Former MX2 World Champion and recently retired MXGP rider Tyla Rattray believes that HRC’s Gautier Paulin had made the right move by joining Aldon Baker’s famed and select training programme. The Frenchman is currently in Florida and working through the notorious physical regime that helped forge champions like Carmichael, Stewart, Villopoto, Roczen and Dungey. Paulin is the sole MXGP athlete to seek out the counsel of the South African in his search to go for the premier class world title in 2016 and in what will be his second term on the works CRF450RW.

Rattray, a former pupil and conscript of the ‘Baker Factory’, knows the work and demands of the agenda intimately and is well placed to offer an opinion on how the union could function, particularly when Paulin returns to Europe and the MXGP season. “I think it is a good move. He is going to be working hard and will come into the season in good shape; it will be interesting to watch,” he says. “Europe has two very long days per meeting and it’s so different from the U.S. and the schedule here. At the end of the day you need to put the work in and that’s what counts.”

Paulin counts on the guidance of Jean-Michel Bayle in the HRC set-up and has previously worked with ex-riders like Jacky Vimond and Yves Demaria. The 2015 world championship runner-up is clearly hoping the ploy to listen to Baker’s experience will be the extra step he needs to dethrone Romain Febvre and challenge the likes of Tony Cairoli, Clement Desalle and his own teammate, Evgeny Bobryshev (also training in the U.S. with Desalle and Tommy Searle making the most of the climate).

Rattray also spoke on the imminent arrival of former teammate and good friend Ben Townley, back in MXGP for the first time since 2013 and on the works Suzuki. Rattray was expected to fight for podiums and wins in 2014 and 2015 on factory Husqvarna and Kawasaki equipment but a series of small injury problems never saw him meet his full potential again and fourth position represented his best GP finish. Townley is seven years older than current champ Febvre and is seeking a second world crown in what is an intriguing return to Grand Prix. “I think BT needs to have an open mind,” the South African opines. “I hope he stays healthy and can be upfront.”

Rattray does admit that the idiosyncrasies of MXGP could take their toll on Townley. The conditions of the race tracks have come under the spotlight in 2015 with a heavy European Championship support card and Youthstream have publicly admitted that they’ve taken steps to improve this aspect of the series. “The tracks for the last two years have been horrible! The overseas rounds are good because it is usually just MXGP and MX2 so if the track needs to be fixed or worked on then they have time,” Rattray explains. “Once it gets to Europe then it is just a mess and it’s dangerous. If they can go to the way it was before – with just MXGP and MX2 – then there will be less injuries and better racing.”

Photo by Ray Archer