Yentel Martens may no longer be racing at the highest level himself, but the passion and commitment to motocross is still very much in his blood. As the son of former World Champion Jacky Martens, he’s grown up immersed in the sport and now plays a key role behind the scenes with the JM Honda Racing team. Whether it’s helping riders feel comfortable on race day, supporting their training during the week, or simply offering advice from his own experience, Yentel is fully invested in the team’s success. We caught up with him at the GP of Great Britain to discuss his role within the team, working with the likes of David Braceras, Brent van Doninck, and Noel Zanocz, and what it’s like helping a privateer effort compete against factory-backed opposition.
GateDrop: Yentel, obviously your dad has been running this very successful team for a very long time, can you just talk me through a little bit about your role and how you help him and the team?
Martens: You know I just step in to help all the riders, that they feel good, that somebody is helping them and I just want them to feel good on the race day. Even on practice that they feel relaxed and all that.
GateDrop: Obviously you used to be in this paddock and well you still ride, that must help because you’re able to pick things out from experience and help the riders that way?
Martens: I know how it is, you know. They have a lot of pressure on them and I try to, like I said, to keep them relaxed on the weekend and you know during the week also. I’m always there on training and so far it’s going good.
GateDrop: And David Braceras, very good weekend from him, maybe the best weekend of the season so far, what’s it been like working with him and he seems to be improving as the season goes on?
Martens: Yeah he’s really a hard worker and I’ve already seen him like all year round, during the week he’s fast and he puts in a lot of work in his training, off the bike, on the bike. It’s a pleasure to work with him.
GateDrop: What are your goals for him between now and the rest of the season? I guess a consistent top 10 guy, maybe top 5 on a good day?
Martens: Yeah, sure. You know in Argentina he finished fourth in a moto, and I think everybody expects it like that he can do it always. I know he can do that, but you know it also puts a little bit of pressure on him. I know he can run in the top 10, even top 5 and who knows more. He shows that he can ride a bike and I’m sure he will show more good results.
GateDrop: Obviously he’s Spanish but he’s living in Belgium with you guys at Lommel, I think he has lived there before, you know he’s probably used to it from the F&H days but how’s he adapting to the life in Belgium, does he enjoy it and putting in the laps at a rough Lommel all the time?
Martens: Yeah we train a lot on the sand and sometimes on the hard pack too. He likes it a lot in Belgium, even sometimes when he goes home he’s happy to be back in Lommel and you don’t see many riders like that. He’s adapting well to do it but not only him, actually everybody is. It’s nice to work with all the riders, with Brent and Noel, just helping them out.
GateDrop: And Brent van Doninck obviously missed a lot of the season but he’s came back and he’s already on the pace of the top 10 actually, pretty good, you must be happy with the progress there?
Martens: Yeah sure, you know it’s not easy like when you have quite a real big injury and it’s not easy to just step into the season to but he’s come back for sure.
GateDrop: Noel Zanocz, obviously stepping up from the 125cc last year, he won both titles but it’s never easy as a rookie in the first year on a 250cc what to expect, what’s it been like working with him first and foremost, have you enjoyed it?
Martens: He’s mentally good, he’s strong and he knows what he wants so that’s good. He’s also fighting in the races, even when he doesn’t have such a good start he can come from the back to the front and that’s good.
GateDrop: He’s in the championship chase now, it’s probably between him and Janis, before the start of the season did you expect him to challenge for the title in year one because it’s not easy?
Martens: To be honest I didn’t see him riding so much in the winter because I was training in January on my own, but he knows where the throttle is, and you know he can dig deep.
GateDrop: What’s it like for you being in the paddock, is there part of you that wishes you were still out there racing at this level or are you happy to be on the sidelines watching?
Martens: No, I’m happy to be on the sidelines, all those guys, they are really on it and for me it’s not that. I’m enjoying what I’m doing now and just riding a little bit for fun in the winter doing some races and it’s good doing some outdoors now.
GateDrop: Do you enjoy traveling the world with your dad and helping him with the team, you must enjoy that and the role you play on the team?
Martens: Yeah, I like it and I still can learn a lot. It’s not like I don’t really have a lot of experience, and I just like to work with everybody in the team and even the mechanics. We have a good group of people and for sure I like it.
GateDrop: You obviously aren’t a factory team, there’s less and less privateer teams in the paddock these days, you must be pretty proud of the job that everyone on the team does you know to be battling with factory bikes, it’s not easy?
Martens: Sure, all the bikes, I’m sure they are good. You know it’s not only that, we have all mechanics they work like really day and night, they do the trainings, they do the races and it’s not easy sometimes. Now we have two weekends off, it’s good for them and we have a weekend off to charge the batteries again so it will be good for them.
GateDrop: Do you think Infront Moto Racing can help teams like the private teams more, you know last year there was four or five teams to drop out of the paddock which isn’t great for the sport, do you think they could come in and help you know even with a little bit of financial support?
Martens: It would be nice because it’s always difficult, I see how my father is with all the sponsors and I see how we are. It’s always difficult in the winter to get all the good guys together and you know every year you see it with teams stopping. It’s not nice to see, it’s actually quite sad, I hope it’s not going to happen so much that teams quit.
GateDrop: Will you guys do the final three rounds of the championship? I think you usually do Turkey, but will you go to America and Australia?
Martens: For the moment I don’t really know, we’ll have to see.
