I don’t think I ever been more wrong in my judgement of a grand prix rider when it comes to Steven Frossard. Perhaps it was his slow evolution at world championship level (one win in four years) compared to other countrymen, patchy and aggressive form in the MX2 class and stand-offish demeanour with a basic level of English that cast the Frenchman from Lyon as one of the few ‘outsiders’ in what is an entirely accessible paddock community.

When he signed to ride a factory Monster Energy Yamaha for his first season in the premier MX1 class in 2011 I believed it was a case of selecting a typical ‘second rider’ to back-up David Philippaerts. In actual fact he has surpassed expectation in practically every way.

Off the bike I’ve come to appreciate the 24 year old’s wit, his honest appraisal of coming out of his shell in the past two years and his complete indifference to the trivialities that surround the sport. Often unshaven, serious and wholly compliant to work with, Frossard simply gets on with the job.

A few years ago it seemed you were being eclipsed by other French riders like Musquin, Paulin and even young ones like Teillet. How did you feel about that?

SF: It was a bit difficult for me. Every time I opened Motoverte or another magazine it was only about Musquin or Paulin and I was a little bit disappointed. It is not a priority for me to be in the press but it is good for the sponsors and it is part of the job. I think the team has been important for the recent success but I have known for two or three years that I could be fast on the 450.

It seems a lot of French riders talk about their desire to conquer Supercross and the AMA scene but you have never spoken much about that. It seems to have endeared you to Grand Prix followers even more. What’s your view?

SF: I like riding supercross but in France or Europe generally it is difficult because there are not many good tracks. It is something that you need to train for a lot because it can be dangerous. I want to be MX1 champion. If I think about the USA then I would like to try some races one day but I think it would be difficult to live there. I cannot do the Californian lifestyle. It is really good for me to be in the team I have at the moment. I watched a lot of GPs when I was young – seven or eight years old – and it was like a dream for me to come here.

To read more and see some great pics by Ray Archer click here

To see an amusing Q+A with Steven, check out this video here