It is not easy being Jan Pancar in the MXGP paddock. He rocks up to every MXGP round with his dad and races standard equipment against factory riders. Not only that but in between every GP he has to go back to Slovenia so his father can work in between. It’s far from easy but Pancar has done a great job in what was his rookie season in the MXGP World Championship.
After many years in MX2, moving up to MXGP this year was a new challenge and he ended up thirteenth in the championship, a remarkable job all things considered.
We caught up with Pancar to discuss the challenges he has running a privateer effort and much more which you can read, watch or listen to below…
GateDrop: Jan, first of all, let’s go back to your winter. It was a little bit different for you this year because after many years in MX2 you were preparing for your rookie season in MXGP. Just how did your winter go and your first feeling on the 450?
Pancar: Yeah, it was quite different. The 450cc is much stronger but I trained a few trainings with the 350cc and I felt immediately comfortable. So, when I came to the 450cc I was feeling good, you know… Just more power and I was chilling with the bike so the winter went pretty good and yeah, it was good. I was enjoying it.
GateDrop: To me, you’re a smooth rider, you’re not that aggressive so in theory you should suit the 450cc more. Does it feel like that? Although at the same time the level in MXGP certainly isn’t easy…
Pancar: Yeah, I would say it suits me more than the 250cc. So yeah, I’m more like a calculated guy, smooth and not so aggressive. So, the more powerful 450cc suits me better so I would say it’s better for me. But for sure I think there are more top guys in MXGP so it’s not easy to be top 10 all the time.
GateDrop: Just what’s it like in MXGP compared to MX2? I mean, as you said, the level is very high in MXGP but at the same time I feel like there’s maybe, because everyone’s a little bit more experienced, there’s maybe a little bit more respect out there and MX2, if you get a bad start, maybe a bit more chaos?
Pancar: Yeah, it’s kind of chaos everywhere. It’s just everyone wants to be in front so it’s not easy in MX2 or MXGP but yeah, I would say they have a bit more experience. It’s harder to pass them so if you get a bad start it’s for sure much harder.
GateDrop: Obviously you’ve got a very very privateer setup, it’s pretty much just you and your father I believe? I mean, I think you deserve a bit more respect what you’re doing, just two people coming to 20 GP’s a year and not only that but being quite competitive, it’s not easy?
Pancar: Yeah, definitely not. We do actually everything alone, even the suspension settings, suspension service, everything. So, for sure, I mean, at least now at the end of the season, I was three times in a row fourth in timed practice, like behind the top guys, so less than a second behind actually. So, I’m pretty close with the speed, just need to get this speed to the races, you know, it’s not easy.
GateDrop: I mean, what’s it like for your dad? Without him, would you even be at doing this? He works in Slovenia, so in between each GP you have to go home, he has to work, sometimes I think you even have to travel yourself to the races and then he meets you there… It must be pretty stressful for him and you must appreciate everything that he does for you?
Pancar: Yeah, it’s definitely stressful for both of us, you know, it’s not easy to do his job and then be a mechanic, then we train and everything, going to the races, the travelling… it’s definitely not easy, so definitely it’s my top priority to come to a factory team, so it’s going to be easier for both of us.
GateDrop: Obviously you do fly aways as well, when you go to the fly aways, it’s pretty much only factory guys that go, a lot of people probably think you’re crazy, you know, going from Slovenia to do this as a privateer, what’s it like and do you get that much support? I mean, I think Infront, give you so much weight and I think it’s very stressful to try and keep it within that weight, so at least you get your bikes there for free sort of thing?
Pancar: Yeah, kind of. I go to the sponsors at the beginning of the season and I say I go to all the races and they respect that and that’s why they support me and if I say I go to all the races, I go to all the races, even if it’s expensive. So, for now it goes pretty good, so it’s definitely much more work with organising everything, I have to send all the emails and stuff, so yeah, it’s not easy but it’s like an experience, so it’s not so bad.
GateDrop: A lot of people think, you know, if you’re not racing a factory bike, you don’t make money, any money at all in MXGP, but I think probably due to sponsors and stuff like that, you do make a little bit of money, but obviously I’m sure you want to earn more and really make a job out of this, so it’s not just you and your dad?
Pancar: Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to make money for sure, but yeah, if you have the good sponsors behind you, you can make some, but of course you cannot be rich from it. Yeah, it’s a tough sport, you know, top guys in the factory teams, they have pretty good money, but if you’re not there, it’s really difficult. So yeah, I hope the sport is growing more and even the privateer guys can live by the racing.
GateDrop: Is there anything you’d like the organisers to change to help guys like you to stay in the sport? I mean, prize money for a start, is there anything else that you’d like to see change?
Pancar: I mean, I think if there is some prize money, it would be much better, like probably something like they have in the U.S. It’s just, you know, even the 20 guys get pretty good money, so it’s then it is much easier to get even for the transport, you know, at least that is good, so yeah, I would hope that can happen, but we will see.
GateDrop: Obviously you go back to Slovenia, pretty much between each GP, most of them anyway, I mean, what’s it like in Slovenia, are there that many tracks to ride, and I’m assuming all the tracks are hard pack, so you don’t get to ride that much sand, which must make the sand GP’s very tough?
Pancar: Yeah, we have some good tracks, I mean, it’s not so important that it’s like big jump and stuff, it’s important that they rip the track, that the track is like hard to ride, so it’s not bad. I train sometimes with Tim, so that’s good too, but yeah, we have zero sand tracks, the closest sand track is like three hours away or even more, so yeah, we don’t train that much in sand, and of course then it’s not so easy.
GateDrop: I was going to ask you about Tim, obviously I think his track is the other side of Slovenia, but you do get to go there sometimes I think and ride, what’s that like going there to ride, and obviously you ride closely with Gajser, what’s that like, obviously it must help putting the laps in with him?
Pancar: Yeah, of course, I mean, when we go, it’s not so close, almost two hours, but we train together. We do like always 30 minutes moto’s, and it’s just, I try to be as close as possible to him, he tries to be as further away from me, and I think it works for us.
GateDrop: Just on the future, I mean, I assume you would like a winter, you know, maybe based in Belgium, that would probably be the dream in terms of improvement, because your hard pack is already good, but obviously if you’re staying in the same team and stuff, that’s probably not going to happen…
Pancar: Yeah, it’s difficult, you know, my dad doesn’t have the time, and yeah, I will try this year to go for a few weeks, at least to Sardinia. Maybe I go alone or get someone to go with me, so I get a little bit more training in the sand, because I think that’s my weak point for now. So yeah, if I can be good in sand or hard pack and be in the top 10, I think I can be really competitive.
GateDrop: Have you got any offers for next year, what’s it looking like? I mean, I’m not sure what you have to do to get a team, so fingers crossed in the future you can get one, and it’ll be a little bit easier for you…
Pancar: It’s not easy to get a factory team, you know, a lot of good riders in MXGP. Yeah, I’ve got some offers, but I don’t know yet anything. But yeah, it looks like it’s going to be the same as next year.
GateDrop: In terms of maintaining this and sustainability, do you think you’ll be able to do this long term with the structure you’re currently in? Because it must be pretty difficult…
Pancar: I mean, yeah, for now for sure, at least one year, maybe two, but much longer than that, I think it’s too much. So yeah, it’s definitely a goal, and next year I’ll do as good as possible to get on a factory team.
GateDrop: Perfect, thank you very much and good luck.
