Italian version here.
There is one rider in the Supersport World Championship that every single journalist (or blogger, like me) should at least consider to interview sooner or later. Why? Because of his experiences, the direct and frank way he speaks and how he is willing to open up on his career and thoughts. That rider’s name is Valentin Debise.
Born in 1992, Debise made it to the world stage already in 2009, when he raced the 250cc World Championship with the Honda of CIP team and then stayed two years in the Moto2 class. After 2011, and difficulties leading to poor results, Debise left the MotoGP paddock to join World Supersport and after that he moved back to France and then to MotoAmerica, where he raced from 2016 to 2018 and scored wins and podiums in the Supersport class. After that, some other crazy experiences came, like when he raced in two different championships (IDM in Germany and FSBK in France) and in two different classes in each of them (Superbike and Supersport), facing four races in the same weekend and even winning all of them sometimes in the French championship.
This crazy stuff and multiple French titles brought Debise back to Supersport World Championship. Debise had highs and lows in 2023 with GMT94 Yamaha, but switching to Evan Bros Racing Team, always on a Yamaha R6, brought massive improvement for him as he now is constantly in contention for podiums (four top 3 results so far, including one 2nd-place and three 3rd-place finishes)
2024 season so far, his past experiences and a short talk about his future. All this can be found in the interview that Palmen in Motorradsport had the honour to record with Valentin Debise.
Valentin, how is 2024 going for you?
It’s going pretty well. From the first talk I had with the team, I clearly understood that it was the place where I needed to be, because their mentality and method are exactly what I was dreaming for. As soon as we started testing, it was clear that what I was thinking was going to happen. As I moved to a different team in this really high-level championship, I knew it would take some time before we get up to speed with the very top guys, but we still were able to make some good races in Phillip Island and also good results here and there in Superpole. Now, the further we go, the more I know the team and the more they know me and what I want. This way we can understand each other better and better and we can see it in the many podiums we have already got. I think we are growing up together and this is positive.
What is your goal for the remaining races of the season?
As we know that this year the Ducatis are a bit stronger compared to Yamaha, the goal is to be on the podium as many times as possible and maybe we can get at some point a victory. Even if we know the podium is already hard with the Yamaha, for sure we still aim for a victory.
You already have some experience in WorldSSP, since you were there last year with GMT94 Yamaha and also some time in the past. What was missing in the previous seasons, that you have now?
When I stopped racing in Moto2 after 2011, I got one chance to ride in World Supersport, but I wasn’t ready for it yet. Therefore, I made really bad results and that’s also why it took me so much time to get back here. Once you race in a world championship and then leave it after bad results, usually the teams don’t want you anymore, because they think you are not good. This made it really hard for me to convince teams that I was able to compete here. Luckily for 2023 I found GMT94, who gave me the opportunity to showcase my level now. However, the season was worse than expected and it was really difficult for me to work with the team. I could stay there, but to step up, I knew I had to change and find a team that was even better. And that’s why I changed, and now I am showing that I was right: I am much more consistent than last year.
As you reminded, you also raced in 250cc and Moto2 World Championship from 2009 to 2011. Can you share more about those seasons?
I don’t think those years were important, because when I raced in 250cc World Championship I was 16 years old, so I was not ready to jump on those big bikes and race at that level. Moreover, now in Moto2 you can aim for good results even if you go to the worst team in the championship. When I raced there, instead, there was a big difference among the bikes and the teams, and for sure I wasn’t in the right place with the right people, and I didn’t learn anything. I burned my wings very quickly. Once I quit the world championship, I started to see my riding differently and try to improve as a rider, and not just over-push the bike.
After that experience, you moved to World Supersport and then to other racing series.
I raced a couple of years in the French Championship and I saw that it was not going to take me anywhere, so I understood that if my goal was to go back to a world championship, I knew I had to take another path. My idea was to race either in MotoAmerica or in Asian Championship (ARRC, ed), but in Asia it was impossible to get as seat as a European rider, so I went to America. I found a sponsor and a team and I was able to win a couple of races, so I showed people that I could be faster than what I did in France.
How different was it for you to race in MotoAmerica and on U.S. circuits, which are a bit different from those we have in Europe?
I also raced in Endurance World Championship in those years and there I learned to adapt quickly to new things. This helped me a lot as well when I joined MotoAmerica and I had to adapt to their circuits, which often have a lot of bumps, different types of asphalt in the same track and a lot of chicanes. I went there knowing that the only thing I had to do was to try understand how to ride in those circuits. I was basically trying to be American (laughter, ed) and that’s why I immediately performed.
How long did you race in MotoAmerica?
I raced three years in MotoAmerica and one year in another championship over there. I stayed three years with M4 Suzuki and I was expecting to go to the Superbike class with Yoshimura. I did some tests and I was really fast. However, they didn’t take me because I was French, and then preferred to sign an American rider who was two seconds slower than me. Therefore, I went impolite and quit Suzuki.
Then you came back to Europe and you had a 2021 season that was kind of crazy: racing in IDM in Germany and in the French championship, doing four races on the same weekend and sometimes winning all four of them in the French Championship.
Yes, I think in that year I won something like 26 or 27 races. But it was fun. I told myself: “Now I go back to the French Championship, and I know it cannot take me anywhere. So what can I do?”. I then remembered that I like to ride the Superbike and I like to ride the 600 as well, so I thought about a program involving both categories. I found that program in the IDM: the owner of the team (Kawasaki Weber Motos Racing, ed) was crazy enough to agree on this project, so he bought the bikes, he signed some mechanics and we started like that.
In the meantime, I found a deal also to do the French Championship, with Kawasaki like in Germany. However, even if I wasn’t riding a Yamaha, I was watched by GMT94 and considered for a wildcard in Magny-Cours. The season was incredible, because in the end I rode also in the Superbike class and sometimes I won all four races I had on the same weekend. I became French Champion in Supersport and runner-up in Superbike (while in IDM he finished fifth in Superbike and second in Supersport, ed) and the title gave me the chance to do a test with GMT94. I was faster than the other riders, but they finally decided to bring Andy Verdoia for 2022 season in World Supersport, so I finally remained with nothing.
So what did you do in 2022?
I raced again in the French Championship in both Superbike and Supersport, but this time on Yamaha bikes and with my own team. The funny thing was that the organisation of the championship didn’t want me to race in both classes, because they were afraid that I was much faster than all the other riders. So what did they do? They put the Superbike race straight after the Supersport one in the schedule and in this championship when the last rider enters the pit lane after a race, the pit lane immediately opens for the next one. The result was that when I finished the Supersport race, I left the bike at the Parc Ferme, ran to my box, took the other bike and went to the grid.
And you won again.
Yes, and once I won with 10 seconds of advantage.
And in 2023 you finally managed to come back to World Supersport. But at this stage, what’s your goal for the future?
The future is always uncertain, also because now I am in a position where I am paying to race. It requires a lot of work to find enough budget for the team and also to pay for my trips to the circuit, training and so on. That’s why when people ask me about my future, I answer than I first want to finish the current season and then I will think about the following one. The only thing I can do right now is to make as many podiums as possible to get some bonuses. In any case, I really love Evan Bros Racing Team and I can say that my priority is to continue with them, even for more than two years. Differently from other riders, I’m not thinking that the grass is greener on the other side: I like what I have and I’m happy with it, so why should I change?
Palmen in Motorradsport is thankful to Valentine Debise for his availability and kindness and wishes him all the best for the next races and seasons.