News Immerse yourself in the heart of the MXGP Kemea Yamaha Team with its team manager

Last weekend, at the Grand Prix d'Ernée, I had the privilege of talking to Michele Lavetti, team manager of the MXGP Kemea Yamaha Team. A meeting that opened the doors to a world where performance is pushed to the limit, far beyond what the public can imagine.

The MXGP Kemea Yamaha Team: an ecosystem of excellence

Founded in 1997, the Kemea team has become a global benchmark, supported by Yamaha and Monster Energy. The team features world-class riders such as Calvin Vlaanderen, Maxime Renaux and Jago Geerts, names that embody the elite of today's motocross. The organization around these athletes is fascinatingly complex and precise. With over 15 people dedicated to mechanics, physical preparation and logistics (not to mention ancillary services such as catering), the team is a veritable war machine.

Inside the Paddock: the trucks' secret organization

What the public sees when they visit the paddock are the motorcycle display areas and the workshops where the mechanics work. But behind these panels, hidden from view, lies a veritable rolling HQ, spread over several trucks.

The Recovery Truck

One of the trucks is entirely dedicated to the well-being of the drivers. There's a warm-up area complete with bikes and strength equipment. But it's the relaxation area that impresses most. It houses high-tech beds imported from the USA, capable of memorizing each driver's morphology in terms of height, curvature and pressure points. These expensive beds do more than massage; they prepare the body, promote deep relaxation and optimize muscle recovery. One mechanic even discovered a slight difference in leg length when testing it! While it doesn't replace the work of a physiotherapist, it does offer the body relaxation and tailoring essential for soothing and enhancing performance. At the rear of this truck is the engine parts area, a veritable Ali Baba's cave where every component is ready for replacement, with an impressive stock equivalent to three Grands Prix for the team's three drivers.

The driver and chassis logistics truck

Another truck is specifically equipped for drivers and chassis maintenance. It houses the drivers' individual "rooms", private areas where they can change, dispose of their belongings and concentrate. Michele Lavetti explains that these small compartments keep things tidy, a bit like managing children's belongings! This truck is also home to the dormitory, reserved mainly for drivers' daytime naps between events, although they return to the hotel for the night to ensure optimum rest. At the rear of the truck is the storage area for frames and bike parts, all arranged with surgical precision.

There's also a briefing area, essential for track analysis and race strategy.

The catering truck and barnum

To feed the whole team and its ancillary services, a campsite is set up with a large barnum dedicated to catering. Food logistics are essential to keep everyone energized over several days of racing.

Technical Precision: The DNA of MXGP

MXGP is often compared to the Formula 1 of motocross, and this is no accident. The quest for performance is down to the smallest detail.

• Golden suspensions: Suspension is an area where excellence is non-negotiable. A single set of configured front suspensions represents a colossal investment of €60,000. It's crucial to stress that these parts are custom-made creations, exclusively forged by Showa or Kayaba (KYB). They are impossible to find on the market, being specifically adapted to each rider and to the various track conditions. In fact, each rider has more than a dozen sets of suspensions at his disposal, not only to guard against possible breakage, but also to adapt precisely to the requirements of each race, whether on muddy or dry terrain.
• Custom-forged parts: the example of the footrests, custom-forged to offer optimum positioning for each rider, is just one illustration of the technical adaptations taken to extremes. As riders are not all of the same size, each part is designed for one rider and cannot be interchanged. Every element is designed to maximize the connection between rider and machine.
• Start Magic: The start system is an engineering marvel. A traction control box is displayed on the front of the bike. Adjusted every Friday according to altitude and track conditions, it enables the rider to reach the ideal rpm before the gate falls. A push-button on the suspension compresses the bike at the start, lowering its center of gravity for better traction. This system deactivates automatically the first time the brakes are applied.

Parts management worthy of fine watchmaking

Parts logistics are a fascinating aspect of this organization. All parts used are meticulously inventoried. At the end of the season, all equipment is usually sent back to Japan, where it is stored with the utmost care. This database enables Japanese engineers to reuse part designs that have proved particularly effective in previous years. Each part is kept for ten years, ensuring traceability and capitalizing on the experience acquired. In addition, any broken parts are systematically photographed and logged for analysis, contributing to a process of continuous improvement.

Michele Lavetti shared a revealing anecdote: for a time, he had been asked (by the Japanese) to break parts at the end of the season. A practice he had only carried out once in his life. It was impossible for him to bring himself to destroy the fruit of such colossal and precise work, testifying to his deep respect for the engineering and human effort behind each component.

Safety: an ongoing debate

Pilot safety remains a delicate subject. Protection has evolved: riders now wear a small back protector/plastron that doesn't go beyond the lower back (it's nicer for photos), and elbow protectors or neck braces have been removed. Some tests with airbags were carried out, but the protection was limited to the chest. As for neck braces, they have unfortunately sometimes led to clavicle fractures in violent falls, by concentrating the force of the impact. It's a complex balance between protection and the need for freedom of movement for pilots.

Unrivalled logistics

The team's efficiency is not limited to performance on the track. The entire structure, however complex, can be dismantled in just 3 to 3.5 hours. Each team member knows his or her task perfectly, and everything is packed away with methodical precision, ready for the next championship meeting.

This visit to the MXGP Kemea Yamaha Team was a real immersion in sporting and technological excellence. It was a perfect illustration of the total commitment required to compete at the highest level of world motocross, which was made possible for me by the official sponsor of the world championship, Monster Ernegy.