VOL. 54 ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 22, 2017 P93
plistic grassroots stuff, the very
philosophy I'm about to find out
that his world-beating company
is built on.
Forgive me for maybe
stating the obvious here, but
it's a very rare sight to see
the owner and founder of a
world championship winning
motorcycle manufacturer
chatting with customers on a
trade stand in the middle of a
frosty-cold French quarry. In
a sense it puts into perspec-
tive underneath the results
just how much of a punch you
guys are packing. Would you
agree?
Yes, it's true we are a little
company but I feel a very dynam-
ic one. Sherco is not a company
with outside investment and
capital—we're not like that. We're
family funded and everything is
done in small, calculated steps.
We all get our hands dirty when
needed. We originally started
with trials, and when we added
enduro we pushed steadily to
understand that world, too. Now,
after 12 years, we're world cham-
pions and I think that's a good
step. When you see the compe-
tition we face—KTM, Husqvarna,
Yamaha, Honda, Beta—it shows
we can hold our own. I think
that's a that's a strong statement
to make.
Sherco returns from the Da-
kar Rally with another stage
win and a strong showing.
Although obviously competi-
tive, why race Dakar? Is it for
the publicity or development
or success?
For us, rally has been a nec-
essary step to take. All forms of
competition is a good laboratory
to test in and understand the
engine and motorcycle. Dakar is
the biggest testing ground of all.
We used this year's race as part
of the development of the 450
and a new cylinder head—we
tested many things in this Dakar.
Yes, we won a stage, too, but
overall we're happy for the end
result because we only used one
engine for the race. And that has
Phillips won the EnduroGP
World Championship the Sherco
450 SEF-R Factory.
