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One of the finest names in the world of motorsports, Jordi Tixier, competing for BB racing in the 450cc category, is gunning for the Indian Supercross Race League title, having shone among the brightest riders in the first two legs of the event (in Pune and Ahmedabad). While athletes often feel the pressure of a championship, Jordi, who won the MX2 World Championship title in 2014, is relaxed as seeking top-podium spots has never been his aim. In a chat with NDTV, Jordi opened up about his passion for motorsports, his experience in India, and how pleasantly surprised he has been with what the organisers have been able to pull off with the Supercross league in the country.
“My dad was a racer, on a good level. When I was 3 years old, he bought me a 50cc bike, so I started racing at 3 years old, but till I was 10 years old, I didn’t really enjoy racing. At 10 years old I got my first French Championship title, and from there I was a patient learner. Now, I can’t live without racing,” Jordi said, speaking about his passion for racing.
When asked about the track in Bengaluru, Jordi’s eyes light up as he lauded the work organisers in India have put in. For the Frenchman, the level of the Bengaluru track is on par with the tracks he has been used to seeing in the United States of America and Europe. While some riders struggled in the practice laps on Saturday, Jordi was fairly more comfortable, having performed at similar tracks in Europe before.
“Yeah, I mean the things is like, this is the kind of track which we can find in the US or Europe. But that’s what I’m doing every day, I have a lot of freedom and rhythm. There are nice whoop sections, and some big jumps, so that’s why I think I can do it, and so does a guy like Matt Moss (fellow rider in the event).
“A guy like Michael (teammate at BB racing) is struggling a little bit because he’s riding motocross most of the time, and this track is for sure the most technical we have had. For the riders like me, who are doing this every day, for sure it’s a little bit easier,” he asserted.
Motorsports remain fairly technical but it’s the mental side of the game that one has to train too. For the Frenchman, however, the word pressure doesn’t exist in his dictionary as he lives to race.
“That’s the sport and I live to race and I live to win so I must say every day when I wake up I’m just thinking about this mentality and the same when I go to bed so I mean my mentality is always the same just focus on the win and most of all focus on riding at my best level,” he said.
When asked about him being called one of the top favourites to win the title, Tixier said that he expects tough competition from rival Matt Moss.
“I mean for me to be champion or not you don’t know. Moss is also really fast so it’s gonna be difficult to be champion to be honest we never know that’s part of racing. But, we never know so we will see, but my goal is never about winning the championship my goal is just to win the races and we count the points I had today so if I win the championship that’s good if I’m not if I get 100% on the track then I’m gonna be happy to sing so it doesn’t put any pressure on myself.
“I played a world championship and got the title which is the biggest one. I got it for three points only so I must say I have no pressure at all for the weekend,” said Tixier.
As for the Supercross league in India, a format focussing more on teams and not just individuals, Jordi has high hopes as the sport needs a country like India on the world map of racing.
“I really hope it’s gonna grow because the guys did an amazing job I didn’t have any expectations coming here and now all the riders are impressed about the job done and I hope it’s gonna grow because motorsports need it. We need a new country we need a new championship, and that’s for me super important. To have a championship in India and I could see that the people were really motivated about this and I really hope it’s gonna grow more,” he concluded.
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