Francis Gusts: I’m Not the Happiest Person in the World. It Could Be Better (Interview)

Francis Gusts admirably replaced the injured Daniel Bewley in the ranks of BETARD SPARTA Wrocław. The Latvian scored 9 points and two bonuses in Leszno, significantly contributing to Wrocław’s fight for victory until the very end.

Gusts started the match in Leszno excellently. In the third race, together with Maciej Janowski, he defeated the hosting duo and left his team colleague several meters behind. He also shined in the 12th race, defeating Andzejs Lebedevs. His good performance earned him a spot in the decisive run of the day. In a conversation with ekstraliga.pl, Gusts admitted that the result could have been better and talked about his fondness for the Leszno track and the support of Daniel Bewley’s mechanics.

Joachim Piwek (ekstraliga.pl): Congratulations on a great performance. What made you so fast in Leszno?

Francis Gusts (BETARD SPARTA Wrocław): Actually, I don’t think I was particularly fast. I had a few good starts and took advantage of them. I really like these kinds of tracks – wide ones where you can go around the outside line. This path worked well in this match.

You still have to admit you defended well against attacks and took advantage of early starts.

It’s probably no secret that I used Daniel Bewley’s motorcycles. Actually, my feelings were similar to my own.

Did you also use the help of his mechanics?

Yes, of course. I had my mechanic and additionally Daniel’s team. They know these engines, and I conveyed my subjective feelings and opinions to them. Then they made the adjustments. Some worked great, and some not entirely. It might have been partly my fault as well.

Was it hard to adapt to Bewley’s equipment?

We focused on good starts and tuning the equipment accordingly. We emphasized the start because it was much easier to fight for points after a good start.

Was overtaking in Leszno difficult?

It wasn’t that bad. We saw some beautiful attacks by different riders. Jakub Krawczyk showcased some moves on the track.

Weren’t there optimal racing lines? One might get the impression that everyone tried to get to the center of the track as quickly as possible.

When someone is much faster than someone else, it’s easy to overtake. It wasn’t like on slippery tracks where there is only one line to follow. The track was rather grippy. There was a lot of water.

You mentioned that you also like tracks like the one in Leszno.

Yes, I like it when it’s wide and you can gain speed. It’s a nice track, somewhat similar to the oval in Wrocław.

So, can you be satisfied with your entire performance?

It can always be better. I smile and have my reasons for it, but I’m not the happiest person in the world. There are still many things I can improve, but I’m happy because these were some of my best races this year.