Q: David how has it gone so far in 2009?
Vuillemin: I wanted to do better, we are doing the best we can, we don’t have a factory bike, it is a private team, so it’s a little tough racing against all those good bikes and stuff. In the races the starts are really important, the tracks have been a little one lined, so passing can be difficult. I got the jump in Germany, but crashed in the first lap, so that made it difficult. I am having a good time; I just wish I could do a little better so I would be more satisfied at the end of the weekends. Like I said, I wish I could enjoy the tracks more and then maybe I could get a better result.
Q: In Germany you got into a nice little fight with Mickael Pichon. That must have been fun?
Vuillemin: It wasn’t a fight; we were racing for 8th and 9th, so that wasn’t so good. When he saw I was behind him he started going faster, and faster, I passed him, he passed me back, then I passed him again, it was fun, but we were racing for 8th, so not third or first, but it was a good time. Our time has passed and we have to deal with it at one point.
Q: Do you ever feel like you don’t really belong here anymore, like you are out of place?
Vuillemin: Sometimes I do, it just feels like if everything is going well, and I feel good on the bike, then it’s fun, but if the bike isn’t working the way I want, or I don’t feel good, then it’s easier to slow down now. Back in the days I was in the USA and winning Supercross races, if I had a bad day I would finish third, now if I have a bad day I am 13th, and if I have a good day I am sixth or seventh, so times have changed. I notice more now if I am struggling.
Q: What about 2010, will you continue to race?
Vuillemin: I am working on some projects, I am thinking about retirement. I don’t want to do what Pichon is doing, retiring, coming back, Enduro, SuperMoto, when I stop, I stop, I don’t race anymore. I still have a job to race next year, but I don’t know if I want to, I have to decide pretty soon. If I retire and then look for something with a team, that might be difficult. I think I need to go straight from racer to something else, not wait a year and sit around the house. Maybe it is better to retire and look for something straight away, so I am looking now.
Q: Do you miss being in America? It’s where you spent most of your adult life and you have an American family.
Vuillemin: Being back in the US would be good, I want to run a team, but with the current climate with the economy it’s tough in America. I miss America. Where I grew up in France is a nice area, but I spend 10 years in America and I grew into a man there and it is sad to say, but I think like an American now. When I came back here everything was so difficult, so different. I love both countries and it depends on opportunities, running a team based in Europe would also be good.
Q: You had a long and successful career, you don’t need to work I wouldn’t think?
Vuillemin: I don’t need to work, but I like the sport and I love to come and help people, or help a team, and show my experience. I have a ton of experience, I think there is more to do in the team aspect, there seems to be trainers everywhere, the training part isn’t difficult. I have a lot of experience with testing bikes and that is where I think I could help a team, rather than training somebody.
7.9 € TTC
