French rider Michael Metge talks about the Dakar Rally, family, and his new team.
Team HRC’s Michael Metge has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for the 2016 Dakar Rally, and the 36-year-old Frenchman is on schedule to make his competitive debut aboard his new factory Honda CRF450R Rally at the OiLibya Morocco Rally, which is scheduled for October 3-9.
The son of a six-time Dakar Rally automobile competitor, Metge has been working toward the Dakar podium since he took his first laps on a Yamaha PW50 at age 4. His rally debut came in Sardinia in 2008, and since then Metge has displayed consistent flashes of brilliance that have made him a solid bet for a top finish wherever he competes, including the biggest rally of them all, the Dakar. His performance was good enough to land him a factory ride with the Yamaha Factory Racing Yamalube Team for the Dakar Rally in 2013, and he showed that he was worthy of the ride in the 2014 Dakar Rally when he completed the grueling event in 13th place. A crash during the 2015 Dakar Rally forced Metge to retire early, and he has faced a long road back to health, but a new training program and a new race team have him fired up for the 2016 Dakar.
The following is an excerpt of a Team HRC interview wherein Metge discusses his career, his family, his love for rally racing and his new team:
Since last June you are the new rider on the Honda CRF450 Rally. Tell us about your career and how you’ve got this far.
For me, the bike is everything. Mainly, it’s a way of having fun. I’ve been riding since I was 4 years old, and I am lucky enough to have parents that had a fantastic plot of land where it was easy to train. My brother and I built a cross circuit using my dad’s bulldozer. I started with the motocross championship, where I won the Languedoc-Roussillon, then I moved on to enduro and rode for various teams and combined that with working for the family business. The motorcycle was an amusement and a hobby. Gradually I was heading towards rally, because I think that it’s in the family’s genes. My father competed in the Dakar six times, and my cousin Réné was heavily involved, and ever since I was small I’ve dreamt about it too. From when I was 5 or 6, I wanted to accompany my dad to the Dakar with the PW50.
Three years ago I got to do my first Dakar with Yamaha thanks to a good finish in the Sardinia Rally (third place). The following year I was Cyril Despres’ water-carrier. It was an honor because in France and for me personally, Cyril is a great rally rider and to be at his side was a real honor; I learned a lot. I have never met anyone in the world of motorcycling as professional as he is.
But it’s the icing on the cake to be with Honda. I’ve had posters on my wall since I was young of Jean-Michel Bayle and Jeremy McGrath. We have always had Hondas at home, which is why it is so incredible to make a step like this. With Joan [Barreda], the fastest rider, Paulo [Goncalves] and Jeremías [Israel], I think that I’ve got a lot that I can learn from them; they are really fast riders.
What does rally mean to you?
Rally, and the Dakar–which is the highest level of rally–is an adventure race. I started in motocross, but I quickly moved to enduro because I loved the naturalness, the adventure. The Dakar is a great adventure where you have to be very autonomous and handle yourself. It really is the adventure that attracts me to the Dakar. Also, it’s a team sport, which requires a professional environment, and that way you are able to enjoy everything to do with the race.
How do you define yourself?
I would define myself as… I don’t know. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but I think I’m a great worker. I’ve gotten where I am without ever being given anything. I’ve made it this far by hard work and sheer effort. I’m persistent and proud of myself. Plus, I try and ask myself every day how it is possible to get better, because there can be no resting on your laurels once you’ve gotten onto a good team. You’ve got to force yourself to be competitive.
Your younger brother Adrien is an official rider for Honda Brazil.
Yeah, that’s right. It’s a Honda family! It’s amazing as he competes in enduro and rally and is currently second in the standings behind the champion, his team-mate Azevedo. Adrien came to France a couple of weeks ago, and we trained together. I’m very proud of what he’s achieved, because to go to Brazil wasn’t an easy decision to make.
One of your great qualities is that you possess strong mechanical skills.
Before doing rally I worked as a mechanic in Nantes in a workshop. And before that I was in the family business in charge of the mechanics of all the vehicles. This meant that I learned a great deal. In fact, everything that I did before has come in useful: bike-riding, mechanics, water-carrier… So, if I have to help my teammates out, I’m available.
You’ve put in a bit of mileage on the Honda CRF450 Rally. How would you define it?
The initial feeling that I had was that it is easy to ride, very agile, easy to handle, light… Straight away I felt at ease on the bike. Also, I’d have to point out the engine, which is very efficient at low revs and is very powerful at the top end, too. To sum up: it’s an easy yet very effective bike.
In the 4 years that you have been in the world of rally, how has the navigation been going?
I’m going to keep working at it because I think that in rally there are riders who navigate really well and others who just follow the tracks; I want to be in the first group. My job will be to help Paulo and Joan, both of whom are really good at navigating, so I will do everything to keep learning which is really important. Last year’s Dakar wasn’t very difficult for the navigation, but I’ve got to keep pushing in that sense because the Dakar is an adventure and the navigation is super-important. I’m lucky enough to have been given great advice by the rest of the team. Joan has trained me really well in Zaragoza, and I will try to keep following Joan’s inspiration.
What do you think that the Dakar 2016 will be like?
Metge: Undoubtedly it will be a very full Dakar, intense from the start. Also, there will be a lot of technical track in the Bolivian heights. It will be very physical, as it is every year. I hope that there will be a lot of technical stages, which are my cup of tea. I believe that it’s necessary to prepare a lot physically and be as fit as possible. Chile and Peru are not on the route; last year there were some stages in Chile that were very simple and not such fun to ride. I prefer Argentina and the technical tracks rather than the boring straight ones.
Michael Metge
Date of birth: March 26, 1979
Place of birth: Nîmes, France
Nationality: French
Height: 5’9″
Weight (kg) 158 lbs.
Marital status: Married – one child
Hobbies: Jet-skiing
Career Highlights
2015: Switches from Yamaha Factory Racing to Team HRC
2014: 13th in Dakar Rally
2013: Joins Yamaha Factory Racing; 18th in Dakar Rally, 6th in Rallye Dos Sertoes (Brazil)
2010: 2nd, European Enduro E2 Championship
2006: 5th, French Enduro E3 Championship
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