It was a great season for Saad Soulimani contesting the EMX250 championship as he finished fifth overall in the series – the best season of his career so far. He was the best two-stroke in the class as well being with the Ghidinelli Yamaha team. We decided to catch up with Soulimani in Paris to discuss his season and more which you can read, watch or listen to below…
GateDrop: Saad, your EMX250 championship campaign this season, just coming into the season, what were your expectations? I mean, did you expect to finish top five in the championship?
Soulimani: Yeah, for sure, this season in the EMX, my goal was already said before, I wanted to finish in the five, so it was a good season for me, I’m happy. The goal is achieved, so big thanks to my team, the two-stroke Yamaha was not an easy bike to ride, I enjoyed it a lot, it’s a really good bike to ride, but sometimes it’s quite hard to ride it, so yeah, it was a good season for me, I’m happy.
GateDrop: I was going to ask about the bike, the two-stroke, what was it like racing the two-stroke with the four-stroke? To be honest, you were the only guy to put good results in the two-stroke in the category this year, so you must have been happy with that?
Soulimani: Yeah, for sure, I saw in the top 15 this season in the EMX250, I was the only one with the two-stroke, so yeah, I think it’s because the rider know that it’s a hard bike to ride, otherwise all the riders are going to ride it. So when I tried it, I saw it’s going to be hard, but I worked a lot to be good. It’s a hard bike, it’s difficult when you ride on the hard pack track, when it’s slippery, because you don’t have the engine brake, so this kind of track was really hard with the arm pump and stuff, but I managed to do good. But all the race like Lommel and stuff, sand, deep sand, it’s so nice to ride it, and I showed it in Lommel when I took the lead in the first race. I showed some good things and I’m happy to do it with this kind of bike, it’s even better.
GateDrop: Just on the EMX250 championship, all the guys at the front, they’ve came through this championship and heading to MX2 next year, what was the level like this year, I mean Valin, Lata and Valk, they’re fast…
Soulimani: Yeah, these guys are fast today, Valin and Lata was a step up, also Valk, but you know, the goal is to try to be close to them. I did it sometimes, and for sure, if they’re going to be to in MX2 next year, they’re going to ride at the front I think. For me it’s my goal, I’m still looking now for a team to go to the MX2 World Championship, because I don’t have nothing for the moment. I’m just here at the Supercross of Paris but my goal in my head is the MX2 World Championship, so I’m still looking for a good team, because if you go there, you need good people around you, so yeah, it will be good to ride with these kind of riders again next year in the World Championship. We cross our fingers.
GateDrop: You have got a little bit of experience racing MX2 GP’s with the Resa Young Motion team, I think you were a fill-in rider for that, just how did that opportunity come about, did you expect to be racing GP’s that soon in your career, and what was your experience like with the team and racing the MX2 World Championship?
Soulimani: Yeah, for sure, I ride a few GP’s. The first one was in France, I scored points in the two races, so it was already a good achievement. But yeah, now it’s something more, because when I ride these races in the GP, I was not so ready, you know, it was just to try, take some experience, but now if I want to do it for next year, my goal is to do good, you know, really good. For sure, this was some experience in the books, but now when you prepare for the MX2 World Championship, it’s another preparation, so I know that, so I’m going to work a lot, hope to find a good team for that.
GateDrop: Racing the MX2 GP’s, the few GPs you’ve done, coming up from the EMX250 series, just what are the biggest differences, do you think? Obviously in MX2, starts are probably more important, because everyone is fast…
Soulimani: For sure, the thing is, all the riders are in a small gap, so all the details make the difference, so the start, the speed. The endurance in the EMX is also a really good category, but I think outside the top 10, you’re like, you don’t have so many good riders, you know, it’s only the top 10. In the MX2 World Championship is like, all the riders are fast, so everything counts, the detail, the start, everything, so yeah, for sure you need to be ready to go there. The bike needs to be ready, you have to be 100% ready, that’s why the MX2 World Championship is the biggest class in the world, I think.
GateDrop: Just on next year, are you too old to race the EMX250 next year, or have you still got the option to race that championship, if you want?
Soulimani: No, no, it was my last season, so that’s why I wanted to do good, you know, to finish strong, to find something good for the MX2. Now I am the age to go to MX2, and yeah, that’s the goal for me.
GateDrop: How likely is it, do you think, that you’ll get a ride in MX2, and do you think you’ll do all the rounds, or maybe just European rounds, or do you not know at the moment?
Soulimani: I think, for me, my goal is to do all, but it’s quite difficult now, even harder at this time, to find a team to do all, so yeah, my goal is to race all, because I know I have the potential if I work good. But if I find something also to do only the European rounds and not the oversee ones, will be also a good first season and maybe for the year after, I’m going to do all the season.
GateDrop: You’re here at Paris Supercross, I think it’s your first Supercross race, but you’ve been doing a little bit of prep on the TM as well, just how’s the preparation been going leading up to this race?
Soulimani: Now everything is new for me, new bike, new track, new discipline also, everything’s new, but I need to keep the head cool. You know, it’s just an experience for me, never raced Supercross in my life, also never trained Supercross in my life, I did only three weeks now working with Didier Vuillemin. We did some good work, he’s with me now together, we work so good, so yeah, for him the goal is to, I have to take experience in Supercross, maybe it can open me some doors, but yeah, I am in a good place with some good people for the moment, so we’re going to take the experience and don’t think a lot, you know.
GateDrop: Working with Didier Vuillemin, how long have you been working with him, and are you going to continue working with him for the future, and what’s it like working with him in this short period?
Soulimani: Yeah, me, I never all my life work together with anyone. I didn’t have a trainer, nothing, it was my dad trained me all my life, so now I meet Didier Vuillemin, I like it how he works, because he knows also a lot of things in Supercross. When he saw me riding the first few days, it was not in the plan to work together, and he saw potential in me in Supercross, and he say okay, I’m going to prepare you for Paris, so that’s a good story. It’s so good to work with him, he has a lot of experience, his son David who won here four times, so yeah, now I’m working with him, I’m happy. We’re going to continue working together I think, and yeah, now we are still not sure what we’re going to do next year, but for the moment I’m working with him, and I hope it’s going to stay like this.
GateDrop: What’s it like riding the TM, is that a bike you’re comfortable with?
Soulimani: Yeah, it’s a good bike, I was surprised, at the moment I was not thinking that, but after trying it, I really like, yeah, it’s a good bike. I think the brand need to be a bit more famous, because it’s really good bike, so I’m here also to do that, I’m really happy with the bike.
GateDrop: Perfect, thank you very much for your time, and good luck.
