Pascal Picotte : First Round Review:

Although Pascal had a good start in Tremblant and led for over half the race, problems with the GSXR-1000’s traction dropped him to a second place behind Brantford, Ontario's Jordan Szoke.

"I had to slow down the pace," Pascal says. "I was adapting and letting off the brake in the corners, trying to come out of the corners really carrying some speed, but every time I caught up, I had to gap because there was just too much traffic. I ran out of laps before I could pass him. All in all, I was only about a second behind, and our team was really happy with the results."

Pascal says that although he races for Blackfoot Team Suzuki, the team couldn’t be as effective without his tight working relationships with other Team Suzuki teams around the world. Pascal says he routinely checks in with Michael Jordan team racing, M4, and Harris Performance, based in the UK. Specifically, Pascal says that those relationships came in extra handy after a bad crash earlier this year in testing.

"The open communication with everyone really helped us make our bike fast quickly because we didn't get much testing time,” Pascal says. Mike Fitzgerald, their Öhlins suspension expert, really helped the team out. “Everyone is running a similar suspension setup, everything. It's just Suzuki, Ohlins, and Pirelli. Mike was able to answer some really detailed questions.”

“Although we had a difficult session in Tremblant, we got a lot out of our bike,” Pascal says. “Our chassis setup is really starting to gel. I don't think the other teams will progresses fast as we will.”

Catching up from the crash in testing has led to some really late nights, Pascal says, especially in Tremblant. "There were some days where it rained all day and some of the other teams went home,” Pascal says. “We were at the track until late both nights just making sure the equipment is 110%."

That commitment is going to pay off quickly, Pascal says.
 
“I’m not going to be tweaking and tuning my bike a quarter of the way into the racing season. I want to be riding hard and winning races and building a championship. Getting the bike dialed in as quickly as possible is the key to laying a foundation for a good racing season.”

As one of the most senior riders on the circuit, Pascal says that his years of riding experience and in-depth knowledge of his bike means that he’s answering detailed questions as much as asking them.

"I think experience helps me hear what the bike is telling me," Pascal says. "Entrance, mid-corner, exit, am I pushing the throttle? Where is my grip? Is the engine or clutch braking right? Is the throttle mapping dialed in? When I get off the bike, I want to download as much as I can to the team."

Pascal says he also tries to spend as much time as he can teaching and sharing his experience with his teammate, Francis Martin.

"There are no secrets between us teammates,” Pascal says. “I'm sure Francis is just like I was at his stage in his career, always trying to learn something that's going to help the team in the future. Anything I can do to improve the team and win, I'll do it.”

Although he's still nursing an injury or two, Pascal has a strong optimistic feeling about this upcoming season. He says he expects to feel 100% by Calgary.

“I must be a cat,” Pascal laughs. “I keep coming back.” Despite the injuries, Pascal says his passion for racing still revs high. “I really love the performance aspects of racing," Pascal says. "I really love getting the maximum performance out of the bike, the engine, tires, suspension, and everything."

Although Pascal isn't looking too far past this race season, he knows that, every rider retires. Pascal says that, with his involvement as a team owner increasing, he’s made his peace with the inevitable.

"I'm not getting any younger," Pascal laughs. "But when it comes, I'll be ready.“ Putting his own racing team together in 2003 really showed Pascal the other side of the fence. "I fell in love with it," Pascal says. "Ninety hours a week and whatever it took. It was so much fun. I was wrenching, driving, even cooking for my guys. Everything. You just don't care when you love it."

Owning the team still means I can get my hands dirty and get in there. I've always tried to be the kind of rider that makes everyone on the team around me better. That's why owning and running a team feels so natural to me. Every time one of my guys does well, I'm so happy. Not as happy as if I were on the bike, though, but almost."

Coaching the new, younger riders on his team is also a full-time job, Pascal says. His riders may have a lot of natural talent, but it takes more to be an elite rider.

"It's all about your heart, plain and simple," Pascal says. "If he won't put in the sweat and sacrifice, their career will go backwards very quickly. Even if he doesn't give up, without that attitude, everyone else will give up on them. Everyone else is sacrificing, why shouldn't the rider? Some guys just want to show up, ride, and leave. I've seen those guys, I guess. There's always a few of those in every discipline. Those guys aren’t on my team. Those aren’t the guys that win races time and time again."