For most people life is about making money, for some people life is about following a passion. Julien Bill’s passion since his childhood was to race motocross and become World Champion. On August 7th he made his dream come true at the final MX3 round in Lacapelle Marival, France.

Having ridden MX3 for KTM in 2005 -finishing third behind Breugelmans and on equal points with De Maria- the class was not new. After that year Julien Bill (28) rode MX1 during 5 seasons with mixed fortune.

At the end of 2010 Julien decided to try his luck in the last MX3 race in his hometown Geneva. That day he ran down the opposition like a freight train with two straight wins. Was that the moment to consider your switch from MX1 to MX3 this year?

“When I won 2 motos in the Geneva MX3 I said to myself wow if I can win this one I have the chance to become World Champion. That has been my dream since I was a kid of 4 years old when I started riding. My father was the trainer of Charly Tonus (ex 500 GP rider and father of today’s MX2 star Arnaud) and by that way I got involved in motocross at an early age.”

BE MY OWN BOSS

“For 2011 I saw my chances in MX3; after 2 bad years with Aprilia I knew that no serious team would be interested to sign me for another MX1 year. So I took the road of setting up my own private team to race MX3. Do everything on my own conditions and be my own boss.“

“In MX1 I would be fighting for a top ten position and nobody would care about me. Winning the MX3 class now everybody will recognize me as World Champion. So I took that road and made it all happen at the final round in France and celebrated my title with family and friends who came over to Lacapelle Marival. This is a dream come true for me and my father, for the two of us and everyone involved.”

In that final race of the 2010 MX3 season in Geneva you stormed to victory and the regular MX3 guys were like wow today we get our ass kicked.

“That day helped me make the decision to go MX3, as said I had 2 bad years behind me and was really in the hole. When I found so much happiness winning two motos in Geneva, to stand on top of the podium and see the happiness among my friends and family, I said to myself yeah we’ll do MX3 in 2011. No Swiss rider has been World motocross Champion and now I am the first one.”

“Even with a limited budget you can be up front in MX3 where as in MX1 you have to invest a lot more money with fees and so on. We bought our own bikes, made the switch to MX3 and that already created some media attention. See for instance my bikes this year, I sure do not have the fastest engine and that’s why you hardly ever see me take a good start or even the holeshot.

So now that you have won the title in great style, making you a true World motocross Champion, mission fulfilled and time to pack in?

“Maybe I’ll race in Canada next year, the scene over there is equal to the US series with another class of riders of course. I did a race in Walton (Can) recently and finished second. If we can make it happen I race in Canada next year, Monster will play a part in those plans.”

CHAMPION BUT NOT AT YOUR HOME MX3

The MX3 season was shortened when a handful of races were canceled including the last ones in Switzerland and Spain. In a way that made it easier for you to defend your lead.

“It was a shame that the mid-season overseas races were canceled but the other side of the story is that those trips would take a massive lump of money out of our budget going there. Mixed feelings so to say. I was disappointed that Geneva and Spain, the last two of the MX3 races this year, were canceled. Geneva is my home town and Spain I was looking forward to, but here again mixed feelings.”

“Being the champion without racing Geneva and losing the possibility to grab the title in my hometown it’s okay. Many fans visited the race in France to celebrate my title right after the finish of the first moto. Motocross is really small in Switzerland, and there were no extra sponsors to cover the extra cost for running the Geneva event this year so it didn’t happen, a shame.”

If motocross is small in Switzerland then how big is Julien Bill in Switzerland

“Oh I was nothing, the ones who like motocross and dirt bikes they knew me for sure and I am lucky our newspaper Le Matin is following me and give me lots of media coverage. It’s been a positive change after the title was in the pocket but before that I was never on TV. I can walk in the streets no problem as I am not a star hah. I am the World Champion but it did not bring me any money.”

I see big logos on your bike and outfit, you have the nicest and biggest truck in the paddock - you say the title brought you no money?

“The title brings me bonuses and that money we use to cover part of the cost for travelling and set up my own structure. There is no profit this year, I have invested a lot of money for this MX3 year using my savings from the 2 years I was with Aprilia. There the situation was bad but the money was good.”

MUD IN GREECE TO KICK OFF THE SEASON

From the MX3 opener in Greece it was clear the title would be a Potisek-Bill battle with Michek and Pyrhönen as the outsiders. In the Greek mud Potisek lost a secure looking victory and Bill snatched by. At the next race in Bulgaria the tables had turned with Potisek winning both motos. After a long break came Finland and from there on Bill never let the lead in the Championship slip away. He ruled with total domination and therefore he is a strong world champion. Did he have Potisek in mind before the season kicked off?

“Milko and Martin Michek I knew they were the fast guys, I rode in MX1 with Martin and Antti so I knew them. I expected Antti could be struggling to find rhythm and confidence coming back from serious injury. But I was really focused on winning the title when I started this year, I expected hard fights because there is no easy championship or title.”

“I remember what Stefan Everts once said: you cannot win the title in the first race but you can lose it. I saw in Greece Milko Potisek made a mistake that I had avoided making. I had a bad day in Bulgaria where Milko and Martin were faster and I finished third, quite okay for a bad day.”

FINLAND WAS THE TURNING POINT

I have seen many MX3 races and in my opinion this year you put your stamp on the MX3 in Finland where you won both motos in impressive style coming back from far behind. Guess the competitors there and then realized that you were on a roll, a roll that never stopped because you won all events that followed.

“I think Finland was the nicest race of the year. Milko Potisek went there as leader, he is a sand rider and he had won the double in the race before Finland. I knew he went to Finland to win and I said ok I was on KTM in Lommel for one year and I can ride sand. Besides I trained my butt off for Finland and it paid off. I was convinced if I could beat him there it would be a knock on the head for Milko and all others.”

“Finland was one of the roughest tracks of the year, the most technical and I liked it. In the MX3 class many tracks have one line, no bumps, no berms, it was hard to pass and Finland made the exception.”

“I won the first moto, then crashed in the second start and made another couple of mistakes on the first lap and stalled the engine. So I had to come back from way down the field. I rode as fast as I could, head down and never even saw my pit board. I was surprised I could still win that race. That win and the way it came was the turning point of the season.”

Ok you went down in Finland but when I check my start pictures from the MX3 races this year in most of them you cannot be found up front, how’s that?

“Yeah it’s true that except the French qualification race I never started in the lead. I got used to that and realized I had to give it all on the opening laps and improve my position or the others would be gone too far ahead.”

WINNING 7 OUT OF 8

After Finland Julien Bill never looked back, he won the next five MX3 races, winning eight motos and finished second in the others. He took the title in France with a double win.

“The championship finishing by early August is a bummer, but there are two sides again. If you race your own team on a small budget then less races means less cost. And when you lead the championship with less races to go it means a small advantage. But it would have been nice to finish in Geneva where it all started one year ago.”

Next year Canada or if that does not happen you will defend the number one plate?

“That depends on the sponsors - if we have a bigger budget next year I could stay in MX3 and defend my title but man I need to make a salary. Everyone with a job makes a salary to pay the bills. Life in Switzerland is very expensive and it has been tough. I cannot continue to live on money I have made in the past. I am happy and lucky enough to have my parents behind me otherwise I could not race, it would be tough, life cost double in my country.”

THE HAPPIEST GUY IN THE WORLD

“I need time to think, we love this sport but it is a dangerous sport and you don’t want to crash hard in a place like Ukraine, have the military throw you on the side and end up in a local hospital. Every rider knows this, maybe I am the only one who speaks out.”

Some show little respect for the MX3 class, how do you see that?

“It is a World Championship title is it not? I have been riding up front in MX1, I have been third in Namur, fourth in Loket, fifth in Teutschenthal, third and fifth in the Motocross of Nations in England.”

“Youthstream has done a lot of good for the sport. Like in the past it would be nice to have the three classes combined in one event or at least race at the same place. There could be more media coverage for MX3 that would help the image of the class.”

“I come from a family that never raced motocross and I finished this year as Word Champion. I am the happiest guy in the world.”

Photo: Julien Bill by Harry van Hemmen

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