Gautier Paulin has been one of the key characters of the FIM Motocross World Championship since his thrilling introduction as a kid poised to be European no.1 wringing the neck of a 250 Honda through Moneyglass mud as an MX2 wildcard at the 2007 Grand Prix of Northern Ireland. Ten years on and none of that natural, instinctive, reactive and flamboyant handling has ebbed over the years.

Now the chief charge of Rockstar Energy IceOne Husqvarna Racing, Paulin has been a factory rider since the winter of 2009. He has won premier class races with four different brands and is in the small band of athletes to have done so in both MX2 and MXGP. However title destiny has eluded him. He hasn’t had the durability to match Tony Cairoli and only offered moments of respite in his rival’s pomp between 2013 and 2014.

After a bizarre period in which an ideal slot at Kawasaki in a largely French-speaking and French-owned squad began to turn and the shadow of Ryan Villopoto loomed on the horizon, Paulin opted for a works berth at HRC; seemingly the golden chalice of Grand Prix opportunities since the Japanese headed full-gas into the FIM series once again.

It could be argued that Paulin let no possible room for doubt in his commitment and drive at the end of 2015, his first year with Honda. It had been a championship where he finished as runner-up (although to countryman and rookie Romain Febvre) and with just one Grand Prix victory. He had been fast, but not inspiring. A small knee problem did not help but it was clear that the synergy with Honda was stuttering. Some were even questioning his place on the French Motocross of Nations team just a year after he produced arguably his finest set of performances to-date in Latvia for a memorable double win.

To draw a line under the season #21 departed to the United States and invested in a winter of training with champion-maker Aldon Baker. The union of the regime and Paulin’s ability meant that big ticks were being made from his side towards the goal of the ’16 championship. A training crash and broken vertebrae ruined hopes and another Honda rider triumphed instead. By mid-season it was clear that Paulin’s top ten results were not what HRC expected (nor the rider) and it seemed unlikely he would stay red for another term.

During 2016 he remained low-key and did not speak of his troubles. Paulin was distant, but it seems with good reason. As we sit down to talk about a period he’d rather forget – perhaps more painful than the concussion that ruined 2013 or the broken collarbone and thumb that derailed 2014 – Gautier gets visibly emotional and struggles for speech at one point when admitting that the ordeal of last year forced him to contemplate walking away from a sport and lifestyle that obviously means a great deal.

The watches, cars and flash persona is one aspect. Behind the athlete are other stories of compromise and sacrifice (finances being just one facet) that reveals even a world class motorsport figure is not immune to some of the shabbier sides of sport in the rise to the top and the factory deals. Not that Paulin’s case merits a concerto of violins – he is popular, wealthy, successful and the figurehead of brands like 100% and Shift – but he has had hard moments of adversity and perhaps the scariest thought is that a rider with his level of talent and dedication will not gather the titles and entries into the history books that he should have.

More than one GP-winning athlete has said to me that ‘every rider feels good and happy with a new team and bike’ but there is little doubting the psychological lift that the change from red to white has had on Paulin. With Team Manager Antti Pyrhonen’s rigid and dedicated structure in place Gautier has another virulent chance to present his championship credentials and expand his status beyond being an exceptional racer in fits-and-starts and a fine ambassador for his sport. ‘We kept in contact with Gautier over the years and when he was a factory rider for other brands,’ Pyrhonen says. ‘We spoke quite a bit and I got to know him and could see he was a very professional sportsman – which I like – with quite a perfectionist nature, which is similar to mine. I felt we had something in common.’

‘When his HRC contract was coming to an end I wanted to talk with him because I often thought I could offer a package that he needs…not to become popular but successful. I spoke to him about this and we had a really honest discussion – 100% honest – which is not always nice but can be effective. We started from there and since day one we have been following that guideline and it has been working OK.’

We sit in the contrasty surroundings of the IceOne awning – dark walls offset by clinical white tables and roofing – and it is quiet. It is by no means the first interview we have done…but perhaps the longest where the Husqvarna rider has opened up about his feelings. He prefaces stories, examples and emotions with a plea for some of the more burning points of his frustrations to remain unprinted, even if his malaise in 2016 was one of the more curious (and largely untold) narratives of the championship.

Later on he sends me a text message concerned about how he comes across in his dialogue; Gautier has no wish to turf-up past events and throw mud. In the following interview he does his best to tackle the reasons why such a potentially rich partnership with Honda didn’t work and why he is ploughing the clichéd comeback trail. To provide a rounder picture we asked HRC General Manager Roger Harvey for his view: ‘I don’t think there was one specific reason why it didn’t gel…we saw flashes of brilliance and then moments where he really struggled. Was that the rider or the bike? We’ll never really know…We all are aware of what Gautier is capable of and the results were OK but he was expecting more and we were potentially hoping for more and that brings pressure.’

‘He didn’t get pressure from our side but any ride with HRC tends to involve that…I just think he pressured himself up. Gautier and the bike gelled on occasions…just not consistently and he had options [to change it] but that can happen with any rider.’

Paulin and the CRF450R was a story of incompatibility. Thankfully for motocross fans some of that past mojo is very much alive with the FC450 and Paulin has the chance to enthral again.

Where are you with your career now? This is your fifth factory team so how do you feel about your potential and how people perceive you?

I feel good. Today I feel really good. I feel the people I’m with understand where we are and what we can achieve. I still don’t think I have shown all of what I can do. I have found a bike that suits me and a team that has character. We are working honestly to reach our goal. I like doing sport everyday and training everyday. I found myself loving racing again. In Qatar I came out of that race with a smile and it has been like that every GP…except Italy [Arco di Trento] because I felt that I missed my aim for that weekend. Anyway I feel ‘back’ and it is good to have that adrenaline and love for what I do.

How do you sum-up that chapter with HRC? You did not speak with the press much and then for 2017 changed team and brand once more at 27 years of age…

If you want to look back at my career I was working with Kawasaki, then the team stopped and I was placed with another one. I then went to Yamaha and back to Kawi. Then Villopoto came in and all the focus went there. So I went to HRC, and it didn’t work out for me. Last year was tough because I went to the U.S. to train with Aldon and I was feeling great but before the first race we had an issue with the bike and I had a big crash. It was my last day of riding. I came to Qatar and the bike stopped. When I came back from the overseas races I broke a vertebra. I had x-rays and was told it was OK in the hospital and then suddenly people telling me not to move because something was wrong. [pauses] Mentally there are things you almost cannot accept. I could not tolerate that I was there and in that spot. [At Honda] Nothing was working well for me. When I came back we were using the old bike and we couldn’t make it right for me and then the focus switched to the new bike and I was just ‘there’. I’m a ‘true’ person so I give my thoughts and opinion. I was having a hard time and taking it on myself. I had invested in myself with Aldon – I was putting my money back into my career – and then the injury…everything was really tough. I was close to stopping-

It was that bad?

Yeah…I could only talk with Clem…It was not an easy time so I had to decide what to do. IceOne were pushing hard to have me when I left Kawasaki but I went to them [Honda] maybe wanting to stay with a Japanese bike…but last year my goal was to be with IceOne. They still wanted me and I didn’t have to push for it. I didn’t talk to anyone else except them. It was the place I had to be. I didn’t take 2016 well. I do sport because I love it, I like to win and I invest in myself to give a good image. There were many things going on that I couldn’t explain and I couldn’t talk with journalists: what could I say? I was thrown to the trash a lot. It was so hard.

To read the rest of the article in the new OTOR magazine click HERE

Photos by Ray Archer