer contract.
It’s going to be important for Moreau to stay injury free and cut out the crashes because if he does that he has the talent to succeed and should improve as the season goes on. After the Supercross season is over, Motocross shouldn’t be an issue for him so if he can keep it on two wheels there’s no reason why he can’t be a consistent top ten rider.
Moreau with his new teammates Pic: Simon Cudby
Jonathan McCready: While Brian Moreau always seemed to have his sights set on the glamour of supercross in the States and certainly has the technique for it, I feel he might have made the jump a year too early.
There is no doubting Brian’s raw talent or his raw speed, he was often in the top ten and even top five in qualifying times in MX2 but he struggled to put mistake free motos together. When the gate dropped he had the pace for top ten at times but mistakes meant he rarely got to really show the true talent he has.
At his young age, just 17, that is to be expected, but 2020 would have been the year you would expect him to start putting it together in Grand Prix – but now he is away to race in America in what will be another year of learning.
Mistakes on a supercross track can be more costly (and painful) than motocross and that extra year of maturing in MX2 might have been the wise option. But when you always wanted to be a supercross rider and you have the option right now on a on a top team, you can see why Moreau is making the move.
It is a slightly left field choice from TLD KTM who have shocked a lot of people with the choice of Moreau, who is not an even an established name in GPs yet, nevermind well-known in the States!
Let’s hope he can learn quickly, avoid injuries and develop into the top rider his natural talent has given him the potential to be. It will be interesting to watch his progress, that’s for sure.
