EWC Q&A with Xavier Simeon: “I’m not the favourite because I’m Belgian”

Along with team-mates Gregg Black and Sylvain Guintoli, home hero Xavier Siméon is one of favourites to win the 24H SPA EWC Motos, round two of the 2022 FIM Endurance World Championship from 4-5 June. This is what the 32-year-old from Belgium, whose world-title winning Yoshimura SERT Motul team tops the EWC standings after last month’s 24 Heures Motos, has had to say ahead of the FIM Endurance World Championship returning to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the first time since 2001.

Ad/> What are your earliest memories of Spa-Francorchamps?“When my father [Michel] was racing I was here with him when I was five or six years old. I grew up in the paddock of World Endurance so I grew up in Spa.” FIM EWCReplicating test pace the next goal for 24H SPA EWC Motos-bound BMW teamYESTERDAY AT 04:07 Spa is ranked as a legendary track, how would you describe it?“This track is amazing, it’s very, very fast, you have to respect it a lot because you need a level of concentration and confidence that is very high.” Amazing but challenging, right?“Essentially it will be a very tough race, especially during the night.

It’s a track where you can make a big difference in terms of lap times, so you have to respect this track clearly, but that’s why everybody says it’s the most beautiful track in the world because it's in the woods with long corners, seven kilometres, the track really is amazing.” How much of a factor is the weather at Spa?“I raced at Spa in 2005 and 2006 and it was like this, the weather can change at any moment. Sometimes it’s raining in the back of the track and not in the first part so it can be a surprise at every moment and that’s why I said you really have to respect this track.” Would you say you have an advantage –