Interview: JJ Luisetti on joining BOS GP and their impressive factory


It’s recently been announced that JJ Luisetti has returned to the MXGP paddock after signing with the BOS GP team – a new team in the paddock for the 2018 season.

The BOS team have done a good job in MXGP so far with Evgeny Bobryshev as he has plenty of top ten results and that’s impressive for the first year of the team.

JJ Luisetti will be hoping to improve things further and with him signing the team we decided to give him a call to get his thoughts.

Gatedrop: It’s recently been made official that you’ve signed with the BOS GP team to become team manager. Can you talk me through how it came about first of all? 

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JJ Luisetti: I can say that three weeks ago, Olivier Bossard, the boss of the team called me because he wanted me to become manager because he had no manager since the beginning of the year. Some people have helped him such as Pierrick Paget but at the end of the day they aren’t a manager. He called me because I’ve a lot of experience and we found an agreement in maybe four hours because you know my passion for the sport. I want to return to motocross and for me it’s an opportunity to return. It was easy because I want to return and he wants a manager. The deal was pretty easy but the deal was done just before Switzerland. It was discussed for around four hours at a meeting here in Montpellier and took the decision to work with each other. Now the deal is signed for two years with the possibility to renew of course, there’s a possibility.


Gatedrop: Can you tell me a little bit more about BOS and their setup?

JJ Luisetti: To be honest the first thing I had to do with Olivier was to find a deal with a brand. Now I can say that the deal is done with Kawasaki, we will get support from them. It’s not big support but it’s support. They will help us to reach our goal. Our goal is to go between 5-10 positions in MXGP. There is an interest because everyone knows there are four factory team brands and this is clear. The BOS team is a factory team but a factory for suspension. They are leading the Car Rally world championship with Toyota. They have a deal with Toyota to supply suspension so this is a real factory. Last week I visited Toulouse to visit the factory again and I have no words to describe it. It’s so professional and such a nice factory. It’s incredible, there are machines that I saw there that I’ve never saw before. The technology is a very high level, to win at Car Rally world championship – it’s very very difficult and they won.

Click here to see more pics of the factory.

The BOS boss (laughs) goal was to come in MXGP but it’s not the goal to go for the title, we’re not stupid. It’s so strong at the front with Herlings, Cairoli, Desalle and there’s very many good riders. I think we can go for around fifth position with a rider, that’s the goal from the factory and from the boss. We will learn and try to do better in the future. Maybe not next year, but I will have two years to fix everything and then maybe go for the podium. At the end it’s a factory, not with the brand but it’s a factory I saw in Toulouse with factory suspension.

Gatedrop: You’ve worked with Kawasaki for a number of years in MX2, will you be trying to get the team factory engines in the future?

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JJ Luisetti: To be honest, what we done in MX2 will be similar to what we do in MX1. For us it was our technology in MX2 and MX1 will be the same. I don’t think we can get factory stuff from Kawasaki because there’s no factory Kawasaki stuff to get. Kawasaki can give us an engine but it will be standard, there will be no factory parts.

Gatedrop: The news dropped about Jordi Tixier around the same time you were announced that he’d leave the team. I was quite surprised at the time by that, you’ve worked with Jordi in the past, what’s your relationship like with him? 

JJ Luisetti: With him I have a good relationship and to be honest he left the team just before I arrived so I haven’t anything else to say. I don’t know the history but I think that both parties found an agreement to stop. We can’t say that Jordi leaves the team because it was a mutual agreement. They weren’t in the same way with the same ideas and they decided to stop. It was before I arrived, it was before Switzerland and we don’t see him there. He didn’t leave because I arrived, I have a good relationship with him. He spent one year with me, we were fighting for the podiums so I’ve nothing against him, I’m very clear on this. They both decided to stop the relation, I can say maybe he has to go to the end of the year but when the rider is not happy and the team is not happy, there’s only conflict. Maybe it was better to stop because of that.

Gatedrop: You’ve spent a number of years working with younger riders in the MX2 World Championship but next year you’ll work with two more experienced riders in Searle and Bobryshev. What do you expect from them? 

JJ Luisetti: As I said I expect between 5-10 positions. I have not a lot of experience in MX1, it’s true. But remember during four years, two years I had Christophe Pourcel and we fought for the title. After Tommy was too old for MX2 he had to change, he stayed two years with us and in the first year we finished sixth in the championship. The year after he got injured which was a shame but I know a little bit about MX1. I hope that both riders can be between 5-10, MX1 is strong so we will have to work a lot. I also have to work a lot and that’s why I start my contract now. I started in Switzerland so I can work for next year.

Gatedrop: You’ve worked with a lot of riders in the past. What rider would you say has been the best and easiest to work with? 

JJ Luisetti: My choice, you know I can say Tommy. It’s why I sign him for next year. Also, Arnaud Tonus and Ben Townley, those three riders. Tonus was very easy to work with. Also, I can say Dylan Ferrandis. Tommy Searle, Arnaud Tonus, Ben Townley and Dylan Ferrandis. Those are the four riders I have the best relationships with that I’ve worked with in the past.

Gatedrop: Just on next year, will the team possibly sign any EMX250 riders or will the team solely focus on MXGP?

JJ Luisetti: At the moment, the goal is only to have MX1 riders. Actually we have two riders but to be honest we are still in discussion with a third rider because he asked us to come. He’s actually a factory rider and he asked us to come in the team.

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Honestly I can say, what the guys did here in the one year before I arrived is incredible. Olivier and his crew started in January and they’ve done some top tens so it’s incredible. I can say that we won’t have a 250 rider at the moment but maybe a third MX1 rider. I can’t say the name but it’s a factory rider who asked us to come.

Gatedrop: So, if the deal with the third rider does happen, would that be three MXGP riders contesting all twenty rounds of the series? 

JJ Luisetti: Of course, of course. We don’t want that the rider doesn’t ride all of the championship. The goal for Olivier is to go all over the world because he has to show his suspension all over the world. If we go with three riders, it’s that we have the money and that we go for the entire championship.

Gatedrop: What’s your thoughts on the 2019 World Championship calendar, there’s a lot of fly away races and that can be tough on the smaller teams. What’s your thoughts on them and on the calendar as a whole? 

JJ Luisetti: Yes, twenty GP’s is a lot but it’s all over the world. When a team or brand decide to do a championship you have to follow the calendar. Otherwise you don’t go, you have to accept the rule, we can say. The rule is to do all the championship races, of course we can say it’s a lot, I’m stupid if I say no. I prefer to have less expenses but it’s like that. It’s not the teams doing the calendar, it’s Youthstream who do it with the FIM so if a team decides to do the World Championship, we have to do all the rounds. I would prefer 18 rounds because it’s less money but it’s like this, you know what I mean.

Gatedrop: What’s your thoughts on the age rule in the MX2 World Championship? I personally like the age rule but I think U25 would be better.. 

JJ Luisetti: I think they have to cancel this rule because I think it stops some guys because there’s not enough MX1 rides and they could ride in MX2. I think that they need to cancel the 23 years old rule in MX2. I think also that the MX2 class should only be in Europe and then MX1 can be the full championship (twenty rounds). It is my opinion.

Interview: Andy McKinstry