A former EMX250 champion, MX2 and MXGP rider, Mathys Boisrame has had different priorities the past few years as the focus has been on racing in the French Elite series. This year he has also started to race Supercross and that is something we are going to see more often moving forward.
Kevin Frelaud from DailyMotocross caught up with the French rider after Paris Supercross to discuss a range of topics…
Mathys, you finished sixth in your first Paris Supercross. Good starts, a few mistakes, good speed. I imagine that there is still a very positive assessment to be made of this weekend for you.
Boisrame: Yes, it’s very positive. I started Supercross in July, and I did my SX track in September. So, it’s true that everything is relatively new for me, Paris too. I did three Supercross this summer – outdoors – and it didn’t really go as I would have liked, but I gained experience. There was really only one race where I was able to finish a final, in Brienon, so I didn’t really have any perspective on the pace I had, enough experience, all that. There, I came to Paris with a weak point, the whoops; I knew it.
I was in Stuttgart last weekend, and I had a big crash on the first day. It really dried me out, and I wasn’t really comfortable. In Paris, I arrived in a different frame of mind; I wanted to take the weekend as it came, improve, and finish on a good note.
On Saturday, I started off calmly, especially in the whoops. And then slowly, I got into my rhythm during the weekend. In terms of results, I finished 3rd in a heat, I finished 4th and 6th twice; that’s not bad. The only downside was the first heat today [Sunday] where I crashed and finished 13th. That distorted my result a bit. But today, we’re not going to ask for more; I’m happy with what I did.
Despite your little experience in Supercross, you are already practically able to battle with guys who have been doing it for a long time. Specializing in the discipline, is that something you are thinking about for the future?
Boisrame: Yes, of course, it’s something I’m thinking about, especially for next year. Today, we’re in Paris, and we’re going to finish the Supercross season, which wasn’t planned. Basically, I had enduro in my program with Husqvarna; that’s how it was planned. But in Enduro, I didn’t particularly enjoy it this year, we weren’t where we wanted to be. We decided to change our plans a bit with Eric [Bernard], the team and my partners; we discussed about Supercross. It’s something I’ve been preparing quietly. And it’s true that preparing to do a Motocross & Supercross season next year would be really interesting.
I would like to come back to this period with KRT and your MXGP ride at the end of 2021. Finally, it was entrusted to someone else for 2022. Afterwards, you wandered a bit, and it was hard to follow your journey. Can we say that at one point, you became disillusioned with MXGP, and more generally with the high level?
Boisrame: Honestly, yes. I was really lost in everything at that time. Being thrown out of the MXGP World Championship like that, it disgusted me a little. I had to take a step back. Obviously, being thrown out like that, knowing that I had still had good results with KRT, it was complicated…. KRT, it was a crazy team with [Thierry Chizat] Suzonni; it was incredible to work with them.
They are really guys who know what they want and they work like crazy. They had put me in very good conditions. I think that the decision not to keep me was above them, that it was not their choice. Kawasaki made another choice, different, and I kind of took the exit door. I had offers to continue in MXGP, but I wanted a factory bike because I wanted to perform.
So, I preferred to take the exit door rather than flounder in Grand Prix, like those who are in satellite teams where it is very quickly complicated. But it was really a difficult decision to make. We had a hard time, I had a hard time.
Afterwards, I did a bit of what I could with my partners. I had a bike loaned by CBO & BOS. We worked a bit like that, but it was a bit of a makeshift; so not great. At the beginning of February 2022, I was called to ride the Red Bull KTM bike. It was a crazy opportunity, which you can’t refuse. It didn’t go the way I wanted. An injury right from the start; I wasn’t ready, and not particularly in the right frame of mind. From there, and all year long, the exit door became more real than ever.
Taking the exit door was very complicated. But I managed – with the help of Husqvarna and Eric Bernard who were there to support me – to get going again. So, that’s why today, I’m really feeling good on the Husqvarna.
A GP comeback with a decent offer, is that something you would consider? Or is it the end of your GP career?
Boisrame: No, for me, it’s over. Just recently, I had an offer to return to MXGP for next year, 2025. I had something, but racing in MXGP is not a dream at all for me today. When we see the empty grids, and we know that they take us for chimpanzees, numbers…
What I do today, I really love. I ride a bike, I train, I look after a young rider in my structure. We work well like that. I have no pressure, I can coach from time to time because I got my diploma last year. I love my life: I look after my structure, my equipment and the team I have, it’s great. It’s well structured, it’s a bit like family, friends. In fact, that’s the only way it works, and that’s also how we have great seasons like this year.
Did you happen to read the latest interview with David Luongo that aired?
Boisrame: Oh my… I read between the lines. But hey, just when you see the name, it really doesn’t make you want to read. We know very well that for them, we are numbers. It’s business above all.
We ride on rotten tracks, we don’t get paid, and all that goes with it. What they see is that their pockets are filling up and above all, it has to be as fast as possible. They want lots and lots and lots of green bills. At the end of the weekend, whether a rider is injured or not, or whether there are only 10 behind the grid, they don’t care. It doesn’t scare them.
Today, they run a business and they only see things through that. They don’t hear the riders, their feelings, their opinions. However, it’s important. We can clearly see during the interviews that we have the same opinions as Jeffrey Herlings and the other riders who ride at a high level. Frankly, it’s crazy.
What is Mathys Boisramé’s daily life like today?
Boisrame: Mathys Boisramé’s daily life? It’s fun. It’s quiet. It’s chill. Right now, it’s winter and I wasn’t really planning on doing Supercross. We still train a little bit for it and we know that the best training is actual racing. That’s why coming to Paris this weekend was super interesting for me, but also great for my partners.
Daily life involves a bit of riding during the week, three times a week. I look after a young rider – Nicolas Duhamel – and that takes up a lot of my time, but I like it. I also look after my bikes, my equipment, and I prepare a bit for next year too.
Today, I’m having fun. That’s the key, my vision of things: having fun. We’ll see what happens next, how it goes.
Looking back, do you take more pleasure in our personal and sporting lives today than when we were at our best in MXGP?
Boisrame: At the moment, yes. I still had some relatively difficult years at F&H. Then I rode for KRT. There, it was really good. It’s a professional team, a top team. I wanted to find that kind of environment, in a way. It was professional, but also family-oriented. Everyone talked, exchanged ideas. Today, there are teams where you have to ride, just ride; they don’t worry about how things are going for you. They want results. In fact, you have to have results. If the rider is not in the best shape, not comfortable on the bike, you still have to try and do the job.
You were back in the French Elite MX series this year. Mathys and Mathis (Valin) animated the championship. You came up a tad short, and you finished vice-champion. What is the assessment of this Elite season?
Boisrame: Yeah, it was a big season. I didn’t expect Mathis at this level knowing that he was coming from the 125, so I was really surprised. And at the same time it was great, because he is the French Elite champion, and the European 250 champion, congratulations to him. Then he will be a new French representative in the world championship next year. Fighting with Mathis was really interesting. I had the experience, he had the youth. Being beaten by Valin, honestly, it was interesting; I really enjoyed riding with him this year.
Of course, there is a little regret not to win, because we are always in this competitive state of mind. But in hindsight, I am happy with my Elite MX2 season, knowing that it was my return in the 250 class. It promises to be good for the future.
Can we know what your 2025 program will look like? We saw you rode in enduro, came back to Elite, now you are doing Supercross. What about the sand races, then? [laughs].
Boisrame: You know what, it was in the works at one point. It’s true that it’s a bit vague. The 2024 season was a bit open to everything, but we’re not going to spread ourselves too thin; we still have to do things right.
Honestly, I can’t talk too much about it. What I can tell you is that it will be racing in the 250 class, there will be the Elite, and we will stay in the Austrian family; I feel good there. I will also take care of Nicolas Duhamel, make him ride the National MX2 and the Elite Championships. It’s a good challenge for me too, as a coach. Training with him is interesting. In itself, I can’t say too much at the moment. But Motocross, Supercross. For sure.
